Busby and World Vision's Stearns Named to List 

Contact: Ty Mays, 770-256-8710, tmays@inchristcommunications.com

WINCHESTER, Va., Aug. 11, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- For the second consecutive year, Dan Busby, president of ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), has been named to "The NPT Power & Influence Top 50," The NonProfit Times magazine has announced. In addition, Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, an ECFA member, has been named to the prestigious list of nonprofit organization leaders.
 
Busby, Stearns and 48 others will be honored at a gala Sept. 15 at the National Press Club in Washington by the magazine, the leading business publication for nonprofit management. Previous honorees include Bill and Melinda Gates and Dr. James Dobson.

"I'm humbled and honored once again to be numbered among this distinguished group of nonprofit leaders who have done so much to make the world a better place," Busby said. "We extend warm congratulations to Richard Stearns upon his selection to this list."
 
The leaders honored on the "NPT Power & Influence Top 50" list are chosen based on nominations from The NonProfit Times' editorial staff, its contributing editors and suggestions from former nominees and others.  "These executives were selected for the impact they have now and for the innovative plans they are putting in place to evolve the charitable sector," the magazine said.

"Busby continues to be the financial sheriff for the evangelical community," the article stated. "He formed the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, spearheading an independent national effort to review and provide input on major accountability and policy issues affecting religious organizations."

Busby is recognized as one of the nation's top experts in a variety of nonprofit financial topics, including tax and finance issues for clergy, churches and other nonprofit organizations. His varied career includes 10 years as controller with the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, 10 years as founding partner of the Kansas City CPA firm Busby & Keller and 11 years as the chief financial officer of The Wesleyan Church at its denominational offices in Indianapolis.

Busby has served ECFA since 1998 and became its president in 2009. His bio and photo may be found at www.ecfa.org/Content/Staff.aspx.

Since 1998, Stearns has overseen World Vision operations, including fundraising, advocacy and international program support. World Vision (www.worldvision.org) is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

The NonProfit Times  notes that during Stearns' tenure at the helm of World Vision, donations to the organization have tripled from $358 million in 1998 to more than $1 billion, while overhead was cut by almost one-third. "This was, in part, because of Stearns' initiative to increase awareness and funding for AIDS programs, despite donors saying they had little interest in it," the magazine stated. "That's leadership."

To view "The NPT Power & Influence Top 50" entire list, go to www.thenonprofittimes.com.

ECFA, founded in 1979, provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with the ECFA standards pertaining to financial accountability, fundraising and board governance. For more information about ECFA, including information about accreditation and a listing of ECFA-accredited members, visit www.ecfa.org or call 1-800-323-9473.

To schedule an interview with Dan Busby or Richard Stearns, contact Ty Mays at 770-256-8710 or tmays@inchristcommunications.com.