Triple Bottom Line
Every organization is called upon to measure its success at reaching its own bottom line. The Opportunity International Network recognizes that such measurements have to include the human factor in order to be accurate.
So Opportunity has adopted a triple bottom-line approach, measuring its success on three levels: transformation, outreach and sustainability.
Transformational Impact
Because of Opportunity’s commitment to the whole person, the organization is committed to pursuing measurable improvements in clients’ lives in every area.
- Microinsurance helps transform clients’ lives by providing emotional security and practical assistance when they need it most.
Large-scale Outreach
Opportunity aims for the poorest of the working poor: those with passion and a business dream but without access to all the benefits of the developed world. In serving that group, Opportunity has grown exponentially over the past 35 years, making more than 1 million loans in 2005 alone, versus a cumulative total of 1 million loans between 1971 and 2001.
- Microinsurance benefits more than just the client herself but also her family members. And a business that’s covered by insurance means stable employment for other members of the community. Furthermore, microinsurance is not capital-intensive, so growth is not limited by the ability to mobilize loan capital.
Financial Viability
A defining moment for Opportunity came in 2002 when, on a global basis, its programs became operationally sustainable — income from lending operations covered costs for the first time. Opportunity is committed to this not only on an organizational scale, but on a program-by-program scale as well.
