Summary
Operation Blessing International (OBI) provides short-term relief and development assistance to economically disadvantaged people and victims of disaster throughout the world. In the United States, OBI focuses on providing food, clothing and other material assistance to inner-city and rural families facing financial hardship. Founded on November 14, 1978 by religious broadcaster, Pat Robertson, Operation Blessing International was originally intended to meet the needs of struggling individuals and families by providing items such as clothing, appliances, vehicles, etc., to be donated by viewers of The 700 Club. As of the present Operation Blessing has helped more than 155 million people in 96 countries and all 50 states as well as distributed goods valued at more than $500 million. Internationally, OBI emphasizes medical missions and resource development in under-served nations and countries requesting assistance. Operation Blessing International is a member of the Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations and is registered with the Federal Emergency Management Association and the United States Agency for International Development. Contributions to OBI are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. In addition, OBI is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
Contact Information: [ Back to top ]
| Mailing Address: | 977 Centerville Turnpike CSB 322
Virginia Beach, VA
23463-3463 |
| Website: | www.ob.org |
| Phone: | (757) 226-3401 |
| Email: | You need to enable javascript to see the email |
Organization Details [ Back to top ]
EIN: 541382657
| CEO/President: |
Mr. Bill Horan |
Tax Deductible: |
Yes |
| Chairman: |
M.G. Robertson |
Fiscal Year End: |
March 31 |
| Board Size: |
8 |
Financial info from: |
Audit |
| Founder: |
Mr. Pat Robertson |
Member of ECFA: |
Yes |
| Year Founded: |
1978 |
Member of ECFA since: |
1995 |
Operation Blessing International Relief & Development Corporation (OBI) is
on the frontlines providing relief in real time for those hurting in the
U.S. and abroad.
By implementing programs that provide hunger relief, medical aid, disaster
relief, clean water, microenterprise and sommunity development, OBI has
helped more than 202.7 million people in more than 105 countries and all
50 states as well as distributed goods valued at more than $1.4 billion.
Founded on November 14, 1978 by religious broadcaster, Pat Robertson, OBI
was originally intended to meet the needs of struggling individuals and
families by providing items such as clothing, appliances, vehicles, etc.,
to be donated by viewers of The 700 Club.
Operation Blessing International is a member of the Association of
Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations and is registered with
the Federal Emergency Management Association and the United States Agency
for International Development.
Contributions to OBI are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by
law. In addition, OBI is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability (ECFA).
Operation Blessing uses the following to express its mission:
The mission of Operation Blessing International is to demonstrate God's love by alleviating human need and suffering in the United States and around the world.
In efforts to relieve human suffering we combat hunger, deprivation and physical affliction with the provision of food, clothing, shelter, medical care and other basic necessities of life. We also help facilitate the development of healthy, vibrant and self-sustaining communities by addressing larger issues of education, food security, potable water, employment, community health, and disaster mitigation projects. In every endeavor, OBI seeks to exemplify Christian compassion and benevolence while conforming to the highest standards of integrity.
Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]
Operation Blessing's accomplishments and programs include the following:
Bless A Child
The Bless-A-Child program (BAC) works with local churches and organizations to meet the basic physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of at-risk children and youth. Hundreds of thousands of young people have participated in the programs. These programs presently exist in countries including Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Mexico, South Africa as well as United States. Right now in New York City an OBI sponsored counseling center lends comfort and provides answers to children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Medical Services
Using multi-national volunteer medical teams, we have provided hundreds of thousands of medical services in countries including Afghanistan, Albania, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Romania, Rwandan refugee camps, Vietnam, and Ukraine!
Hunger Strike Force
OBI uses the Hunger Strike Force, a fleet of refrigerated tractor-trailers, to transport millions of pounds of food, clothing, medical and disaster relief, and building supplies in the USA to disadvantaged individuals, families, and victims of disaster.
Since its inception in 1992, the Hunger Strike Force has:
- delivered and given away more than 164 million pounds of food
- provided more than 109 million meals to the needy
- driven more than 4.4 million miles
- provided 9.7 million pounds of relief and disaster relief supplies assistance.
