Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Bibles for America (BfA) is aware of the ever-growing need for spiritual guidance among the people of this country. We daily hear from people who are seeking for answers to fundamental questions about the meaning of life, how to know God, and how to understand the Bible. They primarily want to obtain a free Bible, but also desire to read free Christian books and access online content such as blog posts, videos, and podcasts to help them understand the Bible and progress in their Christian experience.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Free Bibles and books
Bibles for America (BfA) provides free copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in English and Spanish to people living in the US. Free digital e-books in English and Spanish are available online for download to people everywhere. Since 2000, we have given away nearly 1.9 million Bibles and 3.1 million Christian books. BfA also offers free downloadable e-books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee to anyone who visits our website. More than 380,000 digital books have been downloaded since we began to offer them in 2017.
The Bibles for America Blog
The Bibles for America Blog, in English and Spanish, provides fundamental biblical truths and practical help for Christian living to people all over the world. Our is read by people all over the world with 4.7 million pageviews within the last year and more than 55,000 subscribers.
Bibles for America podcasts
Bibles for America (BfA) podcasts offer readings of selected BfA blog posts. Since 2016 over 500,000 podcasts have been downloaded by people in the US and throughout the world.
Bibles for America videos
Bibles for America is responding to the public’s growing demand for video content by continuing to produce videos, both to spread the good news of the gospel and to convey the truths in the Bible. Videos have proven to be a critical means of reaching people in an impactful way, especially since the start of the pandemic in 2020. BfA videos were viewed on YouTube 2.7 million times in 2020, up from 854,000 views in 2019. Our videos can be found on our website and on the BfA YouTube channel, including our most recent gospel video titled Why Do I Feel Empty?
Bibles for America distribution tours
Bibles for America (BfA) staff join local volunteers to distribute Bibles, Christian books, gospel tracts, and Bible-offer brochures on college campuses, in parks, at fairs, festivals, and shopping areas. BfA also supports Bible and book distribution events carried out by volunteers in cities all throughout the US by supplying distribution materials, guidelines, and instructions.
Bibles for America social media outreach
Bibles for America (BfA) promotes the New Testament Recovery Version and our online resources to spiritually seeking people by posting Bible verses and study notes, videos, testimonies, photos from distribution tours, and blog posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our primary goal is to get free copies of the New Testament Recovery Version into the hands of anyone who resides in the U.S. To further satisfy the spiritual hunger for God's Word among our fellow citizens, we offer free digital books by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee in addition to one free book that is mailed upon request. To address many specific topics on the minds of spiritually seeking people, the Bibles for America Blog covers basic topics on reading and understanding God's Word, the Christian life, God's plan, and God's forgiveness, among others. We also offer gospel and truth videos and helpful podcast readings of selected blog posts. We recently added a Share the Gospel page with sharable gospel tracts, blog posts, videos, and a podcast, all of which address questions people have about the meaning of life, especially in these difficult times.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The free Bible and books we offer to the public can easily be ordered online as well as through our toll-free phone number. The abundance of online Bible-related content we post draws many people who want to learn about the Bible, God's plan for man, and the Christian life. We use Google ads to attract people to our site to order their free Bible. Our social media presence is growing and continues to direct many people to our website to order a Bible and books. Facebook and Instagram, in particular, have been very effective to reach out to those who are looking for biblical materials and words of truth.
In addition to our online distribution, Bibles for America (BfA) volunteers throughout the U.S. set up direct distribution tables on college campuses, at fairs, parks, shopping centers, and other community spaces to give away Bibles, books, gospel tracts, and cards that advertise a free Bible. BfA staff members occasionally join volunteers at various college campuses and community venues around the country as they distribute free Bibles and books.
Individual volunteers in every part of the country are also encouraged to give away Bible-offer cards that provide our website information and toll-free number for placing an order.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Bibles for America has a staff of 19 full-time and part-time employees to carry out its mission. Volunteers from various parts of the country provide customer service and other administrative tasks.
Bibles for America's distribution center has recently moved to a new facility and upgraded its equipment to be able to process and ship Bibles in a quicker and more efficient way. The facility is manned by both staff members as well as local volunteers. We have given away more than 1.7 Bibles since 2000, and with the help of these improvements, we expect to bring the total to 2 million Bibles by the end of 2021. A distribution center manned by volunteers in Chicago, Illinois sends individual Christian books upon request.
We raise funds primarily from individuals who have a desire to support our mission. A monthly giving program has been developed to increase the number of Bibles and books we can send out. Additionally, we receive funds from employers who match employees' gifts, from small foundations, and from Bible recipients who appreciate what we do. Additionally, we receive funds through Facebook fundraisers and from donors who give through PayPal Giving fund and Amazon Smile. We are continually expanding our fundraising efforts on several fronts in order to meet the growing demand for Bibles.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2000, we have given away over 1.7 million Bibles and 3.1 million Christian books. More than 380,000 Christian e-books have been downloaded since we began to offer them in 2017.
The Bibles for America blog in English is visited by over 36,000 people per month. Our Spanish blog is visited by approximately 48,000 people per month.
BfA's gospel and truth videos have been watched, either on our website or on YouTube, over 952,700 times since we began to post videos. Our podcasts have been downloaded over 520,000 times.
We're on course for giving away 2 million Bibles by the end of 2021.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
People who would like to receive a free study Bible, those who would like help understanding the Bible, and those who have questions about God's purpose for man.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We redesigned our Bible order form to make it easier to order. We streamlined our Bible order processing and shipping to get Bibles to people faster.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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BIBLES FOR AMERICA
Board of directorsas of 02/01/2023
Minoru Chen
Bibles for America
Term: 2001 -
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data