Ministry Spotlight: Convoy of Hope

Organization changes tax status to ‘association of churches,’ no longer files Form 990

This week, Convoy of Hope’s Transparency Grade fell from an A to a C. The Christian humanitarian and disaster relief organization, based out of Missouri, no longer files a Form 990.

Photo via Facebook @Convoy of Hope

Ethan Forhetz, VP of Public Engagement for Convoy of Hope, told MinistryWatch that the ministry was designated as an “association of churches” in 2020. “That decision came as a result of Convoy’s commitment to serving local churches,” Forhetz said. “Convoy already had many churches in our network, so our board of directors wanted to ensure that Convoy remained tethered to the local church. The board decided the best way to do that was to amend our status with the IRS.”

Because of its tax designation the organization is not required by the IRS to file a Form 990.

Convoy of Hope’s website describes itself as a “faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.” It often responds to major disasters around the world, but also works alongside communities to develop sustainable solutions to issues like poverty and hunger.

Over the last few years the organization has seen explosive growth in both its contributions and revenue. It has grown from $180 million in 2018 to $638 million in 2023. Its 2023 Annual Report notes this figure includes the Convoy of Hope Foundation.

According to previous reports from Ministry Watch, the organization’s “top nine executives earn more than $200,000 each, according to its 2021 federal 990 form.” Because it no longer files a Form 990, more recent salaries from its top executives are no longer available to the public.

Its ECFA profile and audited financials show that in 2023 the organization had a revenue of $638.4 million and its expenses were $640.2 million. Convoy of Hope has $213.2 million in net assets.

MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 34 (out of a possible 100) “Withhold Giving”

MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 0 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars)

MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: C

Revenue in Most Recent Year Available (From ECFA profile): $638,469,000

Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by 228%)

Percent of Revenue Convoy of Hope Spends on Fundraising: N/A

Percent Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: N/A

CEO/President: Hal Donaldson

President’s Salary and Other Compensation: $467,355, based on 2021 Form 990

A complete MinistryWatch profile for Convoy of Hope can be found here.

Find recent MinistryWatch articles mentioning Convoy of Hope here.

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