Mission, Microfinance, and Impact: A Guide to Sustainable Generosity With Peter Greer

March 13, 2025

In this episode of You Can’t Take it With You, host Jim Dunlop sits down with Peter Greer, President and CEO of HOPE International, to discuss how microfinance fuels sustainable generosity. Peter explains how small investments can lead to long-term community transformation, why nonprofits should collaborate instead of compete, and how generosity extends beyond money to mentorship and empowerment. He also offers insights into how we can all live with open hands and a bigger vision for impact.

Peter Greer is the President and CEO of HOPE International, a global Christian faith-based nonprofit economic development organization operating in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. In this role, he leads the organization’s efforts to alleviate both physical and spiritual poverty. Under his leadership, HOPE has expanded its reach, providing financial services and training to empower individuals in underserved communities to start or grow businesses. Before joining HOPE, he served as a microfinance advisor in Cambodia and Zimbabwe and as the Managing Director for Urwego Bank in Rwanda. Peter has co-authored over 10 books, including Mission Drift, a 2015 Christianity Today Book Award Winner.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:05] Peter Greer’s journey into microfinance and international business
[4:24] The impact of generosity and how Ron Thompson influenced Peter’s giving mindset
[6:34] HOPE International’s mission and how microfinance empowers entrepreneurs
[9:32] How a small act can create lasting change
[12:38] The founding story of HOPE International and Jeff Rutt’s shift from handouts to empowerment
[17:52] Why nonprofits should collaborate, not compete

In this episode:

Generosity has the power to change lives, but what does it look like when it goes beyond simple giving? Can generosity be a tool to create a sustainable impact, especially in communities struggling with poverty?

According to Peter Greer, a global advocate for economic development and impact-driven generosity, true generosity isn’t just about giving — it’s about creating opportunity. He highlights that when individuals are empowered through microfinance, they’re not just recipients but active participants in building sustainable change. Instead of temporary relief, they gain the resources, skills, and dignity to provide for themselves and their communities. Peter believes that when generosity is done properly, it fosters independence rather than dependence, ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty.

In this episode of You Can’t Take it With You, host Jim Dunlop sits down with Peter Greer, President and CEO of HOPE International, to discuss how microfinance fuels sustainable generosity. Peter explains how small investments can lead to long-term community transformation, why nonprofits should collaborate instead of compete, and how generosity extends beyond money to mentorship and empowerment. He also offers insights into how we can all live with open hands and a bigger vision for impact.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments

“Generosity is not just in the big things; it’s generosity in the small things in the day-to-day.”
“How could we hold on when everything that we have is a gift?”
“If we are blessed, is it for us? Or are we blessed to be a blessing?”
“When generosity is done right, it fosters independence rather than dependence, ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty.”
“Do we believe in a world of abundance or scarcity? That question shapes how we choose to live.”

Action Steps

Empower entrepreneurs through microfinance initiatives: Providing small loans and training helps individuals build sustainable businesses, breaking the cycle of generational poverty.
Embrace a mindset of abundance, not scarcity: Believing there is enough for everyone fosters collaboration over competition, amplifying impact across organizations and communities.
Prioritize generosity in both big and small moments: Giving isn’t just about large contributions. Daily acts of generosity create ripples of positive change in communities.
Encourage nonprofits to collaborate instead of compete: Sharing resources and knowledge strengthens the overall mission, allowing organizations to serve more people effectively.
Foster long-term mission alignment in leadership: Staying rooted in core values prevents drift, ensuring leaders and organizations maintain focus on their intended impact.

Sponsor for this episode:

This episode is brought to you by Advent Partners — a financial planning partner dedicated to helping you make informed decisions that simplify your financial journey.

Our seasoned team of professionals is committed to guiding you toward your financial goals. We offer tailored solutions based on your specific needs, from standalone financial planning to integrated financial management.

Whether you are planning for the future, investing for growth, or navigating financial hurdles, Advent Partners is here to provide insights, recommendations, and a clear financial roadmap.

