Donor Support & Administrative Allocation Policy

How Your Gift Fuels the Mission

When you give to Every Nation, your support goes beyond the missionary or project you designate. A small portion of each gift is allocated to critical behind-the-scenes services that help missionaries thrive and keep the mission moving forward.

What the Administrative Allocation Supports:

• Secure gift processing
• Donation receipts and appreciation letters
• Missionary payroll and tax reporting
• Insurance and retirement plan administration
• Live partner support
• Fundraising training and tools
• Mission tracking dashboards
• Annual financial audits and ECFA membership

Lower Allocation for Larger Gifts

We reduce the administrative allocation for large gifts and apply 0% allocation for disaster relief and benevolence gifts.

Why It Matters

We believe good stewardship isn’t about spending the least—it’s about investing wisely. By supporting essential systems and services, your gift enables missionaries to stay focused on the gospel.

As the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability wisely notes, the real measure of a ministry is not how low its overhead is, but how effective it is at accomplishing its mission.

Your gift does more than reach people—it helps make the whole mission work.  

Note: All donor data is handled securely. Read our Privacy Policy above for details.

Gift Acceptance Policy

Every Nation Churches & Ministries exists to honor God by establishing Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, socially responsible churches and campus ministries in every nation. The generosity of ministry partners makes this work possible.

Every Nation is accredited annually by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and demonstrates that accountability by providing our annual financial audit to the ECFA and making it available upon request.

Every Nation encourages all prospective ministry partners to seek the assistance of legal and financial advisors in matters relating to their gifts, including the resulting tax and estate planning consequences. The following policies and guidelines govern the acceptance of gifts by Every Nation for its mission, ministries, programs, and services.

Standards and Compliance

Every Nation will faithfully administer gifts and adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, including document retention, reporting, and gift acknowledgment. The Ministry does not provide appraisals or valuations to ministry partners for tax purposes. It also assesses a small percentage to help cover general and administrative costs. (This assessment is waived for all disaster relief and similar programs.)

Every Nation makes every effort to apply contributions according to an indicated preference; however, as with any nonprofit organization, the Ministry has complete discretion and control over the use of donated funds. Because of rules surrounding the giving of charitable donations and their potential to be deducted from income taxes, Every Nation does not refund gifts except in extraordinary circumstances. If Every Nation cannot honor a ministry partner’s intent, we will contact the partner to discuss allocating the gift elsewhere.

Gifts Without Donor Restrictions: When ministry partners do not specify the intent of gifts, Every Nation will use the funds towards its overall mission through its ministry expansion fund. However, our Partner Care staff will make every effort to contact the partner for clarity regarding an intended gift preference.

Exiting Missionaries and Closing Projects: When an Every Nation missionary exits ministry or a project comes to a close, our staff will contact ministry partners to transfer or cancel recurring gifts. If a partner does not respond or adjust their giving online before the next gift is processed, the funds will be redirected to Every Nation’s ministry expansion fund.

Mission Trip Changes: Gifts for participants on Ten Days short-term mission trips support the trip’s goals, not a particular person. When a trip participant withdraws from a Ten Days trip, gifts preferenced for him or her will continue to support the trip’s goals.

Use of Legal Counsel

When necessary, Every Nation will seek the advice of legal, tax, or financial counsel when accepting gifts. Review by these advisors is employed for:

• Gifts of securities that are subject to restrictions or buy-sell agreements,
• Documents naming Every Nation as trustee or requiring Every Nation to act as a fiduciary,
• Gifts requiring Every Nation to assume financial or other obligations,
• Transactions with potential conflicts of interest, and
• Gifts of property that may be subject to environmental or other regulatory restrictions.

Restrictions on Gifts

Every Nation will not accept gifts that:

• Would violate federal, state, or local laws, statutes, or ordinances,
• Would result in a violation of Every Nation’s governing documents,
• Would result in Every Nation losing its status as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization,
• Would result in unacceptable consequences for Every Nation,
• Are for purposes outside of Every Nation’s mission,
• Are too difficult or too costly to administer in relation to their value,
• Contain unreasonable conditions or partial interest in property,
• Are made with conditions that state Every Nation will spend the proceeds for the personal benefit of a named individual, or
• Could expose Every Nation to biblical, ethical, legal, or any other form of liability.

Decisions on the restrictive nature of a gift and its acceptance or refusal will be made by the Executive Vice President. When warranted, the Executive Vice President will consult with the Board of Directors and legal, tax, or financial advisors.

Currently, Every Nation does not accept donations of personal property such as computers, equipment, machinery, or automobiles due to the complexity required to document the acceptance and disposition of the property.

