What you will learn in this article:
How donations to Kiva fuel operational innovations that support financial access
The real-life impact Kiva loans have for people like Flordeliza, Laura, and Ena
How different Kiva teams work to connect borrowers around the world with Kiva lenders
Why donations are critical to achieving Kiva’s mission of financial inclusion
How to get involved and be part of the Kiva story
As we approach another Giving Tuesday—a global day of philanthropy—we’re reminded that the impact of collective action is boundless. At Kiva, we’ve seen firsthand how acts of generosity, whether large or small, can create life-changing opportunities for individuals and entire communities. Every donation, every loan, every moment of support fuels a mission that brings hope and transformation to underserved regions across the globe. To celebrate this year’s season of giving, I’d like to share how donations to Kiva enable the global impact we achieve for people in countries across the globe.
This Giving Tuesday, be part of the Kiva story
Your support on Giving Tuesday can ignite countless stories of resilience, growth, and triumph. As you’ll read below, Kivans like Michelle, Apryl, Zazil, and David are doing incredible work out in the world to ensure financial access is a right shared by all. Make your impact this Giving Tuesday by choosing one—or both—of these ways to support Kiva:
Donate to the programs that resonate with you and help expand our mission.
Encourage your networks to join our Giving Tuesday campaign by sharing Kiva's Facebook fundraiser. Your voice can inspire others to join this movement of change.
Let’s come together to amplify our shared impact and create more moments of hope and opportunity. Because when we give, we don’t just donate—we truly change lives.
How donations support our mission of financial access
Nonprofit organizations are essential in addressing gaps often overlooked by the public and private sectors. Kiva’s work—expanding access to those excluded from traditional means of finance—is made possible by the dedication and contributions of supporters like you. Donations to Kiva power our ability to support borrowers, enabling us to maintain and enhance the operations and infrastructure that support our lending programs and to ensure that 100% of loan contributions go directly to funding borrowers.
These donations allow Kivans to sustain our platform, invest in technological innovation, and provide critical training and resources to our local partners and borrowers. Your support makes stories like those of Flordeliza in the Philippines, Laura in Ecuador, and Ena in Haiti possible.
Connecting to a remote fishing business with big goals
Flordeliza, a fisherwoman from the Philippines, grew her small fishing business from a single self-managed vessel to several boats with a crew of five people–all with the help of her Kiva loan. The income generated from this thriving business not only lifted her family’s financial situation but also allowed her to achieve her proudest accomplishment — sending all her children to college.
Entrepreneurs such as Flordeliza are connected to Kiva loans with the help of Lending Partners, organizations around the world who know their communities’ needs intimately, making them the best resource to provide on-the-ground support and services.
Identifying Lending Partners is the responsibility of Kiva’s Business Development team, who work hard to scout new partners across 62 countries, conduct on-site due diligence, and review, train, and manage the relationships with these organizations. Longtime Kiva employee, David, serves as a Business Development Director on this team and is based out of Nairobi, Kenya. With David and his team’s help, Kiva connects with Lending Partners to ensure borrowers like Flordeliza receive the funding they need to support their dreams, all of which is made possible by donations.
“When I think of Kiva’s impact, I’m reminded of Flordeliza and her journey from small-scale fisherwoman to successful entrepreneur and mother of college graduates.” — David (he/him), Director of Business Development, Kiva
Translating dreams of shared empanadas and cultures
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laura, displaced from Colombia, dreamed of sharing her beloved Colombian empanadas with her new Ecuadorian community. Undeterred by limited resources, she applied for a Kiva loan, seeking the support needed to make her dream a reality.
Before Laura’s story could reach Kiva lenders, it first went through Kiva’s Review and Translation team. Kivans like Apryl, Senior Manager of Review and Translation Programs, manage this essential process with the help of over 400 dedicated volunteers. Together, this team translates and reviews up to 17,000 borrower profiles monthly to ensure they are accessible and clear.
“I’m grateful to be part of the team supporting volunteers who bring these dreams to life.” — Apryl (she/her), Senior Manager, Review and Translation Program, Kiva
Translating stories like Laura’s connects Kiva lenders to the purpose, passion, and community impact of their Kiva loans. Without the generous support of donations to Kiva’s operations, critical functions like Apryl’s and the borrowers they support, like Laura, would not be possible.
Building foundations: Ena’s journey to home ownership
Ena’s story began in Haiti, where she endured years of hardship. Determined to build a better life, she fled to the Dominican Republic, opened her own clothing business, and eventually secured a Kiva loan to buy construction materials to build a home. Working together with Kiva’s Lending Partner, Esperanza International, Ena no longer has to pay rent and now has a place she can call her own.
“I used to live in a rented house. Now, I get to live in my own.” - Ena
To streamline this process, Kiva developed the Kiva Partner API, a tool that helps Lending Partners share data faster, reducing manual entries and getting more stories like Ena’s online quicker. Kiva’s Credit Operations team, including Zazil, a Senior Manager of Credit Operations, supports partners in implementing this technology. Donations to Kiva fuel operational advancements like the Kiva Partner API, allowing Lending Partners to save time and scale impact to reach more entrepreneurs and dreamers like Ena.
🙋🏽♂️ Ask a Kivan “An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a tool that lets systems connect and share data.” — Zazil (she/her), Senior Manager of Credit Operations, Kiva
Connecting Social Enterprises to the funding they need
When social enterprises thrive, communities flourish. Michelle, a Senior Investment Manager at Kiva, works closely with organizations like Kuli Kuli, a superfoods business that supports small-scale farmers (and plants millions of trees along the way). Before approving a social enterprise loan, Michelle and her team rigorously assess the organization’s mission and potential, ensuring their Kiva loan will help lead them to success and create positive community impacts.
“Kiva is often the first source of funding for social enterprises, and this allows them to scale their work and attract other financing.” – Michelle, Senior Investment Manager, Kiva
Social enterprises like Kuli Kuli drive immense change, and unlocking funding for these businesses unleashes their potential and strengthens their communities. Donors to Kiva enable Michelle and her team to find these impact-focused organizations all around the world and get their loans live on Kiva.org.
“I don’t think Kuli Kuli would be where we are today without Kiva’s support.” — Lisa, Founder, Kuli Kuli.
Reaching for bold goals
Kiva has reached 5 million borrowers with $2 billion in loans thanks to thousands of lenders all around the world. This network of collective action is made possible by the behind-the-scenes work that Kivans do each day. But we’re not stopping there. Our ambitious goals are within reach, thanks to your continued generosity. By 2028, we aim to serve:
8 million underbanked women
450,000 refugees & people impacted by forced displacement
1.1 million climate-vulnerable people (including smallholder farmers)
15,000 systematically marginalized people in the U.S.
Achieving these goals requires collective action, innovation, and sustained donor support to drive both our day-to-day operations and long-term strategic initiatives. This GivingTuesday, together, we can be one step closer to making bold goals and reality.
Donate to the programs that resonate with you and help expand our mission.
With gratitude,
🙏💚
Vishal Ghotge