To learn more about Advent Partners and how we can guide your financial success, visit AdventPartnersFP.com.

Episode Transcript

Intro 00:00

Welcome to the You Can’t Take it With You show where we feature stories around generosity designed to inspire and encourage others to do meaningful things in their communities. Now, here’s your host, Jim Dunlop.

Jim Dunlop 00:17

Hi. Jim Dunlop here, a wealth advisor and host of the show, where I sit down with people who get it when it comes to generosity. I’m excited to have guests who can give us stories on generosity to not only inspire our listeners, but to give practical ideas on ways we can give. Today’s guest is Peter Greer. Past guests include Jim Langley, Phil Cubeta, and Janet Riggs. But before we get to Peter, I want to share that this episode is brought to you by Advent Partners. Ready for good. Advent is a financial planning team dedicated to helping you make informed decisions that simplify your financial journey. At Advent Partners, we’re ready for good. Our bold, ten year vision is to help clients donate $100 million to transform lives through generosity and Planning united by generosity, relationship excellence, authenticity, and fun, we empower meaningful lives and lasting community impact. To learn more about Advent Partners and how we can guide your financial success, visit readyforgood.com so now let me tell you about Peter. Peter Greer is President and CEO of HOPE International, a global, Christ centered nonprofit working to alleviate physical and spiritual poverty in more than 27 countries around the world. Peter’s favorite part of his role is spending time with the remarkable entrepreneurs. HOPE serves a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School. Peter has co-authored 15 books, including Lead with Prayer, Mission Drift, Created to Flourish, and Rooting for Rivals. He lives with his wife Laurel and their four children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Peter, welcome and thank you for being on the show.

Peter Greer 01:51

It’s great to be having the conversation, Jim. Thanks.

Jim Dunlop 01:54

So could you start off by sharing with our listeners a little autobiography of yourself. Take a few minutes to tell us who you are and how you got to got here today.

Peter Greer 02:05

Yeah, certainly. So. Grew up in Massachusetts, and we’re always shaped by our by our where we grew up. And so one of the ways I’m always going to be a New England sports fan, it’s just like literally the way that we were raised on that but grew up, if you, you know, study history where the shot heard round the world was that was the old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. So that was the road that I lived on. And yeah, my father was a pastor and my mom very active in, in ministry and in the local schools. And, and so that was that was shaping. And I would say that stage was really cultivating this, this heart for the world. It was not uncommon for us to have individuals over on a Sunday after church to hear their story, and whether it was people passing through or missionaries from different parts and getting to interact and getting to hear their story, that certainly was formative in those years and then went to Messiah University for undergrad. And I was studying in Moscow as part of the International Business Institute. And that was the first time that I heard about this tool of micro enterprise development, and how individuals were investing in entrepreneurs to help break the cycle of poverty. And I was just so fascinated. So I had this interesting global missions, had this interest in business and entrepreneurship, and then discovered this space where those two interests were coming together. And that has been my career, really trying to bring those two together. So I started in Cambodia and then spent time in Rwanda and then Zimbabwe and then in graduate school. Did my last project on HOPE International and 21 years ago moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And this is where my, my, my family, my wife, Laurel, our four kids, this is where we call home. That’s the story, Jim. But it’s been quite a ride and certainly with HOPE International. Just an incredible story of yeah growth and serving and and and yeah I mean this it has been an incredible gift to be part of this organization and part of this global mission.

Jim Dunlop 04:07

So this is a show, Peter, about generosity. And you’re well known for your work. Tell me your generosity, origin story. I know Ron Thompson played an important role in that. So could you help share that with our listeners?

