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Giving to HOPE

How can I donate to HOPE?
You can donate online by going to HOPE's secure donations page, or you can send a check made payable to HOPE International to 227 Granite Run Drive, Suite 250, Lancaster, PA 17601. Online donation options include credit card and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). EFT provides a convenient way for donors to make a monthly donation to HOPE, as funds are withdrawn from a bank account of the donor’s choosing on the first of each month. HOPE also accepts gifts in-kind. Contact the finance department for more information. Click here to donate online now.
How is HOPE funded?
The main sources of HOPE's funding are individuals, churches, private or family foundations, and the Homes for Hope program. See our Form 990 for details.
How much of my contribution goes directly to a person in need?
HOPE spends less than 20 percent of its funds on general and administrative expenses and fundraising. HOPE is a member of the prestigious Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and has been consistently recognized by Charity Navigator as an excellent steward of donor resources. Having received our fifth straight four-star rating from Charity Navigator, HOPE is in the top 4 percent of charities nationwide in terms of resource management.
Is my gift tax-deductible?
Yes. HOPE International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All gifts to HOPE International are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Where does HOPE serve?
Current operations are located in Burundi, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Moldova, Peru, Philippines, the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.

HOPE's Business Practices

Can I visit the people HOPE serves?
Experience HOPE Trips are offered throughout the year to many of our countries of operation. Learn more at www.hopetrips.org.
Does HOPE charge interest?
Our clients are charged an interest rate that will eventually enable each microfinance institution (MFI) to become self-sufficient. Interest rates are determined based on local context and are competitive and appropriate for HOPE’s areas of operation.
Does HOPE only work with Christians?
HOPE serves people living in poverty regardless of their race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, or marital status. There are no financial benefits or preferential treatment associated with conversion to Christianity.
For what types of businesses can HOPE clients receive loans?
While the types of businesses that HOPE supports vary, some typical businesses include food preparation; animal husbandry; sewing; painting; selling produce, clothing, or baked goods; basket weaving; and car repair.
How does HOPE combine Christianity and poverty alleviation?
HOPE's commitment to combining a witness for Christ with poverty alleviation begins with its staff. Because HOPE believes that its staff cannot pass on what they do not possess, HOPE is committed to hiring staff members who have demonstrated a personal relationship with Christ. HOPE also provides opportunities for continued spiritual development for its staff. Because HOPE's staff members and loan officers are indigenous to the areas they serve, they are aware of appropriate, culturally-suitable ways to share their commitment to Christ with the people they serve. One consistent opportunity comes through biblically-based business training sessions that emphasize good business practices in the context of Christian ethics. In addition, HOPE uses complementary ministries, including children's ministries, to strengthen the local church.
How many people repay their HOPE loans?
HOPE has a loan repayment rate of 96 percent (inception to present).
Is HOPE tied to a particular church or denomination?
No. We are a non-denominational Christ-centered non-profit organization that works in collaboration with many different churches.
What is a typical loan size for a HOPE client?
Loan sizes can vary significantly by country. HOPE typically provides microloans ranging from $50 to $2,000 to people living in poverty. This capital is enough to develop a small business to help a family meet their needs including food, schooling, and housing. HOPE has also begun to provide some larger loans, identified as SME, or small and medium enterprise, loans. These SME loans are used to support larger businesses to further accelerate their growth and enable them to expand employment opportunities in their communities.
What ministries does HOPE support?
From the proceeds of HOPE’s operationally self-sufficient microfinance institutions, HOPE supports culturally-appropriate children's ministries. These programs are carried out in collaboration with the local Church as much as possible. In Ukraine, HOPE runs 400 children's clubs and 100 summer camps for over 11,000 children each year. These clubs and camps are being replicated in the Dominican Republic, Russia, and other areas as HOPE seeks to support local children's ministries in all its countries of operation.

