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Kiva U.S.
How do I get a loan?
Kiva is not a bank or microfinance institution, which means that most of the loans fundraising on our website were not provided by Kiva directly. Because we know that finding the right loan can be a challenging process, here are a few options to consider:
If you’re an entrepreneur in the U.S. --
Kiva supports entrepreneurs in the U.S. with interest-free loans which are crowdfunded by lenders across the globe and are paid back over the course of a couple of months to a few years. Kiva U.S. loans can be as large as $10,000.
Rather than assessing credit history and financial statements, Kiva U.S. relies on trust networks as a measure of creditworthiness. For that reason, applicants are required to secure a Trustee or initial lenders from within their own network prior to fundraising on Kiva. To learn more and apply for a loan please visit: borrow.kiva.org
Questions about applying for a U.S. loan can be sent here: borrowers@kiva.org
If you live in another country around the world --
Kiva partners with Field Partners in many countries around the world who may be able to make a loan to you. These loans vary in interest rates, loan amounts and requirements. To apply for a loan through a Field Partner, please contact them directly. A list of Kiva's Field Partners and their contact information can be found at: kiva.org/about/where-kiva-works
If you can’t find a partner near you please try the MIX Market, which is a great website that collects data on microfinance institutions around the world. Please refer to their website: mixmarket.org
Please note, MIX Market is an information service and doesn’t provide funding. Also note that Kiva does not have a say in which businesses are selected by our Field Partners. Contact each partner directly for more information on loan requirements and underwriting guidelines.
How do I lend the credit in my account?
To lend your Kiva credit, please follow these steps:
1. Go to kiva.org/login and sign into your account.
2. Click "Lend" and find a borrower to support. When you do, click "Lend $25" to add that loan to your basket.
3. Add additional loans to your basket or click "Basket" to begin the checkout process.
4. On the basket page you'll see your loans, and be asked to make an optional donation to Kiva's operating expenses. You can edit the suggested donation by clicking the "Edit" link next to the amount and selecting how much you want to donate ($0 is an option).
5. If your basket looks good, click "Continue" and you'll be taken to the "Review & Pay" page where you'll see your available Kiva credit automatically deducted from your total. Review your transaction and click "Complete order."
If your total exceeds the amount of credit in your account, your credit will be deducted from your total first and you will then be directed to PayPal to pay for the remainder of your purchase with funds from a credit card or PayPal account.
Upon completion of your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page. You’ll also receive an emailed receipt confirming your purchase.
How do I use a Kiva Card?
To use your Kiva Card, go to: kiva.org/redeem
On this page you'll see a box where you can enter the card’s gift code and click "Apply."
Once you've entered the code, click the blue "Get Started, Find a Loan" button to find a list of all loans in need of support. When you find a loan that interests you, add it to your basket by clicking the blue "Lend $25" button.
When you’re ready to checkout, click "Basket" at the top of the page. This will begin the checkout process.
In order to use a Kiva Card you will need to sign up for a Kiva account if you don’t already have one. Please also note that if your total exceeds the amount on your Kiva Card, you’ll be directed to PayPal to pay for the difference between the total due and the amount of your Kiva Card. Upon completion of your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page on Kiva's website. You will also receive an emailed receipt for your purchase.
Do I have to donate to Kiva's operating expenses?
Donations to Kiva’s operating expenses are always optional, but they are vital to the work we do.
100% of every dollar lent on Kiva goes toward funding loans. Kiva never takes a cut of these loans -- instead, we support our operations through donations from our lending community. While a donation is automatically suggested during checkout, you can always change this suggested donation amount on the “Basket” page by clicking the “Edit” link below the donation amount.
How do I view my transaction history?
You can see a record of all your transactions on Kiva by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/transactions
This page will list your entire transaction history so that you can check on any of your past deposits, purchases, repayments and withdrawals.
How do I withdraw funds from my Kiva account back into my PayPal account?
To withdraw funds from Kiva, go to: kiva.org/withdraw
On this page, enter the amount you want to withdraw and email address associated with your PayPal account (you will need to enter this email twice), then follow the prompts.
Kiva will process your request and the funds should be deposited into your PayPal account in 1 to 2 weeks. Kiva is unable to deposit funds directly into a personal bank account, so if you don’t have a PayPal account please create one at: paypal.com
How do I change the email address registered with my account?
To change the email address associated with your Kiva account, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/account
Enter your new email address and Kiva password in the fields provided and click “Update email” to save.
How do I make a loan on Kiva?
To make a loan on Kiva, try following these step-by-step instructions:
1. Go to kiva.org/login and sign into your Kiva account or create a Kiva account.
2. Click the "Lend" at the top of the page, which will take you to a list of borrowers that you can support.
3. Select a borrower to whom you'd like to support and click "Lend $25." Add additional loans to your basket or click to proceed to checkout.
4. In your basket you'll see your loans plus a suggested optional donation to Kiva's operating expenses. You can edit this donation by clicking the "Edit" link under the donation amount and selecting the amount you wish to donate ($0.00 is an option).
5. Click "Continue" and continue through the checkout process where you'll be directed to PayPal's website to complete payment for your loan.
Upon completion of your purchase you will be directed to a "Thank You" page on Kiva's website and will receive an emailed receipt confirming your loan purchase.
Why are there no Field Partners or borrowers in country X?
Kiva works with Field Partners in over 80 countries, and this number is growing as our partnerships team finds and approves new partners. For a list of the countries where our partners work, please visit: kiva.org/about/where-kiva-works
We hope to eventually work in every country, but must also grow at a pace that’s healthy for both our current partners and for Kiva.
If you want to support a country we don’t work in please check out the MIX Market, which is a great website that collects data on microfinance institutions around the world. Visit mixmarket.org for more information.
Also, if you know an organization that you think would make a great Field Partner in a country we don’t yet work in, please encourage them to apply to become a partner. More information can be found here: kiva.org/about/where-kiva-works/partner
How do I print the Kiva Cards I purchased?
You can print a Kiva Card anytime before the gift has been redeemed. This can be done by signing into your account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards
This page will list all the Kiva Cards you’ve purchase as well as their status. Next to each unredeemed card you'll see a link to print. When the gift has been redeemed, the name of the redeemer will appear next to the code.
Why isn't PayPal accepting my credit card?
PayPal provides Kiva with free payment processing on all transactions. This means that regardless of whether you pay using a credit card or PayPal account, PayPal will process your payment and send you a receipt. This means if you’re having trouble using your credit card, Kiva unfortunately can’t do anything directly to solve the problem. You may want to try using a different browser or clearing your current browser’s cache and cookies before trying again. You can also try using a different credit card.
If you’re still having trouble, please give PayPal's customer service team a call at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International). You can also reach out and explain your issue to Kiva's PayPal representative, Scott Riley, at sjriley@paypal.com
How do I purchase a Kiva Card?
You can purchase a Kiva Card by going to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards
On this page select the delivery method, value and quantity of the Kiva Cards you want to buy. Once you've done that and agreed to the terms and conditions, add the card to your basket by clicking "Add to Basket" or "Add to Basket and Checkout.”
To pay for your Kiva Cards, begin the checkout process by clicking “Basket” at the top of the page. Upon completion your purchase, you'll be directed to an order confirmation page, and also receive an emailed receipt confirmation.
Please note, you can view and/or print the Kiva Cards you've purchased at any time by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards
How can my organization become a Field Partner?
Thanks for your interest in becoming a Field Partner. The best place to learn about our criteria for Field Partners is on our website here: kiva.org/partners/info
This page also contains the application, so if your organization fits the requirements, please apply online.
In order to apply for partnership, an organization must at minimum:
--Display a strong commitment to serving the needs of poor, vulnerable, and/or excluded populations.
--Operate an existing lending program with portfolio quality that is in line with market context and industry standards, or be prepared and legally able to set up a lending program.
--Provide a specific proposal for using Kiva’s capital to fund loans with a) high social or environmental impact, and b) pricing that is in line with market context and industry standards.
--Be able to post at least $50,000 USD in loans in the first 12 months on the Kiva website, with capacity to grow in subsequent years.
--Have assets or operating revenues of at least $100,000 USD.
--Be able to legally accept and repay US Dollar debt capital and manage currency risk.
--Be legally registered in its country of operation.
I forgot my password. How do I change it?
You can reset your Kiva password by going to kiva.org/login and clicking the "Forget your password?" link. Enter your email address and we'll send you instructions for how to reset your password.
Please note, for security reasons these instructions will expire within a few hours of being sent, so please be sure to change your password as soon as possible.
Can I make a loan by paying with a check rather than a credit card?
If you are unable to use PayPal, you’re welcome to add credit to your Kiva account via check. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Register for a Kiva account if you don’t already have one.
2. Write your check payable to “Kiva Microfunds.”
3. On the back, write the email address associated with your Kiva account. Also note how much you’d like to be credited to your account for lending, as well as how much should be donated to Kiva’s operating expenses. We typically request a donation of 5-10% to help cover the administrative costs associated with check processing.
4. Mail the check to:
Kiva
Attn: Maria Zaldivar
875 Howard Street, Suite 340
San Francisco, CA 94103
Once your check has been processed (which can take a few weeks) we’ll credit your account and notify you by email. You can then sign into your Kiva account and use the credit in your account for lending.
How can I get a tax receipt for my donations?
To print a tax receipt for your donations to Kiva, sign into your account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/donations
This page displays a list of all donations you've made to Kiva’s operating expenses, and also gives you the option to print a donation receipt.
Can I combine or merge Kiva accounts?
At the moment we’re unable to move loans from one Kiva account to another, or combine 2 accounts. The best ways to combine accounts is to either purchase a Kiva Card or withdraw your funds and deposit the balance into the other account.
I know someone who needs a loan. How do they apply?
Kiva is not a bank or microfinance institution, which means that most of the loans fundraising on our website were not provided by Kiva directly. Because we know that finding the right loan can be a challenging process, here are a few options for your friend to consider:
If they're an entrepreneur in the U.S. --
Kiva supports entrepreneurs in the U.S. with interest-free loans which are crowdfunded by lenders across the globe and are paid back over the course of a couple of months to a few years. Kiva U.S. loans can be as large as $10,000.
Rather than assessing credit history and financial statements, Kiva U.S. relies on trust networks as a measure of creditworthiness. For that reason, applicants are required to secure a Trustee or initial lenders from within their own network prior to fundraising on Kiva. To learn more, please have your friend visit and apply at: borrow.kiva.org
Questions about applying for a U.S. loan can be sent here: borrowers@kiva.org
If they live in another country around the world --
Outside of the U.S. Kiva partners with Field Partners in many countries around the world who may be able to make a loan to your friend. These loans vary in interest rates, loan amounts and requirements. To apply for a loan through a Field Partner, please contact them directly. A list of Kiva's Field Partners and their contact information can be found at: kiva.org/about/where-kiva-works
If your friend can’t find a partner near them please have them try the MIX Market, which is a great website that collects data on microfinance institutions around the world. Please refer to their website: mixmarket.org
Please note, MIX Market is an information service and doesn’t provide funding. Also note that Kiva does not have a say in which businesses are selected by our Field Partners. Contact each partner directly for more information on loan requirements and underwriting guidelines.
Can Kiva relend my Kiva credit for me?
While we can't make specific loans on your behalf, Kiva does have a feature called auto lending which will automatically relend the credit in your account according to your preferences. To turn on auto lending, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Once you’ve selected your auto lending preferences, click the “Save auto lending settings” button at the bottom of the page to turn on auto lending.
Why are your Field Partners' interest rates so high?
We often get questions about the interest and fees charged by our Field Partners, as the rates on Kiva's website often seem higher to lenders than what they're accustomed to seeing. The average interest rate and fees charged is noted using the “Average Cost to Borrower” field, and this helps cover the high operational costs of facilitating microloans and providing services to borrowers. At Kiva we believe that sustainability is critical to reaching more families and communities around the world, and charging interest to borrowers enables our Field Partners to cover their costs of providing a service, while working to achieve self-sustainability.
Because our Field Partners don’t have to pay interest to Kiva for funds provided by Kiva lenders, Kiva loans provide Field Partners with the flexibility to reach more communities and more rural or underserved populations. Most Kiva Field Partners do charge borrowers interest in some form, however Kiva will not partner with an organization that charges unreasonable interest rates, and we require Field Partners to fully disclose their rates. In addition, Kiva partners only with organizations and microfinance institutions that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked and underserved.
A couple of things to consider when thinking about interest rates:
1. As many of our partners serve communities in rural areas, the labor of distributing and collecting loan payments can add to the organization’s operational costs.
2. Comparisons of interest rates charged by commercial banks in underdeveloped countries and interest rates charged in developed countries can be misleading. A developed banking system can provide funds at lower rates, and when a bank facilitates larger loans, a lower proportion of costs are needed to cover transactional expenses. Microfinance is an expensive business, which is essentially the reason small loans are not provided by large banks.
3. Developing countries also typically have high inflation rates which need to be factored into the interest rates charged. For example, an interest rate of 20% per year in a country where inflation was 22% per year would not cover costs. The interest rate charged by the institution would need to be greater than 22% in order to simply cover the cost of inflation, let alone other operational costs.
In addition to the average cost to borrower, we list our Field Partners' return on assets (ROA) on their partner pages (kiva.org/partners) so that lenders can see how much money the Field Partner is making based on the loans they’re disbursing. ROA is a measure of profitability, and currently, our partner average a negative ROA.
For additional information about interest rates in the microfinance industry, check out: mftransparency.org/
Can I change the recipient information or delivery method of a Kiva Card after it's been purchased?
Unfortunately it isn't possible to change the email address, delivery method or any other details associated with a Kiva Card after it's been purchased.
However, all one needs to redeem a Kiva Card is the gift code. You can find the gift code for any Kiva Card you've purchased by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards
Alternatively, we can cancel the incorrect Kiva Card, returning the funds to your account in the form of Kiva credit. You can then use the credit to purchase another Kiva Card with the correct information or delivery method.
I'm having trouble using Kiva's website. Can you help me troubleshoot?
If you're experiencing difficulties using Kiva's website, here are a few steps you can try to help resolve the issue:
-Use a private browser or go into "incognito mode"
-Clear your browser cache and delete your browser cookies-Enable cookies
-Change the security settings on your browser to allow Kiva as a trusted site
-Try using an alternate browser or upgrading your browser to the most current version
If the problem continues, please let us know and we'd be happy to help troubleshoot the issue further.
Thanks for your patience and your support.
How do I unsubscribe from Kiva's email lists?
You can edit your email preferences with Kiva, by signing into your account and going to: kiva.org/settings/email
Please note, so long as you have a Kiva account, you will receive some emails from Kiva. We are legally required to send you some information about your account status and activity. Otherwise, you can pick and choose what emails you receive.
Will I receive interest on my loan?
Kiva doesn't pay interest to lenders. Lending on Kiva involves risk of principal loss, and loans should not be considered an investment.
Do I have to use PayPal when I checkout?
When you make a purchase on Kiva's website, you should have the option to pay with funds from a credit card or a PayPal account.
Regardless of which option you choose, PayPal will process your payment and send you a receipt. Kiva uses PayPal to process all of our financial transactions, as they provide us with free payment processing. This support saves us approximately one million dollars annually and helps us to keep our operating expenses low.
Please note that you will, however, need a PayPal account if you withdraw funds from Kiva.
What is auto lending?
Auto lending is a feature that helps ensure that you never have unused Kiva credit sitting idle in your Kiva account when it could be lent out to a Kiva borrower. When you turn on auto lending, our system automatically makes loans for you using the Kiva credit already in your account. The loans it makes are only triggered by another Kiva lender making a loan to a borrower that matches the criteria you select. This puts your idle credit to work, but ensures that people are still the driving force behind the loans made.
To turn on auto lending, just sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit. Use the options to select your auto lending settings, and once you do, click the “Save auto lending settings” button to enable auto lending.
What's the difference between a Kiva loan and a donation?
Lending and donating on Kiva are 2 distinctly different actions that are often confused.
When you lend to a borrower, your loans are not tax-deductible. Our hope is that all Kiva loans will be repaid so that you can use your funds to lend again.
When you donate to Kiva, you are helping to fund Kiva's operating expenses and cover the cost of running Kiva. Donations to Kiva are tax deductible. When you lend, you have an opportunity to make a donation to Kiva in addition to your loan. You can also donate to Kiva at any time here: kiva.org/about/supportus
How is PayPal involved in the checkout process?
At Kiva we actually do not handle lender financial information. Instead, PayPal provides us with free payment processing on all financial transactions. This means that regardless of whether you use funds from a credit card or a PayPal account to make loans on Kiva, PayPal will process your payment and send you a receipt. This partnership saves us approximately one million dollars annually and helps us to keep our operating expenses low.
For questions about using PayPal, please visit their website at paypal.com, or contact their customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
How do I donate my credit to Kiva?
You can donate your Kiva credit to Kiva's operating expenses by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/donate
On this page, you have the option of making either a one-time gift or a monthly donation. Select the option you prefer, then select the amount you'd like to donate. You can choose one of the pre-set amounts or enter in your own amount. When you've made your selections, click "Donate Now" to add this donation to your basket. If you want to change your donation amount, you can do so here. When you're ready to proceed, click "Continue." Review your order and click "Complete order" to make your donation.
You'll receive an email notification letting you know that your donation to Kiva was completed successfully. Please keep this email for your tax records. Thanks for your support of Kiva!
How do I add Kiva credit to my account?
You can add credit to your Kiva account by signing in and going to: kiva.org/portfolio
Click the "Add Credit" link in the column on the left side of the page (or go directly to: kiva.org/portfolio/credit/deposit). Enter the amount of credit you want to add and click "Checkout with PayPal" to proceed through the payment process. Once you’ve completed payment you'll be directed back to Kiva's website and your Kiva credit will appear in your account.
