Different donors and NGOs care about different places. Many want to see Social Incomes paid out in areas where they have a connection. We understand that impulse and we would like Social Income to exist everywhere.

But how do you go from nearly 200 countries to a focused shortlist? Here’s how we approach it.

But expanding quickly, across many countries at once, doesn’t automatically mean helping more people. Often, it means something else: higher banking and registration fees, as well as  additional staff costs. All expenses which are necessary, but that  come with a price. Every amount spent on fixed costs is an amount not paid out to someone who needs it.

That’s a trade-off we take seriously, and it shapes how we decide where to expand to next.

Building the first country office

We broke ground  in Sierra Leone in 2020. It was our first country office, built from scratch. Why Sierra Leone? With the same resources, the impact there would be greater than almost anywhere else. Sierra Leone ranked near the bottom; our donors came from Switzerland, near the top. The statistics led us there.

Sierra Leone set the standard. What grew there became our model and the blueprint for future country offices. 

From this, we learned four things:

• Cash programs work best when they are led locally

• Start small and avoid unnecessary overhead

• What looks good on paper often needs adjustment on the ground

• Be transparent from day one, about money, decisions, and trade-offs

With these principles in mind, we scale with deliberation.

What makes a country eligible

Our goal is to be active in at least three countries by 2027 and six by 2028. We are starting our expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa, where we already work and where most people living in extreme poverty are concentrated. It’s a practical choice as operating across continents at the same time would increase costs and complexity.

That narrows our scope to 47 possible countries beyond Sierra Leone.

From there, we can narrow it down further. Not every country in Sub-Saharan Africa is suitable for a cash program built on mobile money. Before we can start paying out Social Incomes in a new country, a few basic conditions need to be in place:

• Cash must be usable: Without functioning markets where people can spend cash or mobile money, transfers lose their purpose

• Mobile money must work at scale: There needs to be at least one provider and sufficient connectivity to process batch payments to many recipients at once

• Funds must be transferable from abroad:  If sanctions prevent cross-border transfers, a cash program is usually not feasible

This leaves us with around 35 eligible countries.

How to pick the right country

There’s no simple formula for choosing the right country among 35 eligible ones. Decisions rely on data-driven judgement and experience, as well as what we’ve learned so far. No single factor decides the outcome. It’s the overall picture that shows whether starting a program makes sense.

Some factors make starting easier. Lower living costs allow the same resources to reach more people. Stable conditions and reliable infrastructure keep operations manageable. Trusted local partners and strong local contacts can shorten setup time and reduce costs. With all this in mind,  programs will have room to grow.

Practical realities matter too. If a country is difficult to access, even basic fieldwork becomes expensive. Political instability adds uncertainty. Fragile mobile money systems can leave recipients waiting for payments. In these contexts, programs struggle to run consistently — something we want to avoid. None of these issues alone rules a country out. But when several concerns come together, they can outweigh good intentions.

Starting a new country office

Once a new country is chosen, we move step by step. Every new country office comes with administrative work — not because we enjoy bureaucracy, but because good governance matters. Each office represents the entire Social Income initiative. Trust and reputation are core issues. Without them, there are no donations. 

Research phase

Goal: Understand the realities on the ground.

• Which NGOs or community organisations are already active in poverty reduction or running cash transfer programs?

• What does it cost to register an NGO, which legal forms are possible, and who is authorised to sign founding documents?

• Can the entity open a bank account and connect to a mobile money provider that supports batch payments?

• What other cash transfer programs exist in the country, run by NGOs or the state, and how do they operate?

This is where you come in: This research can be done by anyone who’s interested, simply by filling out this form. Social Income is a community-driven initiative, and this is one way you can contribute directly to our mission.

Current status: Research completed for three  of 35 eligible countries.

Pilot phase

This phase requires a trusted local contact and usually involves a field visit by an experienced Social Income volunteer. You can be that trusted person.

The pilot phase helps us answer questions that research alone can’t:

• Do payments work reliably in real conditions?

• Does the collaboration with local partners hold up in practice?

• Are the processes understandable and manageable for recipients?

• Are there country-specific needs that require exceptions?

• What needs to be adjusted before scaling?

A pilot is deliberately modest. It’s not about speed or scale, but about learning. 

Long-term country office

If a pilot runs reliably and the key questions are answered, then we move toward establishing a permanent country office. This means committing to regular payouts, formalising local partnerships, and putting clear structures in place for finances, reporting, and accountability.

The long-term vision is simple: financial support for people in extreme poverty should be reliable, not exceptional. We won’t get there overnight or everywhere at once. But by expanding carefully, learning from each country, and staying grounded in what works, we can build something that lasts.