Help The Persecuted

What Help The Persecuted does

Help The Persecuted, Inc. is a U.S.-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 83-1799054) headquartered at PO Box 20303, Atlanta, Georgia, that delivers humanitarian relief and pastoral support to persecuted Christians across the Islamic World, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Pakistan, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey. Its service portfolio spans emergency rescue (Lightning Funds), a Safe House network covering 18 strategic locations, food/clothing/medical aid, the Enduring Livelihood micro-enterprise grant program (reported 78% business survival rate), Spiritual Retreats, and specialized yearlong programs for widows (Widow's List), under-resourced pastors (Enduring Shepherds), and displaced families (Matthew 25 Project). The organization does not file Form 990, citing operational security for staff and beneficiaries in hostile regions, though it publishes audited financials for fiscal years 2020-2025 and holds ECFA accreditation, Candid Platinum Transparency, and Excellence in Giving certification.

The business model is donation-driven, centered on a Direct-to-Consumer Monthly Partner recurring giving program branded "Rescue, Restore, Rebuild," supplemented by one-time gifts, stock transfers, IRA Charitable Rollovers (up to $100,000/year for donors 70.5+), and cryptocurrency donations processed for tax efficiency. Donor acquisition and engagement run through a multi-channel content stack: the Prisoners of Hope podcast (95+ episodes distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and Audacy), a weekly Saturday Prayer Network email with printable PDF requests, Stories from the Field blog content, and active organic social profiles on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

The underlying technology stack is built on commodity SaaS rather than proprietary systems: HubSpot for CRM/CMS, Fundraise Up and Virtuous Raise (the latter used for restricted-country compliance in Iran and Syria) for donation processing, Stripe/PayPal/Apple Pay/Google Pay/Authorize.net for payment rails, Campaign Monitor for email and SMS, Google Analytics/Tag Manager for web analytics, and Anthropic's Claude AI as a vendor for content creation and data analysis under contractual restrictions on training use. The technical footprint is best characterized as an integrated best-of-breed nonprofit operations stack optimized for donor lifecycle management, regulatory compliance in sanctioned jurisdictions, and content throughput, rather than as a technology product company. Joshua Youssef serves as President and CEO.

Name

Help The Persecuted

Legal name

Help The Persecuted, Inc.

Website

https://htp.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Help The Persecuted is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering emergency relief, safe housing, livelihood grants, and spiritual care to persecuted Christians across 15+ countries in the Islamic World, funded by individual donor contributions via recurring, stock, IRA, and crypto giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH)

Keywords

• Religious humanitarian aid
• Persecuted Christians support
• Faith-based nonprofit
• Emergency relief services
• Safe house shelter

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors supporting persecuted Christians. Includes monthly partner program for sustained support.
2. Alternative Giving Vehicles: Stock gifts, IRA Charitable Rollover (up to $100,000/year for donors 70.5+), and digital currency donations for tax-efficient giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Help The Persecuted delivers faith-based humanitarian relief to persecuted Christians in the Islamic World through Lightning Funds emergency relief, an 18-location Safe House Network for shelter and healing, Enduring Livelihood small-business grants, Spiritual Retreats and discipleship, and specialty programs supporting widows and pastors. Funding comes from individual donors via the Monthly Partner recurring giving program, one-time donations, and alternative giving vehicles (stock, IRA rollover, cryptocurrency). The organization operates field ministry teams in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Pakistan, Nigeria, and additional regions.

Product overview

Help The Persecuted operates a multi-faceted ministry ecosystem centered on serving persecuted Christians in the Islamic World. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of programs including emergency relief through Lightning Funds, crisis shelter via a network of 18 Safe Houses, economic empowerment through the Enduring Livelihood Ministry (providing grants for small business ownership), spiritual formation via Spiritual Retreats and discipleship, and specialized support for widows (Widow's List Ministry) and pastors (Enduring Shepherds Ministry). The organization maintains supporter engagement through a Prayer Network (email updates), the Prisoners of Hope Podcast, and a Monthly Partner recurring giving program. Digital engagement includes an SMS text update service and online Giving Portal. The ministry operates field teams in hostile regions providing direct pastoral care, crisis intervention, and long-term church multiplication support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prisoners of Hope Podcast: A podcast featuring real conversations with people whose lives have been affected by persecution, including stories from the field and interviews with field ministers.