Please note, Kiva also has the option to set up a monthly deposit into your Kiva account. For more information, please visit: kiva.org/settings/credit
I live in the U.S., how do I get a loan?
If you're a small business owner in the United States, you may be interested in learning more about our direct lending program, Kiva U.S.
Kiva U.S. supports entrepreneurs in the U.S. with interest-free loans for their businesses. These loans are crowdfunded by lenders all over the world and are paid back over the course of a couple of months to a few years. Kiva U.S. loans can be as large as $10,000.
Rather than assessing credit history and financial statements, Kiva U.S. relies on your trust networks as a measure of creditworthiness. For that reason, applicants are required to secure a trustee or their initial lenders from within their own network prior to fundraising on the Kiva website. To learn more and consider applying for a loan, please visit: kiva.org/borrow
If you have further questions about applying for a loan through Kiva U.S., please email: borrowers@kiva.org
Can I forgive a loan or request that a borrower not have to repay?
While offers to forgive loans are very kind and generous, Kiva's lending process is designed to accommodate loans and not donations. This means that all funding requests posted to Kiva are considered loans, and there isn't a way to request that a borrower not be required to repay your portion of the loan he or she received.
Our hope is that once you've been repaid, you'll use those funds again to make even more loans on Kiva -- helping to reach even more borrowers around the world.
I want to use my credit card but am directed to PayPal's site to pay. What do I do?
When you're directed to PayPal to complete payment of your purchase, if you wish to use a credit card as payment, look for the option to checkout as a PayPal guest and use your debit or credit card (this option is usually below the "Pay with my PayPal account" option, so it can be easy to miss). When you click on "Pay by debit or credit card," it should give you the option to enter in your credit card information.
Please note, even if you pay as a guest using your credit card, PayPal will process your payment and send you a receipt. PayPal provides Kiva with free payment processing on all financial transactions.
If you have any trouble using your credit card to make a payment on Kiva, or aren't given the option to checkout as a PayPal guest, please contact PayPal's customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST or email them through their website at paypal.com/help
Why does it take so long for my withdrawal to complete?
Thanks so much for your email, I'm sorry for the confusion and would be happy to help. Completing withdrawals via PayPal is a manual process, and as such takes longer than accepting funds. Kiva needs to manually compile all withdrawal requests, review them, and then send them to PayPal for processing.
Depending on our capacity we try to process withdrawals once a week, meaning you'll most likely see these funds in your PayPal account this coming Friday. From time to time, however, withdrawal processing can be delayed (which is why the confirmation email you should have received said it can take 1-2 weeks).
Once Kiva sends withdrawn funds to PayPal, you should be able to access them immediately.
How can I view the loans in my portfolio?
You can sign into your Kiva account at any time to view the loans in your Kiva portfolio. When signed in, go to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans
Does Kiva have any volunteer or internship positions?
Absolutely. Kiva volunteers are vital to the work we do!
We post information about all available volunteer and internship positions on our website here: kiva.org/volunteer
Can I contact the borrower?
Kiva and its Field Partners are unable to facilitate direct communication between lenders and borrowers at this time. However, if there is an update on a loan, you can post a comment in response. The Field Partner may see this comment, and possibly even share your words of encouragement with the borrower.
In addition, if being able to communicate with borrowers you support is something that interests you, you may be interested in checking out Kiva's direct lending program in the United States. One of the features of direct loans is that it allows borrowers and lenders to communicate more directly with one another through lender comments.
How do I create a Kiva account?
Registering for Kiva is free and and easy. To get started go to kiva.org/register
In order to register for a Kiva account you'll need to supply your first and last name and email address, then create a password to keep your account secure. You can also choose to upload a picture or choose to create a public lender page. Read through the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and check the box confirming that you've read them. Click "Register" to get started.
You can also use the option to sign up using Facebook Connect, which will allow you to create a Kiva account using your Facebook login information.
Can I lend less than $25?
At Kiva, we divide loans into shares of $25. For this reason, the minimum amount that you can contribute to a loan on Kiva is $25. However, you can still make a loan if you have less than $25 of Kiva credit in your account. When you select a loan to support and proceed through the check out process, we'll automatically deduct the Kiva credit in your account from the amount of your purchase. You can then pay for the remainder of your loan with funds from a credit card or PayPal account.
Do you have brochures or promotional materials?
We have a printable flyer available here: brandfolder.com/s/o9k5d4-6unmo-bhr0xk
Thanks for spreading the word about Kiva!
How can I request a Kiva speaker for an event?
We really appreciate invitations to speak at events, but we are only able to accept a small number of requests because we are so busy working on growing Kiva. To request a speaker for your event, please fill out this form: kiva.org/about/speaker-request (be sure to scroll the bottom of the page to access the speaker request application)
Please note that Kiva is headquartered in San Francisco. As we do not have a travel budget for speaking events, we request that all travel costs be reimbursed for events outside of the Bay Area.
How do I know if the recipient has used the Kiva Card?
You can check on the status of your Kiva Cards by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards
This page will display all the Kiva Cards you've purchased, as well as the status of each Kiva Card.
Can I count old loans to my lending team?
You can add or change the team association for up to 14 days after the loan is made. After 14 days it is not possible to count a loan toward the impact of a lending team. To count a loan toward a lending team or change the team association, just sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans. Use the pulldown box next to each loan to select the correct team association.
What does it mean that my loan is delinquent?
Loans can become delinquent if either the borrower or the Field Partner falls behind on making repayments according to the repayment schedule that was set when the loan was posted to Kiva.
If you click on the "Repayment Schedule" link on a loan profile, you can see the repayment schedule for the loan, which lists both expected and actual payments. The advanced view will give more details as to why the loan is delinquent.
If a loan is marked as delinquent, this means that Kiva still expects repayments to be made on the loan. In the case of a borrower's delinquency, you can assume that the Field Partner is working with the borrower to reschedule the loan term, if necessary, to try to recover eventual repayment of the loan. If the delinquency is due to a Field Partner being late in repaying Kiva lenders, you can assume that a member of the Kiva team is following up with the partner to work on recovering the amount owed to lenders.
A loan will be marked as defaulted at the time in which Kiva or the Field Partner determines the collection of funds is doubtful and/or the cumulative amount repaid is less than the amount expected as of 180 days prior and there have been no repayments reported to Kiva during this time. If this should happen, you'll be notified by email and provided with an explanation from Kiva or the Field Partner.
Why does the repayment email not match my available Kiva credit?
By default, repayment emails from Kiva list all repayments made to your account over the span of a month (i.e. January 1-31), even if you've already spent some of the credit on other loans, Kiva Cards or withdrawals. Because this email is intended to be both a summary of your repayments and a notice of your current balance, it is common to see a discrepancy between the total amount repaid over a month, and how much you currently have in your Kiva account.
If you'd like to receive more timely notifications when new funds are available in your account, you may wish to update your email settings so that you'll receive repayment emails as often as once a day (if repayments have been made).
You can update your email settings by going to: kiva.org/settings/email
Finally, to get the most accurate record of repayments made into your account to date, simply sign into your account and view your transaction history at: kiva.org/portfolio/transactions
How does loan expiration affect the borrower?
In many cases, when a loan expires on the Kiva website without being fully funded, the borrower is not directly affected.
For partner loans, it's common for Field Partners to use existing capital reserves to fund a borrower before posting a loan on Kiva and backfill this amount with the loan funds raised on the Kiva website. In these cases, while expiration may not directly impact the borrower, it can ultimately negatively impact the Field Partner, especially in cases where they experience many expirations on their loans. The potential impact of expirations is less reserves for the Field Partners, which may reduce their ability to lend to more people in their communities.
Direct loans are dependent on lender funding, which means if the loan does not fully fundraise on Kiva and the loan expires, the borrower will not receive the loan from Kiva.
Does Kiva charge interest?
Kiva never collects interest on loans and individual Kiva lenders do not receive interest from loans they support on Kiva.
However, many of our Field Partners do charge interest to borrowers. Self-sustainability is critical to creating long-term solutions to poverty, and charging interest is often necessary for our partners to work to achieve this. While our Field Partners are free to charge interest, Kiva will not partner with an organization that charges exorbitant interest rates and we also require Field Partners to fully disclose their interest rates. You can find more information about the interest rates that Kiva's Field Partners charge on their Field Partner pages (kiva.org/partners) as well as on each loan profile.
Microfinance is an expensive business, which is essentially the reason small loans are not provided by large banks. Charging interest to borrowers enables our Field Partners to bear these costs and achieve self-sustainability.
How do I recognize spam and phishing emails?
Kiva has been alerted that from time to time spammers send out emails impersonating Kiva, with the goal of gathering information. We want to clarify a few things to help people avoid falling victim to these messages and to quickly react if they do.
What Kiva will NEVER ask in a message:
--Kiva will never ask for your password
--Kiva will never ask you to send financial information
What shows that a message is from Kiva:
--(Please note that emails from Kiva will always come from an @kiva.org address, but phishers and scammers may also imitate an @kiva.org address. If you receive a questionable email from an @kiva.org address, please alert contactus@kiva.org)
Who/what to consult if you’re not sure if a message is from Kiva:
--Send an email to contactus@kiva.org
--Forward the original message with the complete email headers
Steps to take if you fall victim to spam:
--Change the password associated with your Kiva account immediately
--Change any other passwords associated with other accounts (email, online banking, PayPal, etc.)
--Email Kiva at contactus@kiva.org
For more information, check out this blog post: blog.kiva.org/kivablog/2013/10/01/a-note-about-kiva-and-phishing-for-national-cyber-security-awareness-month
What happens if a loan doesn't fully fund on Kiva?
Usually, loans on Kiva have 30 days to successfully fundraise. If a loan is not fully funded within that period, the loan expires and all contributing lenders will be refunded their contribution and notified by email.
In the case of most partner loans, the borrower isn't often directly affected by loan expirations, as the Field Partner would then use its own reserves to pay for the loan. There are a few situations, however, where borrowers are directly affected and won’t receive their loan if it doesn’t fund on Kiva. This happens with direct loans and partner loans that are not pre-disbursed and where the Field Partner doesn't have other capital resources to disburse the loan.
We know it can be hard to see some loans miss their funding goals, which is why we keep working hard to reach new lenders who can help create more positive impact.
Can you provide me with information for my original academic research project?
Unfortunately, Kiva is unable to fulfill any specific research requests, however, here are a few sites that may provide useful information for your microfinance research:
kiva.org/about
kiva.org/labs
cgap.org
mftransparency.org
mixmarket.org
Many researchers have also found our API to be a valuable resource. You can learn more about what information is available via our API at: build.kiva.org
Lastly, many students and educators have also found the Kiva U resources and materials helpful as they look to incorporate Kiva into their academic programs and studies. For more information, check out: KivaU.org
Thank you for your interest in including Kiva in your study, and it would be great to hear what results you eventually find through your research. Please feel free to send us a link to your published article.
How can my company partner with Kiva?
Kiva has a number of institutional supporters, and we appreciate your company's interest in working with us to help expand our work around the globe. If you'd like to support Kiva, whether it be through a small business partnership, a revenue sharing program, or simply making loans on behalf of your company, a great resource is this page of our website: kiva.org/about/supportus/smallbusiness
If you'd instead like to apply to become a Kiva Field Partner or Trustee and help endorse borrowers or facilitate loans on the ground, you can learn more about the application process for both of these ways to work with Kiva on our website here: kiva.org/partners/info and borrow.kiva.org/trustees
If you have any questions about these ways to get involved, please let us know.
How do I create a lending team?
Any Kiva lender can create a lending team by going to: kiva.org/teams
Click the orange “Start a New Team” button and you’ll be taken a page where you can enter in information about your team. Once your team has been created, you'll be given the chance to recruit team members, or you can continue without inviting others. Once you’re finished, you’ll be taken to your lending team page.
As the creator of the lending team, you will automatically be made the captain, which gives you administrative privileges.
Once you've created your lending team, you should check out the Lending Team Playbook, which provides lenders with lots of tips for establishing and growing their team: kiva.org/do-more/playbook
How do I turn on auto lending?
To turn on auto lending, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Use the options under the "Auto lending settings" section (it's at the bottom of the page) to select your settings and then click the “Save auto lending settings” button to turn on auto lending.
Do Kiva Cards expire?
Kiva Cards do not expire, but are converted into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses if they haven't been redeemed 12 months from the date of purchase. Before a Kiva Card reaches this date, the purchaser will be notified by email that it hasn't been redeemed, and they will have the opportunity to remind the recipient of their gift, or to use the Kiva Card themselves.
If a Kiva Card is not redeemed and is converted into a donation, the purchaser will receive a donation receipt via email.
To learn more, go to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards/terms
How do I make a donation to Kiva?
You can make a donation to Kiva's operating expenses through the following link: kiva.org/about/supportus
Kiva is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so contributions to Kiva's operating expenses from donors in the United States are eligible for a tax deduction. Kiva's EIN number is: 71-0992446.
Can I recommend a Field Partner?
Kiva is always looking for new Field Partners, so if you know of an organization that fits Kiva's criteria for becoming a Field Partner we ask that you please contact the organization directly and ask them to review our minimum criteria to ensure they are a good fit. If the organization fits our minimum requirements and is interested in applying to work with Kiva, they can submit an application online here: kiva.org/partners/info
Applications are reviewed and approved on an ongoing basis. However, given our small staff team and the number of partnership applicants for we receive, it may take some time for the team to respond and approve new partnerships.
What is currency exchange loss and how could it affect my Kiva loans?
When lending funds across national boundaries, the local currency in the Field Partner's country of operation may lose some of its value relative to the USD, thus requiring the Field Partner to use more of its local currency to reimburse Kiva in USD. Kiva offers Field Partners the option to protect themselves against severe currency fluctuations (a US dollar appreciation of over 10% relative to the local currency) by sharing any losses greater than 10% with Kiva lenders. By bearing these losses, lenders are able to protect the Field Partner and its borrowers from catastrophic currency devaluations.
The Field Partner-specified currency exchange loss to lenders can be one of three values: Covered, Possible, or N/A.
Covered: The Field Partner has opted to cover any losses on the loan that are due to currency fluctuation. Lenders will not bear losses due to currency fluctuation.
Possible: The Field Partner has opted not to cover losses on the loan that are due to currency fluctuation. In this situation, lenders face additional risk because they will bear losses greater than 10%.
N/A: The Field Partner disburses loans to borrowers in USD so their loans are not subject to any foreign currency conversion.
How do I attribute loans to my lending team?
Whenever you make a loan on Kiva, you have the opportunity to count that loan toward one of your lending teams. You will need to be signed into your account to do so.
Once signed into your account, you will see a pulldown box on the "Basket" page next to the title "Team." It will default to your preferred team, but you can always change your team association on this page.
Please note, if you forget to count a loan toward a lending team during the checkout process, you have 14 days after the loan has been made to count it toward a team. To do so, go to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans and use the pulldown box next to the loan to select the correct team association. After 14 days there is no way to count a loan toward the impact of a lending team.
Why do loans expire on the Kiva website?
Kiva allows lenders to make choices about who they support with their loan funds. Every loan on Kiva has 30 days to fundraise, and many loans are funded within a matter of days. However, if a loan is not fully funded within 30 days, the loan automatically expires and it can be assumed that the characteristics of that loan were lacking in support from lenders.
When a loan expires, funds are sent back to contributing lenders in the form of Kiva credit, which they can use to support another loan.
How do I purchase a Kiva Card using Kiva credit?
You can purchase a Kiva Card using your current Kiva credit balance by following these steps:
1. Sign into your Kiva account at: kiva.org/login
2. Click "Gifts" in the footer, or go directly to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards
3. Select the delivery method and fill in all the details marked with an asterisk (*) including Kiva Card value and quantity. Everything marked with an asterisk is required. You can also personalize the Kiva Card by filling in the optional message section.
Check the box saying that you've reviewed the Kiva Card Terms and Conditions and click either the "Add to Basket: or "Add to Basket and Checkout" button.
4. Once you're ready to check out, click "Basket" at the top of the page, where you'll be directed through the checkout process.
5. You'll be asked to make an optional donation to Kiva's operating expenses in addition to your Kiva Card purchase, but can edit this suggested donation by clicking the "Edit" link under the donation amount and selecting the amount you wish to donate ($0.00 is an option).
6. From there, click "Continue" to be taken to the "Review & Pay" page where you will see your credit deducted from the total amount due. Review your purchase and click "Complete order" or "Pay Now".
Please note, if the total amount due exceeds the amount of credit in your account you'll be directed to PayPal's website to complete payment of the remainder amount.
Upon completion of your purchase you will be directed back to a "Thank You" page on Kiva's website. This confirms that you have successfully purchased your Kiva Card.
You will also receive an email from Kiva confirming your purchase. This email contains a link to a printable Kiva Card. Please note that you can also log into your Kiva account at any time to view and/or print the Kiva Cards that you have purchased.
Can I visit a Field Partner or borrower?
Unfortunately, Kiva and its Field Partners are unable to facilitate visits from lenders. If even a fraction of Kiva's lenders visited the borrowers they support, our partners would be swamped and unable to proceed with their primary function of working with borrowers and facilitating loans.
Can I donate by check?
You can make a donation to Kiva's operating expenses either by check or on our website through the following link: kiva.org/donate. To clarify, this act is distinct from lending to a borrower.
To make a donation to Kiva's operating expenses by check, please do the following:
Step 1: Write your check payable to "Kiva Microfunds."
Step 2: On the back of the check, write "Donate All" and the mailing address where you'd like to receive a donation receipt (if different from the address on the check)
Step 3: Mail the check to:
Kiva
Attn: Maria Zaldivar
875 Howard Street, Suite #340
San Francisco, CA 94103
Can I have a copy of Kiva's logo?
