Building on the momentum of our prior five-year strategy, Friendship Bridge has grown in important ways. We have strengthened our core microfinance services, expanded access to education and preventive health, invested in technology, listened more intentionally to our clients, and deepened our understanding of what it truly takes to support women across many stages of life.
As we look ahead, we do so with clear-eyed recognition of the opportunities and challenges before us. The 2026–2030 Strategic Plan is both ambitious and practical, and it also calls us to optimize our resources with greater discipline and intention.
- Goal 1 – Positive Impact: Create lasting impact for clients and staff by investing in program development, talent development, institutional culture, and balanced financial and social performance—ensuring long-term sustainability and mission alignment.
- Goal 2 – Responsible Growth: Responsible and diversified growth of both client segments, strengthening sales strategies, and improving financial performance to support the long-term sustainability and impact of the organization.
- Goal 3 – Operational Excellence and Agility: Build a more agile, efficient, and resilient organization through structural improvements, operational optimization, enterprise risk management, and the strategic use of technology to drive scalability and impact.
- Goal 4 – Strong Market Position: Be a client-centered and market-responsive organization by strengthening product innovation, leveraging client insights, tailoring services throughout the client life cycle, and reinforcing brand visibility and competitiveness.
We invite you to peruse the new Strategic Plan to discover our latest goals, plus so much more:
2021–2025 Strategic Plan Outcomes
Our 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, Impact2, set out to deepen our impact across two distinct client segments—Dreamers and Entrepreneurs—by strengthening our Microcredit Plus model and launching the Bridge to Success program, serving women ready to grow their businesses and create jobs in their communities.
The results affirm that our approach is working. Dreamer clients are meaningfully less poor, more financially confident, and making more decisions for themselves and their families. Entrepreneur clients in Bridge to Success are growing their profits, increasing their income, and creating jobs that reach beyond their own households. (Read the 2021–2025 Strategic Plan: English / Spanish)
Outreach
- Served over 64,000 Guatemalan women over the course of 2021–2025.
- Nearly 60% of new clients were under the National Poverty Line (based upon Poverty Probability Index surveys conducted between 2022–2025).
Increased Resilience
- 27% reduction in poverty rate: Total poverty rate reduction for clients 2022 to 2025, using the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index and collected through the Poverty Stoplight with panel survey data for 3 annual cohorts, structured and representative sample of 1,151.
- 67% improved savings: Collected through the Poverty Stoplight using panel survey data for 3 annual cohorts, structured and representative sample of 1,151.
- 2x as many clients are now administering their finances better: 53% more are able to budget and 52% more are able to confront and recover from financial shocks, collected through the Poverty Stoplight using panel survey data for 3 annual cohorts, structured and representative sample of 1,151.
Increased Empowerment
- 11% increase in autonomy in decisions about own health: Collected through the Poverty Stoplight using panel survey data for 3 annual cohorts, structured and representative sample of 1,151.
- 94% agree that their children are more engaged with their education than them at the same age: 89% attribute that in whole or in part to their participation in Friendship Bridge, according to 60 Decibels 2023 Microfinance Index Insights Report.
- 8% increase in autonomy in decisions about business: Collected through the Poverty Stoplight using panel survey data for 3 annual cohorts, structured and representative sample of 1,151.
Business Development
- 128% increase in net profit: Bridge to Success clients with more than one year in the program experience an average 138% increase in income and 128% increase in net profit, according to program data collected annually from clients since program inception in 2022.
- 21% have created new jobs: Bridge to Success clients with more than one year in the program experience, according to program data collected annually from clients since program inception in 2022.
- 478 new jobs created: According to Bridge to Success program data collected annually from clients since program inception in 2022.
Help us turn our plan into progress
Friendship Bridge’s strategic plan looks ahead to how we’ll reach more women with the loans, education, and health services they need. Explore our impact to date, make a gift, or find another way to join us.
