Kiva New York Wine Tasting Fundraiser was a great success!

February 3, 2010

By: Mollie Casper

The New York volunteer team started meeting regularly in October with the goal of creating an active lending community in New York City. The team began messaging New Yorkers, organizing Happy Hours, and beginning to plan events for New York residents. Their efforts since October 1st have resulted in over 450 new members to the New York Lending Team, collectively making nearly 1,800 new loans, for a total amount of over $49,000 loaned!

One of their ultimate goals was to create a New York "fund" that would continue to loan on behalf of the team for years to come. This past Saturday, they hosted their first fundraiser - a wine tasting event - with spectacular success.

The Wine Tasting was held at a wine store in Union Square, NYC and had guests ranging from local New Yorkers to travelers from the West Coast and even as far away as Stockholm. Experienced Kiva lenders, new lenders, and those who were hearing about it for the first time, had an opportunity to learn about Kiva.org, the Kiva fellows program, and the New York Team.

Team members, Peter and Valbona, Introduce the Team

Overall, the event raised over $1,700 that will be invested in Kiva. It provided an excellent setting for lenders to share their experiences of microfinance and philanthropy, and connect on a personal level with some of their teammates from the Kiva New York Team.