village inc

reward good development

How is Village X a #BetterNGO?
www!villagexinc!com
local choice
long-term impact
people to people
local ownership
Villages choose their own community projects based on local conditions.
From their city-based ofces, many NGOs work with removed government ofcials to prescribe interventions
for villages without frst assessing local perspectives and priorities.
We work with villages for 10 years - one project per year - to witness tangible develop-
ment.
Many NGOs leave after one or two projects, relinquishing their best weapon against
persistent poverty and corruption - their relationships.
We work only with villages where we have trusted, personal relationships with opin-
ion leaders, and we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding corruption. If there is any
misuse of funds, we leave immediately.
Many NGOs commit to village projects without knowing much about local people and
their dynamics and accept corruption as a cost of doing business.
Village volunteers do the heavy lifting - project planning, partial project funding (20% of total cost, 5%
in cash), project implementation, and project documentation - with oversight from us.
Many NGOs do not require villages to contribute cash and even compensate village members for their partici-
pation, undermining their independence and creating an expectation of payment for community service.
We are obsessed with frugality - modest salaries, local lodging and transport, and a small administra-
tive footprint.
Many NGOs spend money on unnecessary luxuries such as catered conferences and feets of vehicles and
account for these items as programmatic expenses. This spending diverts money from village projects.
direct funding pipeline
see your impact
lean operations
phone-based system
We send nearly 90% of each tax-deductable donation directly to a village com-
mittee for grassroots implementation of a specifc community project.
Many NGOs route project funding through multiple administrative layers, and, conse-
quently, only a small fraction of each donation is spent on grassroots implementation.
We allow donors to see, track and share the projects that receive their donations.
Most NGOs dont tell donors exactly how their money is being used to acheive stated
goals. Instead they issue reports that summarize donations in abstract terms.
sustainable business model
grassroots expertise
We pay our bills by partnering with socially conscious businesses and encouraging consumers to
donate to our projects while shopping at those businesses.
Lacking a sustainable model, many NGOS spend signifcant amounts of money on marketing and fundrais-
ing activities.
Our system is mobile and efcient. Community members use their phones to send
us live text and picture updates of each project.
Many NGOs document their projects through infrequent and expensive day trips to
villages.
As former Peace Corps Volunteers, we have lived in the villages we seek to help, and have experienced
the local conditions that make or break projects.
Many NGOs hire staf who lack experience living and working in villages of the host country.
contact us
Michael Buckler, CEO Lauren Corke Ryan Dunn
mike@villagexinc.com
(202)360-9931
skype: michael_buckler
lauren@villagexinc.com
(978)697-2427
skype: lecorke
ryan@villagexinc.com
(540)222-5977
skype: ryanpatrickdunn