FIVE TALENTS U S A
Transforming lives through economic empowerment
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Five Talents exists to address the challenge of extreme poverty. Worldwide, more than 700 million people live on less than $1.90 per day, struggling to survive with minimal access to education, healthcare, electricity, safe water and other critical services. Many of those trapped in extreme poverty live in fragile contexts, conflict areas, or remote villages, which are often underserved or unreached by banks, financial institutions or development organizations. Five Talents works to end extreme poverty by serving the marginalized and vulnerable poor in fragile states and underserved areas of the world. Five Talents transforms lives and communities through economic empowerment by facilitating financial inclusion and microenterprise development. Five Talents has aligned its programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the global development agenda set by the World Bank for reaching universal financial inclusion by 2030.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Bolivia
Five Talents has worked in Bolivia since 2009 to reach out to families living in extreme poverty. Walking alongside local partners, Five Talents helps the poorest people restore relationships and fight against poverty by helping them recover their dignity and become protagonists in their own development.
The program facilitates small businesses development through community savings and loans and business skills training in Tarija, Bolivia and its surrounding communities.
Participants join small savings groups and receive training in budgeting, saving, cost of credit, business planning, nutrition and discipleship. They also learn how to invest and grow their businesses.
Myanmar
Five Talents is working with several partners to spark micro-enterprise development in what, until recently, has been one of the most closed societies in the world.
By helping to form community savings groups and provide financial literacy and business skills training, Five Talents empowers the poor to build their own sustainable businesses.
Many savings groups form cooperatives to run a joint business, and the program itself encourages collaboration and creativity. The cooperative business model means accessible capital for business startup, diversified risk, collective labor, and shared profits. It also means improved market share and the ability for the poor to compete against more established military-owned businesses.
South Sudan
Five Talents has been working successfully in South Sudan and Sudan since 2007 and is one of the few organizations to develop a sustainable model for microfinance. In fact, Five Talents programs have a broader reach and impact in South Sudan than the microfinance institutions supported by the United Nations, World Bank, European Commission, USAID, Central Bank, and Government of South Sudan combined. In less than ten years we have opened the first community-owned banks in South Sudan, enrolled more than 30,000 in community savings groups, and worked in worked in seven Anglican Dioceses and six states including Western Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap State, Malakal, Renk, Juba, and Khartoum.
Burundi
The size of the program in Burundi – Five Talents’ single largest – is a reflection of the great need that exists there. Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Decades of civil war have slowed development, especially in rural communities. Five Talents has partnered with Mothers’ Union (MU) to provide business skills training as well as savings and credit group formation. Members have access to mentorship, basic financial services, and emergency funds. To date, over 45,000 members have joined community savings and loan associations and over 15,000 have started new businesses.
Kenya
The success of our partner programs in Kenya is striking: from humble beginnings in 2006 (when the first 13 trust groups were established), we now have over 100 savings groups, consisting of more than 15,000 members with combined savings of over $2.5 million.
The program emphasizes training and uses a savings-led model. Members learn key skills in financial management and business development. They also participate in community owned and managed, savings groups, meeting together on a weekly basis. Most members start as subsistence level farmers, but many end up developing new businesses. The groups loan savings to one another, setting their own payment schedules and interest rates with guidance from our local staff. They receive mentorship, share stories, and support one another in developing sustainable businesses. Over time, the local savings groups develop into Community Banks, providing a variety of financial services to their communities. Five Talents Kenya is rapidly growing and currently serving six regions across Kenya.
Tanzania
This women-only program is now self-sustaining after seven years of patient investment by Five Talents supporters. Most of the members live in rural areas many hours from the nearest bank. Some field officers have motorbikes to access the areas, and the team has offered loans for solar equipment and help with installation. Now mobile phones are being used to send loans and receive repayments helping the poor to save, invest, and grow their own businesses. More than 11,000 families have been reached thus far.
Uganda
Five Talents has been working in Uganda since 2001 to assist poor entrepreneurs using a combination of business training, spiritual development, and microsavings and loans. The programme has served over 15,000 households with access to financial services including savings, loans and insurance, along with training and mentoring. Currently, there are over over 3,000 clients across 5 branches spread throughout the country.
Where we work
Awards
Featured Charity 2007
Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of community savings groups formed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Community savings groups form at the village level, develop their own constitution, and are locally led and managed. Each group offers community savings and loans.
Number of businesses developed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Five Talents USA helps the extreme poor to learn skills and access tools to establish and run their own businesses. Total number of businesses developed.
Number of beneficiaries served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
On average, each participant in our programs supports five beneficiaries. By empowering entrepreneurs, Five Talents helps families provide for their children and creates opportunity for the poor.
