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Highly Trusted

Su Refugio Ministries

San Diego, CA

Orphan Care Children's Home Women's Ministry Family, Marriage and Children's Services Education: Youth Community Development Church: Planting Evangelism Discipleship Child Sponsorship

About Su Refugio Ministries

Su Refugio Ministries exists to care for orphans and widows in their distress by working to rescue, feed, and equip vulnerable women and children in Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru. Our Children's Home in Paraguay receives abused and abandoned children and provides comprehensive care in a residential, foster family setting. In 2021, the Children's Home was recognized as the model institution for residential children's homes for Paraguay. 2024 saw the official launch of our transition program, which enables teens to make a smooth transition to independent adulthood after leaving the Children's Home. The FEED program operates through Children's Care Centers in all three countries, working to nourish the bodies, minds, and souls of vulnerable children through Bible classes, academic reinforcement, nutritious meals, games, music, and discipleship. Su Refugio Christian School Argentina is the first and only Christian educational institution within a 100km radius that works to feed young minds through a Christ-centered curriculum, with the goal of making Christ known in a troubled community and breaking cycles of poverty. The EQUIP program empowers vulnerable women and teens in Paraguay and Peru with practical skills to provide for their families, as well as discipleship.

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

Su Refugio Ministries meets our Highly Trusted tier standards. Most Trusted ministries additionally demonstrate independently evaluated performance against sector benchmarks.