As a Global Champion, you know the impact you make by supporting international charities. Our Charity Alliance members are tackling some of the largest problems in the world, from poverty to climate change. It can be hard to imagine how charities even know where to start.

To solve these global challenges, international charities connect with local, on-the-ground staff and partners in communities feeling the brunt of these impacts. This collaboration not only leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes but fosters a sense of community ownership and long-term impact. Our Charity Alliance members prioritize these critical partnerships and repeatedly see key, positive outcomes like:

  • Cultural sensitivity and context: Local partners know the dynamics and histories of their communities, which is invaluable when designing and implementing development programs.
  • Language access: Local staff are fluent in the languages needed to effectively reach target populations and communicate in culturally appropriate ways.
  • Community trust: Relationships and ties to the community help facilitate access to marginalized or hard-to-reach populations.
  • Sustainability: On-the-ground partnerships means our Charity Alliance is building local capacity and ownership of development programs.
  • Cost efficiency: These partnerships help reduce costs associated with international staffing, travel and logistical support. This means greater impact with your dollars.
  • Adaptive work: When things change or when an emergency strikes, local staff are better equipped to respond quickly. This helps ensure that the work of our Charity Alliance is relevant and effective.
  • Fostering leadership: By involving local partners in decision making and program management, nonprofits can identify and nurture local leaders who can continue to drive positive change in their communities even after programming ends.

Here are just a few charities committed to effective, sustainable and community-driven outcomes and examples of their work with local partners.

American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
Drawing inspiration from Jewish principles of justice, AJWS is committed to upholding human rights and combatting poverty across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. They combine grant support for international human rights advocates with advocacy efforts to influence U.S. government policies benefiting marginalized global communities. Through their grants, AJWS extends financial assistance to over 500 local advocacy organizations in 17 countries.

Unlike many other funders, AJWS firmly recognizes the pivotal role of local individuals in addressing the challenges they encounter. They place trust in local advocates to conceive and implement their own solutions, fostering the development of more equitable societies. They collaborate with communities and groups facing oppression, neglect or persecution, including women and girls, indigenous communities, LGBTQI+ individuals as well as religious and ethnic minorities.

CMMB
CMMB’s global mission centers on ensuring universal access to quality health care, a fundamental human right. They prioritize forging local, on-the-ground partnerships to build sustainable health care systems, particularly for women and children. Their comprehensive commitment encompasses clinical expertise, non-clinical health services, medical donations and the vital support of skilled volunteers. Together, they uplift the lives of women and children in impoverished communities, where a lack of basic health care leads to needless suffering and shorter lifespans.

CMMB’s dedicated field staff in places like Haiti, Kenya, Peru, South Sudan and Zambia play an instrumental role in effecting positive change. By collaborating with diverse partners and championing local, community-based projects, they’re turning their vision of a healthier world into reality.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
IOCC assists a range of vulnerable groups, including families, refugees, displaced individuals, the elderly, schoolchildren, orphans and individuals with disabilities. Since 1992, they have delivered humanitarian relief and sustainable development initiatives across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

IOCC’s approach to addressing global disasters and poverty is rooted in effective collaboration with Orthodox Christian partners, as well as private, public and civil society organizations. Aid selection is a joint effort with local partners and community leaders, alongside fellow humanitarian organizations in the region. They closely coordinate with local entities and community leaders, leading to more effective, culturally sensitive solutions.

The team at IOCC understands that local partners, well-attuned to local dynamics, adeptly identify those in greatest need and leverage in-country resources, fostering a more positive response from beneficiaries. Their partnerships with other organizations amplify their impact, expanding project possibilities and ensuring that donor contributions achieve maximum good.

Prison Fellowship International
Prison Fellowship International is the world’s largest faith-based organization operating in the criminal justice arena with a mission to make a positive impact. They have a presence in more than 60% of the global prison population across six continents, and their prison programs are focused on the rehabilitation of inmates, support for their families and their successful reintegration into society.

The ultimate goal is to break the cycle of crime and restore lives worldwide, guided by the principles of Jesus’s love. Collaborating with local affiliates in each country, Prison Fellowship International delivers culturally relevant support to prisoners and their families. Through their signature programs, they invite incarcerated individuals to undergo transformative experiences by exploring themes such as faith, responsibility, forgiveness and reconciliation from within.

Project HOPE
Project HOPE is shaping a resilient global community of health care workers who innovate within their communities and share solutions. They work in five critical areas: disasters and health crises, infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, maternal and child health and health policy.

They empower local health care professionals to save lives worldwide, from training midwives in Sierra Leone to equipping hospitals in Indonesia – all of this while working collaboratively with partners, public health systems, local organizations and community leaders to implement lasting solutions. Project HOPE knows that global health challenges cannot be tackled in isolation, and local health care workers can impact their own communities the greatest.

Women for Women International
The global community of Women for Women International invests in empowering women who have survived war and conflict, connecting them with resources, mutual support and the realization of their own strength.

For three decades, they have pursued an inclusive approach to enhance women’s empowerment. They operate as a learning organization, actively listening to data, input from global teams and the women themselves to continually refine and enhance their methods.

Women for Women International takes pride in the fact that their local staff members hail from the same communities as the women they serve and are esteemed as community leaders. They possess deep insights into the challenges faced by women and the opportunities for creating meaningful and enduring change. Together, everyone collaborates to design programs tailored to the unique circumstances of each community and individual, fostering self-sufficiency.

Just like these organizations, you have the power to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Give to AJWS, CMMB, IOCC, Prison Fellowship International, Project HOPE and Women for Women International in your workplace giving campaign this fall. Together, we can create lasting, positive change.