Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DO YOU SOURCE YOUR PROJECTS?
We find, vet and collaborate with a network of locally registered grassroots organisations based across Asia, Africa and Mexico who are doing effective work to address poverty. Each organisation is run by incredible local people who are best placed to understand the cultural context in their local communities and design and implement effective solutions to poverty. We invite these incredible people to be Just Peoples Project Leaders so we can use our collective giving power to help them reach exponentially more people living in poverty. Meet our Project Leaders here!
HOW CAN I RECEIVE FUNDING FROM JUST PEOPLES FOR MY PROJECT?
We do not accept unsolicited applications for project funding. Just Peoples has developed long-term partnerships with the Project Leaders (and their grassroots organisations) that implement all Just Peoples projects. Each project is designed as part of a sustainable program to alleviate poverty in the local community.
HOW DO I CHOOSE WHICH PROJECT TO SUPPORT?
We offer a wide range of projects, which address poverty in a number of different ways as determined by the local community, and invite you to choose the one which resonates with your values, passions or interests. If you’re looking to make a donation of $500+ and would like to discuss which project will best meet your goals of contribution feel free to book a time in our calendar here. Christey and Johanna work closely with our local Project Leaders and are best placed to give you all the insider information you need to make your choice. You can also request an invite to one of our monthly online Connections and Conversations events, where we offer the opportunity to chat with Just Peoples Project Leaders directly about their work, by emailing christey@justpeoples.org.
I WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO A PROJECT. HOW DO I GO ABOUT IT?
Just Peoples offers two options for donating to a project. We have a range of projects which welcome donations of any size as they can scale with the level of support offered. Even $4 can have a significant impact on the life of someone living in poverty. We also have a range of projects which have been designed by our Project Leaders to meet a specific need in their communities and require a certain amount of money (generally between $500 and $50,000) to take place. Everyone who contributes over $500 will have the option to meet the Project Leader and receive personalised feedback to learn the impact that their donation has made.
HOW MUCH OF MY PROJECT DONATION REACHES PEOPLE IN POVERTY?
When you make a project donation, at least 87.5% of each dollar will reach the project leaders on the ground in country to use for direct project implementation costs. Up to 12.5% of project donations are retained by Just Peoples to pay for the indirect project costs which are required to ensure we can successfully match the project with a supporter, as well as boring stuff like credit card fees, website running costs, staff salaries, and bank fees. More info on our 12.5% model here.
What does “just peoples” mean?
The name Just Peoples comes from a belief in and a desire for social and economic justice for all people and peoples. We’ve detailed the full meaning of the name and how it encompasses our core values and mission in this blog post.
I’D Like to fundraise for one of your projects but have never fundraised before – WHERE DO I START?
Don’t stress! We love fundraising and are here to support you every step of the way. You can find some inspiration and information about setting up your fundraiser here and we have also created a fundraiser toolkit packed with ideas and tips for fundraising. If you’d like to chat to one of our team to bounce some ideas around for your fundraiser you can book a call with us here.
WHAT IF THE PROJECT I REALLY WANT TO SUPPORT HAS ALREADY BEEN FUNDED?
Set up a one-to-one chat with Christey who will work with you and our network of local partners to see if it’s possible to initiate a similar project that matches your interests.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I DONATE OR FUNDRAISE?
Just Peoples Project Leaders will get to work implementing your chosen project. If you opt in to receive communications from us, we will keep you updated on how your project is going.
DOES MY MONEY ACTUALLY GO TO THE PROJECT THAT I CHOOSE?
Almost always, yes! There are a very few occasions when planned projects have to change or be abandoned. We keep in close contact with each of our Project Leaders and if for any reason the local situation or context changes unexpectedly they update us as soon as possible. If your project can no longer take place or needs to be altered in some way to better meet the changing local need, we will we discuss options with you for how you would like your money to be utilised.
How do you account for changes in exchange rates?
We regularly check exchange rates and update each project's costs on our website accordingly. In case there is a difference in exchange rates between the time of listing or updating a project and sending funds to the project we always include a 6% exchange rate buffer on all our project prices. This 6% helps us to ensure that if there are any exchange rate losses during this time period our project leaders will still be able to deliver the projects you donate to in full. If there are exchange rate gains then it is an extra bonus and our project leaders are able to make an even bigger impact on the ground with your money.
CAN I SUPPORT JUST PEOPLES TO MAKE AN IMPACT THROUGH MY BUSINESS?
Absolutely! We work with a number of different businesses to help them deliver their social impact goals with their staff, clients and customers. Contact Johanna to set up a time to chat and discuss how we can best work together to create your business’ impact.
IS MY DONATION ELIGIBLE FOR A TAX DEDUCTION OR GIFT AID?
All donations to Just Peoples in Australia of $2 or more are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers. If you are a tax resident from elsewhere and are looking to fund a whole project please email Johanna with the project you are looking to fund as well as your country of residence to find out whether you could receive a tax deduction or be eligible for gift aid.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE A "LIFE IMPACTED"?
Each Just Peoples project is unique and therefore so too is the impact that it has on the lives of the local people it supports. Refer to each individual project to discover the impact you can make with your donation or fundraising effort. Impacts of previous projects have included: families gaining access to a clean water source, children receiving free education, women getting access to safe maternity health care and young people attending job training programs. At the beginning of each project, our Project Leaders estimate the number of lives impacted. They will keep track of this throughout the project and update us when the project is complete. Once we have this information we update the counter on our impact page.
IF I DONATE OR FUNDRAISE CAN I VISIT THE LOCATION WHERE MY PROJECT HAS TAKEN PLACE?
We do not facilitate travel to Just Peoples projects. If you want to arrange your own trip we’re happy to check with our Project Leaders if a project site visit would be possible. If you do decide to travel, you will need to cover all costs and all travel planning. Meetings and logistics would need to be approved by our Project Leaders to ensure it was appropriate and beneficial to their communities. We do not take any liability for any travel undertaken by people who have donated or fundraised with Just Peoples.