Products and services

• Prayer Network Email-based prayer network delivering real-time prayer requests and praise reports from the field to subscribers each Saturday, with printer-friendly PDF prayer requests.
• Prisoners of Hope Podcast
• Monthly Partner Program
• Lightning Funds
• Safe House Network
• Enduring Livelihood Ministry
• Spiritual Retreats
• Widow's List Ministry
• Enduring Shepherds Ministry
• The Matthew 25 Project
• Digital Currency Donations
• Gifts of Stock
• IRA Charitable Rollover
• Estate Planning
• Giving Portal
• SMS/Text Message Updates
• Field Ministry Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of Enduring Livelihood businesses remain operational and cashflow positive
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Virtuous RaisecoreTechnology or IntegrationVirtuous Raise processes gifts for restricted countries (Iran and Syria) to maintain regulatory compliance. Donors wishing to give specifically toward efforts inside these countries must use Virtuous Raise platform.
• HubSpotcoreTechnology or IntegrationCRM and CMS platform used for donor management, email communications, and ministry-related interactions
• Fundraise UpcoreTechnology or IntegrationDonation processing platform for accepting and managing charitable contributions
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment method processing for donations and transactions
• PayPal/VenmocoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital payment options for donors to contribute via PayPal or Venmo
• Apple PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile payment method for Apple users to make donations
• Google PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile payment method for Android users to make donations
• Campaign MonitorcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail and SMS communications platform for donor outreach and prayer network updates
• Authorize.netcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment method processing for donations

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Middle East Concern: Middle East Concern serves Christians across the Middle East and North Africa through advocacy, capacity building, and direct support. It is a direct peer with strong geographic overlap to HTP's 13-country operational footprint.
• Open Doors: Open Doors is a global faith-based organization serving persecuted Christians in over 70 countries with Bibles, training, and emergency relief. It is the most direct peer to Help The Persecuted, operating an adjacent geographic focus and a comparable mission framework.
• International Christian Concern: ICC is a faith-based persecution relief and advocacy organization focused on persecuted Christians with field reporting and aid programs. It is directly comparable to Help The Persecuted in mission and program design, though typically smaller in scale.
• Christian Solidarity International: CSI advocates for and serves persecuted Christians worldwide, with programs including emergency relief and resettlement support. It is comparable to Help The Persecuted in mission and beneficiary population.
• Barnabas Fund: Barnabas Fund provides practical and spiritual aid to persecuted Christians, primarily in the Islamic World. It is a direct peer with overlapping regional focus on Muslim-majority countries and a similar emergency-relief-plus-discipleship model.
• Voice of the Martyrs: Voice of the Martyrs serves persecuted Christians worldwide through Bibles, medicine, aid, and advocacy. It is a direct peer with a closely overlapping mission, beneficiary population, and donor demographic to Help The Persecuted.

Broad incumbents

• Gospel for Asia: Gospel for Asia is a faith-based humanitarian organization with field operations across South and Central Asia, providing relief and livelihood support. It overlaps with HTP on faith-based humanitarian aid and small-business empowerment models, though with a different regional focus.
• World Vision: World Vision is a large Christian humanitarian organization operating global child sponsorship, disaster relief, and development programs. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping faith-based humanitarian mission, though focused on child welfare rather than persecution-specific aid.
• Samaritan's Purse: Samaritan's Purse is a large evangelical humanitarian organization providing disaster relief, medical care, and aid globally. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with HTP's emergency-relief and faith-based humanitarian work but serves a much broader mission and donor base.

Others

• Mission Aviation Fellowship: MAF provides aviation and logistics services to mission and humanitarian organizations in remote and restricted-access regions. It is an enabling peer supporting organizations that operate in the same geographies as HTP, though MAF does not deliver direct aid.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/helppersecuted
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKblXi85l6XJtLOuBLC2TWg
• Facebookfacebook.com/helppersecuted
• Instagraminstagram.com/helpthepersecuted

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Help The Persecuted