Frequently Asked Questions

How do you determine which projects to support?
What is your criteria?

We select projects that we have determined are best addressing the community needs and which are in line with our philosophy. Often the projects we select have the greatest need and have very limited sources of funding. We do not work on behalf of large organizations and well established NGO's. Because we evaluate the projects ourselves, but do not manage them, the project director's commitment, dedication, competence, and trustworthiness are crucial. We maintain on-site assessments of these capabilities. Generally the projects come to us. A village, organization, or project director comes to us with an identified need.

What is World Link Partners Philosophy?

We believe that every person should have the right to make the choices that affect their lives. Every person should be able to choose whether they take their sick child for medical care, or a wife who is having complications with birth, or whether their children attend school, or whether they have more than one meal a day. We support projects that provide these opportunities.

Three things we don't do: We don't do for people what they can do for themselves, we don't tell people what they need, and we don't pity them ,

Peter F. Drucker, when talking about non-profits, best summed up our philosophy: "The "non-profit" is neither a pair of shoes nor an effective regulation. Its product is a changed human being. The non-profit institutions are human-change agents. Their "product" is a cured patient, a child that learns, a young man or woman grown into a self-respecting adult' a changed human life altogether.

Why donate through World Link Partners?

1. World Link Partners is a very small organization which provides for a person-to-person approach to donating,
2. It is designed for individuals who recognize the importance of the provision of opportunity.
3. The directors have lived and worked on site for the past 5 years and continue to be in Guatemala and visit the projects.
4. We work only with dedicated and trustworthy project directors who live and have worked in Guatemala for several years.
5. 90% of the donations go directly to project support. It is not unusual for large NGO's to have 40% or more go to overhead.
6. Opportunity for donors to travel to Guatemala and visit the projects. World Link Partners may accompany travelers and provides logistic and on-site support for travel to Guatemala.

How closely do you work with the projects, i.e., how frequently do you conduct on-site visits, how closely do you monitor them, etc.?

Living in Guatemala for the past 5 years has provided us with the opportunity to see up close and first hand projects that we feel are addressing the critical needs of the Guatemalan people. We work very closely and on a regular basis with the project directors. The actual site visits depend on the location of the projects. The projects in Antigua and the surrounding villages are visited every few weeks. The Alta Verapaz area is a different story. It’s a 9 hour drive through tough terrain, so the visits are every few months. We only work with very dedicated and trusted directors and in remote villages we rely on them to regularly monitor and evaluate the projects. Although most of the project directors maintain residence and/or offices in Antigua, they visit the sites and evaluate the work every 2 weeks. When we are in Guatemala we meet with them on a regular basis for evaluation and progress up-dates. When we are in the states we receive reports, and keep in touch with them by e-mail on virtually a weekly basis.

What services (i.e., information/reports) do you provide to the donors?

We feel a deep sense of responsibility to our donors, and feel that we are working on behalf of them as much as on behalf of the projects. Because we are not a large NGO, and do not have a large pool of donors, we are able to primarily work one-on-one with our donors. We provide financial accountability, including updates on the projects, video updates and personal e-mails.

Where do you do your work?

Currently we are working in the geographical area of Senahu, in the Alta Verapaz area of Guatemala. However, for the past 5 years we have worked on behalf of projects throughout the country, primarily located near Lake Atitlan, Chimaltenango, and in remote other geographical areas of the country.

Where does my money go?

90%of your donation goes to project support. Project support includes: purchase of food supplements, teacher's salaries for women's literacy, funding for micro-credit loans, and skills training. 10% or less goes to on-line expenses and promotion. None of the donation goes for professional staff or overhead.

World Link Partners is a 501 (C)(3) not-for profit organization.