Copies of the Kiva logo in our Image Gallery here.
These logos are permissible for reproduction for the purposes of promotion of Kiva, for publication by the press or for supporters who've made a minimum contribution to Kiva of $25,000. More guidelines for logo use can be found on this page.
If you are a business or individual supporter of Kiva who contributes less than $25,000 but is interested in using a logo to help highlight your support of Kiva, we request that you use the Kiva Supporter logo, which can be found at: https://brandfolder.com/kiva/brand-guidelines
We also suggest that you link directly to your personal lender profile page or lending team page on Kiva so that your customers can see your involvement on Kiva more directly.
Is my loan tax-deductible?
No, Kiva loans are not considered a tax-deductible donation because there is a possibility that you will be repaid. Kiva cannot guarantee, however, that your loans will be repaid or that you will recover any of your principal. Donations made to Kiva's operating expenses, unlike the loans made to the borrowers, are eligible for a tax-deduction in the U.S.
How do I upload a new lender picture or change the information on my lender page?
You can update the information on your lender page by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/settings/account
On this page you'll be able to edit the information that is displayed on your lender page, as well as upload a new photo. Once you've made the changes you want, click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
How do I redeem a bonus I've earned?
If you have a bonus, it will automatically be applied to the next loan you make. All you have to do is sign into your Kiva account, select a loan, and proceed through the checkout process -- it’s that easy!
Please note, bonus funds cannot be applied to direct loans, or those with repayment terms over 21 months or a Field Partner risk rating below 3 stars. You’ll be able to see if a loan is ineligible for bonus redemption on both the loan profile and in your basket. To find loans that are bonus eligible, use this link: ow.ly/axuF3024Nsx
How does Kiva use donations?
Kiva's staff and volunteers work hard to ensure every dollar donated to Kiva is used efficiently. Today, for every $1 donated, the site raises over $8 in loans!
Donations supports a variety of programs, including:
--Sending expert staff to over 80 countries to perform due diligence and monitoring.
--Building and maintaining the complex technical infrastructure that facilitates over $1M in loans each week.
--Training and supporting several hundred volunteers who translate and edit every loan posted on the Kiva website.
--Answering thousands of support emails and phone calls.
If you live in the United States, your donation is eligible for a tax deduction.
Why are there no loans matching my area of interest?
At Kiva we rely on our Field Partners to upload loan requests to Kiva's website. Sometimes the demand for loans on Kiva outpaces our Field Partners' ability to upload these loans. When this happens, you may not see the variety of loans that you're looking for on Kiva. The great news is that our Field Partners upload new loans on a daily basis, so please keep checking back for more loans in your area of interest: kiva.org/lend
Thank you for your patience and support.
How do I purchase more than one Kiva Card?
You can purchase multiple Kiva Cards by going to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cardsOn the Kiva Card order form, start your order by selecting the delivery method for your Kiva Card. Fill in all the details that are marked with an asterisk (*), including the Kiva Card value and quantity. Everything marked with an asterisk is required. Once you've completed the fields, click the "Add to Basket" button to add that Kiva Card to your basket.
If you'd like to purchase and personalize multiple Kiva Cards, simply repeat the process again and again until you've added all the Kiva Cards to your basket. When you've added all your Kiva Cards to your basket, click the "Add to Basket and Checkout" button to begin the checkout process.
I don't live in the United States. Is my donation to Kiva's operating expenses tax-deductible?
Kiva is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We don't have tax-deductible status in any other countries at this time. You should consult a tax professional to see if your donation to Kiva's operating expenses may be eligible for a tax deductible in your country.
How did Kiva get started?
The best way to learn about how Kiva got started is to read the following two articles, both written by our Co-Founder, Matt Flannery. These papers are available here:
Kiva and the Birth of Person-to-Person Microfinance: https://www.kiva.org/cms/files/INNOV0201_flannery_kiva.pdf
Kiva at Four: https://www.kiva.org/cms/files/INNOV-SKOLL-2009_flannery.pdf
Does Kiva charge a fee when I lend?
Kiva does not charge a lending fee and 100% of the funds lent are used to support loans to the borrowers you select. We support our operations through optional donations that our lenders voluntarily make in addition to their loans. In fact, every $1 donated to Kiva's operating expenses has led to the site raising approximately $8 in loans.
When you checkout on Kiva, you'll see an optional donation to Kiva of 15% automatically added to your basket. If you'd like to change this donation amount, you can do this on the "Basket" page by clicking the "Edit" link below the donation amount. If you'd like to support Kiva by making a donation at any other time, you can do so here: kiva.org/about/donate
How does Kiva’s repayment system work?
Kiva’s repayment system is designed to accurately reflect the way that our Field Partners collect funds from borrowers in the field.
When one of Kiva’s Field Partners uploads a borrower’s loan request to Kiva, they set the anticipated repayment dates for the loan and the date that the loan is set to be disbursed to the borrower. Our Field Partners have until the end of the month that each anticipated repayment is due to let Kiva know whether or not they actually collected the repayment. Once we have all of this information, we use it to generate a bill to charge our Field Partners for all of the repayments they collected that month.
Because we work on a net billing system with our partners, it means that for any given month we subtract the amount of repayments that a partner owes to lenders from the amount that a partner fundraises for new loans on the Kiva website.
If the balance is positive, that means that the Field Partner has raised more than they need to repay, and we use those funds to credit lender account with the repayments due and send the remaining amount to the Field Partner via wire transfer.
If the balance is negative, then the Field Partner has 30 days to send us a payment for the balance. As soon as we receive that payment, we use those funds to credit lenders account with the repayments due.
Once the repayment is made into a lender's Kiva account, they can choose to relend the funds, donate them to Kiva’s operating expenses, purchase a Kiva Card or withdraw them into a PayPal account.
Please note that Kiva's repayment system doesn't take into account transactions between the Field Partner and the borrower that do not involve Kiva, such as interest payments, fees paid or any mandatory savings.
Will I receive updates about the borrowers I have supported?
You may receive updates throughout the loan term about the progress of the borrowers you've supported. We encourage Field Partners to write updates on a regular basis, knowing that lenders enjoy getting updates on their loans.
As we want to support our Field Partners in their primary function of working with and supporting the borrowers on the ground, we don't require updates to be sent.
You can check the journaling rate of a given Field Partner on their partner page, to get a sense of how frequently a partner shares loan updates with lenders: kiva.org/partners
Another place to read updates and stories from the field is on our blog: kiva.org/updates/kiva
Can I donate funds instead of lending funds to a borrower?
Kiva's lending process is designed to accommodate loans and not donations. This means that all funding requests posted to Kiva are considered loans, and there isn't a way to donate the funds to a borrower or request that they not be required to repay your portion of the loan he or she received.
Our hope is that once you've been repaid, you'll use those funds again to make even more loans on Kiva -- helping to reach even more borrowers around the world.
Was my transaction successful?
When you successfully complete a transaction, you'll receive an email receipt confirming your purchase.
You can also sign into your Kiva account at any time to view your transaction history or to view the loans you've made. To view your transaction history, simply sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/transactions. To view the loans you've made, go to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans.
Do Kiva borrowers pay any interest on their loans?
Yes, most borrowers on Kiva do pay interest to Kiva’s local Field Partners in some form. Kiva and Kiva lenders do not receive interest on Kiva loans.
Field Partners collect interest from borrowers because there are many expenses associated with providing small loans in developing markets, especially in rural areas. Many of Kiva’s Field Partners also provide additional services with loans, including training, financial literacy classes or health services.
Kiva will not partner with an organization that charges unreasonable interest rates, and we require Field Partners to fully disclose their rates. Kiva only partners with organizations and microfinance institutions that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked and underserved.
There are some 0% interest loans on Kiva, including all direct loans, which are loans that are not made through a Field Partner.
To learn more about the interest rates Kiva borrowers pay, look at the "Average cost to borrower" field.
What's a Field Partner?
Kiva is able to reach more borrowers and some of the most remote places in the world through our global network of Field Partners. These partners are local organizations working in communities to vet borrowers, disbursing loans, collecting repayments, provide services and otherwise administer Kiva loans on the ground to borrowers.
Our Field Partners are nonprofit organizations, microfinance institutions, schools, social enterprises and more. Many provide services with their loans, such as entrepreneurial training and literacy skills.Field Partners all share one thing in common: the desire to improve people’s lives through safe, fair access to credit.
You can see a list of our Field Partners here: kiva.org/partners
Can I lend or donate in someone's memory?
Kiva doesn't have a way to make a loan in honor of someone else, but Kiva lenders have come up with a variety of ways to use Kiva for memorials.
One great idea is to start a lending team as a memorial fund.
To create a team, please go to: kiva.org/teams. Click the orange "Start a New Team" button at the top of the page and you'll be directed to a page where you can create a memorial lending team.
What is a lending team?
Lending teams are self-organized groups built around common interests, school affiliation or location. Kiva lenders who wish to lend as a group can form a lending team. Team members continue to lend as individuals, but they can track their corporate impact together as a group. To browse all the lending teams on Kiva, go to: kiva.org/teams
Do I have to sign in with Facebook?
When signing into a Kiva account, we allow the option to sign in using Facebook. If you do not have a Facebook account or don't wish to use it to sign into your Kiva account, you can always sign in using your email address and Kiva password.
To sign in without using Facebook go to kiva.org/login. Just enter in your email address and Kiva password and click the blue "Sign In" button to sign into your Kiva account.
Why can't I sign into my account?
Account sign in issues usually occur due to password or email address issues. First, please be sure that the email address you are entering is the one that you used when registered for your account. If you know the email address you used, but can't remember your password, try using the "Forget your password?" link on the sign in page to reset your password.
What are Kiva Cards and how do they work?
A Kiva Card is a hybrid gift product that combines elements of both the ability to make a microloan and an automatic charitable donation. When you give a Kiva Card, you give someone else the chance to make a loan to a borrower who inspires them. When their loan is repaid, they can use those funds again and again to make even more loans on Kiva. If the recipient does not use their Kiva Card within 12 months of the purchase date, the funds will automatically be converted into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses.
To learn more about Kiva Cards, please visit: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards
Does Kiva have any open positions?
We appreciate your interest in working at Kiva!
We post information on all open positions here: kiva.org/jobs
Can I withdraw funds to my credit card or bank account?
Because PayPal processes all of Kiva's financial transactions, our standard process is to send funds from your Kiva account to a PayPal account. Kiva is not able to deposit the funds into your personal bank account directly, however, once the funds are back in your PayPal account you can transfer them into a bank account.
If you do not have a PayPal account, please create one PayPal account at: paypal.com
For questions about setting up a PayPal account, please visit PayPal's help center (paypal.com/help) or contact their customer team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
How does Kiva choose its Field Partners?
Kiva partners with a range of organizational types, including microfinance institutions (MFIs), social businesses, school and nonprofit organizations. These organizations are united by a strong commitment to serving the needs of poor, vulnerable and/or excluded populations, either through financial services or by using credit to expand access to beneficial products and services. You can read a bit more about the ways we're looking to create opportunity around the world through our partners on our blog here: blog.kiva.org/2013/02/28/catalytic-loans-how-kiva-is-pushing-boundaries-to-make-loans-do-more
In summary, all Kiva Field Partners must, at minimum:
--Display a strong commitment to serving the needs of poor, vulnerable, and/or excluded populations.
--Operate an existing lending program with portfolio quality that is in line with market context and industry standards, or be prepared and legally able to set up a lending program.
--Provide a specific proposal for using Kiva’s capital to fund loans with a) high social or environmental impact, and b) pricing that is in line with market context and industry standards.
--Be able to post at least $50,000 USD in loans in the first 12 months on the Kiva website, with capacity to grow in subsequent years.
--Have assets or operating revenues of at least $100,000 USD.
--Be able to legally accept and repay US Dollar debt capital and manage currency risk.
--Be legally registered in its country of operation.
For more information about how Kiva selects organizations to work with, check out these pages of our website:
kiva.org/partners/info
kiva.org/about/risk
kiva.org/about/socialperformance
kiva.org/labs
Can you alert me when a particular type of loan becomes available?
Kiva has a feature which allows lenders to be notified when loans matching certain criteria become available to support. This is part of our saved search functionality.
To sign up to be alerted when new loans are posted to Kiva matching a specific criteria, you'll need to first save a search for that criteria. To do so, go to: kiva.org/lend and use the search filters to search for loans according to your preferences. On the top of the search page, click "Save this search". This will pop up a light box where you can save that search. You'll also see a checkbox where you can opt into receiving emails when new loans matching that search become available.
To manage your saved searches and corresponding email alerts, you can go to: kiva.org/lend/saved-search or use the drop-down menu on the Lend tab and click on "saved searches" under "My Kiva".
If you're looking for a particular type of loan and there isn't anything available right now, please continue to check back. New loans are being posted every day!
Why are there so few women borrowers fundraising on Kiva right now?
At Kiva we rely on our Field Partners to upload loan requests to Kiva's website. Loans to women tend to be more popular than loans to men, and therefore faster. This means that sometimes the demand for these loans outpaces our Field Partners' ability to upload these loan requests, and when this happens, you may not see the type of loans you want or as many loans to women borrowers. The great news is that our Field Partners upload new loans every day, so please keep checking back.
Does Kiva prohibit certain businesses from fundraising on Kiva?
At Kiva, we trust our Field Partners to determine whether or not a loan request is appropriate. Generally, we only prohibit loans for business activities that are illegal in the country of origin or loans that, though legal, violate major UN conventions.
We trust our Field Partners to make these decisions because they are familiar with the communities and cultures where borrowers live and work. Whereas, a loan might seem offensive to 1 person, it may be perfectly reasonable in another cultural context.
We understand that some lenders may not wish to fund particular loans on the Kiva website, so we recommend that lenders exercise their consumer choice in selecting loans that are in line with their values and preferences. If a loan does not receive funding, our partners will know that they shouldn't post loans of that nature in the future (as all loan requests expire after 30 days if not fully funded).
Why did I receive a receipt from PayPal when I used my credit card?
PayPal processes all of Kiva's online financial transactions, so you will receive a receipt from PayPal confirming payment, regardless of whether you pay with a personal credit card or with funds from a PayPal account.
Can I help translate Kiva's website into another language?
We'd love to translate Kiva into other languages besides English as our staff grows and we have capacity to take on this engineering task. However, right now a localization effort is too much for Kiva to take on, so we don't support other language sites.
If you'd like to help translate Kiva loan profiles, you can apply to volunteer as part of the Kiva Translation Program. To find out more information about this opportunity, go to: kiva.org/volunteer
How do I unsubscribe from team messages?
You can edit your email preferences with Kiva, including team messages, by signing into your account and going to: kiva.org/settings/email
On this page you'll see checkboxes and drop-down menus for each of our email lists. Uncheck the boxes for the emails you're no longer interested in receiving, and select your email settings from the drop-down menus.
To set your email settings differently for different lending teams, click "Show Per-team Settings." This will allow you to edit your preference on a per-team basis. When you're done, click "Save email settings" to save your changes.
How does my bonus or free credit differ from Kiva credit?
Any bonus or free credit you receive is funded by a sponsor and can only be used to make loans. Unlike Kiva credit, bonus funds typically have an expiration date and cannot be withdrawn or donated to Kiva’s operating expenses. Also, any repayments of loans made using a bonus or free credit will go back to the sponsor, not to you as the lender.
How do I change the name associated with my Kiva account?
To change the name associated with your Kiva account or displayed on your public lender page, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/account
Why isn't Kiva working in a certain country?
Kiva’s priority is to work in the developing world and to reach people who, were it not for Kiva, wouldn't have any access to microloans. Kiva currently works with Field Partners in more than 80 countries and hopes to eventually operate in every country in the world. To find a list of the countries where Kiva operates, please visit: kiva.org/partners
If Kiva doesn’t work in a particular country, it could be due to one of the following issues:
-- Restrictive government policies
-- Banking regulations (which sometimes don't allow money to flow in and out of the country on a monthly basis, making it difficult for the Kiva model to work)
-- Kiva hasn't been able to identify a viable Field Partner who matches our partnership criteria
-- Unstable political climate
Why am I not given the option to checkout as a PayPal guest?
If you're having trouble trying to pay as a PayPal guest using your credit card, it may be due to one of the following reasons:
– You may reside in a country that does not offer guest checkout. For more information about what payment options are available in your country, please go to: paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-country-functionality-outside
– You have exceeded your guest checkout limit – PayPal allows users to checkout as a guest a maximum of 15 times, with a spending limit of $4,000. After you have reached this limit, you will be required to open a PayPal account to complete a payment on Kiva's website.
To get more information about why you aren't given the option to checkout as a PayPal guest using your credit card to pay for your Kiva loans, please contact PayPal at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. They should be able to provide you with more detailed information about why you aren't given the guest checkout option.
How do I cancel a monthly PayPal subscription to Kiva?
To cancel your monthly subscription for Kiva, please follow these steps:
1. Log in to your PayPal account at paypal.com
2. Click on the gear icon on the upper right of the page3. On the profile page, select the "Payments" tab
4. Click on "Preapproved Payments"
5. Select "Active" from the drop down menu and click "Go" to see all your active subscriptions
6. Click on "Kiva User Funds" to be taken to the "details" page. There you can cancel the scheduled payments.
You should receive a confirmation email from PayPal of the cancellation once it is complete.
How does Kiva define default?
In microfinance, it's common to try to reschedule loans in delinquency and default in order to accommodate the eventual repayment of the loan. At Kiva, we define default (non-repayment) as: the time when Kiva determines that collection of funds from a borrower or partner is doubtful, or the cumulative amount repaid as of a quarterly reconciliation is less than the amount expected as of 180 days prior and there have been no repayments reported to Kiva during this time. Kiva typically processes defaults on a quarterly basis for partner loans and on a monthly basis for direct loans, however case by case exceptions may be made future repayments are expected to be made on the loan. Field Partners also have the option to default loans at any time, should they determine that further collection of loan repayments from the borrower is unlikely.