Microfinance Functions and Products

How can such a small amount ($50 - $200) really help?
In the countries where HOPE operates, $50 or $200 can purchase healthy feed for animals, a sewing machine, a cart to transport produce to market, or a market stall in which to sell goods. It can also allow an entrepreneur to purchase supplies in bulk or to hire an employee to increase efficiency. Small efficiency gains can make a big difference for families living in poverty.
How does microcredit create permanent change?
Microcredit provides the poor with the opportunity to work themselves out of poverty. Their small businesses are permanent, sustainable improvements that create independence instead of on-going reliance on external aid. As businesses grow, livelihoods improve, new opportunities are realized, and dignity is restored.
How great is the need for microcredit?
More than 1.3 billion people in the world are trying to survive on less than $1 a day. This leaves them without the means to adequately feed, clothe, or shelter their families. According to a 2006 report (The State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report), microfinance institutions served 113 million families during the previous year - but more than 500 million families who could definitely have benefited had no access to the services. Neither did an additional 300 million who might have derived benefit. Estimates suggest that only one out of every eight people who could benefit from microfinance has the ability to access it.
What are individual loans?
This loan product provides loans to individuals who become solely responsible for the repayment of interest and principle. These loans are often supported by guarantors or may even be collateralized. Individual loan sizes are typically larger than those of group loan products. Individual loans are made to clients who have an established history of repayment and can now utilize larger loans or clients who reside in countries/regions where community banking is not feasible.
What does net portfolio outstanding (NPO) mean?
Net portfolio outstanding (NPO) is the sum of loan funds in the hands of HOPE clients that has not yet been repaid, less any loan loss reserve.
What does operational self-sufficiency (OSS) mean?
Operational self-sufficiency (OSS) is a ratio of operating revenue to operating expenses. Reaching 100% OSS signifies that a microfinance institution's operating revenue can cover operating expenses, allowing external donations to be dedicated toward fueling additional expansion.
What does small-medium enterprise (SME) mean?
Small and medium enterprises vary in size based on different definitions, but HOPE defines its SME initiatives as benefiting clients who receive loans in the range of $2,500-$40,000. SME loans support larger businesses to further accelerate their growth and allow them to expand employment opportunities in their communities.
What is "microcredit"?
Microcredit, or a microloan, is the actual provision of capital. It is a small loan given to families living in poverty to start or expand their own business. These families often have no access to formal lending because of the unavailability of financial services and the fact that they often lack physical collateral or consumer credit accepted by local banks.
What is "microfinance"?
Microfinance is a broad term used to refer to the provision of financial services for people living in poverty. These services can include credit, insurance, and a place to deposit savings. Though often undervalued by those living in areas with ready access to capital and savings, these services can make the difference between economic opportunity and crushing poverty.
What is a community bank?
A community bank is a group of approximately 15-45 individuals from within a community who come together to create a financial support group. The members within the group are able to borrow small amounts of money from an MFI (microfinance institution) to provide working capital for their microenterprises. Due to the members' lack of physical collateral, the group cross-guarantees one another's loans. This model is designed to reach the poor in urban and peri-urban areas and has proven highly successful.
What is a group loan product?
This loan product enables a group of individuals to borrow from an institution. Each person receives a loan and each member of the group cross-guarantees the others' loans. The loans are made without physical collateral. Instead, institutions rely on healthy peer pressure as well as the potential of building a positive credit history as an incentive for repayment. These groups are often called community banks or solidarity groups.
What is a solidarity group?
A solidarity group is a group of approximately 5-15 individuals who are held jointly liable for one another's loans. This loan methodology can stand on its own or be used to complement a community banking methodology by allowing successful clients to graduate into a solidarity group after several successful loan cycles. For graduates of a community banking methodology, these smaller groups offer more flexibility and higher loan sizes.
What is savings-led microfinance?
Savings-led microfinance programs bring financial intermediation services to rural areas and very poor individuals who lack the opportunity to save. Groups are established and meet on a regular basis; the group members decide together on an amount to save per month or week. They pool their agreed-upon savings and keep it in a lock box or bank account. Members can then apply for loans from the group's pooled savings. They agree upon an interest rate. This provides the rural poor with access to savings and credit. HOPE promotes the formation of groups by training leaders and community members in the skills they need to create and govern groups.
Why do many HOPE loans go to women?
In many cultures in which HOPE works, women have long stood on the margins of society, deprived of education and even prohibited from working outside the home. Surveys have demonstrated that in nearly every country women work longer hours than men, though at least fifty percent of their total work time is dedicated to unpaid work (UNFPA). Studies have also demonstrated that women are a good investment. When a microfinance organization empowers a woman to improve her income, the resulting profits are typically poured back into the family, providing better nutrition, housing, or education for her children. Because females are more frequently deprived of the collateral needed to access a traditional loan and the means to make a living, the percent of female clients reached by a microfinance institution is often considered a measure of the depth of poverty that organization is confronting. However, HOPE believes that it is also important for men to find meaningful employment and to have the opportunity to access a microloan and hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, so HOPE does not bar men from accessing its services. Learn more about women in business by clicking here. (http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2002/presskit/english/summary4.htm)
Why does HOPE offer savings services? Aren't HOPE's clients too poor to save?
Throughout much of the world, bank accounts are scarce - a privilege reserved for the rich. Though it may seem hard to imagine that the poor would have a great need for savings services, they actually so value the ability to save that in some circumstances they will pay for the privilege. Saving money in a safe place protects it from being quickly depleted as personal or community needs arise or even getting lost or physically deteriorating. Savings allow the poor to hedge against extraordinary events, such as weddings, funerals, or natural disasters. HOPE provides savings services that are safe and liquid to many of its clients who would be barred from traditional banks.