CLI Prison Alliance
Making Disciples Worldwide
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
In the United States, over two million people are incarcerated in our nation’s jails and prisons. These men and women are separated from their families, communities and vocations. We seek to bring together resources that assist chaplains and other administrators to spiritually benefit inmates. Through our church partnerships, we also enlist caring Christians to correspond with inmates and serve as Bible study mentors. We are dedicated to leading churches to remember those who are in prison, and to reminding inmates that they are loved by God.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Book Distribution
We collect gently used Christian books and Bibles and donate them to jails and prison across the US.
Bible Studies
Leading inmates to Christ is one of our greatest passions. We’ve written a free Bible study called "Who is God?" that invites prisoners to begin a relationship with Christ and get connected with our discipleship program. Together with the Holy Spirit, we then help new believers mature in their faith and make disciples, with two other courses called "Christian Leadership" and "Disciple of Christ."
Where we work
Accreditations
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability 2020
Excellence in Giving 2020
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of active church partnerships
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of books distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Book Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of people reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Bible Studies
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
In the coming year our greatest goals are to engage 1% of all incarcerated individuals in the US and establish CLI in 6 countries outside of the US.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
As we seek to engage more and more inmates globally, we are calling on chaplains, churches, volunteers, and donors to help us move forward. By working directly with chaplains in prisons and jails we can ascertain the greatest needs in each facility. The chaplains help us to distribute books, Bibles, and Bible study applications to all interested inmates.
In addition, we partner with churches through book drives and by providing volunteer opportunities for their members. Next, onboarding new volunteers helps us to correspond with each student inmate faithfully and efficiently. These volunteers also help us to pack and distribute books and Bibles to ensure that we meet every request.
While our international program takes on a slightly different format, our goal of reaching inmates remains the same. We work closely with local pastors in the countries that we work to get into prisons and share the gospel. This often looks like bringing in printed materials and working with prison officials to create time and space to teach the Bible studies.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Building on a 25-year-old ministry, we’ve found that doors have continued to open in each of the areas that we are pursuing growth. As one of few Christian non-profits donating books and Bibles to prisons, we’ve built a reputation nationally for our work. With two shipping facilities, one in North Carolina and one in Georgia, we are able to receive and distribute donations to facilities daily. Those books and Bibles are all stamped with our organizations contact information and serve as a pathway for inmates enrolling in our Bible Studies. Our hundreds of volunteers are based all around the nation and are committed to corresponding with inmates across the US to mentor them through the studies. We’ve also implemented paid postage for all inmates that allows an ease when it comes to that correspondence.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2020 we saw 301,525 books and bibles distributed and 18,936 Bible studies reviewed. Halfway through 2021 we’ve already seen a 65% increase in inmates enrolling in our Bible studies in the US alone. Our Global Outreach Director has established relationships in Nigeria, Cuba, India, Tanzania, Puerto Rico and the list is continuing to grow. As we step out in faith to partner with pastors in each of these regions, we are seeing prisons that had previously been closed to the gospel, begin to open their doors, and let us teach the studies. As a result, we’ve already seen thousands of inmates become disciples of Christ.
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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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when 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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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CLI Prison Alliance
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Alan North
Cathy Phillips
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
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Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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