Basic Organization Information
Fonkoze USA
- Physical Address:
-
Washington, DC
20009
- EIN:
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52-2022113
- Web URL:
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www.fonkoze.org
- NTEE Category:
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Q International, Foreign Affairs, and National Security
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Q32 International Economic Development
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Q International, Foreign Affairs, and National Security
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Q02 Management & Technical Assistance
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Q International, Foreign Affairs, and National Security
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Q12 Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution
- Year Founded:
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1997
- Ruling Year:
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1997
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Mission Statement
Fonkoze, a micro finance insitution, seeks to build the economic foundations for democracy in Haiti. Fonkoze has 40 branches, at least one in each department of Haiti. Fonkoze provides the rural poor with access to financial, health and education services that are not available in the rural areas. Over 99% of Fonkoze's clients are women!
Impact Summary from the Nonprofit
This organization has not provided an impact summary.
Leadership
Mr. John Mercier
Term:
Since
Apr
2006
Profile:
John Mercier has been involved in fundraising as a Development Specialist, nonprofit CEO and Senior Consultant. After a twenty-five year career with YMCAs across the country, he established the JM Advancement Organization in Essex, Connecticut in 1990 and relocated to Sarasota, Florida in 1991. A recognized leader in non-profit management and fundraising, John has been involved in healthcare and YMCA capital campaigns, fraternal organization consulting, endowment development, and recently with Agape Flights serving missionaries in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. His experience includes conducting major capital programs. John Mercier?s career includes six years of service with the YMCA of Buffalo & Erie County, where he was Associate General Executive (Operations) and Director of Community Relations. He later became President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Waterbury, Connecticut and Vice President for Operations, Programs, Grants, & Membership of the YMCA of Greater New York. A graduate of Clark University, Worcester, MA, he is a Founding Member and Past Chair of the Association of Philanthropic Counsel (APC). He is a longtime member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was a Charter Member of the Connecticut Chapter. )
Highest Paid Employees & Their Compensation
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Program:
Literacy and Life Skills
- Budget:
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$500,000
- Category:
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Education
- Population Served:
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Females, all ages or age unspecified
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Female Adults
Program Description:
<div>Five eduational modules are offered: Basic Literacy, Business Skills, Health and Disease Prevention, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Agriculture, and</div>
<div>Children's Rights.</div>
Program Long-Term Success:
Participants are moved out of poverty.
Program Short-Term Success:
Literacy and life skills help women run a micro-business much more efficiently.
Program Success Monitored by:
Social Performance Management staff in Haiti.
Program Success Examples:
<p align="center"><em>Fanm se Poto Mitan</em></p>
<p> “<em>Poto mitan</em>” is an architectural term. It refers to a building’s central support post, its mainstay. “<em>Fanm se poto mitan</em>” means “women are the mainstays.” It’s the name of a large Fonkoze credit center in Gwomòn, a small city in northern Haiti. The center has about 65 members, all businesswomen who support their families through micro enterprises they run themselves. Fonkoze supplies them with the credit that they need to sustain their businesses and make them grow.</p>
<p> But Fonkoze offers more than just credit. It offers them educational programs as well. In Gwomòn, the programs have been financed with support of the International Foundation. Like over 50% of all Haitians, most of <em>Fanm se Poto Mitan’</em>s members are illiterate. They never went to school, never learned to read or write. Fonkoze trained four of the center’s members to teach its four-month Basic Literacy class. Now every member of the center can sign her name.</p>
<p> Some of the members, however, had been to school before. They were ready for something more than Basic Literacy. So Fonkoze trained one of them, Ycleda, to teach its Business Development Skills class. The class teaches basic good business practices, and participants in Gwomòn say it’s been helping them a lot.</p>
<p> “I never really had control of the money I was spending. I go to the market and sell some merchandise and wonder where my profit was. I didn’t think to keep track of money I was spending on food and drink while I was in the market. I figured that the money just disappeared,” one participant said.</p>
<p> “I learned how to calculate prices to make sure I make a profit by including all the costs of purchasing, not just the price of the merchandise I buy.</p>
<p> “I never really knew how much merchandise I had. Each time I went buying, I’d just pile what I bought on top of what I already had. Now I always take inventory before I buy,” added another.</p>
<p> “The lessons I learned about keeping control of my business apply at home as well. I used to just toss whatever ingredients I had into the meals I cooked. Now I put in what I need and save the rest. It’s helping me save money every day,” said a third.</p>
<p> The center’s members hope to keep learning. Right now, some of them are taking Basic Literacy 2, and others are taking Health Education. Some say they’d like to learn cooking or sewing, but most say that they’re looking forward to whatever Fonkoze decides to offer next.</p>
<p >The classes teach them important life skills, but they do much more. They develop solidarity and leadership in the credit center, as the women learn to learn from one another.</p>
Expert Reviews and Comments
This organization is a 2012 Philanthropedia top
nonprofit, recommended by experts as having high impact.
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Evidence of Impact
Fonkoze is a Haitian NGO which has also set up a nonprofit microfinance bank. It is the largest microfinance operation in Haiti and played a major role in supporting post-earthquake recovery in Haiti. The organization is dedicated to serving the poorest populations, and is extremely responsive to the needs of their clients, offering a wide-range of services, many of which are not financially-based. Fonkoze is known to be an innovative organization.
Expert Comments
Organizational Strengths
Many experts note that Fonkoze has strong leadership. The organization’s leadership is dedicated and good at what they do. Fonkoze keeps the needs of the clients at the core of everything they do. They structure their programming and all of their operations around developing approaches that are truly useful to their clients. That drive, coupled with Fonkoze’s knack for evaluation and risk-taking, has helped the organization develop its strong culture of innovation. Fonkoze is also connected to the global microfinance dialog, where they have been a positive influence on the movement as a whole.
Expert Comments
Areas for Improvement
In order to improve on the great work they’re doing, Fonkoze needs to spend time preparing for the future. Quite a few experts predict that the inevitable transition into new leadership will be quite difficult for the organization. They will want to be particularly mindful of that transition. The organization also needs to work on becoming more financially sustainable, as the organization relies quite heavily on external donations now. Fonkoze could also improve by strengthening their financial management skills and improving staff retention.
Expert Comments