Hope Works
Hope Works is making a positive impact in the lives and families of thousands of people around the world -- changes that should last for generations to come. In Milwaukee alone hundreds of men and women have graduated from a rigorous Life Skills Training program so they are equipped to enter the work force with the confidence and skills set needed to succeed. Across the globe in South Africa hundreds of other once unemployed men and women are now seamstresses and mechanics supporting their families through Sewing Cooperatives we helped establish in their townships. Not only can they now buy food for their children, they can also provide required school supplies and uniforms as well.
Living Waters
It is estimated that today a child will die every eight seconds of water-related diseases (World Health Organization). These problems don’t have to continue! Providing both accessible and clean fresh drinking water to millions is now possible. Operation Blessing has helped and will continue to help tens of thousands of people living in places including Cambodia, China, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Romania and Uganda.
Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]
Operation Blessing International uses the following to express its statement of faith:
We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but as a result of sin is lost and powerless to save himself.
We believe that the only hope for man is to believe on Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind and who rose from the dead so that by receiving Him as Lord, man is redeemed by His blood.
We believe that Jesus Christ in person will return to earth in power and glory.
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and godly lives.
We believe that the church is the body of Christ and is composed of all those who through belief in Christ have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The mission of the church is worldwide evangelization on the one hand and the nurture and discipline of Christians on the other.
Founded on November 14, 1978 by religious broadcaster, Pat Robertson, OBI was originally set up to meet the needs of struggling individuals and families by providing items such as clothing, appliances, vehicles, etc. that were donated by viewers of The 700 Club. However, as requests for assistance poured in, Robertson and the board of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. (CBN) decided to make a financial commitment for OBI assistance out of CBN's general fund.
OBI's impact increased dramatically when local churches and organizations agreed to provide matching funds for assistance projects and individual aid. With the help of these groups, OBI began providing low-income families with food baskets, help with delinquent rent and utility bills, new school clothes and other necessities. Other needs led to additional projects, such as an annual distribution of thousands of blankets to the homeless and a program that provides seeds for community vegetable gardens.
In 1986, Operation Blessing International was formed as a non-profit organization to handle international relief projects. Operation Blessing projects in the United States continued under the auspices of CBN until 1993, when all Operation Blessing activities were transferred to OBI.
OBI's medical missions, which provide medical relief in under-served countries, undertook its first mission in 1994. This program sends volunteer teams of doctors, dentists, other health care professionals and support staff on one- to two-week missions. The teams typically provide a variety of basic medical and surgical services. In 1996, OBI commissioned The Flying Hospital, a specially equipped L1011 jet aircraft. This plane is capable of providing world-class medical/surgical services to people in developing countries and disaster-stricken areas. At the present time, however, in lieu of rising terrorist attacks and world conflict, it has been decided Operation Blessing will not use The Flying Hospital on further missions at this time.
In 1997 OBI committed itself to serving more struggling people in America by expanding our partnership efforts and mobilizing thousands of Christians to help people in need and reach the lost.
Operation Blessing International has communicated the following needs:
Children around the world suffer from the effects of poverty. Many don’t have access to adequate food, medicine, clothing and school supplies. Your contribution can give boys and girls hope for tomorrow! Thank you for helping Operation Blessing reach out to hurting people all over the world. Your gift will quickly go to work to help break the cycle of suffering and bring lasting hope to many in need. See the ministry's website for more information.
Research Analysis
Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]
| Transparency Grade of : A |
| Criteria category | Grade | Other Comments |
| Timeliness: | 100 | |
| Financial Information: | 100 | |
| Foundational Clarity: | 100 | 2/22/2008 1:17:07 PM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough. |
| Level of Cooperation: | 100 | 2/22/2008 1:17:17 PM: Answers to questions were thorough. |
Click here to compare ministries on transparency and other stats
Click here to learn more about how ministries are graded
MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]
| Ranking Category | Rating | Overall Rank | Relief and Development Sector |
|---|
| Overall Efficiency Rating |  | 4 of 352 | 4 of 54 |
| Fund Acquisition Decision |  | 20 of 352 | 9 of 54 |
| Resource Allocation Decision | | 14 of 352 | 11 of 54 |
| Asset Utilization Decision | | 34 of 352 | 11 of 54 |
Learn how the ratings are calculated for this ministry
Learn how ratings are calculated in general -- or here for a longer explanation
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2006 MinistryWatch.com Shining Light top ministry list
Prior MinistryWatch.com Shining Light ‘Top 30’ Exemplary Ministry. Previously listed from 2005 - 2007.
