We stand tall on the shoulders of giants
We’re about funding sustainable solutions that last. We’re often asked how we choose which projects to fund. Here’s the low down from our Chief Impact Officer, Pete Yao
“My bravery is inherited from the chiefs who came before me. I stand tall on the shoulders of giants” — Maori proverb
At Thankyou, we exist to give 100% of the profits from our products to fund sustainable solutions for the most marginalised and vulnerable people living in extreme poverty (less than $1.90 a day). Together, alongside the local community and our impact partners, we share one dream.
A world without extreme poverty.
When we look at the enormity of the global goal to eradicate poverty by 2030, we know that no single person or organisation can achieve this goal on their own. It is only through the combined efforts of the people we serve, our Impact Partners, our team, and YOU that this dream will become a reality.
We’ve had the awesome (and humbling!) privilege in partnering with these groups of people to fund access to water, sanitation, food and maternal and child health solutions for over 700,000 people in need in 20 countries.
So, how do we choose our Impact Partners?
There are over 55,000 charities in Australia alone. Globally there’s somewhere upwards of 1.5 million charities.
Our team receives on average, between 1–2 enquiries of funding per week. Choosing who we work with is fundamental to the success of our organisation and goal.
We partner with organisations that share the same ethos, vision and values as we do, and together, we’re committed to serving the most marginalised and vulnerable communities with empowering and sustainable solutions.
That means out impact partners are committed to:
1. Learning and an evidence-based methodology. We believe how seriously an organisation collects evidence on the impact of their programs demonstrates the intentionality and care they take in serving communities with a high-quality solution. Development is complex, so our partners need to be flexible to refine their practices based on their learnings.
2. Empowering the community. While the context of each community and program is different, empowerment should always be an integral factor. It most commonly looks like people moving away from being passive recipients to owners of change within their communities. This means they have the tools, knowledge and opportunities to create a better life for themselves and their families, so continued change occurs sustainably. Education and the transfer of skills and knowledge underpins every program we fund.
3. Having the best people in their organisation. We believe the greatest measure of success — business or otherwise, is the people within an organisation. The success of an evidence-based methology hinges on an organisation’s ability to attract and retain the most skilled and experienced people who are passionate about the people they’re serving.
4. Capacity. We don’t want to be funders that take away vital time, energy, and resources. This means the organisation we partner with must have the capacity to meet all of our stringent reporting requirements, which includes reporting on project indicators, GPS coordinates and project specific information for our Track Your Impact system.
5. Transparency. Development is complex, so if a mistake happens or outcome changes, we want to learn about what happened and what needs to be changed for the project to be successful and sustainable. However, we do not fund project partners who do not openly communicate their successes, mistakes and struggles in a timely manner.
Our Impact team spend months reviewing each program, sifting through hundreds of pages of technical documentation, peer-reviewing the approach and methodology and comparing it to best practice. If needed, we also visit the project to evaluate it before we commit to funding and again once the program has been completed.
We believe the most efficient way to understand whether we’re serving people globally with the best possible sustainable solutions is to annually review our current and future partnerships according to our values.
Why do we go to these lengths?
We care deeply about the lives of the people we serve, so we want to truly understand what impact we are contributing towards.
Our rigorous process is a reflection of our belief that everyone, no matter where they were born, deserves to be served with programs that deliver sustainable outcomes for them and their communities.
Your decision to buy Thankyou products empowers us to back the dreams and visions of our project partners and communities we serve.
Because of you, we stand tall on the shoulders of giants.
