Kiva Blog

Apr 16, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Introducing the Kiva portfolio dashboard By Laura Piper

With yesterday's release of new changes to the Kiva website, we’re excited to introduce a new dashboard to your Kiva Portfolio page. Our hope is that this new dashboard will be an easy way to visualize the impact you’re making on Kiva -- through loans, donations, invitations, lending teams, global reach, etc. 
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As Manager of Kiva’s Community Support team, I talk to lenders all the...
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Apr 15, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Passport Series: An overview of the Palestinian Territories By Emily Wakefield

Did you know that Kiva offers loans in the Palestinian Territories? Anyone who reads the news knows that this is a very challenging operating environment. Kiva is proud to be supporting creative and courageous entrepreneurs in the region. For the month of April, we will be highlighting Palestinian borrowers and our lending activities to help people build brighter futures. GEOGRAPHY The Palestinian Territories are divided into two parts -- the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The West Bank is small in area -- slightly smaller than Delaware, and the Gaza Strip is even smaller... Continue Reading >


Apr 12, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Apply to be a Kiva intern by April 22! By Emily Wakefield

Looking to begin a career in international development or non-profits? Want to be a part of one of Oprah’s favorite things? Join the Kiva team as an intern and gain access to a huge personal and professional network of technology, non-profit, and microfinance professionals! Interns are essential to Kiva’s operations and achieving its mission of connecting people through lending to alleviate poverty. There are a wide range of positions in a variety of departments, where interns work closely with staff on important, high-impact projects in a very educational and... Continue Reading >


Apr 10, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
New Field Partner: UpEnergy puts clean energy within reach of Uganda's rural poor By Amniya Shahbozova

When Kiva first decided to branch into loans for clean energy and green technologies, we discovered a wealth of prospective partners offering products designed for the poor. We've been thrilled to partner with a handful already, including EarthSpark International in Haiti, Solar Sister, IluMexico and more. Now we're growing that portfolio even more by launching with UpEnergy, a social enterprise working to make clean energy accessible in Uganda, Rwanda and Central America. Founded in 2010, UpEnergy is focused on expanding access to clean and energy-efficient cookstoves in rural... Continue Reading >


Apr 10, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
From Kiva Walk to TEDx Talk By Polly Peterson

Jonathon Stalls learned about Kiva in a college class in 2007, and three years later, he took to the streets to spread the word about microfinance. Literally. Jonathon so deeply believes in the empowerment of Kiva loans that he walked across the United States over the course of over eight months to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
 
The results are as exciting as the journey: since his quest began, Jonathon and the Kiva Walk Lending Team that supports him have lent over a half million dollars to entrepreneurs around the globe! This total...
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Apr 9, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Tax Day is approaching! Don't forget to claim your Kiva donations! By Emily Wakefield

April -- the month of spring, flowers... and taxes. Repayments make Kiva loans not tax-deductible in the United States. However, donations to Kiva’s operational expenses are! So remember if you made a donation to Kiva last year to declare it on your returns! For every $1 you donate to Kiva, $9 more in loans is made possible. So not only will you be able to breathe a sigh of relief next April 15, but you’ll be helping people in the process! If this April 15 is going to be particularly painful for you, do yourself a favor and donate to Kiva! You... Continue Reading >


Apr 5, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Kiva hosts high school students for some design thinking By Emily Wakefield

Young people everywhere are taking action to celebrate the Month of Microfinance this April, but one group of students and teachers from Overlake School in Seattle actually made the trek to spend the week with us at Kiva Headquarters in San Francisco. These impressive young students took part in a ‘Design Thinking’ exercise to help develop some of Kiva’s future projects and initiatives.  Design thinking is a strategy for creative brainstorming that encourages participants to ideate, innovate, and continue looping back until a real solution is found that meets... Continue Reading >


Apr 4, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Happy National Volunteer Month from Kiva! By Emily Wakefield

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? This is a particularly special time for us at Kiva, as so much of our operations rely on the dedication and support of our 500+ volunteers around the world! Close to 500 Kiva Fellows have helped us make sure our partnerships are running smoothly. Kiva supporters volunteer their time in a number of ways to fuel our mission. Whether they be interns gaining work experience in our office, Kiva Fellows traveling the world, or multi-lingual editors translating loans from their living rooms, all of our volunteers are... Continue Reading >


Apr 3, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Loan on your phone! Kiva is rolling out its new mobile lending interface By Abe Wallin

Industry wide it’s no secret that mobile devices will represent a significant portion of computer usage in the near future. Even today nearly 9% of Kiva’s traffic comes from smartphones, and we’ve seen these numbers grow steadily year over year. This is great news for Kiva, as it shows people are interested in making loans on their mobile phones. But we also know that we could be doing a better job helping visitors find a borrower they want to support and complete the checkout process. Looking at our mobile data we’ve noticed that visitors with mobile phones are... Continue Reading >


Apr 2, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
New Field Partners: Kiva and CAMEO team up to bring micro-loans to California small businesses By Amniya Shahbozova

Slowly but surely, Kiva has been expanding its presence in the United States. We've launched Kiva cities in Detroit...

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