“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.” - Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General.

Globally, at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. (Source: UN Commission on the Status of Women)

Over the past two months, Philanthropedia surveyed 77 experts working in the field of violence against women (with an average of 13 years of work experience in the field) to identify those organizations that were making the biggest positive impact in the field.

Philanthropedia’s experts (funders, researchers, nonprofit senior staff, consultants, etc.) identified 14 top nonprofits (out of 95 total reviewed nonprofits) making an impact at the national level. Below is a graphical representation of who participated in our research. You can also see who our experts were by clicking here.

Experts working in the field of female violence prevention were asked to recommend up to three nonprofits doing high-impact work across multiple countries/regions, and up to three nonprofits doing high-impact work in a specific country/region. These experts were asked to consider a range of nonprofits including those providing engaged in service, advocacy, litigation, research, education, and other areas. Nonprofits could focus on one or more of the following areas: peace and gender violence; domestic violence, battering, & marital rape; customary practices; and forced and early marriage. Specifically excluded from the survey were organizations working in human trafficking and reproductive health, rights as these topics may be further explored individually.  We also did not include and violence against men within the definition of gender based violence.

The following is the list of the top-recommended high-impact nonprofits working in the field of violence against women at the national level. “Agree” is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the field. “Disagree” is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the field.

We invite you to visit the profiles of each of these top organizations on our website to read the expert reviews here. Experts commented on the impact each nonprofit has had, what the nonprofit’s other organizational strengths are, and how each organization could further improve.

We will be highlighting the top 8 high-impact national nonprofits working in the field of violence against women through our blog and Twitter, so stay posted!

We also invite your feedback. Please tell us what you think and what experiences you’ve had with thesegreat organizations! You can reach Jasmine Marrow, Manager of Philanthropedia Research at jasmine.marrow@guidestar.org.

Overview

Microfinance was Philanthropedia’s first international cause we conducted research on when we first started in 2009. The strong results where 131 experts participated in the research recommending 12 top nonprofits, helped prove that our methodology worked on an international level and helped us gain funding and support.

It has been three years since we ran the research so we are refreshing our results for microfinance and are asking experts who work in the field of microfinance to contribute to our research again and to let us know which nonprofits they think are doing the best work in the field of microfinance currently.

We hope that many of you will participate in this research to help inform individual donors about which nonprofits are making the biggest impact in the area of microfinance!

Scope of Research

In this research we are asking experts to recommend up to four nonprofits doing high-impact work internationally, and up to two start-up nonprofits that have the potential to scale and have an impact at that level in the future.

When recommending nonprofits please consider different types of nonprofit organizations. They can be direct service providers, research organizations, peer-to-peer platforms, monitor and evaluation organizations, and other types of nonprofits.

They can provide one or more of the following services, including microcredit, savings, insurance, and fund transfers. Please also recommend nonprofits that are working primarily with low-income clients or marginalized populations globally.

Please don’t recommend for-profit organizations such as:

• Informal financial service providers, e.g. moneylenders, pawnbrokers, savings collectors, money-guards, ROSCAs, ASCAs, and input supply shops.
• Member-owned organizations, e.g. self-help groups, credit unions, financial service associations.
• Formal financial institutions, e.g. commercial banks, state banks, agricultural development banks, savings banks, rural banks, and non-bank financial institutions.

Additionally, I’m sure I haven’t been able to capture every nuance in this sector, so I invite your feedback and thoughts about how you might think about this work. For those readers less familiar with this topic, I hope you learned something new and will tune in again when we have the results of this research. Thank you all for your participation!

In addition to the organizations highlighted above, there are many more nonprofits that are working in emergency response internationally. These 5 other expert-identified nonprofits were noted for their high impact work.

#6 International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee does high quality, evidence-based work in geographic areas where others will not. They have a track record of strong programming, particularly with with schools in refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) settings. Read more about them here.

#7 Mercy Corps

Emergency response experts praise Mercy Corps for consistently having a high quality impact in disaster settings. Their work is of high quality, centered on indicators and benchmarks that demonstrate impact on activities undertaken. Experts also cite the huge impact of their post-crisis development work, which has improved long-term access to basic needs like food and health care services. Read more about them here.

#8 Save the Children

Save the Children does high quality, technically strong work with a special focus on the welfare and development of children. Moreover, through sharing their knowledge, they have made a strong impact on the international NGO emergency community. Read more about them here.

#9 Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide’s has lifesaving impact in acute emergencies, and very effective health programs, particularly in the area of malnutrition. Read more about them here.

#10 International Medical Corps (IMC)

Multiple experts noted International Medical Corps ability to mobilize quickly and rapidly respond to sudden onset emergencies. They have also done excellent work in building up primary & secondary health care systems and mental health systems in disaster affected countries. Read more about them here.

