Opportunity International Canada
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
B+
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
High
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
67%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 67 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Opportunity International Canada:
Opportunity International Canada is a 5-star charity with High demonstrated impact. It has a B+ Results Reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 67 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci's reasonable range.
Founded in 1998, Opportunity International Canada (OIC) is the Canadian support partner of the US-based Opportunity International. It is a faith-based organization that serves people of all beliefs in developing countries. The charity helps people in poverty by providing financial training and support. OIC states that 700 million people live in extreme poverty on less than $2.15 a day. It also states that 1.4 billion people lack access to financial services.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity.
On July 1, 2024, Opportunity International Canada and Opportunity International Canada Foundation (the Foundation) merged. The charities previously had different year ends (OIC: December, the Foundation: June) but now share the same fiscal year end in June (F2024). Due to the year-end change, OIC’s audited financial statements are for the six-month period from January 2024 to June 2024. The Foundation’s statements are for the full F2024 year.
OIC runs four main programs, listed below. The charity spent $992k on its programs in F2024. The most recent annual report on OIC’s website is from 2023. As such, the financial breakdown reflects program spending from 2023. Its impact report provides information for the 2024 year (January to December).
The Microfinance program received 73% of program spending in 2023. OIC provides people, mostly women, with small loans and savings opportunities. Once a client repays their loan, it is re-lent to another family. The historical rate of repayment is 98%. It also provides financial training and digital banking to make financial tools more accessible. The charity aims to help people build sustainable, income-generating businesses. OIC helped 419,747 people through this program in 2024. It also reports it created, sustained, or improved 230,459 jobs. The charity worked with 146 institutions across four countries in 2024.
The Health program received 12% of program spending in 2023. OIC uses its microloan network to train community health leaders. The leaders then educate other households about hygiene and sanitation while earning a sustainable income. OIC reports it helped 376,500 people improve their health in 2024.
The Education Finance program received 12% of program spending in 2023. OIC partners with financial institutions to improve access to financial education for schools and communities. OIC states its program helps students stay in school and helps schools make capital investments for development. The charity reports it helped 658,833 students in 2024.
The Innovation and Agriculture program received 3% of program spending in 2023. OIC’s Innovation program provides technology-based solutions to help improve women's financial stability. The charity reports its Innovation program reached 2,008,773 people in 2024. It also reports it helped 394 female farmers in Ghana grow more food.
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Results and Impact
Opportunity International Canada reports the results of Opportunity International's programs.
Opportunity International studied female agricultural finance clients in Ghana. It reports that 75% of women increased their farming yields. It also reports that 73% increased their income and 70% increased their wellbeing.
Opportunity International developed an app for village savings and loan associations' (VSLA) record keeping. It reports that before using the app, 38% of VSLA members felt confident in the group’s financial management. After using the app, 98% felt confident in the group’s financial management.
The Pathways to Wellbeing program helps microfinance clients develop and improve their wellbeing. Opportunity International reports on results of this program in Malawi and Columbia. In Malawi, 17% of clients before and 28% after felt financially secure. In Colombia, 24% of clients before and 61% after felt hopeful and resilient.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not completely represent Opportunity International Canada's results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has given OIC a High impact rating based on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
Impact Rating: High
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Finances
As mentioned above, this financial review reflects the six-month period from January to June 2024 for OIC, and the full F2024 year for the Foundation. Previously, the charities had different year ends. As such, the cash flows do not reconcile.
Opportunity International Canada’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a best practice. Its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.
In F2024 OIC received $2.3m in donations. Administrative costs are 17% of revenues (excluding investment income). Fundraising costs are 16% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 33%. For every dollar donated, 67 cents are available to go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
In F2024 OIC spent $992k on its programs, which is 38% of its revenue. In F2024 it had a surplus of $963k, which is 37% of its revenue.
OIC has $4.6m in gross reserve funds (cash and investments), and $71k in interest-bearing debts. This results in net reserve funds of $4.6m. Excluding $100k in donor-endowed funds, the net funding reserves can cover 226%, or two years and three months of program costs.
OIC left the question asking about the number of its permanent, full-time employees blank on its F2024 T3010 filing.
This charity report is an update that has been sent for review to Opportunity International Canada. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on July 22, 2025, by Grady Simpson.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending June
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 16.9% | 9.9% | 7.5% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 15.7% | 19.6% | 20.4% |
| Total overhead spending | 32.6% | 29.5% | 27.9% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 225.9% | 91.0% | 53.6% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 2,278,873 | 4,242,120 | 4,758,832 |
| Goods in kind | 4,722 | 8,968 | 0 |
| Government funding | 0 | 0 | 2,132,718 |
| Investment income | 136,621 | 122,394 | 102,304 |
| Other income | 191,934 | 182,619 | 215,396 |
| Total revenues | 2,612,150 | 4,556,101 | 7,209,250 |
| Program costs - International | 400,686 | 2,883,809 | 4,413,458 |
| Program costs - Canada | 590,937 | 1,375,331 | 1,347,604 |
| Administrative costs | 417,913 | 437,946 | 535,272 |
| Fundraising costs | 358,506 | 830,350 | 969,728 |
| Other costs | (119,000) | (285,692) | (293,830) |
| Total spending | 1,649,042 | 5,241,744 | 6,972,232 |
| Cash flow from operations | 963,108 | (685,643) | 237,018 |
| Capital spending | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Funding reserves | 4,558,661 | 3,972,021 | 3,177,932 |
Note: Deferred adjustment: OIC uses deferred accounting. To show donors information on a consistent basis, Ci adjusted for these deferred revenues. This affected revenue by $175k in F2024. Related party: Ci removed transfers to the Foundation from OIC. This affected revenues and expenses by ($119k) in F2024, ($286k) in F2023, and ($294k) in F2022. Donation from the Foundation: Ci adjusted for donations from the Foundation to OIC. This affected revenues by ($968k) in F2023. Donation to OIC: Ci did not include donation to OIC. This affected expenses by ($1.1m) in F2024. Loss on loan guarantee fund: Ci did not include loss on loan guarantee fund. This affected expenses by ($16k) in F2024.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
0 |
$80k - $120k |
3 |
$40k - $80k |
5 |
< $40k |
2 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Comment Uploaded on December 11, 2023:
For more than two decades, Opportunity International Canada’s unwavering mission has been focused on providing a dignified way out of poverty’s grip. Since 1997, we’ve been committed to sustainable solutions that uplift people worldwide and enable them to work their way out of poverty.
We’re not just about statistics; we’re about stories of transformation. With your partnership, we’ve been able to expand and introduce innovative programs that truly break the cycle of poverty for individuals once trapped in ultra-poverty.
Visit opportunityinternational.ca to learn more about how we are alleviating poverty with the help of people like you!
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 1-877-867-2448