Nudge Ministries
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The primary purpose of Nudge Ministries is to help others to experience and demonstrate Christs love especially by serving others. The most significant activity is establishing churches in Ghana West Africa in villages where there are no churches.
- Income
- $168,806
- Spending
- $168,591
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 9.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 99%
- Employees
- 1
- Volunteers
- 21
- Highest pay
- $73,525, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 68% of charities in its peer group (religion, under $250k).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 23% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 74 out of 100. Higher than 78% of charities in its peer group (religion, under $250k).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 4 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $93,855 spent. GLOBAL-CHURCH PLANTING IN GHANA. Nudge Ministries seeks to bring help and hope to the people of Ghana West Africa. We do this in many ways: 1. We go into remote villages and provide them with Sawyer water filters. Many African children under the age of four die due to contaminated drinking water. We show them the filter and since they would not understand microbiology we demonstrate how it works. We ask them What happens if a westerner drinks your water? They respond They will get very very sick. Then we say Watch this. The demonstrator pours their very discolored water through the filter into an empty water bottle. The demonstrator drinks the whole bottle in front of the villagers. We provide large water buckets which are already set up with Sawyer filters. The people line up to receive the water into their containers. 2. We provide a variety of Bibles to Ghanaians. Many need a Bible in their language. We also provide solar audio Bibles in their language for those who cannot read. 3. We provide motorcycles to Ghanaian pastors to enable them to get to the people they serve. In each of the two regions where we minister we have one Toyota pickup truck for carrying supplies and people. The pickups also serve as ambulances. 4. We train our pastors and leaders. For example when people surrender their lives to Jesus Christ they either get into an existing church or they start a church. Every new church adopts an orphan or a widow. 5. We minister to each generation: children young adults and older adults. As part of our effort to accomplish these five purposes a Nudge team consisting of the Nudge President another man and four women traveled from the U.S. to Ghana. They were joined by two Ghanaian pastors for a 19.5-hour drive to villages in the far northwest corner of Ghana. Our first day in the village we held a womens conference. We were expecting 100 to 150 women; 277 women came and brought 45 children with them. Our four women led the conference while our four men helped with the children. Our second day was a Sunday so we participated in a worship service in a village. On Sunday evening and Monday we conducted a training time for all thirty of our pastors. On Tuesday we spent several hours at a school. During this trip the Nudge team encouraged students and church members to live a life of love and service to God and to people. Our primary Ghana expenditures are salaries Bibles and the purchase maintenance and fueling of many motorcycles and two pickup trucks.
- $11,300 spent. REGIONAL-APPALACHIAN TRAIL MINISTRY. During ten days in March and April usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays Nudge teams ministered to 304 Thru-hikers who were hiking the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail through 14 states from Georgia to Maine. This hiking challenge will take 4.5 to 5 months of daily hikes of 12-14 miles up and down mountains and through the plains and woods. This Thru-hike is so difficult that by day 3 20% of those who signed up including many from other countries quit and go home. So for those who make it to day 4 or 5 where we are set up we start by congratulating them on making it this far. We provide the hikers with water which saves them hiking down to the river to get water and then filtering it hot beverages like coffee and hot chocolate for those bitterly cold days in the North Georgia mountains and soft drinks for April afternoons when the temperature may reach 50 to 60 degrees. Because they burn 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day we offer them the right kinds of high-calorie foods. Due to the temperatures moisture and wind we provide hypothermia-prevention information. Along with that we offer hand knit hats designed to keep them from excess sweating which would contribute to hypothermia. We also distribute light-load towels to help keep them and their tent dry. The hikers have nicknamed the Nudge van Mary Poppins because we also have with us everything they would find in a pharmacy to treat their soreness and or injuries sunscreen bug bites etc. The hikers are absolutely amazed when they ask if we live locally and we tell them we travel over two hours to serve them. We stay at the site each day sometimes 10 hours until we are told that no more hikers are coming. We inform them that we do not accept donations from hikers. If a person persists we tell them to pass on their gift to another hiker. Because we travel so far to serve them without asking for money we gain respect and appreciation. That also provides us the opportunity to briefly tell them that we are lovingly serving them because we are living out the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Since hikers will not accept a Bible or other literature because of the weight of those items we prepare a list of book titles and we encourage them to take a picture of the list and research it later. Before they leave we offer to send them on their way with a one-minute prayer for their safety. We dont pressure them but over 80% respond positively to that prayer invitation.
- $26,273 spent. LOCAL-FOOD PANTRY AND DISCIPLESHIP. In 2011 Nudge began picking up food at two grocery stores and delivering it to Lilburn Co-operative Ministry for distribution to needy families. In late 2023 after 12 years and the delivery of food having a retail value of over $5 million Nudge successfully turned this ministry over to an employee of the Co-Op. Another part of our local ministry is to help churches. Because our founder Pastor Rich Tuttle was previously a childrens and youth pastor and a senior pastor and has been on over 60 mission trips he is well-qualified to assist local churches with their mission programs. We often do this by preparing a missions-related Vacation Bible School program for children. We are also involved in mens ministry. If men desire practical ways to live a God-honoring life Pastor Rich meets in person or by Zoom with individuals and groups of four or five. Monthly he attends a breakfast meeting of 20 to 30 men where he can encourage them by sharing his perspective based on the Holy Scriptures. Pastor Rich often also visits hospital patients.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2013.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.