When a Kiva loan defaults, we notify all contributing lenders by email.
How can my classroom lend?
We're so excited when educators and teachers want to involve Kiva in their classroom. If you aren't familiar with our Kiva U program, we definitely recommend you check it out. This page of our website has great ideas and resources for students and educators interested in getting involved with Kiva: kiva.org/do-more/kivau
How does auto lending work?
Kiva's auto lending tool ensures that you never have unused credit sitting idle in your Kiva account when it could be supporting a Kiva borrower. When you turn on auto lending, our system automatically makes loans for you using the Kiva credit already in your account. The loans it makes are only triggered by another lender making a loan to a borrower that matches your auto lending preferences. This puts your idle credit to work, but ensures that people are still the driving force behind the loans made.
Please note, Kiva's system is set up to give precedent to active lending over auto lending. Depending on the supply of fundraising loans and the demand by active lenders, the amount of auto loans being made at any given time can go up or down. This also means that for popular loans or very specific loan types, there is a chance that when a loan is posted to our site it could be fully funded by active lenders, even if that loan matches your auto lending preferences.
Auto lending also takes into account recent loan activity when selecting what account to auto lend funds from, using funds from accounts that have been inactive for longer periods of time. This means that if you are actively lending to other loans with your account, other accounts with similar auto lending preferences that have been inactive for longer may have their funds lent out before yours. However, your credit should eventually be lent out according to your preferences.
Please note, we are unable to refund any loans that are made through auto lending.
How does Kiva ensure that loans aren't over-indebting borrowers?
At Kiva we take very seriously the concerns surrounding over-indebtedness and client protection of microfinance borrowers. As an organization we have chosen to direct our resources to foster responsible microfinance at all of our Field Partners around the world, and do so through due diligence, monitoring and staffing. A great place to read more about our efforts and approach is on our website here: kiva.org/about/socialperformance
Kiva seeks to partner with organizations that have a strong social mission, and when conducting due diligence on potential Field Partners, we favor organizations that excel in:
--Client protection, especially regarding the prevention of over-indebtedness, fair and transparent pricing, good collection practices and the security of
client information;
--Targeting and outreach that ensures vital services reach the unbanked, the under-served and the poor;
--Innovative loan products, savings and non-financial services specifically tailored to the needs of the target group;
--Measuring outcomes in the lives of client borrowers and savers.
Many of the partners are chosen because in addition to lending money, they also
offer services such as savings, financial literacy training and empowerment
programs.
Kiva has also conducted social audits at all of our active Field Partners to ensure that we (and they) understand their strengths and weaknesses in reaching excluded people with their products and services. Kiva's Field Partners include both for-profit and not-for-profit institutions and all must have interest rates that are comparable to other institutions in their region.
Kiva has also chosen to endorse and promote the Smart Campaign's Client Protection Principles (smartcampaign.org/about/smart-microfinance-and-the-client-protection-principles), an industry-wide initiative to establish a baseline for responsible microfinance. To post loans on Kiva, all Field Partners must endorse the campaign (or provide justification for why their standards effectively meet the same requirements).
Lastly, one third of Kiva's staff is responsible for selecting, servicing and monitoring our Field Partners. This investment of resources reflects Kiva's commitment to working with the right organizations. Furthermore, Kiva staff themselves are selected from a competitive pool to ensure excellence, accountability and commitment to Kiva's social mission.
How do I join a lending team?
You can join a lending team by going to: kiva.org/teams
This page will display a list of all Kiva lending teams. Use the search box to search teams and find one you're interested in joining. If the team you’re interested in is open to all Kiva lenders, click “Join Team." If the team is closed, click “Request to Join" to send a request to the team captain. Once the team captain approves your request to join the team, you'll receive an email confirming your membership to that team.
If you'd like to join a team but aren't sure where to get started, you can check out the Welcome to Kiva team by going to: kiva.org/team/welcome_to_kiva
How can I share my loans on Facebook?
When you make a loan on Kiva, you'll be given the option to share your loans on Facebook. When you get to the "Thank You" (or receipt) page after you've made your loan, you'll see a section entitled "Lending with friends is more impactful." which has a number of icons that will allow you to share your loans on social media. Click the blue Facebook icon and you'll see a window where you can share your loan on Facebook.
If you accidentally leave this page, you can click the "Order Summary" link in your receipt email to be directed back this receipt page, where you'll be given the opportunity again to share your loans.
Is it possible to set up a group account?
Kiva does not differentiate between group accounts and individual accounts. If you wish to create a Kiva account for your group, when registering for your Kiva account enter the group's name instead of your name in the "First Name" and "Last Name" fields.
Why is the loan listed for a woman when the description says the it's for her husband?
There are some microfinance institutions who make loans to women for use by the entire family for the purpose of supporting the entire family's business. In many of the communities in which our Field Partners operate, women have no role at all in the family business. As such, in order to help empower these women, the Field Partner will lend money to a woman to help grow her family's business. Even if her husband runs the business, the woman then becomes the money manager for the business and is the one responsible for the loan - making repayments and applying for any future loans.
This can give a women something that she may have never had before - a direct role in the family business. Many of these women, after establishing a good repayment history can even use this history to get a loan of their own and work to establish their own businesses.
If I order a Kiva Card to be mailed to me, how long should it take?
Kiva Cards take 7 to 10 business days to be mailed to you after they are ordered. If you ordered your Kiva Card more than 10 business days ago, please email contactus@kiva.org, and we can request a reshipment of your Kiva Card.
Why does Kiva work with Strathmore University?
To learn more about our partnership with Strathmore University in Kenya, please check out this Q&A and blog posts:
blog.kiva.org/faqs/strathmore-qa
blog.kiva.org/faqs/oct-9-strathmore-update
blog.kiva.org/kivablog/2013/08/28/an-open-letter-about-kiva-and-strathmore
How can I sign into my existing account with Facebook?
To connect your existing Kiva account with your Facebook account, go to kiva.org/login and click the “Sign in with Facebook” button
If you're already signed into Facebook, you'll be prompted to allow Kiva to access your Facebook account. Click “Allow” and your Facebook account will be automatically linked to your Kiva account. If you're not already signed into your Facebook account, you'll be asked to sign into Facebook to connect your Facebook account with your Kiva account.
If your email associated with your Facebook account is different than your email associated with your Kiva account, you’ll see a screen asking you to confirm your Kiva email address and password. Type in your Kiva email and password and click “Connect.”
To edit your Facebook settings or disconnect your accounts, just sign into Kiva and go to: kiva.org/settings/facebook
Can I contact a Field Partner?
Kiva prefers that all lenders work through Kiva to resolve any Field Partner related issues.
Some of Kiva's Field Partners have limited access to the internet, may not speak English and/or have a very small number of staff members. For these reasons, it may be difficult for a partner to respond directly to your inquiry.
Kiva has established contacts at each of our partners to help us work more quickly and efficiently to resolve any concerns that you may have.
To learn more about Kiva's Field Partners, visit their partner pages here: kiva.org/partners
Can I retroactively give someone credit for inviting me to Kiva?
Yes, you can give credit to someone for inviting you to join Kiva even after you've created your Kiva account. To do so, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/invites. Click the link that says "Invited to Kiva by a friend?" and you'll see a window where you can enter in your friend's email address or the lender page URL (i.e. www.kiva.org/lender/kivastaff) and click "Submit."
What loans can I make with my bonus?
Most loans on Kiva can be funded with a bonus, however, bonus funds cannot be applied to direct loans or those with repayment terms over 21 months or with Field Partner risk ratings below 3 stars. To find loans that match these criteria, please use this link: ow.ly/axuF3024Nsx
How do I disconnect my Kiva account from Facebook?
If you've linked your Kiva and Facebook accounts, you can disconnect them by signing into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/facebook
On this page you'll see a button that says "Disconnect from Facebook." If you push this button, your accounts will be disconnected.
Can I visit Kiva's headquarters?
We wish we could accommodate visitors in the Kiva office, but we are a relatively small staff and do not offer formal tours. If you have any specific questions about our organization, please visit our Help Center or email us directly at contactus@kiva.org
Why does my PayPal receipt say that my Kiva Card will be shipped?
The receipt provided by PayPal lists a shipping address as a default setting, even if you didn't opt to have a Kiva Card sent via postal mail.
The correct delivery method for your Kiva Card purchase will be noted on your receipt from email. You can also sign into your Kiva account to find or confirm this information. To do so, just go to: kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards
Next to each Kiva Card you will see the delivery method noted. If the Kiva Card was mailed, it will display "Intended for" and the mailing address that you provided for the gift. The mailing address you see there is where the Kiva Card will be sent. Also, please note that regardless of the original delivery method, you can print a copy of any unused Kiva Card directly from this page in your portfolio.
Repayment schedule
The loan's repayment schedule describes the frequency with which repayments on the loan. It can be any of the following:
Monthly - One repayment made per month
At end of term - One repayment made at the end of the loan term
Irregularly - Any other repayment schedule
To see a detailed repayment schedule for a loan, please click the "Repayment Schedule" link on the loan profile.
Can I lend more than $25?
Yes, Kiva lenders have the option to lend any amount in increments of $25 to a borrower. On each loan profile you'll see a blue pull-down box under the borrower's name, which gives you different options for how much you want to lend. This defaults to $25, but if you click on it, you can select a different amount. Select the amount you wish to lend and click "Lend Now" to add the loan to your basket.
If you'd like to lend more than $500, add any loan amount to your basket, proceed to checkout and on the My Basket page you'll see another pull-down box that will allow you to contribute up to the total amount left.
When I pay through PayPal, is PayPal taking a fee?
Kiva is the first organization that PayPal has supported by providing free payment processing. This support saves Kiva approximately 1 million dollars each year, helping us to keep our operating expenses low and send 100% of lenders' loan contributions to the field.
Lenders outside the United States may be charged a fee to convert their local currency into US dollars, Kiva's working currency.
How do I turn off auto lending?
To turn off auto lending, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Under the "Auto lending" section, de-select the checkmark next to "Automatically lend my Kiva credit" and click the "Save auto lending settings" button below to save your changes.
Why was my withdrawal blocked?
Kiva's system blocks withdrawals for a variety of reasons, mainly to protect lender accounts against fraud. Being that Kiva transacts money via the internet, we have put in place numerous filters to ensure money is sent to its intended destination. At times our filters flag transactions that have little or no indication of fraud, but more as a security measure.
As far as recommendations, our system often blocks withdrawals when Kiva credit has not been lent out in full (see: Kiva Withdrawal Policy for more information). This means if you've deposited funds into your Kiva account but haven't lent them out in full, there's a good chance your withdrawal will be blocked. Also, if you are attempting to withdraw funds from your Kiva account to multiple PayPal accounts our system flags this as well.
Can I buy a product made by the borrower I lend to?
Unfortunately, we are unable to facilitate the purchase of goods produced by most borrowers at this time, as we don't have the infrastructure in place to manage this process.
We do have a Kiva Store, which is a partnership with our Field Partner, NOVICA. This site allow for the purchase of Kiva gear and also products made by artisans around the world, many of which are Kiva borrowers. To learn more, please visit: store.kiva.org
Can I automatically deposit funds into my account each month?
Kiva has a subscription feature which allows lenders to make automatic monthly deposits into their Kiva accounts. To add a subscription, please sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Under the section entitled "Monthly subscriptions," enter in the amount you'd like to deposit and/or donate to Kiva's operating expenses every month. Click "save monthly subscription" and proceed to PayPal to enter in your payment details.
Please note that you will need a PayPal account to enable a monthly deposit into Kiva.
Can I make a loan in a currency besides the US dollar?
Kiva's working currency is the US dollar, so all loans on Kiva's site are posted in USD amounts. If you live outside of the United States, you can pay using your local currency, but your funds will be changed to USD before being sent to Kiva. Kiva hopes to one day work to internationalize our site, but until then, all lending will occur in US dollars.
How can I confirm if my loan was matched?
To confirm whether a loan you supported was matched, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans
If your loan was matched by a sponsor, you'll see a "x2" icon noted next to the loan on this page.
What is Kiva's EIN / Tax ID number?
Kiva's EIN or Tax ID number is 71-0992446.
My Kiva Card converted into a donation, can you change it back so I can use it for loans?
Kiva Cards are a hybrid gift product which combines elements of both the ability to make a microloan and an automatic, delayed, charitable donation. That means that if a Kiva Card isn't redeemed to make a loan within 12 months of the purchase date, it will automatically be converted into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses.
Unfortunately once a Kiva Card is converted into a donation, there is no way to reverse this donation or apply those funds toward a loan on Kiva's website. Please be assured that these funds are still being put to good use, as today every $1 donated to Kiva helps our site raise over $8 in loans.
For more information, please visit the Kiva Card terms and conditions: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards/terms
Why does Kiva allow loans to be posted when they're for non-sustainable farming methods?
While the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides isn't necessarily an environmentally friendly practice or proven to be the most sustainable method of farming, we allow borrowers who use these types of products to be posted on Kiva because it's such a normal and necessary practice in many parts of the developing world. Until cheap, sustainable ways of growing and harvesting crops are more common in these regions, people are likely to continue using these products and farming methods. This issue introduces a much greater development challenge that Kiva can't take on alone, but we certainly hope that sustainable methods of farming will become more commonplace in the developing world in the future.
We have a sector on our website for "Green" loans, which may help you to better find borrowers whose activities are related to sustainable farming methods, solar power, wind power, biofuels or energy efficiency. As we grow we hope to continue to expand our green loan offerings so there will be more loans for organic and sustainable farming on Kiva.
If you know of any organizations working in the area of sustainable agriculture who you think would make a great Kiva Field Partner please encourage them to check out our partner criteria and apply online at: kiva.org/partners/info
How can I make my account anonymous?
Once you've created a Kiva account you can change the visibility of your public lender page by going to: kiva.org/settings/account
Use the checkbox next to the words "Make my page and loans public" to select whether you want your account to be public or anonymous. Once you've done so, click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
What are "Islamic Finance" or Sharia-compliant Muslim loans?
A key tenet of Islam is the prohibition of interest in the lending or accepting of money. This prohibition is based on the belief that money should be seen only as a medium of exchange and that it has no value in itself.
A few of Kiva's Field Partners who work in predominately Muslim communities have developed a sharia-compliant loan product, adapting the loan terms to fit this cultural context by attaching a 0% interest rate to the loan. In order to cover its costs, these partners do charge a servicing fee. The amount you see fundraising on Kiva includes both the principal loan and the loan servicing fee. As with all Kiva loans, you should expect to have your funds returned to you in accordance with the repayment schedule attached to this loan.
To help lenders find these loans, they are tagged with the "Islamic Finance" loan attribute, and if a loan is sharia-compliant this will be noted on the loan profile under "Additional information about this loan."
To learn more about why Kiva supports Islamic microfinance and how these loans are structurally different than other Kiva loans, I'd encourage you to check out this blog: kiva.org/updates/kiva/2012/05/01/kivas-approach-to-lending-and-islamic.html
I live in Singapore. Why can I not pay for my loans using PayPal?
Due to a policy change, PayPal in Singapore no longer accepts payments directed to non-profit organizations and charities registered outside the country, such as Kiva.
I'm very sorry for the trouble that this may cause, and how it may impact your ability to lend on Kiva going forward. If you'd like to learn more about this change, PayPal has created a webpage to help address any concerns and questions you may have: paypal.com.sg/charity
Given that we do not offer any alternative online payment options for adding funds into a Kiva account, if you would like to submit payment offline, you can mail Kiva a check. To do so, please write your check payable to "Kiva Microfunds" and on the back of the check write the email address associated with your Kiva account.
Mail the check to:
Kiva
Attn: Maria Zaldivar
875 Howard Street, Suite 340
San Francisco, CA 94103USA
Can I be a Kiva lender if I reside outside the United States?
Kiva accepts lenders from anywhere in the world and love seeing our lender community grow around the globe.
When you checkout on Kiva, you will be directed to PayPal to complete payment of your purchase, and PayPal provides Kiva with free payment processing. If you reside outside of the United States, there may be limitations on what payment options are provided depending on your country of residence. You also may be charged a currency conversion fee. To learn more, please visit: paypal.com/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide
How does Kiva fund its operations?
Self-sustainability is critical to Kiva. We don't take a cut of any of the loans made on our website, and we don't charge interest to our Field Partners on the funds that we send them.
We support ourselves primarily through the support of our lender community, who can choose to make optional donations in addition to the loans they make. We also raise funds through grants, interest earned on our bank accounts, corporate sponsors and foundations. To learn more, check out: kiva.org/donate
We are incredibly thankful for all of this support, which helps us keep our site up and running and facilitating loans around the globe.
How are the borrowers chosen?
Kiva's Field Partners work locally and choose the borrowers whose loans are posted on the Kiva website. Each Field Partner uses their own application vetting process to choose which loans to make. This application process has been reviewed by Kiva to confirm that the organization has the ability to handle Kiva's funds responsibly.
For more information, please visit our Risk and Due Diligence page here: kiva.org/about/risk
Why is a man pictured if the loan says it's for a woman?
Some Kiva borrowers live in conservative areas in which women are not comfortable having their photographs on the internet. In order to honor female borrowers' modesty and protect their privacy, we allow a family member to be pictured on their loan profile. The loan will be used by the borrower described, rather than by the man pictured. In these cases, information about why a male family member is being picture should be described in the loan description.
Can I help Kiva while I travel?
Right now, Kiva doesn't have a way for you to volunteer with us while you're on vacation. But if you're interested in longer-term ways of becoming involved with Kiva, please visit: kiva.org/volunteer
Can I support the same borrower more than once?
