We envision a world where all are free.

2024 Impact Report

A Message from our Founder
Our Theory of Change
Celebrating 10 Years
2024 by the Numbers
Embedded Forces
Their Freedom, Your Success
Our Strategy
Unmatched, Unrivaled
News & Media

News & Media

DeliverFund is, without a doubt, one of the most sophisticated and dedicated nonprofits helping in the fight against human trafficking.

Felipe Aros-Vera, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Graduate Chair
Russ College of Engineering and Technology

A Message from our Founders

To you, our unwavering partners and donors,

It is with immense gratitude that we present you with DeliverFund’s 2024 impact report. In these pages you’ll see accomplishments that we hope will make you as proud as we are.

When we founded DeliverFund over a decade ago, we never imagined we would accomplish all that we’ve done together. In the last 10 years, we’ve had more impact on the fight against human trafficking than we ever dreamed possible. That success is your success! Without people like you fueling this fight, none of the strides we’ve made in technology, scale, and effectiveness would be possible.

Thank you!

What makes you so special, is your understanding that we can only win this battle if we fight it upstream. We cannot stop at simply rescuing today’s victims. We must prevent our children and grandchildren from ever becoming victims at all.

To do that, we must fight the root of this evil. We must pursue the human traffickers themselves and make it impossible for them to do business in the United States of America.

That is exactly what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years, and what we will continue to do for the next 10. We are gearing up to bring a bigger fight than ever before, by building technology that is better, faster, and cheaper.

As we head into DeliverFund’s next decade, we will continue fighting these crimes at their core, using technology that can’t be beat, at a bigger scale than ever. We are proud to have you with us.

Let’s roll up our sleeves, because the fight has only just begun.

Yours in gratitude,

Nic McKinley & Sean Fennema
Co-founders

Our Theory of Change

Trafficking thrives in plain sight—it’s time to disrupt the market and shut it down.

10 Points of Disruption

Traffickers operate openly, using the same goods and services as everyone else to exploit human lives. To them, it’s just business—driven by demand and supply. But we can disrupt this market before they even begin. Think of it like a military operation: if we disrupt their communication lines, we can shut them down. It’s time to take action and stop human trafficking in its tracks.

Recognizing Opportunity, Finding Victims, and Coercion

Traffickers spot profitable opportunities and target vulnerable people. They manipulate or coerce victims, starting exploitation. We use AI to identify risky interactions, stopping victim recruitment early.

Advertising, Buyer Communication, and Transportation

With victims in tow, traffickers advertise online and use digital communication to connect with buyers. We monitor ads and communications, using AI to predict and disrupt trafficker actions.

Using Hotels, Payment Methods, and Banks

Traffickers rely on hotels, payment systems, and banks to facilitate their operations. By analyzing travel, payment, and other data, we disrupt trafficker transactions and operations.

Increasing Risk with Legal Action

The more traffickers operate, the higher their risk. By enforcing stricter legal actions across transport, payment, and communication methods, we’ll increase the risks and prevent others from following the same path.

Celebrating 10 Years

10 Years of Dismantling Human Trafficking Markets

On behalf of the victims rescued and prevented, thank you for fighting with us.

Our History

Explore our timeline to see key milestones in our journey—scroll right to witness the impact we’ve made together.

Thank you for standing with us.

2012

While operating against terrorist networks overseas, founder Nic McKinley uncovers a human trafficking market but discovers there is no reporting requirement for this intel

2014

The mission begins—after two years of research, writing, reading, and networking, DeliverFund’s founding principles and documents are drafted and its application for 501(c)(3) status is accepted

2015

DeliverFund receives its first major donation from passionate donors and the team conducts DeliverFund’s first operation

2015

Our first intelligence analyst is hired—an Army special forces veteran who quickly and accurately put expert analysis on human trafficking rings in the hands of law enforcement partners

2015

Manual data collection begins as our analysts scour the web, gathering and storing intelligence from online advertisements of the illegal sale of women and children for sex

2016

The Platform for Analysis and Targeting of Human Traffickers (P.A.T.H.) is launched to house critical data and intelligence, cracking open a new world of technology and accessibility

2017

DeliverFund works with law enforcement to take down Backpage.com, which is finally shut down a year later

2018

DeliverFund begins transporting rescued and recovered victims, sometimes across thousands of miles, to deliver them to safe houses to heal and recover

2018

DeliverFund offers a new, updated five-day training to law enforcement and prosecutors on the ever-changing nuances of human trafficking