Gifts Generally Accepted without Review

• Cash: Cash gifts are accepted in any form, including by cash, check, credit/debit card, certain electronic payment services, or other cash equivalents. Ministry partners who wish to make a gift by credit/debit card may need to provide any or all of the following information: card type (e.g., Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc.), card number, expiration date, security codes, zip code, and the name of the cardholder as it appears on the card.
• Marketable Securities: Investment securities may be transferred electronically to an account maintained at one or more brokerage firms or delivered physically with the transferor’s endorsement or signed stock power (with appropriate signature guarantees) attached. All marketable securities will be sold immediately upon receipt, so ministry partners are encouraged to time the donation appropriately. In some cases, marketable securities may be restricted, for example, by applicable securities laws or the terms of the proposed gift. In such instances, the Executive Vice President will decide to accept or decline the restricted securities.
• Bequests and Beneficiary Designations: Every Nation is grateful for ministry partners who make bequests in their wills or name Every Nation Churches & Ministries as the beneficiary of trusts, commercial annuities, and retirement plans.
• Charitable Remainder and Lead Trusts: Every Nation graciously accepts designation as a remainder beneficiary of charitable remainder trusts and as an income beneficiary of charitable lead trusts.

Gifts Accepted Subject to Prior Review

Certain forms of gifts or donated properties may be subject to review before acceptance. Examples of gifts subject to prior review include, but are not limited to:

• Closely Held Securities: These financial instruments are not publicly traded, such as debt and equity interests in non-publicly traded or closely held entities, as well as interests in LLPs and LLCs. Every Nation will attempt to sell or redeem closely held securities immediately upon receipt, so ministry partners are encouraged to time the donation appropriately. Criteria for acceptance of gifts of closely held securities include:
  • Is Every Nation the sole named beneficiary?
  • Do the securities possess any restrictions that would hinder their liquidation to cash?
  • Do the securities have an estimate of their fair market value?
  • Do the securities present any detrimental tax consequences?
• Life Insurance: The Ministry accepts gifts of life insurance when Every Nation Churches & Ministries is named as both beneficiary and irrevocable owner of the insurance policy. The ministry partner must agree to pay, before due, any future premium payments owing on the policy.
• Real Estate: All gifts of real estate are subject to review by the Executive Vice President. Before acceptance of any gift of real estate other than a personal residence, Every Nation will require an initial environmental review by a qualified environmental firm. If the initial review reveals a potential problem, Every Nation may elect to retain a qualified environmental firm to conduct an environmental audit. Criteria for acceptance of gifts of real estate include:
  • Is the property useful for Every Nation’s purpose and mission?
  • Is the property readily marketable?
  • Are there covenants, conditions, restrictions, reservations, easements, encumbrances, or other limitations associated with the property?
  • Are there carrying costs (including insurance, property taxes, mortgages, notes, or the like) or maintenance expenses associated with the property?
  • Does the environmental review or audit reflect that the property is damaged or requires remediation?

Assistance for Ministry Partners

Please contact our Partner Care staff if you have questions about cash gifts, including checks, credit/debit cards, or electronic payment services, or if you have questions about Every Nation’s online giving site.

• Phone: +1 615-727-5543
• Email: partner.care@everynation.org

Please contact our Development staff if you’d like to speak with someone about investment securities, wills, trusts, life insurance policies, retirement plans, charitable remainder or lead trusts, or real estate.

• Phone: +1 615-727-5544
• Email: development@everynation.org

This Gift Acceptance Policy is pending approval by Every Nation’s Board of Directors, but it has been implemented on a provisional basis. 

The Partner Bill of Rights

Partnership in the gospel is a response to God’s grace and a commitment to advancing his kingdom. It is an act of sacrificial generosity and faithful stewardship. To ensure that this partnership is stewarded with integrity, and that all partners can have full confidence in Every Nation’s mission and practices, we affirm that every partner has the following rights:

1. To be clearly informed of Every Nation’s mission, how resources will be used, and the organization’s capacity to use gifts faithfully and effectively for kingdom purposes.

2. To know who serves on Every Nation’s governing boards and to expect godly, wise, and prayerful stewardship of all resources.

3. To have access to Every Nation’s most recent financial information.

4. To be assured that gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given, with a spirit of integrity and accountability before God.

5. To receive timely and appropriate acknowledgement and gratitude for their generosity, honoring the spirit of partnership in the gospel.

6. To have their giving information treated with respect, discretion, and confidentiality, in accordance with the law and biblical principles of honor.

7. To expect that all interactions with Every Nation representatives reflect Christ-like character, transparency, and professionalism.

8. To be informed whether those seeking support are volunteers, staff members, or external partners.

9. To have the opportunity to opt out of communication lists that may be shared, in alignment with respect for each partner’s preferences.

10. To feel free to ask questions and to receive clear, honest, and prompt responses rooted in Every Nation’s commitment to truth and accountability.

* This was adapted from the Donor Bill of Rights written by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. 

FAQ: Board Oversight and Financial Stewardship

Every Nation is led by a Board of Directors that provides both spiritual guidance and legal oversight. In line with the standards of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), our Board includes at least five members, with a majority being independent. The Board meets at least twice a year to ensure faithful stewardship of the mission and resources entrusted to us.

To maintain transparency and accountability, Every Nation voluntarily undergoes an annual independent financial audit. We partner with Capin Crouse LLP, a firm that specializes in serving faith-based nonprofits. Our audited Financial Statement is submitted to the ECFA and publicly available on their website.