Opportunity International

Founded in 1971, this is one of the most experienced, and largest, microfinance networks in the world; they currently serve nearly 10 million clients in 22 countries.  

(Updated October 2018)

Opportunity International was created in response to the fact that in the developing world, there is simply no way for large numbers of people living in extreme poverty to find jobs;  the genius of micro-enterprise development is that these same poor are often willing and able to create their own businesses when given access, even on a small scale, to basic financial tools like small loans, savings, insurance, and training.  These tools give the poor the chance to create livelihoods, care for their families, create safety nets for the future, create jobs for their neighbors, and build strength and solidarity in their communities.

With loans of as little as $60, monumental changes in a community can be set in motion.  Over 95% of Opportunity’s loans are made to women; repayment rates exceed 99%.  Though they make up more than 70% of the people living on less than $2/day, and routinely suffer legal and cultural injustices, women have been shown (through numerous studies) to generate more developmental change per dollar loaned.  Notably, the gains that women achieve through small-scale loans are three times more likely to be invested in their children – a powerful generational multiplier that lays the foundation for longer-term economic growth in a community.   To help make first-time loans more broadly available to poor women with no collateral, Opportunity pioneered a group-lending methodology called the Trust Group (more info here), which leverages social impact even further.  Opportunity Int’l continues to perform ongoing impact studies to further guide and refine its efforts in empowering the poor.

In addition to enterprise loans and savings services, Opportunity provides well developed training modules to help position its clients for success in their undertakings; currently, over 400 different modules are in use.  Special micro-insurance policies are also available for specific needs – think subsistence farmers protecting themselves against drought.  All of these services are provided through over 23,000 employees (99% are indigenous), of which the majority are loan officers who provide critical support and counseling for every client they serve.  Though spiritual development activities are not a formal part of Opportunity’s programs, it is still an expressly Christian organization that is glad to share their faith on an “as asked” basis.

Micro-Finance and Micro-Enterprise Development organizations present donors with the opportunity to leverage their donation dollars, since repayment rates of over 95% mean that the loan dollars are recycled many times.  Moreover, “micro” entrepreneurs have proven to be big change agents in the Developing World; as the poor work their way out of poverty (via the cottage industries they borrowed to start or expand), they take their children, their neighbors, and their communities with them.

Primary Sector:  Micro-Enterprise Development and Micro-Finance

Organization Size:  Medium — programs are supported by cash contributions totaling
$3,000,000 to $20,000,000 annually

Key Webpages: 

Purpose:  https://opportunity.org/about-us/why-we-exist

Programs information hub:  https://opportunity.org/what-we-do/

Making it Personal:  https://us.opportunity.org/clients

Annual Reports: https://opportunity.org/news/publications/reports/2018-spring-global-report

Financial Statements:  https://opportunity.org/about-us/financial-documents

Awards and Articles of Note:  a Philanthropedia (division of Guidestar) 2012 “Top Nonprofit” for microfinance,  here

Contact Information:  visit https://opportunity.org/ , contact https://opportunity.org/about-us/connect-with-us