#11 Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger covers an impressive number of countries, and takes a rigorous, evaluation-based approach to targeting beneficiary populations. Read more about them here.

Remember, these top 11 organizations are only a few of the great emergency response nonprofits! View our entire list of  international emergency response here and dig deeper to review what experts had to say about each organization. These organizations are doing important work to help victims of disasters worldwide, so please consider donating to them to show your support. You can feel confident that your donation is going to support an outstanding group of nonprofits making a real impact in communities globally.

Today we recognize the #1 expert-identified international emergency response nonprofit: International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The IFRC is a large organization with national societies/chapters worldwide. Read to find out more about this top nonprofit:

Founded in 1919, the IFRC comprises 187 member Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, a secretariat in Geneva and more than 60 delegations strategically located to support activities around the world. There are more societies in formation. The Red Crescent is used in place of the Red Cross in many Islamic countries.

The IFRC vision: To inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies, with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering, and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.

The role of the IFRC The IFRC carries out relief operations to assist victims of disasters, and combines this with development work to strengthen the capacities of its member National Societies. The IFRC’s work focuses on four core areas: promoting humanitarian values, disaster response, disaster preparedness, and health and community care.

The unique network of National Societies – which cover almost every country in the world – is the IFRC’s principal strength. Cooperation between National Societies gives the IFRC greater potential to develop capacities and assist those most in need. At a local level, the network enables the IFRC to reach individual communities. The role of the secretariat in Geneva is to coordinate and mobilize relief assistance for international emergencies, promote cooperation between National Societies and represent these National Societies in the international field. The role of the field delegations is to assist and advise National Societies with relief operations and development programmes, and encourage regional cooperation. The IFRC, together with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, make up the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

(Learn more about them at: http://www.ifrc.org/en/who-we-are/vision-and-mission/)

According to experts, the International Federation of the Red Cross is a well respected, established leader among global humanitarian agencies. Over the past ten years they have focused on increasing impact and working in some of the most difficult countries worldwide. IFRC’s work is highly regarded and well documented in many countries. They are veterans at emergency response, and have developed a strong network of connections, and an exceptional data driven approach to evaluating their own work. Read more about why so many experts recommended the IFRC here.

The #2 top emergency response nonprofit was awarded to OXFAM International. The purpose of Oxfam is to help create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty. We are part of a global movement for change, one that empowers people to create a future that is secure, just, and free from poverty. Learn more about how they are structured:

Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working together in 98 countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. We work directly with communities and we seek to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them.

(Learn more about them at: http://www.oxfam.org/en/about)

According to experts, Oxfam has remained one of the most effective organizations globally. They have a very strong track record in delivering humanitarian and development programmes, and use their expertise to make an impact on the quality and relevance of humanitarian work. Their work extends beyond field-level emergency relief into policy and advocacy on the global level. Read more about what experts have to say here.

Ranked by our experts as the #3 top international emergency response nonprofit, Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 60 countries. Learn more about their organization:

MSF provides aid to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols. In 1999, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize.

(Learn more about them at: http://www.doctorswithoutbborders.org)

Experts confidently expound on the lifesaving impact of Medecins sans Frontiers professional, high quality work. They have an amazing ability to provide emergency medical services in conflict zones, and due to massive public support, are able to operate independently and go where the needs are greatest, regardless of the funding opportunities. Learn more about what experts have to say are their strengths and evidence of impact by reading the expert reviews here.

Ranked by our experts as the #4 nonprofit for international emergency response, CARE is an internationally recognized nonprofit  in which emergency relief is a vital part of their work to create lasting solutions to poverty. Learn about CARE’s emergency relief program:

Many poor communities in the developing world lack the basic resources to cope with the struggles of everyday life. When disaster strikes, that struggle becomes all but impossible without assistance. CARE’s mission has expanded greatly since our founding as a relief organization in the wake of World War II. But we remain a world leader in providing lifesaving assistance, as well as the tools for long-term rehabilitation, to survivors of natural disasters, armed conflict and other emergencies. Our Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance Unit (EHAU) helps communities create plans to deal with emergencies and works to ensure they receive food, water, shelter, healthcare and other emergency relief supplies when they need them most. In addition, CARE helps communities recover and rebuild after disaster strikes. In 2010, CARE’s emergency response and recovery programs reached more than 4.5 million people in 37 countries.

(Learn more about them at: http://www.care.org/careswork/whatwedo/relief)

Experts repeatedly praised CARE for their careful, comprehensive emergency response interventions. CARE has a focused strategy which hones in on reducing poverty and protecting women’s and children’s needs and rights. They take a holistic, sustainable, multi-sectoral approach which fortifies their impact.

To learn more about CARE’s holistic and sustainable approach to emergency relief, find out what experts have to say about the organization’s work by reading the expert reviews here.