World Impact, Inc. 
The information on this page was last updated 1/10/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
World Impact empowers urban leaders and partners with local churches to reach their cities with the Gospel. We build healthy urban churches through ministry development.
Contact information
Mailing address:
World Impact, Inc.
2001 Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Website: www.worldimpact.org
Phone: (323) 735-1137
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 952681237
CEO/President: Dr. Alvin Sanders
Chairman: Mr. Carl LaBarbera
Board size: 7
Founder: Dr. Keith Phillips
Ruling year: 1971
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1981
Purpose
For more than 50 years, we've affirmed the call and vocation of local urban church pastors and ministry leaders who want to transform their cities through the Gospel.
We have a vision to see a healthy church in every community of poverty.
At World Impact, we know that many church leaders struggle to sustain ministry impact and grow healthy churches in urban neighborhoods because they do not have the training they need. We know this because we've been in your shoes for five decades.
Our training is designed for the urban context and empowers leaders to build healthy churches in communities of diversity and poverty. When urban church leaders are empowered to own and lead their own ministries, individuals, families, and neighborhoods flourish.
Mission statement
Our goal is to reach under-resourced urban pastoral leaders and empower them with affordable, accessible, and effective training. We do this by partnering with local churches, ministry networks, and denominations to meet them where they are.
Statement of faith
1. There is one living and true God, infinitely perfect in glory, wisdom, holiness, justice, power and love, one in His essence but eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God sovereignly created the world out of nothing, so that His creation, while wholly dependent upon Him, neither comprises part of God, nor conditions His essential perfection (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 28:19,20).
2. The books which form the canon of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original writings, the only infallible rule of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16).
3. God created man in His own image, in a state of original righteousness, from which man subsequently fell by a voluntary revolt, and consequently is guilty, inherently corrupt and subject to divine wrath.
4. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, became man without ceasing to be God by uniting to His divine nature a true human nature in His incarnation, and so continues to be both God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, exhibited His deity by manifold miracles, fulfilled the requirements of the Law by His sinless life, shed His blood as a vicarious and propitiatory atonement for man's sin, was resurrected from the dead in the same body, now glorified. He ascended into heaven and now intercedes in glory for His redeemed as our great high priest and advocate, and as the Head of the Church and Lord of the individual believer (Matthew 1:20,21; John 1:1-14; Romans 3:21-26; 5:6-11; I Peter 3:18; I John 2:1,2; Luke 24; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 8:1).
5. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, through the ministry of regeneration and sanctification applies salvation and places believers into the Church, guides and comforts God's children, indwells, directs, gifts and empowers the Church in godly living and service in order to fulfill the great commission, and seals and keeps the believer until Christ returns (John 16:1-33; I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 1:13,14).
6. Every person, regardless of race or rank, who receives the Lord Jesus Christ by faith is born into the family of God and receives eternal life. This occurs solely because of the grace of God and has no ground in human merit.
7. The Holy Church is the one institution specifically ordained of God to function in the furthering of the Kingdom until Christ comes again. It consists of all those regenerated by the Spirit of God, in mystical union and communion both with Christ, the head of the Body, and with fellow-believers. Neighborhood congregations are the local manifestation of the Church universal. In obedience to the command of Christ, these congregations preach the word of God, equip God's people for the work of ministry, and administer the Lord's Supper and Baptism.
8. The Lord Jesus Christ will return bodily, visibly and personally to receive His own, to conform believers to His own image and to establish His millennial kingdom. He will judge the living and the dead and will effect a final separation of the redeemed and the lost, assigning unbelievers to eternal punishment and believers to eternal glory, enjoying conscious fellowship with Him (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:50-58; Revelation 20:4-6).
9. Man's chief end in life is to honor and glorify Almighty God. Personal salvation is a means to this end.
Donor confidence score
This organization does not file a Form 990.
