Bright Hope World’s key strength is relationships.

We are particularly good at finding and developing relationships with exceptional people working amongst the poorest of the poor. This is not something that is easy to quantify, nor does it follow strict procedural lines. Instead, it is something of an organic process that is, ultimately…relational.

Despite this flexibility, however, we place great importance on due diligence and we are very experienced at detecting those who have dishonest intent or are simply ‘dreamers’. Our reputation – and the viability of our commitment to all our partners – depends on us having a strong and consistent track record in finding the right people. In our view, we cannot afford to get it wrong. And, by the grace of God, we rarely do.

To understand our thinking on how best to address poverty (and how not to!) check out the episodes of our podcast 'It Ain't That Simple Mate!' below:

When we are developing partners, some of the general principles we apply include:

• Bright Hope World’s mission is ‘to develop and resource partnerships with indigenous people who have a vision to transform their communities. We are, therefore, looking for local people who understand the local language and context, and have a pretty good idea as to what local solutions will work for the challenges being faced.
• Ultimately, we are not looking for people that simply have a ‘good idea’. We are looking for people who are already ‘doing it’. We partner with people who are already working in their communities; our role is to help develop and resource what they are already doing.
• We are looking for people who have ‘skin in the game’. These are the kinds of people who would be doing the project whether or not a donor or Bright Hope World turned up. If the donor leaves, the project will continue in some form.
• We engage on the basis of relationship, not formal agreements. Trust trumps contracts. We cannot be there all the time and we can’t check up on everything our partners do. We must, therefore, be able to trust our partners implicitly. If we can’t, then partnership is not really happening.
• We ensure, at all times and at all levels, that we do not steal the initiative from our partners. We do not impose our ideas on our partners, nor ask them to pursue Western ideas or utilise Western strategies. Partnership is, however, a two-way dialogue, so we work closely with our partners to help them enhance their work without being overly directive.
• While we are not ‘policy-based’ we do have a list of things we generally will not do. This is not based on a ‘rule’ but on experience, some of it learned at considerable cost! Things we avoid involvement in, or funding of, include buildings, land purchases, vehicles, pastor personal support, sending people to conferences and funding of long term education.
• We do not pay people to run a project in which we are involved. However, some partners receive personal support if their ability to be self-sustaining is compromised by the nature of the partnership. Otherwise, the partner may be a beneficiary of the project, if that is appropriate, on the same basis as any other beneficiary.
• If problems develop in the partnership, we tend to find out quickly. We do everything in our power to work through issues that may develop and to maintain the relationship, even if the project collapses. Every attempt will be made to understand the issues and attempt different strategies. Some projects will, however, run into insurmountable issues.
• There is risk involved in all partnerships. In some of the countries in which we work, our partners cannot even legally form organisations. This means we are forced to work through private individuals, which carries additional risk. In some countries, it is difficult to get foreign currency to them so we have to deliver it in person when we visit. In other places, the partner is so far from a bank that we have to go through a third party. Many partners do not have internet connections, so trust is vital. If we want to work amongst the poorest of the poor, these are some of the realities we face.
• We attempt to produce partnership reports every six months and visit most partners annually. This provides an opportunity to discuss and review the issues faced in the previous year. We also talk through strategic plans and develop a new budget based on their vision. This information is submitted for approval to the Executive Leadership Team. Often there is a dialogue about the proposal and the Partnership Facilitator will communicate new information back to the partner.
• We try to work on three-year commitments with partners to give some sort of certainty. Annual reviews are part of this process.
• Partnership perseveres beyond financial commitments. A significant number of our partnerships are now self-sustaining (see a list). This means we do not – at least for the time being – need to invest financially into the partnership. We will still visit and report on the partnership, however, and the partnership certainly does not cease because we are no longer sending funds. Our partners are our friends and we are invested in their growth and success. Financial commitment does not define this relationship.
• Because we set such a high standard for partners, we say ‘no’ far more often than we say ‘yes’.

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