MinistryWatch.com desires to see overall giving to Biblical Christian values increase and as such we developed this format to highlight those ministries which are exemplary. The list is a sampling of the “best ministries” and outstanding examples when we consider Philippians 4:8 and weigh and take account of those ministries that are excellent and worthy of praise.
These ministries are called ‘Shining Lights’ because they are indeed models of letting their Christian light shine before men so that the Gospel may be proclaimed and God be glorified. Consequently, we are shining a figurative light on them so that donors may be aware of their good works and other ministries may learn from their examples.
While identifying the best ministries is challenging given the selfless work that so many do for the cause of Christ, MinistryWatch.com believes that the list of 30 excellent ministries will be helpful to many. Each of the ministries has the following important features in common:
- Legitimate nonprofit ministry and purpose.
- Have shown a willingness to treat donors fairly via a Transparency Grade of “A”.
- Are unashamed of being identified as an evangelical Christian ministry.
- MinistryWatch.com researchers knows of no significant issues that would be of concern to donors.
A high MinistryWatch.com Financial Efficiency Rating was not a requirement for inclusion on this list although most do have good ratings. Many factors were reviewed and strengths in other areas can offset weakness in financial efficiency when determining whether a ministry should be of interest to donors seeking to be good stewards of their giving. Only you can decide for yourself with confidence if a ministry shares your values and with your giving plan.
This is just another step in our mission of encouraging Christians to give more of their talents and resources to Kingdom-building efforts. In short, we wish to help spread the Gospel of Christ by helping Christians give more and more effectively to the works of the Lord. If the Lord uses our list as part of that process, we will have been a blessing to both those ministries who have been ‘good and faithful servants’ with the Lord’s resources and to Christian donors who are seeking to be good stewards of their giving.
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MinistryWatch.com’s Take
February 2003 By Dan Wray
Updated September 2006 By Rodney Pitzer
Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation (OBI) is motivated by the Bible to rain down a shower of blessing upon the world’s poor and needy. The method is in the form of humanitarian relief such as food, clothing, medical supplies, equipment, financial support, as well as the furnishing of services, transportation and facilities. MinistryWatch.com is able to conclude that OBI is capable of accomplishing its mission very efficiently compared to other ministries as evidenced by its 5 Star Financial Efficiency rating. In addition, it demonstrates superior transparency.
“Test me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing that there shall not be room to receive it.”
Scripture speaks in both testaments of “blessing” as an act of gracious bestowment, of the one receiving blessing as “happy.” Confident of blessing even before the visible evidence, Elijah alerted the pagan King to a
“sound of abundance of rain(1 Kings 18:41),” while Paul reminds New Testament saints that they have been blessed
“with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3).” Fitting indeed, the name “Blessing,” for a ministry whose mission is to
“alleviate human need and suffering in the United States and around the world,” so demonstrating the love of God.
Operation Blessing was conceived in 1978 by M. G. “Pat” Robertson as a means for bringing desperate need together with the generous supply of the people of God. In Robertson’s words, “one of the cornerstones of our Christian faith is to serve others, ...
to help people who cannot help themselves.
” The informal partnership of local churches, benevolent helping agencies and viewers of Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) affiliate, the 700 Club, permitted Operation Blessing to dramatically increase crisis response to individuals and low income families ranging from food, groceries and household essentials to underwriting of rent, utilities and needed transportation. Robertson had grown CBN and his own personal resume from the obscurity of a fledgling UHF TV station in the early 60’s to an imposing broadcast media force, with Robertson himself becoming a household name. CBN became the media platform for his humanitarian venture as community projects quickly increased to include such things as annual blanket distribution and cultivation of vegetable gardens. International outreach began in 1986 under the auspices of Operation Blessing International Relief and Development, with global famine relief and medical supplies going to disaster hot spots in such quantities that by year ten, OB had spent $40 million in contributions and leveraged that amount several times over. Organizational development continued until, in 1993, all humanitarian efforts were coordinated under Operation Blessing International, operating independently from formal CBN affiliation.
