How We're Different

These factors distinguish Mentors International from many other nonprofit and microfinance organizations: 

We generate more impact with a dollar. Your dollar gives over and over again with our perpetual model. Clients repay their loans with interest at reasonable interest rates to Mentors to help fund new loans, making your contribution last.

We don’t believe in handouts. With Mentors’ guiding principle of a hand up, not a handout, the donor-recipient relationship is transformed. Mentors serves only individuals and families that demonstrate integrity and the motivation to lift themselves out of poverty. 

We teach accountability. Mentors requires full, on-time repayment of loans. Promoting integrity, Mentors provides follow-up to ensure that its clients implement steps toward accountability in their lives. Mentors’ loan repayment rate averages at 97 percent. Mentors serves many communities where 100 percent of clients pay back every loan.

We assign our clients a mentor. Unlike many microfinance organizations, Mentors provides a high degree of ongoing, personalized training and mentoring. The knowledge and encouragement clients receive are vital to their success as they build businesses and become self-reliant.

We don’t solicit or accept government assistance. All contributions to Mentors are purely voluntary. Mentors does seek grants from family foundations and charitable organizations.