In regards to the long packing list : pack LIGHTLY. Items on packing list are suggested, not mandatory. Also, note updated list of assigned tasks online. Emails will be going out soon with more details.
Trip Logistics: Meet noon Sunday at Columbae. Will return around 2 pm the following Saturday.
Expectations: No alcohol, please carry your cell phones with you but silence them during visits. Be present and stay with the group for the full itinerary--no visiting friends in SF/Berkeley.
Kiva Speaker: Fiona Ramsey...--Founding of Kiva: Jessica had just heard Muhammad Yunus speak at Stanford, went to Africa and interned with a microequity organization, was impressed by the ability to make a big difference with a small amount of money, wanted to figure out how to get people in the U.S. excited about microfinance, a method of conveying that personal story.--Idea: create a website like eBay, except with pictures of people requesting loans.
--Keys to making the personal connection successful: financial transaction makes people feel invested, and the photo creates a human connection. Kiva doesn't have staff in every country, they partner with microfinance organizations in other countries.
Timing was good because people in the most remote regions now have Internet access, people are wanting greater accountability for their charitable donations, and people want to be more connected. People don't want to just sign checks anymore.
An article about Kiva just came out in Fortune: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2008/03/03/103796533/index.htm?postversion=2008022611
Three different types of customers and products: 1) Entrepreneurs seeking loans 2) Lenders seeking to engage and connect with an entrepreneur whose business they can invest in 3) To microfinance institutions, they provide a low-cost, soft source of debt capital. --It's difficult for small institutions to become self-sustainable. Capital from Kiva enables groups to spend money on other things--technology, audits, etc--so that they can scale and no longer need Kiva and can move on to commercial debt capital.
Kiva has decided not to charge its partner institutions anything for its funds, because they are doing well financially.
Blogosphere posts helped Kiva become big, famous. Still, in the beginning, generating awareness was a struggle.
Delicate balance between not wanting to have loans go unfunded, and not wanting all the loans to get funded and having no "inventory."
Frontline made a documentary and aired it on PBS, and the website crashed instantly, so people started donating to Kiva since they couldn't give loans. All of a sudden, Kiva had money, and that really changed things.
Lessons: be really transparent about your needs, be open to help from your community, make your purpose and needs clear, be transparent about successes, empower your community.
People often ask how they are getting some incredible press, and the answer is that they are really empowering their community, asking their supporters to spread the word. They don't send brochures, because it costs money, but they'll send soft copies. They don't have a marketing person.
At Kiva, the loans that get funded first are those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, loans for women, and pictures of people who look very "foreign," very different from us. This relates to people's perception of what poverty is and what it looks like. Kiva tries to break down those barriers and those stereotypes.
It's really hard to do microfinance in very rural areas because the transaction costs are so high.
When fraud happens, Kiva is very transparent and posts the details on the website, which increases people's trust in the organization. It also exposes the fraudulent organizations to the public. Transparency has really helped Kiva build a reputation and supporters.
Don't be afraid to fail. Fail, and then fix your mistakes (except in legal/ethical matters).