As we embark upon 2020, I am writing to give you a report on our 2019 performance. 

We are grateful for the transformational success of 2019 – a year of sustained growth and impact, fueled by the expansion of the work of HOPE and your support of the Silver Rights Movement.  I am pleased to report we exceeded our financial performance and complied with our fiscal goals and objectives for 2019. There is a growing demand for our HOPE Inside model and community impacts at scale.  We currently stand at 150+ fully operational locations across 23 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico, supported by more than 75 strategic partners, and another 350 committed locations pending. By the end of 2020 we project a total of 1000 HOPE Inside locations, current and committed, combined.  

At the heart of this great success is the measurable, sustainable, and systemic impact of our programs on individuals and communities:

  • Among the 72% of our clients that see a FICO score increase, the average change is 64 points in a six-month period and over 100 points in 24 months – a standard that is 2-3 times the rate of industry peers. 
  • Our clients are better prepared financially in the case of an emergency or disaster, and are able to increase savings, decrease debt, and reduce financial stress after participating in our programs. 
  • Last year alone, through the solutions and advocacy deployed by HOPE Inside, we helped uplift more than 100,000 individuals in more than 500 communities across the nation and around the world. The total financial empowerment services provided program-to-date is 4,488,634:
    1. 2019 youth services: 15,828
    2. 2019 adult services: 145,605 

Through the efforts of our amazing HOPE team and the support of our dedicated partners, we achieved unprecedented goals across our model. 

HOPE Inside The Workplace, which brings our credit and money management program to employees as a wellness benefit, was launched in several new workplaces in 2019.  Our current partners include AT&T, UPS, KKR, the City of Memphis, the City of Birmingham, C.H.I. Overhead Doors, Hyperion Materials and Technologies, Gardner Denver, Custom Home Care, Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta Police Department, among others.  Look out for more on this segment of our model this year — our goal is to transform work places into “well-places” through financial dignity, empowering employees with financial confidence and positively impacting the bottom line of businesses across the nation. Through HOPE Inside The Workplace and our innovative Small Business Development Program digital platform offering, we anticipate introducing HOPE to many new client populations this year, and beyond.

Our 2019 Annual Meeting exceeded all expectations, convening more than 4,800 delegates from 60 countries. The 2020 HOPE Global Forum will reconvene in Atlanta, May 27-29, with the theme, The Future of Capitalism, and I look forward to welcoming you there. Now the largest and most prominent meeting of leaders in North America focused exclusively on financial inclusion and the empowerment of the poor, the HOPE Global Forum will challenge some of the most extraordinary people in the world to reimagine the global economy. Visit www.hopeglobalforums.org to register. 

Through your support, Operation HOPE will continue to serve as the leading global authority for financial dignity and empowerment — advancing the Silver Rights Movement through the legacy of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Freedman’s Bank.  We thank you for continuing to stand with us. 

We wish you a Happy New Year!  

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