Peter Greer 04:24

Yeah, again, you kind of think back to when you were a kid, and I so appreciate the thoughtfulness of your questions, Jim. But but growing up, he was the one that that came to mind. And it was spontaneous generosity, and it always was something that was unexpected. And it was it just was fun. And so he was a business leader in the community. We attended the same church, and it was not uncommon for him. And you just watch him. There are some people that just have that little bit of a spark, and you can tell they have the joy of generosity. And I think he had the joy of generosity, looking for those little moments to just go above and beyond. And so I did a little bit of work for him and, you know, just like yard work and things. And, and there was generosity in that, that that was surprising. And, and, and then you kind of see the way that he would interact with others. And if there was a need in a way that was subtle, but it was powerful. He just would would respond. And part of the reason I thought of him is then when I moved, you know, internationally to do this work, he was the first one that I remember saying, I’m in. And as a 20, you know, whatever year old, to have someone that you’ve grown up and then to move to a new place, to be part of a new organization, but just to have that even before asking just for him to say, I’m in, It has been a great gift. So I, I look to him as an example of what generosity looks like in its spontaneity, in its. Yeah, active. And then also in its just yeah, long term. So I’m enormously grateful for the role he played, the role he continues to play in teaching me about what it looks to live generously.

Jim Dunlop 06:13

Well, I love hearing that and I want to ask some more questions about generosity, but I think it would be helpful to put the context of the the, I think, unique work that HOPE International does again around the world. Could you explain your mission, as well as the idea of microfinance for folks who might not be familiar with that?

Peter Greer 06:34

Connecting it to our conversation, I would say a part of our mission is to unlock generosity in places of poverty around the world. And we do that by working with entrepreneurs, helping them start or expand small businesses and then watching what happens and talk about humbling generosity. As families provide not only for their own needs, it is so common for them to then bring in others into their family when there’s more economic margin for them to bring in. It is so common for them to lavishly support their local churches. And I think about Ron Thompson as a business leader and the impact he had on our community. And now I think about individuals that I’ve met around the world and unlocking their generosity in communities around the world, and doing it in a way that it’s not just about helping entrepreneurs grow, but it’s about sharing the hope of Jesus and doing that in partnership with local churches around the world. It has been an incredible ride. So HOPE International, we invest in entrepreneurs. We do that through microfinance institutions and savings groups, and it really is mobilizing capital and unlocking real and lasting hope in communities around the world. So we served about 3.2 million entrepreneurs. The loans we’ve given, we’ve been able to lend out $1.82 billion with a 98% repayment rate, and it just means the impact continues again and again and again. And so that’s that’s the model. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to break the cycle of generational poverty as we partner with the church and address physical and spiritual needs in the communities where we serve. So that’s what we’re all about.

Jim Dunlop 08:14

What an incredible financial footprint that your organization has been able to make on impacting hundreds of thousands of lives, if not more. And well, you said well over $1 billion of lending so far with tremendous repayment success.

Peter Greer 08:32

It’s been a great ride. Yeah. And to me, it truly is meeting the families that we serve. That is always the most exciting to me. So in a few days, I’m going to be headed to the nation of Burundi, going to be in Bujumbura and some surrounding areas and I can’t wait. I get so excited. I can’t wait to meet the families that we’re privileged to serve and watch the impact that they are having in their communities, in their churches and and in their in their lives. So yeah, that is always a highlight for me. You said it in the intro, but it absolutely is true. I love being with the families that we serve.

Jim Dunlop 09:06

So tell me a little bit, I want to hear a little bit of stories of generosity. Again. We’ve had I’ve had some clients listen to this show and it’s then triggered them. Other episodes have triggered them to take action, to do some things. And our message is you can’t take it with you. So what are you going to do with your resources while you’re here? In that spirit, tell me the mango story from the Philippines.

Peter Greer 09:32

Yeah, this was story. So as I was leaving the Philippines, I. I love mangoes, dried mangoes. I mean, they’re just the best Filipino dried mangoes are an amazing thing. And so I literally had at the airport and my friends that were there gave me, you know, not the every available inch was packed full of mangoes in my suitcase as I was leaving. So just receiving all of this generosity and then I get back to the US and it’s my favorite thing. But shortly after that I was going on a hike with an individual. His name is Alan Barnhart, and as I’m on this hike, I brought a bag of these Filipino mangoes. I was thinking, that’s like our snack for hiking this one section of the Appalachian Trail. End of the day, I think I’m being generous. I’ve just been given how many packs of mangoes. And so I give Alan the pack that I brought that day. And apparently, on the Appalachian Trail, dried fruit is a delicacy that is like top of the food chain. And you could tell how excited Alan was about these dried mangoes. But we were in the place that he was sleeping that night and all the other. You know, small little cots were full. And so he was going to be sleeping underneath a picnic table. And the individuals were already there. And it was, you know, late at night, and I’m getting ready to go home. And I give Allen this bag of mangoes and you could tell like, this was he appreciated this, but his first response was to open up the mangoes. And before he even had one, he went to the other hikers and every single one and gave them. And and Allen is a person who is extremely generous in the way that he runs his company. But to see the consistency in the generosity of the big things, matched with the generosity of the small things at the first reflex, is not, I’m going to open this up and I can’t wait to enjoy one. I’m going to open it up and I am. My first response is to share with others, and that made such a lasting impression because it in my mind, generosity is not just in the big things, it’s generosity in the small things in the day to day, and the attentiveness to look and to see and to respond to the opportunities that we have to share. And if we really believe that everything that we have is a gift, how could we not live with a little more open handedness? How could we hold on when everything that we have is a gift? How could we not share that with others? And so I went back and yeah, looked at all the mangoes I still had, but I used them differently as a result of of that example from Allen. But I want to grow to be more like that. I want to grow to be much more open handed and generous with everything that I’ve been given.

Jim Dunlop 12:17

I love that idea of the generous person’s first impulse, regardless, is to is to share before they would even think of themselves. So that’s that’s that’s it is a I love that story. Tell me a little bit about the founding story of HOPE International and Jeff Rutt. Right?

Peter Greer 12:38

Yeah. I mean, it’s again another story of generosity and and life looks different if we believe that we are blessed not for our own enjoyment, but to be a blessing. Like that simple phrase is powerful. If we are blessed, is it for us? Or is it blessed to be a blessing? And Jeff believed the latter. And so, as his home building company was growing, he asked a really powerful question. But what can I do to make an impact around the world? And so originally that was sending food and supplies to Ukraine, and after doing that for several years, there was a pastor that was there and said, oh, what was so good in a time of immediate need is no longer good. You’re helping isn’t helping us anymore. And so shifted the approach with this comment where he said, isn’t there a way for you to help us, to help ourselves? And this is another piece with generosity. Generosity cares about not just what it does for us, but generosity cares about what it does for others. And in that moment, they realized that there were some unintended negative consequences to the generosity that they were doing at that time, at that particular place. And so that shifted the model. And that’s when HOPE International was born, as a way of providing capital and training and discipleship to entrepreneurs to help them start and expand small businesses. And so it totally shifted the model from a handout to a hand up from what can we do for you, from how do we walk together in that? And that was the birth of HOPE International, but a story of generosity. But my favorite part of the stories that we get to tell, the families that we get to serve, is then watching how they have that same heart of generosity in their communities, and they know who the real needs are. They know what the opportunities are. But to really see that generosity spurring on generosity in the communities where we serve, oftentimes in incredibly humbling ways. So that’s the founding story of HOPE International, a story of generosity and a story of generosity that was willing to say this no longer is actually having the intended results. So let’s change. Let’s change direction.

Jim Dunlop 14:44

I love the stories that have the ripple effect. And and those ripples are still going and that that the generosity compounds on itself somewhat exponentially even. And I think that that’s really powerful. Could you tell me about Jolie and tell me tell me her story.