We're always grateful for lenders who want to continue to support borrowers they've supported in the past.
Borrowers may take out a successive or concurrent loans on Kiva, and when they do, we encourage our Field Partners to use a feature called relisting to post them to Kiva's website. This feature not only helps Field Partners post loans more efficiently, but has benefits for lenders as well. When a loan is relisted, lenders who've previously made a loan to that borrower will be notified via email that a borrower they've supported has a new fundraising loan.
Why does Kiva lend funds to borrowers in the United States?
At Kiva, we believe that access to safe, affordable capital can help enable people work towards their dreams and create better lives for themselves and their communities. This is true for people all around the world. While an entrepreneur in the United States may appear to have access to many financial resources and options, this isn't always true. Many people in the U.S. today are still excluded from traditional funding sources like banks, and are unable to access the capital they need to grow or start their business. And the need for new solutions is great: there are 46.7 million people living in poverty in the U.S. and income inequality has been growing for decades (see: cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/a-guide-to-statistics-on-historical-trends-in-income-inequality) Kiva has facilitated loans to borrowers in the U.S. since 2009, and in 2016 our direct lending program became our main strategy for impact in the U.S. We pride ourselves on working with people from all different backgrounds, from the formerly incarcerated to veterans, immigrants and sustainable food producers. Our hope is that by providing these entrepreneurs with access to affordable capital, they'll be able to grow their businesses and their credit history, so they can access more traditional loans in the future. That said, we know and respect that lenders have different preferences for how they want to use their money on Kiva. We encourage all lenders to direct their funds toward loans that align with where they want to make an impact, locally or abroad.
Can I forgive loans to borrowers who have been affected by a natural disaster?
Kiva's lending process is designed to accommodate loans and not donations, so all funding requests posted on Kiva are considered loans.
Lenders often want to know if they can help borrowers who have been affected by natural disasters by forgiving their Kiva loans. While this offer is very kind and generous, unfortunately there isn't a way to request that a borrower not be required to repay your portion of the loan he or she received. Instead, at Kiva we rely on our Field Partners to let us know which borrowers are affected in the event of a natural disaster. If a borrower that you've supported has been affected by a natural disaster and no longer has the ability to repay the loan, the Field Partner that administers that loan should notify you by email with an update.
What is inactive credit?
Kiva accounts are considered inactive if they haven't been used or modified for 24 or more consecutive months. That means all it takes to keep your account active is to simply sign in. Any time you receive a repayment or sign into your account, we consider that activity.
Why am I getting an error on the withdrawal form?
When you withdraw funds, we ask you to provide the email address associated with the PayPal account you'd like us to send funds to.
After entering in the amount you'd like to withdraw, you will need to enter in the exact same email address in the next two fields, "PayPal account" and "Confirm Account". If you do not enter the same email address in both fields, our system will return an error that says "Email addresses do not match."
How do I quit a lending team?
If you want to quit a lending team that you're a member of, simply sign into your account and go to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
On this page you’ll see a list of all of the teams that you're a member of. Find the team you'd like to leave, click the triangle next to it and then click “Quit Team” to quit the team.
Please note, you cannot quit a team that you are the captain of unless you have already bestowed captainhood on another team member.
Can I deposit funds into my account and lend them later?
Yes, you can add funds into your Kiva account at any time by going to: kiva.org/portfolio/credit/deposit
Enter the amount you'd like to add and click "Checkout with PayPal" to proceed through the payment process. Once you’ve completed payment you'll be directed back to Kiva's website and your Kiva credit will appear in your account.
Please note, Kiva also has the option to set up a monthly deposit into your Kiva account. For more information, please visit: kiva.org/settings/credit
I received a journal update with an incorrect translation. Can you translate it?
The updates on borrowers that come from our Field Partners are often written in the native language of our Field Partners' area of operation. Kiva doesn't have the capacity to translate all of the updates coming in from our Field Partners into English, so we use a machine-translation technology to do this for us. Unfortunately that means sometimes there may be errors or mistranslations, but we hope it'll give lenders a good idea of what the partner was trying get across in their update.
What is Kiva's phone number?
Kiva does not provide live phone support, but you can leave a message for our Community team at (828) 479-5482. However, because we have a small team, we're typically able to respond more quickly to email messages.
What is Kiva U?
Kiva U is Kiva's educational outreach program. Through experiential learning, digital collaboration and the power of human connection, Kiva U provides a platform for young people and educators to take action and change lives through microfinance. Check out the Kiva U website at: www.KivaU.org
At Kiva U, we envision a world where students and educators are empowered with the tools and opportunities to become informed, inspired, and mobilized global citizens. On the Kiva U site, you will find a number of toolkits that can be used by both teachers and students. There are also curricular materials for teachers, activities for student clubs, and even specialized activities for very young children.
You can connect with Kiva U through social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/KivaU/
Twitter: @Kiva_U
How do I set preferences for loans made through auto lending?
Kiva's auto lending tool will automatically select loans on the criteria that you set when you enable auto lending. To set these preferences and auto lending, go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Under the heading "Auto lending settings", you can select your criteria for auto lending. Currently there are options to set preferences by keyword, country, sector, gender, Field Partner, risk rating and repayment term. Once you've selected your criteria, click "Save auto lending settings" button to save your settings.
Please note, Kiva's system is set up to give precedent to active lending over auto lending. Depending on the supply of fundraising loans and the demand by active lenders, the amount of auto loans being made at any given time can go up or down. This means that for popular loans or very specific loan types, there's a chance that when a loan is posted to Kiva's website it could be fully funded by active lenders, even if that loan matches your auto lending settings.
How do I reclaim funds that have been sent to the state?
If you haven't signed into or modified your Kiva account for 2 years, we consider your Kiva account inactive. When an account becomes inactive, the inactivity settings will kick in. By default, if you don't have any inactivity settings enabled, we may subsequently be required to turn your Kiva Credit over to the applicable state government.
If this happens, Kiva will send you an email notifying you that we've turned over your credit. To reclaim your funds from the applicable state government, please visit this website: unclaimed.org
Can Kiva complete my matching request?
We appreciate offers to support Kiva through corporate matching opportunities. If you're curious if your company offers donation matching, check out this website: doublethedonation.com/kiva
Loans made through the Kiva website are not tax-deductible, as there is an expectation of repayment. This means we are unable to fulfill matching request forms for loans. However, donations made to Kiva's operating expenses are tax deductible in the U.S., as we are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit in the United States. This means we can complete matching request forms for donations.
If you would like Kiva to fill out a matching request form for your donations to Kiva, please send the form to:
Attn: Maria Zaldivar
Kiva Microfunds
875 Howard Street, Suite 340
San Francisco, CA 94103
You can also send the form as an attachment to: matchinggifts@kiva.org
My company has a product or technology to help Kiva or our partners on the ground.
As you may know, Kiva partners with existing organizations around the world, which we call our Field Partners. Our Field Partners are responsible for screening borrowers, disbursing loans, collecting repayments and otherwise administering Kiva loans on the ground in the countries in which they operate. You can see a list of our Field Partners here: kiva.org/partners
These organizations are truly local experts and the ones working to provide microloans and other empowerment programs to their clients. If you have a product or service that you think may be beneficial in their work, we encourage you to reach out to our Field Partners directly to see if they'd be interested in working with your organization to implement your product or service at their organization.
Why is Kiva not registered as a charity outside of the U.S.?
Kiva is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We'd like to eventually receive charitable or nonprofit status in other countries around the world, however do not have the staff team and resources at this time to invest in obtaining charity status in other countries.
Why do loan repayments come back to Kiva on dedicated loans?
Loan dedications were created to allow you to make 2 gifts for the price of one. When you dedicate a loan, you're able to both honor a friend or family member by supporting a loan in their name, and also support Kiva's work by making a donation toward our operating expenses, enabling us to reach even more borrowers worldwide.
How do I view or edit my public lender page?
To view (and/or edit) your public lender page on Kiva, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/account
Scroll down on the page to where it ways "My Lender Profile." To preview your lender page, click the link "View your lender page." You may also want to bookmark your lender page for easier access.
To edit the information displayed on your lender page, edit the information noted in this section and then click "Save profile info" to save your changes.
What if I can't enter my country details into PayPal's credit card form?
When you checkout on Kiva you'll be directed to PayPal's website to complete payment for your purchase.
On the PayPal site, you should see an option to pay with a debit or credit card. Click this option and you should be directed to a page where you can enter in your credit card information. Select your country from the drop down menu at the top of the page. Once you select your country, the fields will change to allow the proper data to be entered.
I'm a student and interested in promoting Kiva at my school. Can you help?
Thanks for your interest in supporting Kiva on your campus. Kiva is a great way to engage in poverty alleviation and learn how to make a big impact by supporting borrowers around the world.
Kiva's education outreach program, Kiva U, has lots of resources for students. You can visit Kiva U's website here: KivaU.org
On the Kiva U site you'll find toolkits and other materials for learning more about Kiva and microfinance, as well as some handy guides for starting a Kiva club or hosting an event at your school.
I'd also encourage you to start a lending team for your school. Lending teams are a great way to track the impact that your group is having on Kiva. To create a lending team for your school, go here: kiva.org/do-more/kivau/directory and click on "Start a New Team".
At Kiva U, we're here to support students and educators, so please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help out!
What is Kiva's mailing address?
Kiva is headquartered in San Francisco, and our mailing address is:
Kiva 875 Howard Street, Suite #340 San Francisco, CA 94103
Kiva also has small offices in both New York and Nairobi, and staff around the globe.
Kiva's New York office is located at: 394 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10013
Kiva's Nairobi office is located at: Hurlighum-Starwood Apartments, Apt. No. A4, Argwings Kodhek Road, P.O. Box 27603-00506 Nairobi
Do I have to register for a Kiva account in order to redeem the Kiva Card I received as a gift?
In order to make a loan to a borrower on Kiva using the Kiva Card you received as a gift, you will need to register for a Kiva account if you don't already have one. The funds from your Kiva Card are yours to use to support the loan of your choosing through your own account, and as the loan is repaid, repayments will be deposited back into your Kiva account (not that of the Kiva Card purchaser). At that point you can choose to relend the funds to another borrower, donate them to Kiva's operating expenses or withdraw them
into a PayPal account.
If you don't already have a Kiva account, please register for one at: kiva.org/register
If choose not to register for an account and redeem your Kiva Card, it will automatically be converted into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses 1 year after it was purchased, at which time a donation receipt will be sent to the purchaser.
Can I opt out of loans that pass on currency exchange loss to lenders?
Each Field Partner chooses whether or not to pass catastrophic currency losses on to Kiva lenders. As a lender, you have the option whether or not to support a loan where currency risk is possible. Information about whether or not there is a risk of a currency loss is provided in the “About the Loan” section on the loan profile page.
You can also use the filter under the category "Other" to find loans that aren't at risk of currency losses. To do so, select the box next to "Exclude loans w/ currency risk."
How will I receive repayments?
As repayments are made on your loans, they'll be returned to your account as Kiva credit. By default, you should also receive a monthly notification of your repayments.
Once funds are repaid to you, you can then choose to relend your credit, donate it to Kiva's operating expenses, or withdraw those funds into a PayPal account.
How do I save a search?
To save a search, go to: kiva.org/lend and use the search filters to find loans according to your preferences. On the top of the search page, click "Save this search". This will pop up a light box where you can save that search. You'll also see a checkbox where you can opt into receiving emails when new loans matching that search become available.
To manage your saved searches and corresponding email alerts, just go to: kiva.org/lend/saved-search
How do I include Kiva in my will, trust or estate planning?
We appreciate your interest in designating Kiva as a beneficiary in your will, trust or estate planning.
If you'd like to donate funds to Kiva's operating expenses, all you need to do is make note of this: Kiva's EIN or Tax ID number is 71-0992446.
If you'd prefer for funds to be lent out to borrowers in perpetuity, we encourage you to set up auto lending on your account. You can turn on auto lending by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/settings/credit
We also encourage you to assign someone to be the manager to your Kiva account in the instance that there are any issues or problems that arise with your account.
How do I edit my lending team’s details?
If you're the captain of a lending team, you can edit your team details (such as team name, photo, etc.). To do so, go to your team page and click the "Edit team info" button. Edit any of the information listed on the page and when you’re finished, click “Update” to save your edits.
What percentage of my loan goes to the borrower?
100% of the funds you contribute toward a loan go to support the borrowers that you choose. Kiva does not take a cut of the loans made on our website, but instead relies on donations from our lender community to help cover our operating expenses.
How can I invite my friends to Kiva?
Inviting your friends to join Kiva is easy. To do so, simply sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/invites
On this page you'll see a number of ways that you can invite your friends to Kiva: email, Facebook, Twitter, or by simply sharing your personal invite URL.
If you choose email, you will be given the opportunity to fill in the email addresses of those you wish to invite, and you are welcome to use the pre-written message or to write one yourself. If you choose Facebook or Twitter, you will be prompted to sign in to your account, and then be able to post an invitation.
What happens if a loan defaults?
In microfinance, it's common to try to reschedule delinquent loans in order to accommodate the eventual repayment of the loan, however despite efforts to be flexible sometimes loans end in default. At Kiva, we define default (non-repayment) as the time when Kiva determines that collection of funds from a borrower or partner is doubtful, or the cumulative amount repaid as of a quarterly reconciliation is less than the amount expected as of 180 days prior and there have been no repayments reported to Kiva during this time. .
When a loan is defaulted, we notify all contributing lenders by email and these lenders can consider the remaining amount outstanding as a loss.
I'm researching Kiva. Can you help me with my school project?
We're so glad to hear that you're interested in learning more about Kiva for your school project. Kiva's education outreach program, Kiva U, has lots of toolkits for students who are interested in learning about global poverty, microfinance, Kiva and other related topics. The Kiva U website (KivaU.org) is a great place to start!
You can also learn more about Kiva on our website here: kiva.org/about
kiva.org/about/history
kiva.org/partners
kiva.org/labs
As on any school project, don't forget to give credit to the sources that you use. (Ask your teacher if you have any questions about how to do this.)
We always love hearing from students about their finished projects, so please consider sharing what you do.
Good luck with your project!
Why didn't I receive an update about why a loan is delinquent?
We appreciate your interest in learning more about the status of your loans. The updates lenders receive about borrowers are written by staff at our Field Partners, and we highly encourage partners to post updates about how borrowers are doing. However, as we want to support our Field Partners in their primary function of working with and supporting the borrowers on the ground, we don't require them to do so.
One of the reasons why updates can be difficult to obtain is because many borrowers live in remote and difficult-to-reach locations, and the flow of information between borrower and Kiva can be lengthy and costly. A borrower may interact only with a loan officer, who would then need to report that information back to the branch manager, who would then have to report that information back to the Kiva Coordinator at the main office, who would then translate the information and post it to the Kiva website.
That said, if receiving updates about borrowers you support is important to you, you may want to support partners with a reputation for posting updates. You can check out the journaling rate of a Field Partner on their partner page to better understand a partner's history in posting updates on their loans: kiva.org/partners
The Kiva Card recipient won't use the gift and it's about to convert to a donation. What do I do?
If you send us the gift code associated with the Kiva Card that hasn't been used (you can find this at kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards), we can cancel it and return the funds to your Kiva account. You can then use those funds to purchase another Kiva Card or choose to lend them out yourself. To prevent confusion, we also recommend that you contact the original recipient of the Kiva Card to confirm that they don't want to use the Kiva Card before initiating a cancellation request.
Can I see Kiva's audited financials?
You can see Kiva's audited financials on our website at: kiva.org/about/finances
Does Kiva list the religious affiliation of Field Partners?
We don't currently have a spot on partner pages designated for any potential religious affiliation that an organization may have, although in reading more about these organization and checking out their website may help you determine if they have any type of religious affiliation.
What happens if my bonus expires without being used?
If a bonus is not redeemed within 7 days, it will expire. When a bonus expires the funds are returned to the bonus sponsor, and will be available to fund future bonuses.
Will my loans be repaid?
Lending on Kiva involves risk of principal loss and Kiva does not guarantee lenders that their loans will be repaid.
You can find Kiva's repayment rate to date here: kiva.org/about/due-diligence/risk
Please note, past repayment rates may not reflect future repayment rates or the likelihood of repayment on any particular loan.
By lending to multiple borrowers, rather than simply lending to one borrower, you may be able to increase the likelihood of repayment. For more information about how Kiva measures and manages risk, please visit our Due diligence section here: kiva.org/about/due-diligence
Can Kiva accept Bitcoin or other PayPal alternatives?
Currently Kiva uses PayPal to process all of our online payments, as they provide us with free payment processing, helping us to keep our operating expenses low. If you would like to use Bitcoin or other crypto currencies when transacting on Kiva, that would need to be an option provided by PayPal.
I don't believe PayPal currently accepts crypto currencies at this time, however you can confirm that and suggest it as a future currency option by calling their customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Can you cancel my loan purchase?
Unfortunately, once you've completed your loan purchase, Kiva is unable to issue a refund. Our Terms of Use (kiva.org/legal/terms) states that loans made on Kiva are not cancelable or refundable. If the loan is still fundraising, it's possible the loan may expire before fully fundraising, in which case all lenders who contributed to the loan will be refunded. Otherwise, you will likely receive repayments according to the loan's repayment schedule.
What happens to the funds from a Kiva Card if it isn't redeemed?
If a Kiva Card isn't redeemed within the first 12 months after the date of purchase, the funds from the Kiva Card will be automatically converted into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses.
When a Kiva Card converts into a donation, we send a notification email to the purchaser, along with a tax receipt.
Does Kiva mail physical Kiva Cards to recipients?
When you purchase a Kiva Card, you can choose a delivery method. There are options to print them out yourself, or have them emailed or mailed directly to the recipient. If you select the postal mail delivery method, a physical Kiva Card will be mailed to the recipient at the address you provide.
