July 1, 2010

Dear Friend,

While most people this time of year are enjoying the lazy days of summer, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals continues its unwavering work of spreading the Gospel to millions of people across our continent by broadcast, events, and publishing. And while our financial support always wanes during the summer, our resolve to preach sound doctrine does not.

The Alliance seeks to conserve fundraising costs—especially during the lean summer months. We are already facing $285,000 in reduced revenue this summer.

We want you to know that you can trust the Alliance to be a good steward of your gifts. We take our responsibility seriously and are dedicated to high standards of financial accountability.

Many “watchdog groups” report on the fundraising costs and efficiency of non-profits – the Alliance included. These groups however only report based solely on the public information from IRS 990 reports. But many non-profits – between 35 and 59 percent – report no fundraising costs whatsoever, and even more report unrealistically low costs. This makes many non-profits appear more efficient than they really are and more transparent ones less so by comparison.

We report all fundraising costs to the best of our ability. While this may affect our standing with some watchdogs, we hold fast to the high standards of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA.org). As one of the 150 charter members of the ECFA, we have a long history of financial transparency and accountability.

For every dollar invested in fundraising, we receive over $11.00 in return. While we are already above the national average for similar organizations, we continue to strive for excellence and continue to seek ways to improve our efficiency.

Now, you will notice that I have used the term “efficiency.” The “watch dogs” often confuses this with effectiveness. The ECFA has taught the Alliance to also focus on effectiveness. The Alliance is also very effective; over 800 broadcast outlets, nearly 80,000 listeners each week, over 2,500 at PCRT, more at regional conferences, over 20 Reformation Societies and growing across the country some with over 80 pastors and leaders attending, the list goes on and on. But that is another letter!

If we Christians are to have any impact on the world, we must think and act biblically in everything we do. Your gift now and over the rest of the summer will help us provide sound, biblical teaching through broadcast, events, and publishing. Through your gifts, you touch hearts, share knowledge, and help to bring change to believers and nonbelievers alike.

Please prayerfully consider joining us through financial support this summer when we need it most. Then you can get back to those days of summer, knowing we continue to share God’s Word with our world.

In Christ’s service,

Robert Brady
Executive Vice President

P.S. Your on-time, tax-deductible gift will be used to continue our unwavering work of spreading the Gospel to millions of people across our continent by broadcast, events, and publishing.