Peter Greer 15:09

Generosity is found around the world, and it is not always correlated with income. And some of the most remarkably generous people are those that are at a different, different situation. But she grew up in Quezon City, not too far away from Manila in the Philippines, and she her job initially was recycling, so she would go to this large city trash and she would find items, and then she would recycle them and resell them. And she did that. But she was invited by a community member into a small group and with our partners, the Center for Community Transformation. And she started growing her business and she started expanding. And eventually she got into having a stall where she would sell bubble tea, and it started growing. And then she did a kind of micro franchise model, and she started growing and having other ones. And I got to be with her, and I got to have this time of of having I mean, there they sold coffee, tea and sushi. Those were the three different things that that were on the menu. And she now has 40 different stores, has employed 100 individuals. I mean, it’s an incredible story of starting from very humble beginnings, but now having this incredible impact. That is a wonderful story. But what I love most is out of that she had this place that she used to do her recycling business, and she ended up donating that to her local community as the local church because she said, I have had my life transformed by an invitation into relationship and invitation into community. A group of people that love me and I want to make sure there is a place for that to happen with others in my community. And so the local church has been donated by Giovanni, and I believe God is at work in a wonderful way in that community in Quezon City. And, and I got to spend time with Giovanni and super inspired by just her, her model again, everything that she have, do we hold on with clenched fists or do we open up with open hands? And and I just saw Giovanni with open hands having a tremendous impact in her community.

Jim Dunlop 17:22

Well. Yet again, another idea of the ripple effect of of generosity And and what a what a great thing to go from recycling now to t. But quite an evolution and and and really cool. So one of your books Peter was rooting for rivals and it’s the idea discusses that question of how can we live open handed in our work. Could you expand on that a little bit and share with us a little on that?

Peter Greer 17:52

The original idea was, why is it so hard for nonprofits to cooperate instead of compete? Like, why is that so difficult? And especially within the faith based community. Why is it so hard for Christian organizations to really get along? Why is that so incredibly difficult? And so we started researching organizations and leaders that just had a different posture. And we found again and again that there were two worldview questions that they looked at differently from from others. And the two worldview questions was, do we believe in a world of abundance or scarcity? And if we believe in a world of scarcity, then we got to hold on to everything that we can have. But if we actually believe that God has enough for all of us to do the work that he has called and equipped us to do, then we no longer have to fight over our small little piece. We can trust that there’s enough for all that we have been called to do. And the second thing is, do we believe our mission is centered on our organization, or our organization is part of a bigger and better story? And so we found that those two questions led to either an organization that is inward focused and kind of hold on to everything that they can, or the contrast is organizations that can be radically open handed, and we know which one has a bigger impact. We know where real movements are born, and it’s from that culture of abundance, not scarcity. And for us, the language is kingdom, not club. And that is what we kind of leaned into. So part of that was to say, hey, let’s make everything that we have available for free for any other organization that wants to do this work. So if there’s an organization that has an interest in doing economic development, or wants to have an example of a board manual, or wants to understand some of our policies or procedures or trainings, everything that we have is open source. And for us, that has led to now kind of training some other organizations of how to implement the model, a methodology. And some people have said, but what about HOPE International? What about people knowing about HOPE International? And my response is, that’s the wrong question, I don’t care. The question is, are more people served? Are more individuals impacted? Are more churches equipped to love in their communities? And if the answer is yes to that, then who cares if people know the name HOPE International? That is not what this is all about. So we are trying to continue to grow into that. What does it look like to live with an open handed posture, to be generous with other organizations, just as individuals have been so generous to us.

Jim Dunlop 20:26

This is an interesting theme. One of our more recent guests on the show runs a charity out in Pittsburgh, and they work with a lot of kids who have special needs. And as he was as we were talking in that interview, the more that they collaborate with other charities Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Special Olympics, they can have an even more profound impact by working with those other organizations. And so this is a nice theme to hear yet again. And now this is on a much larger international scale. But I like that idea of collaboration, not competition. I think so.

Peter Greer 21:12

And we would affirm what your other friend shared as well. The impact has expanded dramatically as a result. It is more, not less for sure as we’ve walked in that way.