“Sound of abundance of rain...”
In 1992, OBI established Hunger Strike Force, a fleet of trucks distributing donated groceries and non-perishables through volunteer churches nationwide, and within a very few years, had distribution centers on both coasts. Operation Blessing’s Convoy of Hope partners with churches and other volunteer ministries to combine relief assistance with evangelistic outreach. Other efforts emerging in the 90’s included international dispatching of tactical medical teams, and WINGS Life Skills Training (which has currently been discontinued), designed to make the “chronically unemployed” employable. Today, OBI publications list many separate relief and development programs under its auspices, each with program-specific donor involvement opportunities and posted news updates. OBI is dynamic with its programs and stays current to the needs it is best able to meet with its resources. Some of its programs are as follows:
- Bless-A-Child gives community-based help to at-risk children by providing food, clothing, and safety in after school and seasonal programs with positive role models.
- Disaster Relief facilitates transportation (Hunger Strike Force) and distribution of life essentials to natural disaster crisis areas through the co-operation of community-based donor networks and relief centers, federal agencies and international distribution organizations, and volunteer groups such as the Red Cross.
- Hope Works offers economic stimulus, development resources and entrepreneurial imagination to struggling communities, families and individuals through broad co-operation of local churches and other Christian volunteer groups around the world. OBI involvement ranges from education in business and development strategies to training in life skills.
- Hunger Strike Force transports tons of donated fresh and canned produce, essential dry goods and non-perishables, medicine, nutritional and agricultural supplements, cleaning and building supplies, and varied appliances to disadvantaged and disaster victims across America and around the world. Begun with three tractor-trailers in the early nineties, HSF today has traffic routing hubs on both coasts, accepting donations from nationally recognized retail chains and facilitating volunteer humanitarian efforts of local and nationally recognized groups from every profession and walk of life.
- Medical Services undertakes to provide a broad range of emergency medical services and urgent health care necessities to poor and underdeveloped areas world wide, through volunteer medical personnel, medicine, vitamins and equipment. Quick-strike teams numbering in personnel as few as 8 and as large as 150, followed by volunteer support personnel and educational services have provided a full range of needed medical responses in dozens of countries around the globe. Long-range support and preventative services have included establishment of pharmacies, mobile clinics, prenatal care and immunization programs, continuing-education, and ongoing co-operation among churches, volunteer support groups and existing government agencies.
- Water Wells and Cisterns provides thousands of families living in rural villages with clean, sanitary water every year.
Donations
Openly dedicated to Biblical stewardship, Operation Blessing International’s aim is to maximize available resources by leveraging financial commitments and attracting matching funds among donors. With an imposing resume as a Christian, educator, author, and businessman, Robertson certainly seems to have been equipped to originate an organization such as this. Far from “burying their talents in the ground,” the organization has demonstrated willingness to be imaginative and innovative in optimizing donor-dollars and personal involvement, with a track record of astonishing results in co-operative networking of distribution efforts, deployment of specialized and support personnel – professional and otherwise, and aggressive acquisition and allocation of state-of-the art equipment resources. As a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), OBI welcomes inquiry into their “standards of accountability,” by “donors, |the| government, and other interested people,” and posts a resource allocation summary, “Fiscal Year in Review,” on the ministry’s website. Donor opportunities are many and varied, from small individual contributions to wide-ranging corporate sponsorship, including voluntary diversion of corporate-sponsored giving from established charities such as United Way to OBI and its adjuncts. Though ministry volunteers number in the hundreds, key staff personnel number in the teens, Spartan considering the ministry’s wide-ranging global impact. In view of past success in touching the pulse of charitable giving and humanitarian volunteerism, one can hardly doubt OBI’s proven formula. If these things legitimately witness God’s willingness to pour out blessing, bring on the rain!