Ministry Spotlight: Operation Underground Railroad
Organization’s spending exceeds revenue, net assets remain high
Recently, Operation Underground Railroad (OUR)’s Donor Confidence Score fell to a 50, placing it in the “Give with Caution” category.
OUR, an anti-trafficking group, has seen significant upheaval over the last few years. In 2021, MinistryWatch began looking at the organization’s exaggerated rescue claims, and later at its increased donations and large net asset holdings.
In July 2023, its founder, Tim Ballard, quietly left the organization before being accused of sexual assault a few months later by 5 former OUR workers. In February 2024, Tammy Lee became the organization’s new CEO.
According to OUR’s 2023 Form 990, Ballard still received a salary of $601,379. From 2022 to 2023, the organization’s overall revenue jumped from $29.3 million to $50.4 million—but its 2023 expenses were more than $53 million. In addition, it has $56.3 million in net assets, ranking it 40 out of 40 for Resource Allocation in the Advocacy Sector.
MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 50 (out of a possible 100) “Give With Caution”
MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 1 Star (out of a possible 5 Stars)
MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: D
ECFA Member? No
Revenue in Most Recent Year Available: $50,417,913
Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by about 125%)
Percent of Revenue Operation Underground Railroad Spends on Fundraising: 10%
Percent Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 7%
CEO/President: (In 2023) Tim Ballard
President’s Salary and Other Compensation: $601,379
A complete MinistryWatch profile for Operation Underground Railroad can be found here.
Find recent MinistryWatch articles mentioning Operation Underground Railroad here.
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