To purchase a Kiva Card to be delivered by mail, go to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards#/postal
How do I contact PayPal for assistance with their website?
If you have questions about your PayPal account, PayPal's customer service can be reached at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Where does Kiva work?
Kiva works in over 80 countries around the world. This work is made possible through a network of 300+ Field Partners plus a direct lending program in the United States. To find a list of the countries where our partners operate check out: kiva.org/about/where-kiva-works
How do I create a PayPal account?
To create a PayPal account, go to: paypal.com. Click "Sign Up" and follow the prompts to create a PayPal account.
If you have any issues in creating or updating your PayPal account, please visit PayPal's help center at paypal.com/help or try contacting their customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Can I post a borrower's photo or information on my own website?
We appreciate our lenders' interest in spreading the word about Kiva on their own websites, however we unfortunately cannot grant permission to copy borrower information or photos to external websites.
One of Kiva's values is respect, and for this reason, we are committed to respecting the privacy of all borrowers listed on our website. Borrowers have all signed a Kiva Client Waiver, which indicates that they are aware that their photo and story will be published on the Kiva website, but not anywhere else on the Internet. In order to show our borrowers the utmost respect, we must restrict borrower information to only being displayed on Kiva.
Instead of copying the information from Kiva onto your website, we encourage you to create a link to loan profiles on Kiva's website. This way, your website visitors can still read about these Kiva borrowers, but the information is being displayed in a way that the borrowers themselves have agreed to.
You may also want to link directly to your public lender page, which shows all the loans you've supported on Kiva. You can access this page by going to: kiva.org/settings/account Scroll down to the section entitled "My Lender Profile" and click "View my lender page" to be taken to your lender profile, where you can copy and paste your unique lender profile URL to post on your own website.
Thanks so much for understanding and for your support of borrowers around the world through Kiva.
How do I close my Kiva account?
In order to close your Kiva account you'll need to contact Kiva team by filling out the Contact Us form at kiva.org/help?contactus=1 or emailing contactus@kiva.org.
We're sad to see you go!
Does Kiva measure its Field Partners' environmental impact?
When Kiva selects new Field Partners to work with, we certainly try to look at the holistic vision of the institution, and how it measures the progress / impact / growth of its clients in both financial and non-financial terms. The amount of information available to institutions on these issues varies widely, as do the ways that they monitor and evaluate their process. For this reason, at this time, Kiva does not have anything formal in place to evaluate our partners in regards to animal rights and environmental sustainability issues. One way that we try to maximize the good created through Kiva is by partnering with organizations that go above and beyond to generate positive outcomes for the communities they serve.This is called social performance and you can read more about the social performance strengths of our partners on our website here: kiva.org/about/socialperformanceIn addition, Kiva has focused our efforts to expand the number of green loans fundraising on our website, by specifically seeking out partner organizations focused on clean energy solutions, sustainable agriculture and the recycling and repurposing of materials. We've also been working on creating incentives to encourage our current Field Partners to post more green loans. As Kiva grows and we have tools in place to better measure impact, one thing we may be able to do in the future is rate businesses on our site by how "friendly" they are to the environment, to the health and safety of their communities, and to the well being of their workers (if they employ others). We look forward to exploring opportunities like this in the future.
What type of organization is Kiva?
Kiva is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation registered in the state of California. Your donations to Kiva the organization, unlike the loans made to the borrowers, are eligible for a tax-deduction in the United States.
To learn more, please go to: kiva.org/about/finances
Why is the disbursal date in the past?
Loan disbursal can happen anywhere from 30 days before to 90 days after
a loan is posted on the Kiva website. Most partner loans are pre-disbursed, as Kiva's Field Partners often choose to disburse a loan before the loan request is posted on Kiva for funding.
We allow pre-disbursal because it ensures that the funds reach the borrower as soon as they are needed. Loan funds from Kiva lenders
then go to backfill that amount, and lenders assume the risk of that loan. By doing this, our Field Partners
assume the risk that if the loan isn't funded by Kiva lenders, then
the Field Partner has to fund the loan themselves.
While allowing pre-disbursal may seem to remove any connection between lender and borrower, this isn't true. As a lender, your repayments are tied to the repayments of the loan you choose to fund. This means that if the borrower is unable to repay their loan, you as the lender won't be repaid.
Why don't I receive an email each time a repayment is made?
By default, lenders receive a repayment summary email once a month letting them know all of the repayments that have been applied to their account that month. If you'd like to receive updates more often, you can change your email settings to receive more frequent repayment notifications. To update your email settings, go to: kiva.org/settings/email
On this page you'll see checkboxes and drop-down menus for each of our email lists. Uncheck the boxes for the emails you're no longer interested in receiving, and select your email settings from the drop-down menus. To change the frequency of repayment notifications, use the drop-down menu next to "Updates about repayments." Once you've changed your settings, make sure to click "Save email settings" to save your changes.
What happens to my free trial $25 after I lend?
Loans made using a free trial are disbursed to borrowers in the same way other loans are disbursed on Kiva. However, since a sponsor is funding the loan, any repayments from that loans will go back to the sponsor, not to the lender. Our hope is that lenders who make their first loan as part of a free trial or promotion will enjoy the experience of lending so much that they'll choose to deposit their own funds into Kiva to make even more loans.
Amount of currency exchange loss
The amount of currency exchange loss is the amount of loans not repaid due to currency fluctuations.
When lending funds across national boundaries, the local currency in the Field Partner's country of operation may lose some of its value relative to the USD, thus requiring the Field Partner to use more of its local currency to reimburse Kiva in USD. Kiva offers Field Partners the option to protect themselves against severe currency fluctuations (a US dollar appreciation of over 10% relative to the local currency) by sharing any losses greater than 10% with Kiva lenders. By bearing these losses, lenders are able to protect the Field Partner and its borrowers from catastrophic currency devaluations.
How do I redeem multiple Kiva Cards?
You can use multiple Kiva Cards in the same transaction by entering in each gift code during the checkout process.
Once you've signed into your account and selected the loans you want to support using your Kiva Cards, click "My Basket" at the top of the screen to begin the checkout process. On both the "Basket" and "Review & Pay" pages, you'll be given the opportunity to apply your Kiva Cards. Look for the "Have a Kiva Card?" box and enter in your first Kiva Card gift code. Then click "Apply." Repeat this process for each Kiva Card you are trying to use. When you're finished, click "Complete order" or "Pay Now" to complete your purchase.
Please note, if your total amount due exceeds the amount of your Kiva Cards, you will be directed to PayPal to pay for the remainder of your purchase with funds from a credit card or a PayPal account.
Why is there a difference between my total deposits and total amount lent?
The total amount lent listed in your portfolio is the cumulative amount of funds that have been applied to Kiva loans, and includes loans made using repaid Kiva credit. If you've been lending on Kiva for awhile, it isn't uncommon for this to be different from the total amount of funds you've deposited into your Kiva account.
You can see the total amount you've deposited into your Kiva account at kiva.org/portfolio, or by checking out your Kiva transaction history at kiva.org/portfolio/transactions (to just see deposits, use the pull-down menu to select "Deposits" to sort your transactions to just show deposits).
Why are there so few education loans fundraising?
Kiva relies on our Field Partners to upload new loan requests on Kiva’s website. Loans for educational purposes tend to be very popular with Kiva lenders, which means that when they're posted they tend to fund very quickly. The great news is that as Kiva grows, one of the areas we're looking to expand our impact in is education, which means that we're continually looking for new partners in this space. Education loans oftentimes can be seasonal in nature, matching times of the year when school fees are due, so please continue to check back for more education loans that you can support here: kiva.org/lend#/?sectors%5B%5D=15
Why does Kiva have Field Partners?
Kiva's Field Partners are critical to our ability to provide loans efficiently and effectively. By partnering with microfinance institutions, social businesses, schools and non-profit organizations in the field, Kiva leverages their critical knowledge of the local populations and years of experience managing loans. Were Kiva to operate as a microfinance institution, it would enter the market decades behind many well-equipped organizations with documented success.
Partnering allows Kiva to divide and conquer -- Kiva collects loan funds through our website and Field Partners manage the loans on the ground -- allowing maximum efficiency at the lowest cost.
If my loan is pre-disbursed, is the money I lend on Kiva going to support the borrower I choose?
We get this question often, and here’s what we want to make clear: although your loan may be pre-disbursed, there is a direct 1:1 relationship between you and the borrower you choose to support. If you lend money to Tarek in Lebanon, for example, to purchase seeds for his farm, those funds are going to cover the pre-disbursed loan to Tarek. In addition, your repayment is 100% tied to his repayment. If Tarek makes a loan repayment, that repayment will be passed along to you. If he doesn't make a payment, the Field Partner will let us know that and you won't get repaid. This establishes a true financial link between lenders and the borrowers they choose to support.
To learn more about this, you can also check out this extensive Q&A which also talks a bit more about disbursal dates for Kiva loans: blog.kiva.org/faqs/direct-loans-qa
Can I pay another way other than PayPal?
At this time we are only able to accept payments through PayPal. However, if you're having trouble using your PayPal account there are a couple of options to explore: 1. You can set up an alternate PayPal account from your usual one, and make the payment from there. 2. If you have a friend or family member with a PayPal account, they can make a payment on your behalf. If you choose either of these options, please notify us of the email address associated with the PayPal account you're using to make the payment prior to sending it in. That way, we can ensure the payment is properly allocated to your account. To give you some background information on this situation - PayPal provides Kiva with free payment processing on all financial transactions. This means that regardless of whether you pay using your credit card or PayPal account, PayPal will process your payment and send you a receipt. Because of this, Kiva doesn't have access to your financial information and unfortunately, can't do anything directly to figure out why your payment isn't going through. If you'd like to resolve the issue with your PayPal account, you can try calling PayPal's customer service team to see if they can help resolve the issue. They can be reached at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST and should be able to provide more information about why your payment isn't being accepted.
Why are borrower pictures blurred or loans listed as anonymous?
Based on the political and social challenges in the areas where certain borrowers live, personally identifiable attributes have been
altered on certain loan profiles in an effort to help protect the borrower. This can be done by either blurring portions of the
borrower in his/her picture or not indicating their name and/or location.
Because Kiva works in areas of the world where there are political and social challenges, Kiva allows our Field Partners the
option to anonymize borrower profiles as they see fit. Rest assured, as with all borrowers on Kiva, those with blurred photos have been vetted by Kiva's Field Partners and their names screened against U.S. Treasury and Homeland
Security anti-terrorism lists.
How do I invite people to my lending team?
To invite people to your lending team, go to the team page. Click the "Recruit" tab, to be taken to a page where you can invite your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter or your personal team invite URL.
As your invitees accept you'll see them appear on the “Members” section of your lending team.
Why do I get an error message when I try to register?
In order to help protect our lenders against spam, Kiva's system blocks users from registering for a Kiva account using a certain email address that reads as typically "spammy." Email addresses like info@domain.com, webmaster@domain.com, or admin@domain.com fall under this category.
If you're trying to register and get a "Sorry, you cannot use this email address" error message, please try using an alternate email address.
What happens after I lend?
After you make a loan on Kiva, you'll be notified by email each time a repayment is made and those funds are credited to your Kiva account at Kiva credit. You can then relend your funds, donate them to Kiva's operating expenses or withdraw them into a PayPal account.
In addition to repayments, you may also receive occasional updates on your loan.
If you'd like to check the status of your loans, you can do so at any time by going to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans. This page will display a list of all loans you've made, and you'll be able to click through to view their loan profiles.
How can I find Kiva on social media?
Kiva is active on a number of social media channels, including:
Facebook: facebook.com/kivaTwitter: twitter.com/kivaYouTube: youtube.com/kiva Instagram: instagram.com/kiva_microloans/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/static?key=groups_giving_kivaPinterest: pinterest.com/kivaorg/
How do I make a matched loan?
To make a loan that's being matched by a generous Kiva supporter, just look for a loan with a "x2" badge on it. All loans with a "x2" badge are eligible to be matched.
You can also find matched loans by going to: kiva.org/lend?matched=true
Is Kiva listed on Charity Navigator?
Yes, Kiva is listed on Charity Navigator and has received their highest rating of 4 stars. Our Charity Navigator profile can be found here: charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12978
Why didn't I receive a confirmation email for my Kiva Card purchase?
If you didn't receive an email confirming your purchase, please check your spam or junk mail folders. It's possible that the email accidentally got trapped in there.
If you still didn't receive the email, please sign into your account to confirm your purchase. You can find all the details of your past Kiva Card purchases at: kiva.org/portfolio/kiva-cards
This page will list all of your Kiva Cards, along with the associated gift codes. You can also print a copy of your Kiva Cards from this page, and if it was an emailed Kiva Card, send a reminder email to the recipient.
How can I find out which loans in my portfolio are delinquent or defaulted?
You can find out the status of any loan you've made, including those that are delinquent or defaulted, by logging into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans
Use the drop-down menu to sort your loans by status. Delinquent loans will have the status "Paying back delinquent" whereas defaulted loans will be categorized as "Ended in default."
How long will a loan remain in a lender's basket?
Loans on Kiva will remain "reserved" in a lender's basket for 45 minutes, after which the loan will be dropped from the basket so it can be funded by other Kiva lenders. Loans that have 6 hours or less remaining to fundraise on the Kiva website will not be reserved. Instead, any number of lenders can add that loan to their basket, and the lenders who complete the checkout process first will make the loan.
Why hasn't the borrower I supported paid?
Every loan on Kiva is posted with its own unique repayment schedule, which lets lenders know when repayments should be expected on loans.
Unfortunately, sometimes borrower or partners may fall behind on repayment according to that original schedule. If a borrower becomes behind on repayment, it is common to try to reschedule loans in order to accommodate the eventual repayment of the loan. While we don't require partners to share updates when a borrower falls behind on repayment, we do encourage them to do so, as we know lenders like to know what's going on with the borrowers they support.
At Kiva we define default or non-repayment as the time when Kiva determines that collection of funds from a borrower
or Field Partner is doubtful and 180 days past the originally scheduled
repayment date (for any expected repayment, not just at the term of the
loan). When a Kiva loan defaults, we notify all contributing lenders by email.
Can underage persons or children become lenders on Kiva?
The Kiva website is intended to be used by adults, and Kiva does not wish to collect any personal information for users who are under the age of 13 without a parent's knowledge and involvement. If a parent wishes to open a Kiva account for their child who is under 13 years of age, we recommend that the parent carefully oversee the information posted and monitor the child's activity to avoid any unwanted sharing of personal and financial information.
Kiva has been incorporated into classrooms and different teaching environments under teacher and adult supervision and can be a rich learning experience for students of all ages with proper guidance. For more information check out Kiva U: kivau.org
You can read more about Kiva's privacy policy and terms of use here: kiva.org/legal/privacy and kiva.org/legal/terms
Why do the loan descriptions from certain Field Partners seem so similar?
The loan descriptions on Kiva's website are written by our Field Partners. To help the staff at our partners, who may not have English as a first language, our team will sometimes provide loan description templates. These templates help make it easier for our Field Partners to draft loan descriptions by allowing them to fill in different facts about the borrower, such as number of children, marital status, etc. Because some of our partners have and use these templates, you may see similarities in the style of different loan descriptions from the same Field Partner. This may be why you see loans with similar verbiage when browsing the fundraising loans on our website.
While these similarities shouldn't be a cause of alarm, please know that Kiva does use a process called borrower verification to to verify the accuracy of the information included in the borrower profiles posted on the Kiva website. To read more about this process, please check out this Fellows Blog: fellowsblog.kiva.org/node/4997
What does "XX Days Left" mean on a loan?
All loan requests can fundraise for up to 30 days on the Kiva website. In the last 5 days of a loan's fundraising period, if the loan hasn't yet reached its full amount, we add a box to the loan profile which displays the number of days or hours left to fundraise. Our hope is that this will make it easier for lenders to know what loans are getting close to the end of this funding period.
If a loan request is not fully funded within this period, any funds that lenders contributed to that loan request will be returned to their Kiva accounts as Kiva credit.
How does Kiva ensure its Field Partners are offering fair and appropriate interest rates?
Kiva chooses to partner only with organizations that have a strong commitment to serving the needs of poor, vulnerable and/or excluded populations, either through financial services or by using credit to expand access to beneficial products and services. We also require that all of our Field Partners endorse the Smart Campaign's Client Protection Principles (smartcampaign.org/about/smart-microfinance-and-the-client-protection-principles), an industry-wide initiative to establish a baseline for responsible microfinance (or explain why they’re not). So far, the vast majority of our partners have endorsed the principles, helping safeguard borrowers against over-indebtedness and ensure transparent pricing for borrowers.
So how do we ensure that our partners are adhering to the "responsible pricing" principle? Each year, we review our Field Partners’ audited financial statements and calculate the return on assets (ROA) and Average Cost to Borrower, adjusted for inflation. We then evaluate our partnerships to ensure that there is a sound justification for each relationship. Our Field Partners with the highest cost to borrowers and return on assets, in addition to those with a real ROA above 5% and a Field Partner Premium (Field Partner Premium = portfolio yield adjusted for inflation - financial expense) above 30%, are subject to additional scrutiny, such as collecting compensation information for executive staff, reviewing loan schedules and calculating APR on all loan products.
Based on this information, Kiva has chosen to exit relationships with partners where the justification for their pricing could not be established.
What happens if I use a bonus or free credit to fund a loan that expires?
If you use a bonus or free credit to make a loan on Kiva, which ultimately expires or is refunded, the funds will not be returned to you. Instead they will be returned to the campaign sponsor. This means that, unfortunately, you won't be able to relend this credit to another to another loan.
Why are there no India loans available?