Jim Dunlop 21:25

Very good. Well, Peter, I really appreciate you taking a few minutes today to to share with us and, and really inspire people to be thinking about things that they can do and ways that they can approach. Being generous doesn’t mean you have to have a lot of money. And and the ways that we can help this idea of a the hand up and not a hand out, teaching people how to be successful to to operate small businesses, that they can prove that their lives for themselves, their families and then in turn, their communities and spread. I love this idea and this concept. And before I get to our last question, I do want to I do want to ask, actually, I have a couple of things, but I want to I know you have a project coming up here this fall with 15 books already published. Tell me about the next project here that’s coming from Peter.

Peter Greer 22:22

Well, I do love the writing process and it is such a wonderful excuse to try and go deep in a particular topic. So I do love the writing process and the opportunity to learn from others. But yeah, the one that we’re working on is ten years ago we wrote a book called Mission Drift, and it’s how organizations move away from their founding mission and how we can make sure that that doesn’t happen to us. And so ten years later, this is maybe you could call it the sequel, but it’s looking at mission drift, but not from an organizational posture, but from an individual posture. How do we get off track? How do we drift? And so the title is how leaders lose their Way. And it is an exploration of the principles of mission drift. But applied personally, how do we make sure that our lives are measured by long term faithfulness in the same direction? How do we make sure that it’s true? So that’s the exploration and of I guess it is September 16th is when it officially launches, but it’s had a profound impact on some of the things that I think about, some of the things that I do to make sure that in my own life, I stay on mission as well. So thanks for asking about that. That is the next one that we’re excited to launch.

Jim Dunlop 23:33

Well, congratulations. I look forward to to reading and hearing about that. I think whether in, in the mission field or in business, making sure that leader I think that’s a helpful message for leaders to hear at all levels. So well done. As we as we wrap up, I do want to encourage our listeners, if they want to learn more about Peter and Peter’s work, they can go to hopeinternational.org you can also reach Peter through his website at peterkgreer.com. And that’s where you can learn about the different books that that he’s written. So please get a take a chance to check that out. So our final question today, Peter, is if we we bought you a billboard where you could put a message to reach a lot of different people. What would your message be right now?

Peter Greer 24:26

I would just say, hold on to Hope. Feels like there’s a lot going on in our world, and I think hope is in short supply, but I would I would love that to be a message of of of hold on to hope. Yeah. That that’s the one that comes to mind to me. What would you put. Jim I like that question.

Jim Dunlop 24:46

You know. No one’s turned it around on me yet. And it probably depends on the day. But I you know, I think for me, I tend to I the thing that I try to live by and this is a very small thing, but it’s don’t try to force it. And I have found when I’m trying to solve a problem that won’t be solved, and you can try to jam a square peg into a round hole all day long. It’s just not going to fit. But typically, if I set it aside and walk away for a little bit and come back to it, a good solution usually manifests itself. And so I find myself, whether it’s trying to do something around the house or solve a problem at work or church, I typically find for me, if I don’t try to force it and just the right answer will show up.

Peter Greer 25:44

Well, if I’m driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike towards where you live and I see that on the billboard, I’m going to know the origin story of that. Thanks, Jim. That’s great.

Jim Dunlop 25:53

All right. Well, Peter, I really appreciate you being with us today and look forward to your book this fall.

Peter Greer 25:59

Thanks so much, Jim.

Outro 26:02

Thanks for joining us to hear stories of generosity that remind us that you can’t take it with you. Visit our site at canttakeitwithyou.com. For more details on today’s episode and to subscribe to future shows.

Disclosure 26:20

Neither today’s guests nor their company are affiliated with or endorsed by Thrivent Advisor Network. The views expressed in this presentation by the guest are their own and not necessarily those of Thrivent or its affiliates.

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Mission, Microfinance, and Impact: A Guide to Sustainable Generosity With Peter Greer

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

In this episode:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments

Action Steps

Sponsor for this episode:

Episode Transcript

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