Kiva lenders group?

[Clementine Danger]

I've been participating in this on another forum. For those of us who don't know about Kiva, they're basically a microloan program, and you can read all about it here: http://www.kiva.org/

I think it would be great to have a FoCA Kiva lenders group, but I'm not sure if that's feasible, or if that would be exclusionary towards people who don't have the funds to participate. I personally see it as a positive and fun community activity. I have great experiences with Kiva, both as part of a lenders group and as a a private lender, but that doesn't mean everyone's experience would be represented. Besides that, it's a huge responsibility for the person running the group.

So I just wanted to float the idea and see what people think.

[teabooksandchocolate]

I would love that! I've been using the same money on Kiva for a few years now, and just recently left the group I was in. I really like Kiva because if you wait until you get paid back, you can reinvest the same money.

[Clementine Danger]

Yeah, it's not a charity. I know how it feels when a charity comes to you when you absolutely have nothing to give. It feels bad. But with a microloan program, it just feels different for me, which is why I went ahead and suggested it here. Five dollars for a charity just feels like a drop in a bucket with holes in it, but in a microloan program like Kiva that five dollars keeps helping people again and again. It's a different beast altogether and I feel it's much more inclusive than panhandling for straight-up donations.

[sullieseeburg]

I would love to pitch in after the holidays are over! Now that I'm clawing my way out of poverty, I would very much life to help out, even if it is only $5.

[carbonatedwit]

I understand where you're coming from, but it's not okay to use this board, or our name, for fundraising or crowdfunding efforts. It's not what we're about. If you're ever in doubt, please feel free to contact me directly and I'll be happy to discuss it with you.

Thanks!

This is me wearing my owner-of-the-board hat.

[Clementine Danger]

Oops. Very sorry about that, I completely understand. Going to quietly reread the forum rules now.