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Good stewardship isn’t only about generosity. It’s also about wisdom and results. Even the most lavish support offered to programs isn’t really generous if those initiatives don’t work and don’t really help those in need. Donors need to give from their heart and from their head—giving wisely, giving responsibly in ways that actually accomplish the purposes for which the funds are granted.

Much has been learned in the past several decades about what works, and what doesn’t, in lifting people out of poverty and strengthening vulnerable communities.  Three of the key lessons learned are that:

• Relationships matter. Reducing isolation among the poor, building what’s known as “bonding” and “bridging” social capital, strengthening the support network around vulnerable families, investing in personal encouragement, coaching, and training—these are the means that bring about transformation.
• Being there matters. The most effective organizations are present in the communities they serve, neighbors to those who participate in their programs.
• Treating the whole person matters. The most effective initiatives seek to address not only people’s physical or material needs, but reach their hearts, souls, and minds.

FAR seeks to help donors make wise investments, directing resources towards models of ministry that offer true promise of good results.