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No Greater Joy Finances

January 15, 2012
No Greater Joy Finances

Each year No Greater Joy Ministries, Inc. (NGJ) undergoes a full financial audit by an independent CPA firm. This past fiscal year was the cleanest audit we have received since we started the process. The financial statements for this past fiscal year have been presented “fairly in all material respects”.

The bottom line; NGJ are good stewards of the resources you, our readers and supporters, provide to us. This past fiscal year was a very difficult year for NGJ. To minister globally at the high level we have ministered at over the past several years, NGJ spent $239,650 more than we received.

This represents about a 2 month operating surplus which we keep on hand for emergencies. Fortunately we had this surplus accumulated over the past few years that we could use for this year. Going forward we no longer have our emergency fund cushion. The worst economy since the great depression finally took its toll on our finances.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2011 (Rounded)

REVENUE AND SUPPORT
Sales $1,156,000
Contributions 509,000
Loss on disposal of fixed assets (67,000)
Misc Income 5,000
Total Revenue $1,603,000
EXPENSES
Program Services:
Cost of Goods 467,000
Printing and publications 495,000
Misc program services 193,000
Supporting Services 688,000
Total Expenses $1,843,000
EXPENSES OVER REVENUE $240,000

CHANGES

We made changes! We looked at every expense and analyzed our business to see the sources of our income. Our goal is to continue to minister worldwide at the highest and most efficient way possible.

Over the past few years, our sales shifted almost exclusively from NGJ readers to about 20% of our sales coming from our own distributors, Christian Book Stores and online merchants such as Amazon. This shift has resulted in less individual order taking and shipping by the case rather than by the unit. This coupled with a more efficient Webstore, has unfortunately caused us to have to reduce our loyal staff.

We eliminated a fulltime employee in the order department and cut the shipping department hours in half.

Other support employees have had their hours reduced by 37% to 50%. We had two employees come forward and volunteer to cut their pay substantially with one of them donating to the general fund from each paycheck.

We have cut our commercial advertising by about three quarters, and have eliminated one trade show entirely as well as cut out a day from another show.  We also cut out all of our employee benefits except for paid holidays.

These savings amount to over $300,000 per year. If our income levels remain the same we should be able to accumulate our emergency fund safety net by December 2012.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Contributions to our general fund allows us to use the funds where most needed. Contributions that are designated to a specific area of our Ministry are used in their entirety for that purpose. Unlike other ministries, we do not reduce the amount by an administrative fee.

Our largest single ministry expense is the Good and Evil Project. We continue to add new languages, move forward with the animation project, and offer large discounts to organizations and individuals that use Good and Evil for their prison ministries. We have reduced this ministry expense by $1,000 per month, hopefully just temporarily. We have not cut back on our military ministry, prison ministry and ministry to missionaries and church leaders worldwide.

SALES

About 70% of our revenue is from the sales of the over 100 products that we offer. In addition to adding to our income, these products minister biblical truths. Many use the materials as a part of their own ministries. The sales of our material cover our operating expenses as well as much of the ministry work. This is how we avoid administrative fees on contributions.

Please contact me if you have any questions or feel led to financially help NGJ.

— Mel Cohen, CFP, RFC, General Manager

Editor Note: Mel is a certified financial planner and a registered financial consultant and has vast experience in corporate finances for both nonprofits and for profit organizations. If you have any questions on our ministry’s finances contact Mel at 931-593-2484 or email him at [email protected].

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2 comments on “No Greater Joy Finances”

  1. Brother Mel,
    Thank you and other workers for the wonderful ministry you do! Your sacrificial work is an incredible blessings for Russian speaking churches in America as well as in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. Will the Lord give you strength and wisdom to continue to feed so many souls with well prepared food!
    Love in Christ,
    Inna Ryzhkov.

  2. I was checking out your web site and found out that you sell business in a box. I have been looking for something to do for working so this seems interesting to me, I will pray about this first and then call you if the Lord leads me too. Thank you mary