And the Practice of Community-Led Development
Over 40 Years of Experience
Since 1979, our partners have helped people all around the world who were stuck in generation after generation of chronic poverty. Often without infrastructure, education, opportunity, and awareness, they may spend their lives working to only subsist. We have brilliant and expertly trained partners around the world who facilitate development and teach people to break their own never-ending cycle of poverty. And they do their work so well, it has earned Outreach the honor of being named a top-rated charity by many credible nonprofit watchdog groups.
Top-Rated by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is the most utilized charity evaluator tool used in the U.S. When people are looking to spread their charitable spirit, they look to Charity Navigator more than any other source. They use it to find organizations that can be trusted with their donations. Of the 5 reasons to love Outreach, none make us more proud than the fact that we have achieved a four out of 4-star rating by Charity Navigator year after year. They assign their rating based on an objective impact & results score, or an accountability & finance score.
They assess each charity on a scale of 0 to 100. And they award the 4-Star rating of a top-rated charity to the few organizations that score a 90% or better. They describe a top-rated charity as one that “exceeds or meets the best practices and industry standards across almost all areas. Likely to be a highly effective charity.” In its most recent rating, Outreach received a score of 95%. And within their detailed evaluation, they state, “you can give with confidence.”
And by the way, we also have top scores with The Better Business Bureau, Independent Charities of America, America’s Best Charities, Great Nonprofits, and Guidestar. We don’t want to sound braggy, but that’s pretty much everybody.
Community-Led Development
One more of the 5 reasons to love Outreach is that we don’t offer a gift. Our partners don’t show up with a handout. The method of community-led development is a process. It teaches people how to identify the specific issues that have kept them in a state of chronic poverty. And then it teaches how to access the resources to find solutions on their own.
They succeed on their own because they lead themselves on the path to growth and prosperity. This is the science of community-led development. And our partners all around the world become experts in facilitating this development process. They’re called Human Development Facilitators, or HDFs. Their process is complex, their work with communities lasts for years, and the results are miraculous.
SPROUT
Our expert field operations specialists incorporate a brilliant innovation into their work around the world. We call it SPROUT, or SPReading OUTreach, and it’s an amazing part of our nonprofit organization. The way it works is so simple, and the effects are one of the best reasons we can be confident that our methods can last and grow sustainably, long into the future.
A group of hard-working and dedicated community members identifies, mobilizes, and solves a pressing issue that has kept them in poverty. Maybe it’s better access to clean water. Maybe it’s improved roads, or schools. It could be giving small businesses a chance to get off the ground with fair and manageable loans. One after another, a problem is solved, and a community develops.
When enough projects have been successfully completed, other nearby communities begin to notice. Their neighbors are more prosperous. They’re bringing more products to market and earning more income. Their children are receiving plenty of nutrition and proper education. They’re living in a sanitary and safe environment. So, they inquire. “How have you improved so much after a lifetime of struggle?” And because this community-led organization has gained the knowledge and experience to continue to develop in total independence, the answer can be, “we’ll show you.” The next community then learns from the last. And the next, and the next, and the next.
Our 100% Guarantee
Outreach International’s 100% guarantee means that every dollar you donate goes directly to our work around the world. You support facilitating community-led development and teaching the science of community-led development to our worldwide partners. This is integral to making us a top-rated charity. Your generosity helps people earn their way, with access to small business loans, livestock, crop seeds and seedlings. You fund projects that help them acquire farm equipment, greenhouses, sanitary toilets, and so much more.
Thanks to one generous donor, all of our business costs and overhead expenses accrued by our employees and office space in the U.S. are paid for. This amazing act of selflessness allows us to exist. And, it allows us to give you the promise that your money will go only where you want it to – to the people who need it.
Even More to Love
There’s so much more we could tell you about the great work done by our worldwide partners and the dedication they give to helping people improve their own circumstances. Their tireless efforts are the reason our methods work. They are the reason so many communities have lifted themselves out of poverty in ways that are sustainable and can be passed down to future generations. The number and scope of their programs and projects translate to tens of thousands of people earning better lives for themselves every year. And there’s no end in sight.
We encourage you to get to know Outreach, see our status as a top-rated charity, read about the methodology of community-led development, and enjoy even a few of the inspiring stories of success we share in our field stories blog. We want to share with you our vision of a world where hard work and talent lead to prosperity, where communities are working together to overcome their own challenges of chronic poverty.
How to Help
You can learn more about community-led development, the participatory human development process, and how you can become part of the solution to chronic poverty around the world.