Show donor confidence score detailsTransparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Leadership Training
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 1051 of 1118 | 17 of 21 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 788 of 1119 | 14 of 21 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 964 of 1119 | 14 of 21 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 1039 of 1118 | 20 of 21 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 9% | 22% | 10% | 10% | 7% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 7% | 6% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 6% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 99% | 27% | 43% | 50% | 55% | 67% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 7% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 4% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 1% | 73% | 57% | 50% | 45% | 33% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 76% | 78% | 78% | 78% | 81% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 95% | 82% | 102% | 120% | 126% | 156% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 83% | 63% | 80% | 95% | 99% | 126% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 5% | 18% | -2% | -20% | -26% | -56% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 11% | 9% | -1% | -10% | -11% | -17% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 10% | 17% | 18% | 17% | 19% | 15% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.68 | 0.39 | 0.53 | 0.55 | 0.51 | 0.47 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.17 | 1.81 | 2.32 | 2.57 | 2.51 | 2.43 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.03 | 0.72 | 1.24 | 1.42 | 1.28 | 1.14 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 12.19 | 8.46 | 18.81 | 11.81 | 17.40 | 14.96 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.08 | 0.12 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.56 | 14.79 | 9.20 | 7.73 | 8.81 | 9.82 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 8% | 7% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 57% | 237% | 183% | 175% | 191% | 208% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Cash | $507,997 | $890,652 | $522,044 | $459,965 | $1,078,540 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $6,606,975 | $1,153,272 | $1,093,676 | $1,416,196 | $1,477,201 |
| Short-term investments | $8,739,490 | $8,623,897 | $8,198,973 | $9,179,123 | $10,122,168 |
| Other current assets | $81,775 | $196,699 | $188,316 | $72,152 | $71,155 |
| Total current assets | $15,936,237 | $10,864,520 | $10,003,009 | $11,127,436 | $12,749,064 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $12,965,497 | $14,301,944 | $15,702,254 | $16,779,510 | $18,287,351 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $12,965,497 | $14,301,944 | $15,702,254 | $16,779,510 | $18,287,351 |
| Total assets | $28,901,734 | $25,166,464 | $25,705,263 | $27,906,946 | $31,036,415 |
| Liabilities | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $1,793,794 | $483,148 | $754,933 | $544,023 | $758,983 |
| Other current liabilities | $90,105 | $94,537 | $91,960 | $95,369 | $93,132 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,883,899 | $577,685 | $846,893 | $639,392 | $852,115 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $1,883,899 | $577,685 | $846,893 | $639,392 | $852,115 |
| Net assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Without donor restrictions | $22,507,150 | $18,347,332 | $18,886,591 | $20,927,397 | $24,150,724 |
| With donor restrictions | $4,510,685 | $6,241,447 | $5,971,779 | $6,340,157 | $6,033,576 |
| Net assets | $27,017,835 | $24,588,779 | $24,858,370 | $27,267,554 | $30,184,300 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Total contributions | $3,697,586 | $5,589,800 | $5,887,138 | $6,261,122 | $6,284,574 |
| Program service revenue | $2,261,230 | $2,771,414 | $2,893,559 | $2,779,159 | $2,612,522 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $50,182 | $391,682 | $224,133 | $626,008 | $327,225 |
| Other revenue | $7,823,800 | $4,397,095 | $2,800,730 | $1,704,043 | $98,743 |
| Total other revenue | $10,135,212 | $7,560,191 | $5,918,422 | $5,109,210 | $3,038,490 |
| Total revenue | $13,832,798 | $13,149,991 | $11,805,560 | $11,370,332 | $9,323,064 |
| Expenses | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Program services | $8,686,331 | $10,465,940 | $11,157,200 | $11,207,469 | $11,765,528 |
| Management and general | $1,898,166 | $2,373,897 | $2,465,104 | $2,663,054 | $2,228,508 |
| Fundraising | $820,752 | $579,745 | $592,440 | $416,555 | $547,264 |
| Total expenses | $11,405,249 | $13,419,582 | $14,214,744 | $14,287,078 | $14,541,300 |
| Change in net assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $2,427,549 | ($269,591) | ($2,409,184) | ($2,916,746) | ($5,218,236) |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $2,427,549 | ($269,591) | ($2,409,184) | ($2,916,746) | ($5,218,236) |
Compensation
Compensation data for this ministry has not been collected.
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 1/10/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
1970's When our founder (Dr. Keith Phillips) was a college student, God inspired him to start Bible clubs for poor kids within the inner-city of Los Angeles. His vision spreads, and a second city is launched in Wichita, KS. throughout the decade, thousands of volunteers work alongside paid staff and the ministry becomes national.
1980's The ministry expands from Bible kid clubs to wholistic discipleship of entire families. Their needs lead to starting Christian community development initiatives such as elementary schools, medical facilities, and campgrounds aimed at serving the common good of the neighborhood residents.
1990's Natural progression leads to expansion into church planting, as the vast majority of those we serve are unchurched. Dr. Don Davis launches The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) to bring seminary quality education to those who live in urban neighborhoods. We begin partnering with denominations and church networks to spark church planting and leadership development outside of our ministry.
2000's Dr. Phillips pivots, casting a vison of World impact missionaries being repurposed from leading ministry to resourcing grassroot community church leaders. Dr. Efrem Smith follows Dr. Phillips and advances this vision even further, leading us into a new age of expansion. We go from exclusively serving the U.S. into providing global ministry training, as those trained locally take their leaning home to their countries of origin.
In 2017, Dr. Alvin Sanders was named the president and CEO of World Impact. Our desire to see a healthy church in every community of poverty means training needs to be more accessible. World Impact University was launched in 2021 so anyone with the internet can receive training. Under the philosophy of Redemptive Poverty work, WIU offers training in five programs - Church Based Seminary, Church Plant Training, Trauma Healing, Prison Ministry and Leadership Retreats.
Program accomplishments
633 partners
671 trainers
7,162 workers
Needs
Your financial partnership is key to forwarding the transformation of communities that God has called us to.