Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

Our registration number is 12703 3124 RR

This is a question worth asking any non-profit. It is important to know that, if you make a contribution, your donation will go as far as possible toward the cause you're supporting. One of the issues with this question is to be sure you know what you're really asking so that you can accurately evaluate the response.

As there is no definition used across the non-profit sector for what constitutes "overhead", many organizations will allocate things to "programs" which you might consider more of an "overhead" expense. Always keep in mind too that frugal spending does not automatically mean strong programs or say anything about the actual successes achieved!

In our case we strive to keep our administrative expenses down, while ensuring an effective management of our projects and an investment in the structures necessary to achieve results.

We're happy to report that we have few staff and operate economically so that we can assist as many women and youth as possible. Whenever appropriate, we get volunteers to help us.

Each year will be slightly different, but our "overhead" costs are in the range of 17-26% of our total expenses.

Impact First is audited annually and enjoys being transparent and accountable with the donations we receive. What does that mean? We as an organization want you to be aware of our activities and to be satisfied that your donation has been put to good use. So we encourage you to ask questions! We will provide you any information you'd like.

Impact First selects local partners who are well established within their respective communities and have demonstrated a strong track record of working with marginalized women. We look for partners with a commitment to our values and a similar vision and understanding of the importance of integrated projects combining micro-lending and other services and training. Partners must also have proven transparency and accountability.

We do a lot of background research before deciding on the right project, taking into account things like the country and local contexts, the need and how it was identified, the capacities of our potential partners, the risks, and the chances for real impact. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Impact First makes sure that local women and their families are involved at all stages of project planning and implementation.

Microfinance started in the 1970s in Bangladesh and Brazil. At that time there was skepticism that poor people in developing countries would make good candidates for loans. Early results showed that given the opportunity, people with very low incomes and little to no collateral have very high rates of loan repayment (for Impact First's projects it has consistently been at or above 95%) with interest.

Impact First has extensive experience with both group and individual micro-lending models. In our experience, micro-lending is certainly effective, as it ensures that women have the necessary means to build their micro-enterprises, and purchasing more materials up front for increased savings and stability.

However, we have found that the effectiveness of micro-lending is greatly increased when it is integrated with education on topics like sexual and reproductive health and women's rights, with skills training, and with access to basic health services.

Micro-lending in developing countries is not only important for female entrepreneurs. In fact, the success of their micro-businesses can have a beneficial impact on the entire country, since developing countries rely much more heavily on such businesses for overall employment and output (estimates are that in many countries this micro sector represents over 80% of all employment).

We understand the importance of not only engaging locals in the countries where we work, but Canadians as well. Please contact us with the details of the occasion you would like Impact First to present at and we will see what we can do. For more information about getting involved check out our Ideas Handbook.

Generally not, but we have in certain situations where we already had partners on the ground who were well positioned to provide aid in a timely and efficient way.

Tax receipts will be issued upon receipt of your donation either by Impact First, CanadaHelps or the United Way depending on how you donated (see Donation Methods for more information).

CanadaHelps handles our online donations. It is, itself, a very well established registered charity that specializes in SSL-secured, 128-bit encrypted online donations. If you are uncomfortable with this method of donating, please check Donation Methods for other options.

You are eligible to make a tax deduction for a donation to Impact First only for the amount of your income that comes from Canadian sources. However, if you wish to make a donation of $1,000 Canadian dollars or more we can provide you with a tax receipt even if you have no income from Canadian sources. Please contact us for details.

Impact First has supervised interns from various college and university programs. Contact us to find out if there is a potential fit with the requirements of your internship.

Unfortunately not. We are not a volunteer sending organization and do not have the structures required to oversee international volunteer placements. However there are all sorts of organizations that do receive volunteers for a whole range of causes; we recommend that you check on Idealist to find an international volunteering opportunity. We do offer major donors the chance to visit one of our projects and see how their contributions are being put to use.

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