Number of financial literacy courses conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Five Talents USA helps the extreme poor to learn skills and access tools to establish and run their own businesses. Total number of training courses in literacy, numeracy, and business skills.
Number of loans issued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Community savings groups form at the village level, develop their own constitution, and are locally led and managed. Each group offers community savings and loans. Total number of loans disbursed.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
As a faith-based international development organization, Five Talents vision is to eradicate extreme poverty by restoring human dignity and creating strong, sustainable communities. We do this by empowering the poor and helping them learn to budget, save, invest, and develop sustainable businesses. We aim to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by empowering the poor and the marginalized in developing countries.
The overall goal is to affect transformation of individuals, families, and communities through;
- access to training and basic financial services
- providing opportunities to underserved groups
- working in partnership with the local church
- the aim of spiritual transformation
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Five Talents uses a proven and innovative model to fight poverty and create new opportunities for the vulnerable poor through financial inclusion and microenterprise development. We use a client-focused and community-centered approach that equips local entrepreneurs and mobilizes local resources for sustainable development.
Our approach involves key strategies:
Capacity Building of Local Partners: Our programs build the skills and capacity of local organizations to serve their communities, and we work with the local church and program partners to develop leaders and staff who can create and manage programs that serve the needs of each individual and community.
Literacy and Financial Literacy Training: Since many of the participants in our programs have limited educational background, our programs begin with literacy and financial literacy training. Members develop skills and are accredited in literacy, numeracy, and financial literacy.
Formation of Groups for Community Savings: Five Talents and its local partners organize micro-entrepreneurs into groups that provide encouragement and accountability. These groups become hubs for a whole range of community development measures, including further training, peace-building, accounting and marketing workshops, and healthcare opportunities. Members learn and grow in a loving and supportive community and build a network for growth.
Business Skills Training: Every micro-entrepreneur learns how to manage money wisely and develops fiscal discipline by putting away a portion of their earnings into savings. Members learn to budget, plan, prepare for emergencies, meet current financial obligations, track and monitor expenses, and more. For many women, this stage is crucial in helping them to earn more respect and influence in their household.
Mentorship and Graduation: Participants in our programs receive mentorship in community savings and business development. On average, after one to three years, groups graduate from our programs as they become fully self-managing and self-sustaining.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Five Talents has a proven track record of empowering the extreme poor around the world. With twenty years of history, and experience working in twenty developing countries, Five Talents has honed a model for empowering the poor through financial inclusion and microenterprise development. Our approach builds on the successes while avoiding the pitfalls of traditional microfinance through a savings-led, community-centered approach.
A key component of our organization's capabilities is our strong partnerships with indigenous organizations that are known, respected, effective, and accountable in their communities. We work with large grassroots networks of women's ministries through the Anglican Church in developing countries around the world. Our staff and program leaders have extensive experience in coordinating and running these programs. Five Talents Board of Directors provide a wealth of experience in finance, and economic, community, and business development. In addition, Five Talents has registered offices in the United States, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Five Talents has worked in twenty one countries over the past twenty+ years to empower the extreme poor. During this time Five Talents' ministry worldwide has reached over 3,000 communities, equipped over 3,300 churches, trained over 210,000 entrepreneurs, and helped over 80,000 families to start and develop their own small businesses. In partnership with Five Talents UK and Five Talents Kenya, our programs have reached over 1.4 million beneficiaries and created a safety net in areas of the world that lack access to social security, banks, or traditional financial institutions. Each of the 3,100 savings groups created has developed their own constitution, appointed their own leadership, established separate emergency or social insurance funds, and earned an average of 10% interest on their savings. In addition, Five Talents savings groups have achieved an average loan repayment rate over 90%.
Over the next three years, Five Talents aims to expand its programs to reach more families in the countries where we work.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FIVE TALENTS U S A
Board of directorsas of 01/25/2024
Ms. Kimberly Pacala
Jim Oakes
Principal, Health Care Information Consultants
Bill Eggbeer
Managing Director, BDC Advisors LLC
Kimberly Pacala
Capital Campaign Director, Silver Bay YMCA of the Adirondacks on Lake George
Steve Tees
Washington Fine Properties
Brian Burke
Cooley LLP
Rev. Corky Eddins
Christ Church Vienna
Deborah Finley Conver
President, Corporate Affairs Solutions International
Dr. April Young
Managing Director, Hercules Technology Growth Capital
Francine Maestri
United Savings Bank
Dana Wichterman
Oakton Foundation
Jim Lewis
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable