Companies. spoiler. Kiva is a non-profit organisation which provides micro finance loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. share. Pure profit - Kiva is raking in millions a year - just look at how much the executives are being paid - and the for-profit lenders working on the ground in these countries are often earning even more exorbitant profits a year. They will educate their children and move up on the leader of progress. 17 Benefits. Kiva.org is working with private loan administrators who offer lower interest rates than their local banks. Seeing Americans get 15,000$ fully funded while someone in the Congo is getting 50$/400$ is absolutely disgusting and should be moderated. I treasure this observation because, as this blog must make obvious, I'm a critic. 19 Photos. Kiva’s home page once promoted lending “to a specific entrepreneur,” but the fine print shows that members’ $25 checks go to microfinance organizations, not individuals. But it's definitely an important discussion to have. P2P Reviews Kiva Review. After a long delay, I was just given mod status for this subreddit. It's amazing what a community of people can do when they all pitch in! I once donated money to Kiva and was very upset to hear this news. And second to actually help someone in terms of loaning them money to start up small biz for better future. Canada (0) Dominican Republic (0) Haiti (0) Mexico (2) Puerto Rico (1) United States (64) Virgin Islands (0) Central America. View Jobs at Kiva. Kiva Chocolate Bar Review: Cannabis Edible Review. It is fun to read the stories and individual business plans that are very personal. If anyone has a more efficient alternative I would urge you to bring it up in a reply, since my sole purpose here is to maximize my charitable utility. It goes right into the account of a large banking or lending institution based in that country, and it is entirely their discretion on how to use it. Still the bank of Nerdfighteria? Kiva.org is actually helping out to resolve the issue of high interest rates in the developing world. They clearly make it seem that $25 you donated is going to the person who's face is shown, but it's not true. This is how Kiva.org gets those pictures and the updates on repayments. Kiva even claims they "will not partner with an organization that charges exorbitant interest rates". These are people buying TVs, alcohol, or other items they can't normally afford and are now in a brutal string of debt because of it. Multiple voicemails and email later, still no response. Archived. Finally, Kiva's executives are making a below-market rate for San Francisco. A lot of smart people disagree on just how much good they do, and a lot argue that money can be more effectively spent elsewhere. Do you agree with Kiva's TrustScore? I think I'll set up an automatic $25 donation every paycheck. I can testify that being a critic can be bruising, especially when the playwrights you critique are alive. … Support women, entrepreneurs, students and refugees around the world with as little as $25 on Kiva. Last week we shared the story behind Kiva’s recent brand and logo refresh, now learn more about the redesign and user experience changes. Seems to be a somewhat legit I'm sorry but it's ridiculous to think that a college educated American who needs money is anywhere near the same level of in-need as the unbanked, underserviced, forgotten percentage of the population the platform was intended to serve. Douches. I was a bit troubled by the criticism of Kiva, and wanted to check out what alternatives were out there. You can set up automatic re-loans in there, but I like the manual selection process. I was under the impression that Kiva itself does not charge interest (and that their revenue is from donations), but that interest is charged by their field partners (regional microcredit banks, etc.). Jobs; Companies; Salaries; Interviews; Search. Home » P2P Reviews » Kiva Review. I came to the conclusion that my major gripes with Kiva stem from its dependency on MFIs (microfinancing institutions) as local middlemen. 3.7. kiva.com. The IMF, the noble people, various charity organizations, the religion and the activists have been trying to develop the developing world for many years now, but all they got was more corruption and many failed projects. I learned a lot. The highest I've seen has been around 30% which, while high, is nowhere near 100%. I joined the Atheists group, threw in $50, and we'll see how it goes. I've been thinking about Kiva for some time, and your post was the impetus to finally push me to sign up. The local mafia groups, the IMF and the Banks charge interest rates over 20 percent in developing countries. Read those books I mentioned, at least try to read Poor Economics. They are very serious about consistent THC potency and lab-test every batch to ensure it. Cause we are on Kamen Rider Kiva, with a new way to approach the scoring system. Where does the interest go? This way the money just keeps moving and moving all the time. Payback will be monthly, with few dollars from every loan. There are plenty of great ways to help the poor, but we just need to be honest which programs work and which don't and ALWAYS accept accountability and transparency in measuring those programs' impacts. Check the scorecard report on WOT. Fun fact: "The Atheists are more charitable than Christians": http://www.kiva.org/team/christians/impact. Kiva was an incredible place to work for a long time. Kiva is the world's first online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs across the globe. (Here is a summary of how that works). I want to share how it worked out in my experience. Donations can probably be tax-deducted in US, but I never went for it, since I like the p2p loan idea better than the pure donation-based development model. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS ONLY SEEN 25 EPISODES OF KR ZI-O. You lend in multiples of $25, but unlike most P2P lending … Many of you might know that peer to peer lending exists. Zidisha does this. Check Kiva.org trust rating on WOT database: Excellent: 93 / 100. If anyone has a more recent look, I'd like to see it. This week, join Marcus, Matt, and Jacob as they Wake Up! The problem is, the listed rate on the website is vastly underestimated: it doesn't account for fees, forced deposits, and annualized rates that these extremely poor debtors will have to pay. Great organization, great (and very passionate) people, great office space! Kiva. The organization is run by Neville Crawley and has an annual revenue of $23,183,659. I've been donating to Kiva for more than a decade (though my current profile doesn't show that, since I deleted by Facebook account and they can't migrate the loans). Petra. Gear Closet: Lander Kiva Headlamp Review. But there are plenty more who take out loans (as encouraged by sometimes predatory practices) and go deeper into debt in an already impoverished life. I'd be interested to find out what your suggestions are for an alternative to Kiva. Many times I don’t need it at all, but there have also been so many occasions when I’ve been happy to have one with me. Canada (0) Dominican Republic (25) Haiti (19) Mexico (30) Puerto Rico (2) United States (34) Virgin Islands (0) Central America. Edit 1.5: this is too long, so I'll make this brief. OK edits: firstly, I'm certainly no expert in the industry, so it's important to do your own research. View All num of num Close (Esc) See All Photos See All Photos. Kiva’s Review and Translation Program relies on over 400 volunteers to edit, translate, and provide a thorough policy review of loan profiles from around the world. They all got off the ground with help from programs called "seed accelerators," in this case one in particular: Y Combinator. Kiva Reviews. Kiva is a Development and Relief Services charity located in San Francisco, CA. Add a Review. Luckily, there is more data being published each year - that's good for us as donors. I wanted to return 2 unopened products from kiva. Kiva still any good? Kiva is rated 3 out of 4 stars by Charity Navigator. I should note, I do not believe they profit directly from the interest charged on these loans - it's the lenders on the ground that accrue that profit. Do you agree with Kiva's TrustScore? Kiva U.S. Livestock; Arts; Ending soon; Single parents; Health; Mission-driven orgs; Food; Water and sanitation; Conflict zones; Short-term loans; Covid-19; All categories; Regions. Kiva gave us tons of support, including a very comprehensive training at the beginning as well as check-ins and direction throughout my fellowship. Share Tweet. I'd like to know how much interest and other costs the typical borrower pays on a loan from Kiva. As such I will be removing my money from Kiva and redirecting it to somewhere where it can do more good. 11 comments. This flavor won the 2013 Best Edible at the San Francisco & Los Angeles High Times Cannabis Cups. Had plan to use them to accomplish 2 goals. Heisei Generations Forever review (spoilers) Discuss. I came into more money for the first time since setting up my initial investment egg. 1 people have already reviewed Kiva. Kiva is a great crowdfunding platform and a wonderful way to empower others! Story: It could have been a bit more hype if the pacing was better, and we have yet another fucking child … I believe the lending route is also much more direct than it is through Kiva. It looks like Kiva has suspended partnerships in the past couple years with some of the more outrageous offenders. These are pretty sobering accusations, and I have found legitimate sources for all of them. Let's hope so. hide. To the others I just state that the P2P lending is a revolutionary way to advance the base of society. ), As for Kiva's partners and the interest they charge. If anyone else is in a similar situation, or just looking for the optimum way to donate money to create the best utility outcome, I would recommend the Against Malaria foundation, which is cited in many places as the optimal per-dollar charity, with estimates of one life saved for each $1,800 to $2,500 donated. Bill Gates' Foundation is getting into this in a big way. I think that peer-to-peer lending is much better and helps the real people, who are the base of any country. Posted by u/[deleted] 2 years ago. Now the micro-lending industry has gotten slightly better over the past few years, but not much. Here's a discussion on that point: link. I didn't mention charities that I think are a better choice to donate. I like that Kiva uses natural flavors and as soon as you open the package you get a distinctive blackberry and chocolate smell. SHARES. report. Do you agree with Kiva’s 4-star rating? The vast majority of loans come to Kiva in English. 11 Jobs. CAUTION: before donating to any MFI (Microfinance institution - Kiva calls them field partners), see if there's been a study on what percentage of their loans go to consumption instead of productive purposes. Cookies help us deliver our Services. According to Charity Navigator, their highest paid exec (the CTO) is making 136k per year, which is definitely low for C-level pay in San Francisco, and even at the low-mid range for senior developers in the Bay Area. (aspeenat linked the wikipedia page for Kiva - it's a good overview of how it works. New ideas and projects are not collaborative, … Kiva and The MasterCard Foundation are kicking off a 5-year, $ ... Scribd, Reddit, Airbnb, Dropbox – what do all of these innovative startups have in common? (as for specific studies, I would search google's scholar search, But beware, the microfinance industry is well funded and often finances their own (usually biased) studies, so make sure you carefully check the source and funding.) Share. Money got quickly invested and re-invested, because I safely invested in group-loans with running-terms under 1 year. The platform is clear, transparent and easy to use. Is this incorrect? The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. That's a good thing. For an insider's look at some of the big problems in the micro-finance industry check out Hugh Sinclair's Confessions of a Microfinance Heretic. Kiva U.S. Livestock; Arts; Ending soon; Single parents; Health; Mission-driven orgs; Food; Water and sanitation; Conflict zones; Short-term loans; Covid-19; All categories; Regions. If the site has a bad WOT trust rating it means someone had a bad experience. Imprinted on each segment is a pot leaf, though some segments alternate with the words “One Dose” just for the consumer’s benefit. Overview Overview. On Jan 7, 2021. Intro: My second favorite of the HG movies (after Dr Pac Man). Kiva Confections is a California based not-for-profit collective. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 3) Lastly, Kiva is somewhat manipulative. Read up on some of the controlled studies done about the industry - especially the types of lenders Kiva is supporting. They claim to make the highest quality medical marijuana products from all natural ingredients combined with cannabis. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. North America. Portable, poppable, and subtly powerful mints precisely designed for microdosing. Anybody else been having long delays when withdrawing? They are the people who create things that weren't th… If you have something like 20 running loans, you can create another loan each month, just from the accumulated repayments. Unfortunately new management doesn't have the skills or desire to retain what was so great about it, namely the culture and mission. When you have more time, I'd be extremely interested to see a longer write-up on these points, with corresponding sources. Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Tokucast! The Field Partner collects repayments from Kiva entrepreneurs as well as any interest due and lets Kiva know if a repayment was not made as scheduled. It has given me the opportunity to help people around the world with financial security and growing their own communities. So Kiva took my balance and used it for their own purposes: I had a little over 30 dollars in my balance (the amount of repayments that I hadn't gotten around to re-loaning; I've been on Kiva for maybe 5 or 6 years now and have a couple hundred dollars in circulation). save. Considering part of the reason I felt comfortable buying this when it costs so much is their return policy, I am not happy. Stats and maps here: http://www.kiva.org/lender/epsosde. Sometimes around 100% interest or more. A lot of smart people disagree on just how much good they do, and a lot argue that money can be more effectively spent elsewhere. The best thing you can do is read some of these books on development (like the two I mention below) that lay out what makes a good microfinance organization effective and that will help you search them out if you choose to donate. 49 Inter­views. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. WOT is a browser add-on used by millions of users to rate websites and online shops. 94 Salaries. There is a lot of corruption, a lot of greed. Kiva.org has loans and donations too. 1. I was thinking about an option for the loans on Kiva where a Kiva supporter like me could prepay the borrower's interest and costs. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Voice your opinion today and hear what 1 customers have already said. Voice your opinion today and hear what 1 customers have already said. with Kamen Rider Kiva! Each of these tiny handcrafted treats takes 10+ hours to create. Kiva. North America. Look at Kiva like you would a loan to a family member/friend. Please, if you can, consider giving your money elsewhere. But it's important to do plenty of research, as each of us are global citizens and our money, through our donations, or consumption, or investments, really does have an effect in this interconnected world. Read about their experiences and share your own! 49. Group loans have almost no risk, because they are insured by the group. 100% of your loan go to support borrowers. In other words, for every $100 dollars you give, a poor mother in the developing world is forced to pay back $200. I think that might be the future, and donating to those efforts is a noble cause. If not, the normal interest would start at that point to be paid by the borrower. It will definitely work out better than the IMF. Brands. Donations are not refundable and go to Kiva.org for website development. It's a personal decision and I don't think I am qualified to answer it. The money was monthly re-paid and I re-loaned it back, so that in total I was able to re-loan $4k to 174 businesses in 17 developing countries. Here’s my review of Kiva Blueberry Bites. Edit 2: The broad point I'd like to make is this: there's a lot of good organizations out there doing great work. For this review I tried the Blackberry Dark Chocolate flavor. I can not believe some assholes take the donated money then loan it out at high interest rates. Microfinance is a more tricky grey area and Kiva has a lot of issues. Yes, your facts are correct, but the names are wrong. If your website has a bad rating, ask WOT to review your site. Here's a summary of the problems with Kiva: my comment. Yes, having worked as a Kiva Fellow in the field in Rwanda, I had the opportunity to speak with several borrowers. Kiva is the world's first online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs across the globe. The $500 got back into my paypal slowly and I did spend it on myself eventually, because of personal, financial stress. But many are still charging usurious rates. 164 Reviews. They consistently indicated that the loans are significantly impacting their lives in positive ways. Check out what 1 people have written so far, and share your own experience. Interestingly, the Atheists group is the highest lending group on Kiva with over $12m in loans. Also, the interest rates would need to be filed for taxes and this would make it too complicated for Kiva.org itself. Otherwise nobody would go and take their loans. Kiva doesn't charge interest to its Field Partners and does not provide interest to lenders. Close. Please reconsider your support of Kiva, all of you. Each Kiva chocolate bar comes in four segments, with each segment representing one recommended dose of 15 mg of THC or 45 mg of THC, depending on what type of bar you got (more on that later). View All. For me, one of the most important pieces of gear that I take with me when I travel, hike, or go camping is a headlamp. That's great. The loan-seekers in there may not be super progressive or advanced, but they will build the foundation for the middle class in the developing countries. Edit 1: To get a sense of what development programs work, and which ones don't, definitely pick up the books Poor Economics or More Than Good Intentions. I'm stuck now with $80 worth of honey I will never use. -Extreme top-down approach - Direction and ideas come from the CEO only, not even other management team members, let alone the wider organization. View All. Read those books I mentioned, at least try to read Poor Economics. Company Overview Locations FAQ. There's a lot of emotionally appealing ideas, but the world is a complex place and we don't want good intentions to have less than ideal results. Wikipedia Backs up radiofiend's statement. 0. I now only donate to organizations that heavily emphasize randomized control testing (RCTs) so they have a clear and honest picture about how to best serve the poor. Terra. In this way, the interest and hard costs of the loan (or at least my proportional share of same) would still go to the lending field partner and would be a straight donation (i.e. MilesBuzz - Kiva.org- Good or Bad - Been reading up on Kiva.org. It's important to look at the data and not be trapped in by the emotive stories publicized about the Nigerian single-mother of 7 kids who buys a sewing machine and a ticket to the middle class. Categories Blog My Reviews My Settings Install App Help Log out Log in Install App For companies Overview Reviews About Kiva Reviews 1 • Average . My wife Mai heard someone say that the world needs both playwrights and critics—if more playwrights. If you ever wanted to do something like this, then go ahead. I strongly urge you to edit your post - I would prefer to see reddit user's donate to organizations doing more good in the world. There are three main reasons I'd give: The interest rates they charge