Questions?

How does Outreach International use my donation?
Your gifts help the children and families in your Storyteller’s community, and other communities in need. Gifts are not restricted to the one community. These funds are used to help the children and families we work with deal with the chronic effects of poverty including: poor social skills, low self-confidence, isolation, inability to work together to create real community, lack of education, poor or nonexistent medical care, lack of ability to grow nutritious food, polluted or scarce clean water, substandard housing, or ravaged or depleted environment.

Who Are the Storytellers?
Storytellers are those children and families who help donors learn about life in the developing world. They will share stories about everyday life in their village with you and other donors. Each community will have a small number of Storytellers, selected by the communities themselves.
 
Your donations are not restricted to your Storyteller children or family but are used for all of Outreach International’s work. To help you stay informed about how your regular gifts are changing lives, Storytellers share letters about how they work together to find a life free of poverty. They represent the challenges being faced by thousands of people with whom Outreach International works.

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Why is my gift used for more than one family or child?
Experience has taught us that the best way to make change for those in poverty is to work with as many people in the community as possible. When people work together to identify and resolve common problems, relationships are strengthened and community is established. If gifts are given to just one child or family, communities can become divided. Jealousies can develop and dependency is fostered.

May I send gifts to families in the community?
Sharing gifts can result in some real problems like dependence among some who wait for gifts, then sell them or disappointment when some receive gifts and others do not. That’s why we discourage gifts – holiday or birthday, or gifts of any kind. Rather, we encourage you to donate to the Project Fund which will help your Storyteller community and others acquire things they need by working within their community development process.

Can I visit the community?
We welcome your visit to the areas in which Outreach International is working. Please join our Site Visit program, to see communities in various stages of development, to better understand the causes of poverty, and see how your support is making a difference. This visit may be in your Storyteller's country, but for various logistic reasons we may not visit the actual community.

Can I bring children or a family from the community to my home for a visit?
We appreciate your interest in having a child or family visit you; however, Outreach International does not permit visits of children and families due to:

• The safety and well-being of the child and family
• The culture shock experienced 
• The apprehension that language barriers often create 
• The difficult and unsettling readjustment of the family to their own lifestyle

If you would like to learn more about the lives of children and families who are benefiting from your support, join an Outreach International Site Visit.

What are the Project Fund and Emergency Aid Fund?
The Project Fund supports Outreach International's comprehensive development work led by the community residents themselves. This is where our funding needs are greatest. This work allows communities to access resources and funds from local sources. However, in those cases when funds are needed for projects that cannot be funded from elsewhere, or for emergencies, Outreach International often helps. Gifts to the Project Fund and Emergency Aid Fund allow us to respond, while at the same time keeping our long-term commitment to comprehensive community development.

Does Outreach International conduct emergency relief?
Yes, we partner with experts in emergency relief to help in those places where we do not have an in-country office and field program. Long-term sustainable development and the everyday needs of those in poverty is the primary focus of our work. But natural disasters and wars bring urgent need making daily poverty more desperate.

To assist these communities when emergencies arise, Outreach International has an Emergency Fund into which donors can make gifts to help the poor affected by disaster and emergencies. Also, we may make a crisis appeal for specific disasters. We invite your compassionate action to give during emergency crisis needs, and to our Emergency Fund.

Outreach International averages 86 percent of total budget on program costs. Less than 14 percent is used for administration and fund-raising costs.

Outreach International has been awarded a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, which is one of the most trusted rating systems in the country. We also meet all 20 standards for charity accountability set by BBB, and are a Better Business Bureau accredited charity.

If you would like additional financial information, please see our Annual Report and Tax Report.