Kiva works with a number of Field Partners in India, and you can find a list of these Field Partners on our website here: kiva.org/partners
At Kiva we rely on our Field Partners to upload loan requests to Kiva's website. Sometimes the demand for loans outpaces our Field Partners' ability to upload these loan requests. When this happens, you may not see the type of loans you want or loans from a particular country, such as India. However, our Field Partners upload new loans on a regular basis, so please keep checking back to see if there are more loans fundraising for borrowers in India.
How does the money for the loan get to each borrower?
Loan funds reach borrowers through Kiva’s Field Partners, or through the money transfer platform PayPal.
For most loans on Kiva, our local Field Partners are responsible for distributing the funds to borrowers. Depending on the Field Partner, the funds may be given to each borrower before, during or after the individual loan is posted on Kiva. Most partners give the funds out before the loan is posted (what we call pre-disbursal) because it allows borrowers to use the funds immediately. So when a lender supports a partner loan on Kiva, the borrower may already have those funds in hand. However, support for that loan is still needed to backfill the loan, and as the borrower makes repayments, they're passed along to the specific Kiva lenders who supported the loan (thus developing a true lender-borrower connection).
With Field Partners, Kiva sends lender funds by international wire to the respective Field Partner. This process happens on a monthly basis. To speed things up and to minimize the number of wire transfers being sent overseas, Kiva works on a net billing system. That means, for any given month, we subtract the amount of repayments that a Field Partner owes to Kiva lenders from the amount that a partner fundraises for new loans on Kiva, and either the Field Partner or Kiva sends a wire of funds for the difference.
For direct loans, once the loan is fully crowdfunded on Kiva, funds are transmitted to the borrower via PayPal.
What is borrower verification?
Borrower verification is a process Kiva uses to verify the accuracy of the information included in the borrower profiles posted on the Kiva website.
To conduct a borrower verification, a Kiva staff member or Kiva Fellow obtains a random sample of 10 borrowers. The Kiva representative must then obtain contact information for each selected borrower, including instructions on how and where to locate them. If necessary, the Kiva representative will arrange for a Field Partner employee to visit the borrowers with them. When visiting borrowers, the Kiva's representative will confirm the borrower's identity by checking it against the name on their national ID card, voter registration card or utility bill. They must visually compare the borrower to their profile photo on Kiva and take a photograph of the borrower during the visit.
Kiva's representative must also obtain a copy of the borrower’s loan activity record and compare it to the loan information entered on their Kiva profile, making sure that the disbursal date, the loan amount and the loan term match on both records. They must also verify the profile details listed on Kiva and the borrower's repayment history as it is reported to Kiva. Lastly, they will verify the client waiver and make sure that the borrower signed the loan description and photo waiver.
Once the borrower verification is completed, the Kiva representative will write up a report for Kiva's Portfolio Team. Borrower verification reports are used to monitor our Field Partners and make sure that the loans being posted on Kiva are for real people and contain accurate information on the borrowers.
Many of our Kiva Fellows have blogged about their experience conducting borrower verifications, which you can read about here:
fellowsblog.kiva.org/fellowsblog/tags/borrower-verification
Can I view a map that shows all countries I've loaned to?
You can find the map that shows the location of all the loans you've funded on Kiva by going to: kiva.org/portfolio
Scroll down the page until you see "Recent Loans" and click "Map View" link to display all the loans you've made on a map.
This information is also found on your public lender page, which you can find by going to: kiva.org/settings/account
Click the "View your lender page »"
link under the heading "My Lender Profile" to be taken to your lender page. You will find your map on the bottom of the page under the header, "Lending Activity by Country."
How can I help Kiva as a developer?
We appreciate your interest in supporting Kiva and have a great developer website: build.kiva.org
Please consider joining our Google Group: groups.google.com/group/build-kiva to share or explore ideas with other developers.
Everything you need to get started using our API is published at: build.kiva.org
How do I tell which of my loans are delinquent?
Information about your loans can be found in your Kiva portfolio here: kiva.org/portfolio/loans
To find more information about the repayments made on a loan, please check out the "Repayment Schedule" tab on the loan profile page, which lists both expected and actual payments. If the comments section reads, "Delinquent," that means that the due date for a repayment has passed and the funds have not been returned to Kiva lenders. Delinquencies can be caused by the borrower or the Field Partner falling behind on repayments. To learn more about why a repayment is late, click "Show Advanced" to see an explanation.
Why are there no women education loans funding now?
At Kiva we rely on our Field Partners to upload loan requests to Kiva's website. Loans to women tend to be more popular than loans to men, and therefore faster. Also, education loans, especially those for women's and girls' education, are some of the most popular loans on Kiva -- which means that when they're posted they get funded very fast. When this happens, you may not see the variety of loans you want or as many loans to women borrowers -- which doesn't mean that we don't have them on Kiva, it just means that they've all been fully funded already!
The great news is that as Kiva grows, one of the areas we're looking to fund more is that of education, so we hope to see a lot more education loans posted to Kiva, including those for women and girls who want to go to school.
How can I view my transaction history in Excel?
You can view all of your activity on Kiva by going to: kiva.org/portfolio/transactions
If you'd like to export the data into an Excel file, click the "Export" button.
How do I share my loans on Facebook after my transaction is complete?
If you'd like to share a loan you've previously made on Facebook, you can do this at any time from your receipt email. Just click the "Order Summary" link in your receipt email and you'll be directed back to a page on the Kiva website which shows your order details. Look for the blue Facebook button, and click that to share your loan on Facebook.
How do I communicate with my Kiva lenders?
Use the “updates” feature in your Borrower dashboard to thank lenders for their support of your loan, engage with them, and continue to cultivate your brand awareness of your business.
We recommend updating your lenders at least once per month. You can provide details on how the business is changing, challenges or victories you’re encountering, and ask for input or advice.
To post an update to your lenders, please follow these instructions:
1) Log into your Kiva account at www.kiva.org
2) Hover above your photo in the upper right-hand corner of your account, and click "My Borrower Home"
3) Scroll down and click the "Update Lenders" button
4) Fill in the "subject" and "body" sections, and then click "Post Update"
What type of monitoring does Kiva do with its Field Partners?
Kiva conducts routine monitoring of our Field Partners, including:
-- With the exception of certain safety-related travel restrictions, Field Partners are physically visited by staff at Kiva at a frequency that corresponds with the amount of funding they are allowed to raise on the Kiva platform (i.e. partners with a larger credit limit are visited more frequently).
-- Each year Kiva reviews in detail the financial statements and relevant ratios of each Field Partner (with the exception of experimental partners).
-- If a Field Partner has been given a risk rating, that rating is updated 1x per year with the most recently available qualitative and quantitative information.
-- Kiva conducts periodic audits of a sample of each Field Partner's borrowers posted to Kiva, which is a process called borrower verification.
-- Kiva examines each Field Partner's loan pricing on an annual basis, and if we learn that a partner is charging borrowers a higher than usual rate, we collect extra details about the Field Partner and the country to better understand the decision-making and context behind this pricing.
As part of our ongoing monitoring, we may discover potential issues of concern at a partner. In these cases, we work to investigate and, if possible, resolve the issues as quickly as possible. While we investigate we may, at times, pause a partner’s ability to raise funds and/or delay the timing of distribution of collected repayment to lenders until the investigation is resolved. If a partnership is paused, we will share more information with lenders via the partner page: kiva.org/partners
Is my Kiva Card purchase tax deductible?
Kiva Cards are intended to be used to make microloans on Kiva's website. As Kiva loans are not considered tax deductible donations because there's a possibility that the lender will be repaid, Kiva Card purchases are also not considered donations. Kiva cannot guarantee, however, that loans will be repaid or that lenders will recover any of their principal. Any donations to Kiva's operating expenses, unlike loans to borrowers or Kiva Card purchases, are eligible for a tax deduction in the United States.
That said, if a Kiva Card you purchase is not redeemed, it will automatically convert into a donation to Kiva 1 year from the purchase date. At that time, as the purchaser, you will receive a receipt confirming the donation (which can be considered a tax deductible donation at that time).
For more information about Kiva Cards, please visit our Kiva Card terms and conditions: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards/terms
Why does sharing my loans on Facebook require so many permissions?
In order to use the Facebook Share functionality you will have to grant Kiva a few permissions. These permissions enable us to host the Facebook Share functionality on our site, making it easier for lenders to post their loans to Facebook. Please note that even with this permission enabled we will never post without your authorization.
If you don't feel comfortable granting these permissions, you can always share your loans on Facebook by manually posting a link to a loan on Facebook.
Why is auto lending not making loans according to my preferences?
Kiva's system is set up to give precedence to active lending over auto lending. Depending on the supply of fundraising loans and the demand by active lenders, the amount of auto loans being made at any given time can go up or down. This means that for popular loans or very specific loan types, there's a chance that when a loan is posted to Kiva for funding, it may be fully funded by active lenders, even if that loan matches your auto lending settings.
Auto lending also takes into account recent loan activity when selecting what account to auto lend funds from, using funds from accounts that have been inactive for longer periods of time. This means that if you are actively lending to other loans with your account, other accounts with similar auto lending settings that have been inactive for longer may have their funds lent out before yours. However, your credit should eventually be auto-loaned according to your settings.
How do I set my preferred lending team?
If you're a member of more than 1 lending team, you may wish to set a preferred lending team. Your preferred team will be the default team listed in your basket, making it easy count your loans toward your preferred team’s impact. You can set your preferred team by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
On this page you’ll see a listing of all the lending teams that you're a member of. Under the headline "Lending Teams I Belong To" you'll see a pulldown box where you can set your preferred team.
How do I make someone else the captain of my lending team?
If you'd like to make someone else the captain or co-captain of your lending team, you can bestow captainhood on them. To do so, sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
Click on the name of the team you are the captain of and then click “Edit Members." You’ll need to identify the person you want to become a captain and then, next to that person’s name, click “Bestow Captainhood." The person you identified will now be your co-captain.
If you do not wish to be a team captain anymore, you will need to ask the new captain to remove your captainhood.
How can I grow my lending team?
Kiva's put together a great resource for lenders interested in developing and expanding their lending teams, called the Lending Team Playbook. Check this out at: kiva.org/do-more/playbook
What kinds of seeds does One Acre Fund supply to its farmers?
One Acre Fund uses natural hybrid seeds (i.e., from natural cross-pollination) which are professionally-grown in country, commercially graded, and quality-controlled. These qualities of seed are necessary for farmers to achieve a level of crop growth which enables them to produce enough to feed themselves and their families. One Acre Fund does not use or distribute genetically-modified seed, which is outlawed in the areas where they work.
For more information about One Acre Fund and the type of farming they promote in their program, please visit their website: oneacrefund.org
What is loan matching?
Loan matching is a feature that allows the loan you make on Kiva to be matched by an individual or larger organization who has worked with Kiva to set up a loan matching fund. If you lend $25 to a borrower whose loan is being matched, the matcher will lend $25 to that borrower as well.
Matchers may match all Kiva loans or just a particular type of loans (loans in a certain area, through a particular Field Partner, to a particular type of borrower, etc.). To find loans that are eligible for matching, look for a x2 icon on the loan, or search for these loans using this direct link: kiva.org/lend#/?matched=on
Have you received my check?
Processing checks is done manually by our accounting team, so it can take up to a month to receive a check, deposit it and send you a receipt.
If you mailed in your check over a month ago and still haven't heard anything from Kiva, please let us know when the check was sent, the check number and whether it was intended as a donation or loan funds. We'd be happy to look into it for you.
Can I pay without using my Kiva credit?
When you checkout on Kiva, our system automatically applies your available Kiva credit to your total amount due. However, you do not have to use your credit when making a purchase on Kiva. To remove your Kiva credit, click the "remove" link next to the "Kiva credit" line item on the basket page of checkout.
Can I delete a lending team?
If you are the captain of a lending team, you can delete the team by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
On this page you’ll see a list of all the lending teams that you're a member of. Click the team you wish to delete and select "Go to Overview" from the drop down menu. Click "Edit team info" on the right side of the page, and then click "Delete team" at the bottom of the page.
Please note, this action cannot be undone! Also, once a lending team is deleted you will not be able to use the team name or team URL to create a new team.
Will auto lending make donations to Kiva when it lends?
Kiva relies on on the support of lenders to help cover the costs of running Kiva. Every time you make a loan on Kiva, we ask if you'd like to make a donation to help offset our operating expenses. This step is included on loans made via auto lending as well. Donations to Kiva's operating expenses are always completely optional, so if you'd like to change the amount that's donated to Kiva when auto lending is turned on, please specify that in your auto lending settings: kiva.org/settings/credit
Use the drop down box beneath "Donate this amount to Kiva's operating expenses with each loan:" to select the amount you’d like to donate. When you're done, click "Save auto lending settings" at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
Loan length/repayment term
The loan length or repayment term is the number of months it takes from the point that the loan is disbursed to the borrower to the point when the last repayment is due to be paid to Kiva lenders.
How does a group loan work?
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan, but is part of a group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to its members and also provides a system of peer pressure in repayment of their loans.
Groups
may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is
a group guarantee, the members of the group are responsible for paying back the
loans of their fellow group member if someone is delinquent or ends up defaulting on their loan.
How does Kiva measure impact?
The microfinance industry has struggled for many years to define a way to effectively measure impact. To identify the specific causes of a particular change in a borrower's life requires carefully-designed (and often expensive!) studies. For example, a group of farmers in a village may be doing very well because of a beneficial weather pattern, regardless of whether or not they had a microloan. Further, 1 farmer in the group may have received money from a relative working abroad, further increasing his chances of success. On the downside, a successful farmer may actually be benefiting from having access to a loan, but life circumstances such as a major accident or illness can result in what appears to be a negative outcome.
That said, Kiva has put into place a number of initiatives to make sure we can feel confident that we’re having the right kind of outcomes. Social performance monitoring is a critical part of maintaining Kiva's commitment to having positive outcomes in the lives of borrowers posted on our website. Instead of focusing on expensive projects to definitively prove impact through comprehensive studies, we believe that measuring the social mission of our Field Partners, as well as the processes, plans, and people that are in place at these organizations, gives us a suitable understanding of the likelihood of positive impact. This rigorous process constitutes our yearly social audits and mimics efforts made by the majority of our peers in the investment space.
You can read a bit more about our approach to impact on our website here: kiva.org/about/impact
And read some individual success stories of Kiva borrowers on our website here: kiva.org/about/impact/success-stories
What does "Kiva" mean?
Kiva is based on a Swahili word meaning "agreement" or "unity."
Will PayPal charge me a fee to withdraw funds from my Kiva account?
You won't be charged a fee to withdraw funds from your Kiva account to your PayPal account, but you may be charged a fee to move your funds from your
PayPal account to your bank account or other funding source. Additionally, if you reside outside of the United States you may be charged a currency conversion fee by PayPal if you wish to convert the funds from USD back into your local currency.
For more information about transferring funds out of PayPal, please visit PayPal's Help Center (paypal.com/help) or contact their customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
If my loan defaults, can I then claim it as a tax-deductible donation?
Loan defaults are not considered charitable donations to Kiva. Please consult your tax advisor to see if you may be able to deduct the losses on your Kiva loans.
Can I purchase Kiva branded gear?
Yes, there is a bunch of Kiva-branded gear available through the Kiva Store. Check it out at: store.kiva.org/kiva-gear
Why can't I find the loan I previously selected?
Loans on Kiva are often funded very quickly. This means that if you found a loan you liked before, but can't find it today when you search the website, it may be that it's already been fully funded by Kiva lenders.
By default we only display loans that are currently fundraising, but if you want to see all loans regardless of funding status, you can use the pulldown bar under advanced search options to view all loans. Or, use this direct link to view and search through all loans that have been posted to Kiva: kiva.org/lend#/?status=All
How will I know if the loan I’ve funded is at risk of currency loss?
You see if the loan is at risk of currency loss by visiting the loan page. This information is noted on the right side of the page next to the label "Currency Exchange Loss." The Field Partner-specified currency exchange loss to lenders can be one of three values: Covered, Possible, or N/A.
Covered: The Field Partner has opted to cover any losses on the loan that are due to currency fluctuation. Lenders will not bear losses due to currency fluctuation.
Possible: The Field Partner has opted not to cover losses on the loan that are due to currency fluctuation. In this situation, lenders face additional risk because they will bear losses greater than 10%.
N/A: The Field Partner disburses loans to borrowers in USD so their loans are not subject to any foreign currency conversion.
Why wasn't my bonus or promo credit wasn't returned to me when my loan expired?
Unfortunately, if you use a bonus to make a loan which ultimately expires or is refunded, the bonus funds will not be returned to you, but instead to the bonus sponsor. This means that you will not have the option to relend those funds to another loan on Kiva.
Can I get a copy of Kiva's W-9 form?
You can find a copy of Kiva's W9 form on our website here: kiva.org/about/finances
Is Kiva a religious organization?
No, Kiva is not a religious organization, although we are open to partnering with organizations that do have a religious affiliation.
Can a borrower take out 2 loans at once?
Borrowers are allowed to take out concurrent loans. Many of our Field Partners allow borrowers to take out one primary business loan and a second "add-on" loan that is generally for a smaller amount and for a different purpose. Kiva's Field Partners are careful about giving concurrent loans to borrowers, and they work to ensure that a concurrent loan does not push a borrower into over-indebtedness, but rather, that a second loan actually helps to enhance the borrower's life and business.
How does Kiva U.S. manage borrower delinquency?
Loans are marked as delinquent when a borrower has paid back less money than owed to date, as indicated on their repayment schedule. In traditional finance, borrowers can be subjected to high interest rates, late fees and inflexible collection methods. Kiva U.S. takes a more compassionate and understanding approach with direct loans.
