Integrity, compassion and accountability are hallmarks of this organization. First responders during both domestic and international disasters, Samaritans Purse strives to be first to offer assistance as a tangible expression of God's love. Projects under its umbrella include Operation Christmas Child, Children's Heart Project, World Medical Mission and many others.
Inspiring Greatness.
We are all born with special gifts, and it is my belief that if everyone tapped into their talents, and used them to help each other, there would be peace and harmony in our world.
Just like nature created animals, each with different yet important roles, I believe that humans were created with different roles to fill, too. But, as greed for money and power mixes with fears it interferes with universal law. We get out of balance--and disaster strikes.
That's why I am inspired to give--money and time--to help restore balance. We must spread awareness of important causes and to inspire others to speak up.
One of my special talents, which I believe many other people possess, too, is my voice. I believe I was put here to help those that cannot speak through written and verbal words. So, right now, part of my mission is to spread awareness of injustices around the world, to women, children, men, and the refugees fleeing Syria. I am doing this through my own social channels, by sharing stories and promoting orgs that are helping refugees, like Samaritan's Purse, and through my pro bono work with TheToolbox.org and Humanise (founded by iconic musician and humanitarian Peter Gabriel).
If you think there's nothing you can do you are wrong. Now, more than ever, those of us that can speak up for those without a voice must find the courage do so. If you don't have money to give don't worry about that. You can still share stories on social media and talk to friends to spread awareness.
Calming fears, educating my peers, supporting courageous acts and inspiring greatness is what drives me to give.
Review from #MyGivingStory
This is a true charity! I could never fully say enough about what they have done to help anyone who needs help even if it was dangerous or life threatening! It is an organization like this that strengthenshe the belief in God and humanity!
We are a team of college students that have been assigned the task of evaluating a charity for an international development. Through our research of Samaritan's Purse we have found them to be a very large international development organization. They work primarily in the developing world, and do very little aid work in the United States. There is substantial evidence that their projects have impacted the lives of people in the developing world. For example, their water projects have helped to provide clean drinking water for thousands of people in Africa. Another impressive aspect of Samaritan's Purse is the efficiency in which they spend donation money. They have very little administrative overhead, which allows close to 90℅ of donation money goes directly to funding development projects.
There are also some concerns that surround Samaritan's Purse, their leader , Franklin Graham, is a very conservative Christian. He has made comments about homosexuals and people of Islam that some people may find offensive. There is some evidence that this extremism has certain effects on their projects. For example, they refuse to administer birth control to men or women because it does not conform to their beliefs. This is a concern because it shows that they are unable to separate their religious beliefs and their work in devbeloping countries. This charity may not be for everyone, if you find your beliefs aligned with the views of Franklin Graham this may be the perfect charity for you, but we would advise caution as this charity seems to have a fairly extreme religious and political bend.
Am a born again christian Accountant) we had a chance when Samaritan purse gave a smile to pupils faces at our place of work (kampala school for physically handicapped) our pupils felt that are not left out globally for they imagined some body oversees to think about them.so Samaritan purse its our prayer we join you to do God's work
Gertrude Nakibuuka sozzi
The BBB rates them as "Standards not met" and cites some clear and cogent reasons for doing so: http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/religious/samaritans-purse-in-boone-nc-281 Why would a NGO of this size not state their fundraising costs in their annual report? Power corrupts.
Donor Ministries 10/31/2012
Dear Dave, you may see our fundraising costs on page 37 of our annual report, which is available on our website here: http://samaritanspurse.org/giving/public/images/2011/2011_samaritans_purse_ar.pdf. Please let me know if you have other concerns. Bless you. Steve Nickel Director of Donor Services Samaritan's Purse 828-278-1396
I feel like everyone is looking at this from the wrong perspective. 1st) The approach to CEO pay for a large non-profit CANNOT be approached much differently from CEO pay for a large corporation. Why? While there are surely a multitude of positions within a charitable organization that can pay based on the size of an employee's heart to a greater extent than for the size of an employee's skill, the CEO is not one of them. There are two basic reasons. Firstly, an organization of Samaritan Purse's magnitude and undoubted organizational complexity (non-profit, NGO, corporation, or otherwise) MUST attract an individual who is an excellent steward of the organization's assets. This means finding someone with a ton of a talent, decades of experience, and a rare skill set that involves managing - in this case - millions and millions of dollars in revenue and assets. That doesn't come cheap. In order to compete with high-paying firms that need great CEOs to do the exact same thing, non-profits have no choice but to compete on pay. Additionally, after some of the issues with big non-profits like Goodwill, it is imperative that a CEO be incentivized to uphold the core values of the organization and to, again, be an excellent steward of its assets. Because stock options are not an "option," in the case of a non-profit, salary is the only option. 2nd) What we should really be asking is why a non-profit is retaining 10% of revenue (primarily from donations) instead of spending it on programs; that's over $37 million in this case, folks. That's $37 million that's just sitting around not helping people who could use it. There are a few reasons (beyond idiotic management) that could explain this, but maybe it would better to look into something meaningful like that, instead of worrying about a CEO who is paid at a considerably lower % of expenses that a whole host of CEOs at other non-profits. For example, is this excess the result of forward planning in lieu of the potential Euro-zone meltdown, or the general volatility of the market over the last couple of years (which could ultimately result in a steep decline in donation funds in the matter of, say, only a few months... if that)? Maybe, within the regions in which Samaritan's Purse operates, it has simply exhausted its volunteer base, and has no ability to increase its operations to a point of alignment with the company's current donation potential. If the latter is the case, then they definitely don't need that extra 10% every year, and you might consider being cautious when making the decision to give. 3rd) There was an individual who gave the organization a 5 out of 5, apparently based solely on having participated in downstream, donation-acquisition activities. I would caution that it is the organization's macro financing and ultimately a thorough appraisal of its efforts abroad and/or in the inner cities (depending on the organization) that have a considerably more valuable bearing on its success in terms of making a difference for those who need the assistance.
I'm adding my comments, not as a donor or a volunteer, but as a person seeing unjust accusations being made on this review page. I am in the process of looking for another charitable organization to commit to, and came across these reviews of Samaritan's Purse. I am impressed with the ratings and intended purpose of this organization, especially compared with other non-profits I've come across. Being a bookkeeper and financial manager, the financials interest me, and I like what I see here. All the hoopla about Franklin Graham's salary are overblown when you put them into perspective. His salary accounts for a mere .15% of what the organization brings in. That's FAR LESS THAN ONE PERCENT! This is by no means out of the question for running a very large and successful ministry. Even with only a tiny fraction of the revenues going to Mr. Graham, the Lord still blesses his efforts and his faithfulness, as He promises in the Scriptures. I have only given four stars simply because I have not yet had any personal experience with this ministry.
Review from CharityNavigator