2020

Large teams of analysts provide operational support and fulfill Requests For Information from law enforcement from coast to coast, growing our network and partnerships

2020

Our expert tech team builds the first version of PATHFinder, a searchable database that houses and filters millions of data points associated with potential human trafficking activity

2021

DeliverFund joins an interdisciplinary research team funded by Baylor University to research effective methods of combatting human trafficking

2022

Donors purchase DeliverFund’s first supercomputer, bringing high computing abilities into the fight against human trafficking for the first time

2022

DeliverFund forges revolutionary partnerships with hospitality and banking industry leaders to disrupt those points in the human trafficking markets, making it harder than ever for traffickers to do business in the U.S.

2023

DeliverFund hires and embeds our first data intelligence analyst within the Houston Police Department

2023

We purchase and add nodes to increase our supercomputing ability, amplifying the speed with which we collect data and our ability to store it in house

2024

DeliverFund hires its second embedded intelligence analyst, working directly with the Dallas Police Department and providing boots-on-the ground support to law enforcement throughout the region

2024

Due to continual technological advancements, the volume of images and videos we collect from illicit online ads grows from 30 terabytes to 90 terabytes in just one year

2013

The idea of fighting human trafficking using counter-terrorism strategies strikes Nic while running intelligence operations overseas, he approaches Sean Fennema about cofounding a non-profit to fight it

2014

DeliverFund’s founders form a team of intelligence and special operations veterans to begin disrupting human trafficking markets by combining these uniquely qualified personnel with data visualization technologies

2015

In Albuquerque, NM the team partners with Homeland Security and local police on an operation that results in the successful prosecution of multiple human traffickers and the recovery of their victims

2015

DeliverFund’s law enforcement partnerships grow as more agencies request support and more donors join-up to fund the fight

2016

Training begins—our expert terrorist hunters begin offering a 10-day intensive training for U.S. law enforcement in new strategies to locate and track down human traffickers and safely recover their victims

2016

Machine learning and early versions of AI enter the fight against human trafficking, helping analyze data and look for patterns

2018

DeliverFund headquarters is officially established in Dallas, TX as our work takes off nationwide

2018

Donor generosity hires our first programmer to collect and store potential human trafficking activity happening online

2019

Applying feedback from law enforcement that our data and analysis is what they need most, we learn how to repeat and scale up our data collection, software building, and intelligence analysis, and begin scaling down other programs and services—focusing on what we do best, building and providing tech that protects

2020

Our first Chief Information Officer, longtime volunteer Sean Fennema, is officially brought on as an full time employee

2020

The virtual version of our human trafficking training grows in demand, ushering in a new era of reaching more law enforcement with the most effective methods of combatting these crimes wherever they are and whenever they need it

2021

The first ever Human Trafficking Watchlist is created, compiling and updating the names of all known and convicted human traffickers across the U.S., making our communities and establishments safer from human trafficking

2022

A team of expert software developers incorporate early AI shifts and the birth of conversational AI models to make massive improvements in our proprietary technology, helping speed up, improve, and increase the efficiency and accuracy of our anti-human trafficking analysis and database (the largest in the world)

2023

We begin offering awareness training for more corporate partners, teaching businesses like banks and hotels how to recognize human traffickers in their systems and eliminate them

2023

DeliverFund analysts build and teach our first machine learning model to analyze text from commercial sex ads and find the ones that are likely linked to human trafficking activity

2024

A partnership with Whooster launches Nightwatch, instantly putting our data and intelligence in the hands of more than 7,400 law enforcement agencies across the U.S.

2024

Funding leads to the purchase of our first high performance graphics card, allowing us to revolutionize the fight by searching, analyzing, and comparing photos and videos of potential victims that are posted in online commercial sex ads

2025 & Beyond

Together, we will continue disrupting human trafficking markets at every juncture. We will revolutionize the method and speed with which we locate and rescue missing and trafficked children with the most cutting edge technology yet. We will end human trafficking

I consider it an honor and a privilege to work side-by-side with the outstanding collection of warriors amassed at DeliverFund. Their work ethic, work product, and dedication are unmatched... they are a credit to the anti and counter-human trafficking community.

