Ministry Spotlight: First Love International Ministries

Ministry’s 2-star Financial Efficiency rating drops Donor Confidence Score

First Love International Ministries recently fell into the bottom 40% for financial efficiency compared with other ministries in the Foreign Missions sector. A 2-Star Financial Efficiency rating in the MinistryWatch database also drops a ministry’s Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Video screenshot @First Love International

First Love International Ministries is a nondenominational missions agency founded by Tom and Linda Clinton in 2001 that focuses on impoverished nations. Its priority is “to invest our greatest resources and energies on the least.”

First Love highlights “wholistic care that is saturated in Jesus’ love.” Initiatives began in Kenya, the Himalayas, and the Philippines; First Love’s ministry partners and team members now span the globe in over a dozen countries on five continents.

One of the ministry’s programs provides scholarships to students, funding education, travel expenses, school supplies, and other fees.

As recently as 2021 and 2022, First Love earned the Shining Light Award from MinistryWatch, signifying that it had earned top scores in the three categories MinistryWatch tracks: financial efficiency, transparency, and donor confidence.

Now, the ministry has fallen to 2 Stars and a 20-point drop in donor confidence.

The drop in financial efficiency is the result of a change in the ministry’s asset utilization rating as cash assets plummeted between 2022 ($3,034,202) and 2023 ($155,059).

In March 2023, Phil Smith was named president and CEO of First Love, succeeding the owner and founder Dr. Tom Clinton. However, two years later, in March 2025, Smith left the ministry and Clinton resumed his previous role as CEO.

Since earning the Shining Light Award in 2022, its Transparency Grade has also dropped to a C, because First Love does not post audited financial statements on its website. It does, however, file Form 990s and is a member of the ECFA.

Recently, Clinton and wife, Linda, served in Kenya at First Love Academy during a short-term trip with 23 other people from 7 different states, according to First Love CFO Angela Fryer, daughter of the Clintons. She said the team was busy constructing a hall and chapel in Mtwapa and hosting a kids club with stories, crafts, and games.

MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 78 (out of a possible 100) “Give With Confidence”

MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 2 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars)

MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: C

ECFA Member? Yes

Revenue in Most Recent Year Available: $3,962,142

Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by about 13%)

Percent of Revenue Spent on Fundraising: 3%

Percent of Revenue Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 5%

CEO/President: Phil Smith

President’s Salary and Other Compensation: $148,515

A complete MinistryWatch profile for First Love International Ministries can be found here.

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