users are horrendous. The award-winning chocolate-covered bites that spawned a thousand imitators. I'm clearly not a huge fan of microfinance, but I've been reading a lot of really smart people argue for micro-savings efforts in the past year. As a thought experiment, imagine what good your loans can do. There are some poor people out there who can take those loans and create a small business and exit the cycle of poverty. For the past few years, Kiva, the person-to-person microlending site, has been held up as something of a poster child for social entrepreneurship. Kiva is not a charity, it's a reputable P2P loan site Edit: I should add that the loans are generally to people, internationally, looking to get small businesses off the ground in impoverished areas. Kiva still any good? Welcome to r/Futurology, a subreddit devoted to the field of Future(s) Studies and speculation about the development of humanity, technology, and civilization. It really changed the way I view development (and honestly, the world at large). Micro-finance is no panacea. Support women, entrepreneurs, students and refugees around the world with as little as $25 on Kiva. Loan terms under 1 year are also very good, because you can withdraw money faster, in case of personal need. It really changed the way I view development (and honestly, the world at large). Categories My Reviews My Settings Install App Help Log out Log in Sign up Install App For companies Overview Reviews About Kiva Reviews 1 • Great . When all other options are used up. Interest rates are set by the Field Partner, and that interest is used to cover the Field Partner's operating costs. They need a service like Kiva where you get paid back with a little interest. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Just a thought to kick around. And where have you seen data that they've charged interest rates around 100%? There are alternative services for that, but the return on investment is about 1 to 5 percent. 100% of your loan go to support borrowers. Kiva just fosters those relationships and obtains grants and donations from individuals, business, and even governments and NGOs to expand it's business. It's solace to think that the world needs me.But the observation also helps me appreciate playwrights. Kiva receives 82.97 out of 100 for their Charity Navigator rating. There is often little to no benefit to communities, and sometimes the lending is even detrimental - it makes people and communities poorer. Award-winning artisanal chocolate bars made with decadent cacao and clean, pure cold water hash. Cookies help us deliver our Services. In this way, the loan to the borrower would be interest free because my donation paid the borrower's interest in advance provided the borrower pays the loan back within a agreed upon time period. All you need is an eMail for Kiva.org registration and at least $25 in a PayPal account. NO SPOILERS PLEASE. Visit this website kiva.com. Microfinance is a more tricky grey area and Kiva has a lot of issues. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. I find that Kiva.org is one very easy way to advance humanity from the bottom up. We are back to Motorcycles...well at lease to a few of them. May 12, 2020 by Kraig Becker. Kiva U.S. Loans: 2021 Review For Startups & Small Businesses One to help meet minimum spend on CC. ( been 4 weeks now), Press J to jump to the feed. It is too little to be a real deal for most people who invest on a regular basis. It was founded in 2005 in San Francisco and has since funded around $950 million (£770 million) in loans. I've just cleaned up the years of spam and mod requests and I think we can start making this place a lot better. I'm told Kiva is doing a better job of being honest in recent years, though. Engaged Employer. The principal amount of my loan would still be repaid by the end borrower as always. I have been lending out $500 on http://Kiva.org through multiple years, in chunks of $25. Here is an exhaustively researched and fully sourced Givewell study which backs up these claims. What has happened is very revolutionary. Otherwise nobody would manage the loans. The averages are sometimes painfully high - around 80-90%. March 4, 2017 March 6, 2017; by Neil; What is Kiva? Just for the pure interest, what sort of things have you given a microloan to? Keeping this one brief. not recoupable) from me. this paypal company pays up to 3.5% https://www.microplace.com/ it only lets you pick groups of people though. Kiva.org is not for financial reasons, but for the sake of making an impact as people for the people. Real people got their businesses further and it almost cost nothing for me, except of the spare time. View All. I'm sure there are many pitfalls but does anyone have input? I can confirm that they charge lower interest rates than other providers in the developing countries. (Yes, sometimes it's for needed food or medical care, consumption isn't always bad - but the debt associated with it is). 0. Subscribe to our NEW PODCAST (True Buds Show ) YouTube Channel … source. It is so important to require testing and evidence in aid work.