J.T. Camp
Senior District Attorney Investigator

2024 by the Numbers

Data Collected From Online Sources

We have more than

5 Billion Data Points

collected on potential human trafficking activity to date, including:

Phone Numbers

Email Addresses

Videos

Images

248,894 Images Collected Per Day

In 2024, we collected 91,095,291 images, nearly triple from the year before. Our database now holds 133,424,373 images that will assist law enforcement in identifying and rescuing victims. Each image posted by a trafficker can become valuable intelligence that will lead to their arrest and the freedom of their victims

2,488 Data Points Collected Per Minute

Last year, a total of 1,311,625,941 data points were collected. Every date stamp, every location, every piece of contact information, and every other data point we collect can be another piece of evidence that prosecutors use to secure a conviction.

Embedded Forces

The John Wall Memorial Embedded Analyst Program

For years, Texas has held the second-highest rank in the nation for reported human trafficking cases. In 2019, Houston Police Sergeant John Wall took a stand and declared enough was enough. Under his visionary leadership, DeliverFund embedded its first intelligence analyst within the Houston Police Department, revolutionizing how human trafficking was fought in the Houston area. This dedicated analyst quickly put critical, actionable intelligence in the hands of Houston cops, detectives, and prosecutors, streamlining and reducing the cost of identifying and locating traffickers and victims.

John Wall passed in 2023, but his legacy lives on. DeliverFund has worked with his widow and continued the mission in his honor. In 2024, the John Wall Memorial Embedded Analyst Program expanded into North Texas and Dallas markets. DeliverFund’s second embedded intelligence analyst serves law enforcement agents in the region, responding to their requests for information, delivering intelligence reports on potential human trafficking activity, and giving undercover, on-the-ground operation support.

Together, these two analysts have centralized and coordinated human trafficking cases amongst other law enforcement agencies across Texas and the country, ensuring traffickers can no longer hide from justice behind state and county jurisdiction lines.

Each embedded analyst is funded entirely by the generosity of our donors and grantors. Together, we can expand our program to your city and keep predators out of your community.

“I can say with certainty, the only effective way to uncover trafficking victims and arrest traffickers is to conduct proactive operations utilizing actionable, reliable intelligence. We accomplish this with DeliverFund.”

— Sgt. John Wall

Their Freedom,Your Success

You Saved 15-year-old Haylee* from a Nightmare Before it Ever Began

At 15-years-old, one misstep almost devastated the rest of Haylee’s life. She’d met a boy online and had been chatting with him for months. She was excited to finally be going out her first date. She had no idea this “young man” was actually an experienced trafficker in his twenties.

Haylee and her mom are so glad you were there to put a stop to it.

Because of you and your generous support, the intelligence needed to prevent Haylee from falling victim to these lies and exploitation was right in our database. Because of you, DeliverFund was able to put this intelligence in the hands of law enforcement who acted quickly to intercept Haylee as she attempted to walk through the door and into her first date. You protected Haylee, keeping her out of harm’s way and out of reach of a trafficker who sought to exploit, manipulate, and sell her for commercial sex. You returned her safely to her mother. You saved Haylee’s life.

“I knew she was hanging out with bad people, I just didn’t know how bad."

— Haylee’s Mom

From Intel to Jail Cell in 3 Hours

Lauren* never imagined her life would come to this. She was forced into a world she couldn’t escape. She thought she had no way out—until you stepped in.

Because of you, DeliverFund’s intelligence analyst, Alisha, was ready to act when she found Lauren’s sex ad online. Alisha had just settled into her hotel room, preparing for another counter human trafficking operation along with six detectives. As she scanned the ad, the signs of trafficking were clear. Alisha immediately got to work, using DeliverFund’s intelligence to piece together the full picture. Within minutes, she was handing detectives an intel packet confirming that Lauren was a trafficking victim.

Right away, an undercover officer texted the number in the ad to set up a meeting in the hotel room next door. Lauren responded almost instantly. Soon, her trafficker’s BMW was pulling into the parking lot. When she entered the room, detectives were ready. They reassured her she was not in danger and offered her help, resources, and a ride to a safe place.

Across the street, her trafficker—who was also her husband—waited, thinking he had just made another sale. Instead, he was in handcuffs within minutes.

Because of you, within three hours of spotting Lauren’s ad, her trafficker was arrested and on his way to jail. Thank you for taking a dangerous criminal off the streets and giving Lauren a chance at freedom.

Our Strategy

Disrupting Human Trafficking Markets by Denying Traffickers Access

We EQUIP our law enforcement with the best technology. You’ve helped us harness the strength of AI, supercomputers, and advanced algorithms to collect and process vast amounts of data. Together, we’ve unlocked the ability to detect trafficking activity faster and more accurately than ever before. We will continue building and advancing Tech That Protects and putting those tools in the right hands to protect our communities.

