Faith-Driven Impact: How ICM’s Pitch for Hope Caught the Attention of a Global Movement

From Hong Kong Small Group to Global Impact

Kaestner’s post highlights ICM’s remarkable scale and impact: “And it’s scaled now…..unbelievably scaled.”

The numbers speak for themselves:

• Working with more than 20,000 churches
• Operating primarily in the Philippines, with expansion to Uganda and Guatemala
• Taking more than two million people through Transform program
• Achieving 107% increase in household income
• 32% reduction in serious illness
• 19% reduction in chronic hunger
• Plus spiritual transformation

Pitch for Hope: Where Faith Meets Entrepreneurship

What particularly caught Kaestner’s attention was ICM’s newest initiative: Pitch for Hope. He describes it as “a Shark Tank type of competition that brings in local business leaders who help mentor, teach, equip, and empower local entrepreneurs as they lean in to opportunities in the markets and to solve problems….under God’s power and for His glory.”

This connection between faith and entrepreneurship aligns perfectly with the Faith Driven Entrepreneur movement, which exists to “equip 1 million Christ-following entrepreneurs to step into their purpose, fulfill their call to create, and transform the world around them.”

Pitch for Hope embodies this vision by:

• Empowering entrepreneurs in communities experiencing ultra-poverty
• Providing cash grants up to $2,000 for business expansion
• Creating mentorship opportunities with local business leaders
• Demonstrating that entrepreneurship can be a tool for transformation

A Challenge to Faith-Driven Investors

Kaestner’s post includes a powerful challenge: “You DON’T need to wait to retire from your position in the markets to ask God where He might be calling you next and to start to act on what He is showing you, as He did when the Sutherlands started to travel to see what God was doing in the Philippines.”

David Sutherland’s journey from CFO of Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific to CEO of a global poverty-fighting organization illustrates this principle. He didn’t wait until retirement to pursue his calling—he began while still in his corporate role, starting small and allowing God to scale the impact.

Measuring What Matters

Kaestner concludes with admiration for how ICM measures its work: “I am so impressed by the way that International Care Ministries measures the work that they are doing to show that they are WINNING. Everyone wants to be on a winning team…especially one that is done in a way that seeks to love on people while pointing to God.”

This emphasis on measurement and results resonates with faith-driven entrepreneurs who believe in stewarding resources excellently while pursuing Kingdom impact. ICM’s rigorous approach to evaluation—including randomized controlled trials and long-term impact studies—demonstrates that faith-based work can be both effective and excellent.

The Movement Connection

The Faith Driven Entrepreneur movement describes itself as “a continually growing mass of people who believe that they are God’s people sent out to do His work by building businesses that serve His plan.” ICM’s Pitch for Hope exemplifies this vision by:

• Supporting entrepreneurs who are “co-creating alongside the master Creator”
• Building businesses that bring God glory through their mission and practices
• Demonstrating that entrepreneurship can transform communities
• Showing how business can be a vehicle for spiritual and economic transformation

Looking Forward

Kaestner’s feature of ICM represents more than recognition—it’s a call to action for faith-driven entrepreneurs and investors worldwide. As Pitch for Hope prepares for its 2025 competition this August, it stands as a model for how business principles, faith values, and community development can work together to create lasting change.

The intersection of faith and entrepreneurship is more than just an idea; it is a proven strategy for transformation, as ICM’s more than two million graduates can attest.