Highly Trusted

Mission Discovery

About Mission Discovery

Mission Discovery exists to serve Jesus Christ by mobilizing believers to meet the physical and spiritual needs of a broken world. Mission Discovery mission trips aim to help developing communities. Teams of volunteers build homes for families in need, love on orphans, feed the hungry, clothe and educate school children, provide medical care and empower churches to bring hope to their communities. The Mission Discovery Staff arranges food, lodging, and logistics so volunteers will be effective from day one. Each night we offer a worship service to provide an atmosphere to come together and reflect on what the volunteers have experienced during the day. Since 1991, God has used Mission Discovery teams to transcend language and cultural barriers to bring hope and Spiritual awakening to those who need urgent help. Since its beginning, over 50,000 students and adults have served around the world with Mission Discovery. Today, that work continues stronger than ever! Each year Mission Discovery staff gather partners for support. Because of its passionate donors, Mission Discovery is able to lower trip prices. We want everyone to serve on a mission trip, so our goal is to make them more affordable. Together, through the power of Christ, we can make a huge difference in the world!

What “Highly Trusted” Means

Highly Trusted reflects a ministry's commitment to operating transparently and accountably beyond Christian-specific stewardship standards alone. This ministry has been verified against fourteen of fifteen criteria of The Most Trusted Standard — demonstrating biblical financial integrity, sound governance, and a complete framework of governance policies.

What distinguishes Highly Trusted is the additional commitment to public transparency. This ministry has made its financial records, governance information, and program reporting accessible to the public, putting its operations in the open where any donor can examine them.

What We've Verified

This ministry has been verified against 14 of 15 criteria in The Most Trusted Standard.

Faith Foundation

  • Christian Statement of Faith Affirms a clear, public statement of faith aligned with historic orthodox Christian doctrine. Verified
  • Biblical Mission and Stewardship Operates with a mission explicitly grounded in Christian principles and biblical stewardship of resources entrusted to it. Verified
  • Christian Accountability Maintains accountability to recognized standards of Christian financial integrity and ministry stewardship. Verified

Financial Integrity

  • Independent Financial Review Undergoes annual independent financial audit, review, or compilation appropriate to organizational size and complexity. Verified
  • Reasonable Compensation Practices Discloses executive compensation and demonstrates compensation practices appropriate to the organization's size, scope, and sector. Verified
  • Donor Intent Honored Honors donor intent on designated and restricted gifts, ensuring contributions are used as donors directed. Verified

Governance and Leadership

  • Independent Governing Board Operates under an independent governing board with a majority of members who are not staff, related to staff, or otherwise compromised in independence. Verified
  • Documented Conflict-of-Interest Policies Maintains and follows documented conflict-of-interest policies to protect the organization and those it serves. Verified
  • No Outstanding Concerns Shows no unresolved regulatory, legal, or accountability concerns that would compromise donor trust. Verified

Transparency and Effectiveness

  • Truthful Communications Communicates truthfully and accurately in fundraising appeals, public communications, and donor reporting. Verified
  • Active Program Activity Consistent with Mission Demonstrates active program activity consistent with the organization's stated mission and purpose. Verified
  • Comprehensive Public Financial Disclosure Makes complete financial records and Form 990 (or applicable equivalent) accessible to the public through recognized third-party platforms. Verified
  • Public Governance and Program Reporting Publicly discloses board composition, key leadership, and detailed program information so donors can see how the organization is run and what it does. Verified
  • Full Suite of Governance Policies Maintains and discloses a complete framework of governance policies, including whistleblower and document-retention policies in addition to conflict-of-interest protections. Verified
  • Independent Performance Evaluation Has undergone independent evaluation of financial efficiency, program spending, and operational performance against rigorous sector benchmarks, with results confirming performance at the highest standard. Not verified at this tier

Mission Discovery meets our Highly Trusted tier standards. Most Trusted ministries additionally demonstrate independently evaluated performance against sector benchmarks.