We ADVISE our law enforcement partners and the public with accurate, actionable intelligence. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, we’ve built and continue to maintain the world’s largest, analyst-curated counter-human trafficking database. Your support has shared this life-saving intelligence with law enforcement through software like PATHFinder and Whooster Nightwatch. You’ve given parents and the public access to data through the HT Safeguard app that will keep their children safe.

We TRAIN our law enforcement partners, frontline healthcare workers, and the public at large to recognize, act upon, and prevent human trafficking. Your support has expanded our reach, increasing awareness about human trafficking and how to prevent it right where it happens—in our own homes and communities. You’ve helped train law enforcement in all-source intelligence methods and counter-terrorism strategies that detect and annihilate human trafficking markets.

Supporting Law Enforcement

Responded and provided support to 276 Requests For Information (RFIs) from law enforcement—a 25% increase over last year, demonstrating our growing reach.

Delivered 515 intelligence reports to law enforcement on potential human trafficking activity— a 243% increase over last year, providing law enforcement with more actionable data than ever.

90%

of law enforcement found the DeliverFund training very valuable and use the skills they learned daily

89%

of law enforcement that participated in DeliverFund training requested additional training, data & support to assist them in their human trafficking cases

92%

of law enforcement state that they have become more knowledgeable and adept at leveraging technology to identify human traffickers after attending DeliverFund training

Unmatched, Unrivaled

Trailblazing partnerships are unleashing innovation

Unmatched data access for law enforcement through WHOOSTER. Our groundbreaking partnership with Whooster pairs unmatched data with advanced search tools, giving 7,400+ law enforcement agents instant access to critical human trafficking data. Thanks to the generosity of donors, this access is completely free. DeliverFund data is accessed 60,000+ times per month by law enforcement through Whooster Nightwatch.

Mobilizing to disrupt trafficking with ROOK ADVISORS. Through their commitment to giving back, Rook Advisors supports DeliverFund in the fight against human trafficking. They leverage their IT expertise to enhance operational efficiency and challenge businesses to do more for their communities. Strong businesses build stronger communities—and together, we can disrupt trafficking.

HOONIFY TECHNOLOGIES supercharges intelligence gathering. With award-winning Hoonify Technologies’ TurbOS™ super operating system, DeliverFund now collects data five times faster, increasing intelligence reports by 50%, from 400 to over 600 annually. Hoonify has also provided a multi-site HPC configuration that allows DeliverFund to fight human trafficking 24/7, reducing operational complexity and cost. Faster data means faster action in the fight against traffickers.

We stand with DeliverFund, united in our mission to dismantle trafficking networks and protect the innocent, using every technological advantage at our disposal.

Richard Spradley
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Whooster

News & Media

Thank you for every like, share, and comment you made through email and social media. Because of you, we have a bigger audience and are reaching more people than ever with the impacts, dangers, and threats of human trafficking and the solutions we have to solve it.

2024 MEDIA PARTNERS & NEWS FEATURES

IN 2024 WE REACHED

0 PEOPLE

THROUGH PODCASTS

(15% increase over last year)

IN 2024 WE REACHED

0 PEOPLE

THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

(42% increase over last year)

2024 PODCAST FEATURES

Finances

DeliverFund is proud to be recognized for our commitment to transparency and integrity in the fight against human trafficking. We have earned a Three-Star Charity rating from Charity Navigator, the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, and a Certified Transparent rating from Excellence in Giving.

These distinctions reflect our dedication to accountability and trust as we work to end human trafficking.

Revenue:

Expenses:

DeliverFund is funded entirely by donors like you, with no funding provided by the government.

Thank you for making us better, faster, and stronger.

Thank You for Your Support

This report shows big numbers we hope make you proud. But behind every intel report and data point collected is a life—someone saved from exploitation, manipulation, and brutality. These victims are children and grandchildren, just like yours and mine.

And on their behalf, we want to thank you.

Because of you, many victims have been recovered and rescued.

Because of you, many children, youth, and vulnerable adults will never become victims at all.

Because of you, many predators, traffickers, and criminals are off the streets and behind bars.

Because of you, our communities are safer places to live, go to school, and build thriving futures.

Thank you.

We knew when we started a fight against human trafficking that we were starting a big fight. But what we didn’t know was that we’d have people like you fighting next to us. And as I look down the line at those, like you, who are holding ground with us, I know now, more than ever, that this is a fight we are going to win. Thank you for being a part of it.