When loans become delinquent, Kiva follows up with the borrower and Trustee (if applicable) to create an open channel of communication with the goal of understanding the cause of late repayment. We work to create new repayment schedules they can follow towards eventual repayment of their loan, and also encourage them to update their lenders. We set the expectation that the borrower must repay in full, even if their business fails.
We are continuously striving to develop, analyze and improve these processes. For more detailed information on delinquency management, please visit this blog post (https://borrow.kiva.org/blogs/203). The Kiva U.S. team may post a comment on the loan from time to time, but due to resource constraints, we can't commit to doing this regularly for every loan. As a lender to a loan, if you're curious why a borrower has fallen behind on their loan, you're free to post a comment, which hopefully the borrower will see and choose to reply with more information.
Does Kiva work with for-profit or nonprofit Field Partners?
Kiva is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, but we work with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. In
many cases, banking regulations in the countries where our Field Partners
operate determine whether the organization needs to be a nonprofit or
for-profit company.
At Kiva we are committed to working with Field Partners with a strong social mission and those that offer relevant and useful services to their borrowers, regardless of the organization's
profit status. We do extensive due diligence and have conducted social
performance audits on all of our Field Partners. We also require
all Field Partners to endorse the SMART Campaign for Client Protection
(smartcampaign.org/about/campaign-mission-a-goals),
which includes transparent and reasonable pricing as one of their
client protection principles.
By working with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations we are able
to expand the reach of our loan portfolio. For example, some of our
nonprofit Field Partners serve areas or populations that for-profit
organizations don't reach, whereas our for-profit Field Partners may
offer savings services to borrowers, something nonprofit organizations
cannot do.
All of our Field Partners, regardless of their profit status, are committed to doing good in the areas in which they work.
Will I get a receipt for my loan?
When you make a loan on Kiva, you'll receive an email from Kiva confirming your purchase. You may also receive a receipt from PayPal confirming payment for your purchase.
To confirm any of your activity on Kiva, the best thing to do is to check out your Kiva transaction history by signing into your account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/transactions
Can you put my Kiva Card toward a loan for me?
Unfortunately we're unable to make a loan on behalf of a Kiva Card recipient. But the great news is that with a Kiva Card, you can make a loan of your choosing by going to: kiva.org/redeem
If you choose not to use your Kiva Card, it will be automatically converted into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses 12 months from the purchase date. Donations are vital to our work, and today for every $1 in donations our site raises $8 in loans.
Why did I receive a donation receipt? (account set up to automatically donate repayments)
You received a donation receipt because your Kiva account is set up to automatically donate any repayments to Kiva's operating expenses. The reason for the donation receipt is because you received a repayment on your loan, and that repayment was then donated to Kiva.
If you'd prefer to have loan repayments returned to your account as Kiva credit, which you can choose to relend, let me know and I'd be happy to change your settings for you. Also, you can always change your settings by signing into your account and going to: kiva.org/settings/credit
I can't lend on Kiva because PayPal doesn't work in my country. What do I do?
At Kiva, we use PayPal to process all of our financial transactions online, as they provide us with free payment processing. This partnership saves us approximately 1 million dollars annually and helps us to keep our operational expenses low.
Unfortunately, PayPal does not currently work in every country in the world. For more information about what payment options are available in your country, please visit: paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide
As an organization that deeply values our lender community, and aims to seem more and more people around the globe involved in our mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, we're sorry if you aren't able to transact on Kiva given PayPal's limited service in the country where you live.
Given we do not offer any alternative online payment options for adding funds into a Kiva account, if you would like to submit payment offline, you can mail a check to Kiva. To add funds to your Kiva account by check, write your check payable to "Kiva Microfunds" and on the back of the check write the email address associated with your Kiva account.
Mail the check to:
Kiva
Attn: Maria Zaldivar
875 Howard Street, Suite 340San Francisco, CA 94103USA
How do I sort loans by repayment term?
To sort fundraising loans by repayment term, use the pull down menu to select a sort by order of "Loan length". This will display loans in order of repayment term (shortest to longest).
What are loan tags?
Loan tags provide a way for Kiva lenders to denote and search for loans that match certain criteria. Most tagging is done by members of the Loan Taggers team, who reviews and tags all loans using a common set of definitions. You can find their team and a link to the definitions they use here: kiva.org/team/loan_taggers
If you'd like to tag a loan, sign into your account, navigate to any loan profile and scroll down the page to the "Tags" section. Click the "Add more tags »" link to see the list of available tags.
To search by loan tags, go to: kiva.org/lend. In the search bar type in a # and you'll see a list of all the tags you can search by.
Are Kiva loans securities?
No, Kiva loans are not regulated as securities in the U.S. Kiva does not guarantee lenders that their loans will be repaid, and Kiva does not pay interest to lenders. Kiva lenders should have no expectation of a financial return on their loans.
Can I purchase a Kiva Card without emailing it to the recipient right away?
When purchasing an email delivery Kiva Card, you will have the option to set the date that the Kiva Card is emailed to the recipient. To do so, click on the link on the order form that says, "Select a delivery date in the future." This will allow you to choose the date you'd like the Kiva Card to be emailed.
How do abandoned property laws impact Kiva?
Many state governments legally require organizations like Kiva to turn over any unclaimed property over to the state government for safekeeping after a few years. This affects Kiva lenders who have credit in their accounts, but whose accounts have not been accessed or modified for a number of years.
Kiva accounts are considered inactive if they haven't been used or modified for 24 or more consecutive months. That means all it takes to keep your account active is to sign in or receive a repayment. When your Kiva account becomes inactive, your inactivity settings will kick in. If you don't have any inactivity preferences set, we may subsequently be required to turn your Kiva credit over to the applicable state government.
If this happens, Kiva will send you an email notifying you that we've turned over your credit. To claim your funds from the applicable state government, visit this website: unclaimed.org
I have a question about the Kiva Store or my order. Who do I contact?
The Kiva Store is powered by NOVICA, so all questions about the Kiva Store or your orders with the store should be directed to their support team via this contact form: store.kiva.org/contact-us
You can also find a list of commonly asked questions in the Kiva Store FAQ section: store.kiva.org/help
Can the Kiva Card recipient select his or her own loans to fund?
Kiva Cards allow the recipient to support a loan of his or her choosing using the funds from the Kiva Card. All loans made by a Kiva Card recipient will be credited to that person's Kiva account, and when those loans are repaid, the repayments will be returned to that person's Kiva account. They can then choose to make new loans, donate the funds to Kiva, or withdraw them into a PayPal account. It's a gift that keeps on giving!
To learn more about Kiva Cards, please go to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards
What is the automatic withdrawal inactivity setting?
If your account becomes inactive, you can select to have Kiva send your credit to a PayPal account of your choosing. To enable this option, go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Under "Inactivity Settings" select the radio button next to “Return my credit to my PayPal account” and enter the email address associated with your PayPal account. When you’re done, click “Save settings”
to save this setting.
What is the disbursed date?
The disbursed date indicates the date that the borrower receives their loan funds. Loan disbursal for loans on Kiva can happen anywhere from 30 days before to 90 days after the loan is posted on the Kiva website. Direct loans are always post-disbursed, and will be done only after the loan has fully fundraised on Kiva.
In the case of partner loans, many of Kiva's Field Partners choose to disburse loan funds before the loan request is posted on Kiva. We allow pre-disbursal because it ensures that the funds reach the borrower as soon as they are needed. Loan funds from Kiva lenders then go to backfill that amount and as a lender you assume the risk of the loan. By doing this, our Field Partners assume the risk that, if the loan isn't funded by Kiva lenders, the Field Partner has to fund the loan without any funds from Kiva lenders.
If a partner loan is not pre-disbursed, it will be listed on Kiva with an expected "post-disbursed" date. If a post-disbursed loan is not funded on Kiva, there is a chance that the borrower may not receive their loan. Some Field Partners choose to disburse loans with other sources of funding, while other partners don't have the resources available to fund loans without Kiva lenders' support. No direct loans will be disbursed unless they fully fundraise on Kiva.
Does Kiva guarantee that loans will be repaid?
Lending through Kiva involves risk of principal loss. Kiva does not guarantee repayment, nor do we offer a financial return on your loan.
Can I make money if the value of the local currency appreciates relative to the US dollar?
Kiva loans are not securities or investment vehicles and therefore can't be used to make money via currency exchange fluctuations. While lenders will not gain funds if the local currency appreciates against the US dollar, those funds will be absorbed by the Field Partner to help cover Kiva-related costs such as wire transfer fees.
How often are new loan posted to Kiva?
Field Partners post new loans to Kiva's website on a regular, and often, daily basis, depending on when they have loans in need of funding. Kiva operates in real time, so once loans are uploaded to Kiva, then reviewed or edited by our team of volunteer editors and translators, they will go live on the Kiva website to be funded by lenders.
Direct loans are posted as loan applications are reviewed and approved by the Kiva U.S. team.
What are Islamic finance loans?
Islamic Finance loans are specifically tailored to serve borrowers within the Muslim community. A key tenet of Islam is the prohibition of interest in the lending or accepting of money. Kiva’s Field Partners working in these communities have created a shariah-compliant loan product, attaching a 0% interest rates to the loans. Instead of interest, these partners charge a servicing fee to help cover their costs. The amount you see fundraising on Kiva includes both the principal loan and the loan servicing fees.
Can I pay extra fees on a loan so that the borrower is not charged interest?
No, we do not have a way for lenders to cover the interest on a loan so that borrowers don't have to pay it.
Microfinance is an expensive business, and charging interest to borrowers helps our FIeld Partners bear the high operational cost of faciliating microloans and work toward self-sustainability. If Kiva were to allow our lenders to cover the "interest" or costs of facilitating loans, we could be compromising the organization's efforts toward sustainability. If, for some reason Kiva had to pull out of funding a particular Field Partner, and that Field Partner relied on Kiva funding to cover their costs, they would be left without the means to support their organization.
Additionally, Kiva typically does not typically fund more than 30% of any microfinance institution's total loan portfolio. This means that not every borrower who receives a loan through a MFI Field Partner can receive a loan funded by Kiva lenders. If Kiva loans were interest free, and non-Kiva loans weren't, this could potentially cause problems in the communities in which our Field Partners operate-- creating situations where 2 different women in a community might take out the same loan, but one would receive it interest free and the other would have to pay interest.
While many Field Partners charge interest to borrowers, Kiva will not partner with an organization that charges exorbitant interest rates, and we require our partners to fully disclose their interest rates. We also only partner with organizations that have a strong social commitment to serve the needs of poor, vulnerable and/or excluded populations. To learn more about this commitment, check out: kiva.org/about/socialperformance
What is Kiva's mission?
Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. To learn more about our mission and beliefs, check out: kiva.org/about
How do I view or edit my Facebook preferences?
You can view and edit any of your Facebook preferences by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/settings/facebook
Total deposits
Total deposits is the total amount of funds you've deposited into your Kiva account. This money can be used for lending, donating or purchasing Kiva Cards.
Why didn't I receive repayments on a loan made through promo funds?
Loans made using promo credit are disbursed to borrowers in the same way other loans are disbursed on Kiva. However, since a sponsor is funding the loan, any repayments from that loans will go back to the sponsor, not to the lender.
Alternatively, if you deposit your own funds into your account to make additional loans, repayments on those loans will be repaid to you.
Why does Kiva post loans for coal-related and other environmentally unfriendly activities?
While the sale and use of charcoal isn't an environmentally friendly or sustainable practice, we allow borrowers in this industry to be posted on Kiva because it's such a normal and necessary industry in many parts of the developing world. Until cheap, sustainable ways of cooking and heating are more common in these regions, people are likely to continue using charcoal. Kiva is working to create incentives for our Field Partners to provide loans that help promote more sustainable energy sources, and you can find these on our website listed under the attribute "Green."
Green loans can be found on our website here: kiva.org/lend/green
Can I contact the borrower if they don’t repay?
For privacy reasons we are unable to provide lenders with the exact location or contact information for any borrower fundraising on Kiva's website. In the case that a borrower becomes behind on their loan, it is the job of the Field Partner (in the case of partner loans) or the Kiva U.S. team (in the case of direct loans) to work with the borrower to collect on delinquent payments, and/or reschedule the loan term, if necessary, to accommodate eventual repayment of the loan.
Why does Kiva allow loans for purposes other than business?
While Kiva started out primarily offering loans to entrepreneurs looking to invest in their businesses, as we grow and work to help individuals create opportunity for themselves and others, we are challenging ourselves to find new ways for our lenders’ flexible, risk-tolerant capital to grow markets and reach even more people with innovative loan products.
You can read a bit more about this on our website at: kiva.org/updates/kiva/2012/02/13/innovating-to-expand-opportunities
Kiva Withdrawal Policy
All funds added into Kiva accounts must first be used to make microloans on Kiva's website before being withdrawn. Once funds have been loaned out and repaid, the owner of the funds may choose to withdraw that money into a PayPal account. Kiva is a charitable financial intermediary involved in philanthropic and social microlending, and is subject to the authority of the California attorney general and the Internal Revenue Service. By virtue of its status as an American organization, Kiva is required to abide by anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism funding prevention regulations applicable to all U.S. persons. In order to ensure that Kiva is in compliance with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism funding prevention regulations applicable to all U.S. persons, Kiva monitors all lender withdrawals before sending funds to PayPal to monitor for unusual behavior. If we notice unusual behavior, we reserve the right to reach out to the requestor of a withdrawal to confirm that they understand Kiva's withdrawal policy and are in full compliance with such guidelines.
Why are repayments not available for 43 months on most India loans?
India has a unique regulatory landscape, and the Reserve Bank of India requires that any funding that comes into the country for a non-governmental microfinance institution must remain in the country for at least 3 years. Typically, with Kiva, lenders get repaid as the borrower repays their loan. With India loans, however, lenders will not be repaid until the end of the 43 month term, which is slightly longer than 3 years because of the way that Kiva’s fundraising and billing system works. Field Partners in India will collect borrower repayments on a regular basis, but they may only be sent to Kiva lenders at the end of the 43 month term.
Please note, this 43 month term does not apply to loans made through Kiva's Field Partners Novica, Barefoot Power, and Milaap. Each of these Field Partners has operations outside of India, which means that certain regulations set by the Reserve Bank of India do not apply to these loans.
How do I contact Kiva?
The best way to get in touch with someone at Kiva is to email us at contactus@kiva.org or to fill out the Contact Us form at: kiva.org/help?contactus=1
We aim to reply to all messages within 48 hours.
You can also leave Kiva a voicemail by calling (828) 479-5482 (but email is typically a faster response time).
And for instant help getting your questions answered, check out our Help Center: kiva.org/help
What is a risk rating?
There are many levels of risk associated with Kiva loans, which are explained on our website here: kiva.org/about/risk
The Field Partner risk rating reflects the risk of institutional default associated with each of Kiva’s Field Partners. A 0.5-star rating means the organization has a relatively higher risk of institutional default, while a 5-star rating indicates the organization is at a relatively lower risk of default, based on Kiva's analysis and the available information. Note that Field Partners with Kiva’s lowest credit tier undergo a lighter level of due diligence and hence do not receive a risk rating; instead, in places where a risk rating would normally appear on Kiva’s website, these partners are labeled as “Experimental.” For more information, see "What is an Experimental Field Partner?"
Direct loans also do not receive a formal risk rating. Instead, these loans are approved through “social underwriting”, where trustworthiness is determined by friends & family lending a portion of the loan request, or by a Kiva approved Trustee vouching for the borrower. Direct loans will appear as "Unrated" and lenders should always assume these loans represent the highest level of repayment risk on Kiva.
Can I filter loans by Average Cost to Borrower or ROA?
Yes, you can filter loans according to the average cost paid by Kiva borrowers and/or the profitability (ROA) of the Field Partner. This option is found under the "Advanced Options" on kiva.org/lend
How do I become the captain of a lending team?
There are two ways to become the captain of a lending team:
First, you can create a new lending team. Whenever you create a lending team, you are automatically made its captain.
Or you can be made the captain of an existing lending team. In order to do this, one of the current team captains has to give you captainhood.
As the captain of a lending team, it is your responsibility to make a good faith effort to remain involved in your team. This includes considering requests to join your team, reading messages posted to the team message board, and responding to lender messages sent to you by members of your team.
In the even that a team captain fails in these responsibilities, a team member may contact Kiva customer service and request to be appointed as an additional team captain. In these circumstances, Kiva customer service will reach out to the original team captain. If the original team captain cannot be contacted within 30 days, an additional team captain will be appointed by customer service.
When checking out on PayPal, my basket was erased when I clicked the back button. What happened to my purchase?
Unfortunately, if you continue through the checkout process on Kiva and are directed to PayPal's website to complete payment of your purchase, and then click the back button on your browser, your basket will be erased.
In the future, if you ever feel there's an error in your order and want to edit it, you should click the "Cancel and return to Kiva User Funds" link on PayPal's website, and you should be returned to Kiva and see your basket still intact.
How do I purchase Kiva Cards totaling more than $2,000?
Thanks so much for your interest in purchasing a larger number of Kiva Cards. Kiva Cards can be purchased on our website by going to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards
Just a note, the maximum value of Kiva Cards you can purchase per day is $2,000, so please plan accordingly.
Why did you send a reminder email about my unredeemed Kiva Card?
At Kiva we send reminder emails to both the Kiva Card purchaser and the recipient (only for emailed Kiva Cards) if the Kiva Card hasn't been redeemed.
We send these reminder emails 3 times throughout the year after a Kiva Card is purchased: 1 month after the Kiva Card is purchased, 1 month prior to the Kiva Card converting into a donation to Kiva and 1 week prior to the Kiva Card that conversion date. Our hope is that by sending these reminders, both the purchaser and the recipient will have every opportunity to use their Kiva Card prior to the date it converts into a donation. If a Kiva Card is not redeemed to make a loan within 12 months of the date of purchase, it will automatically convert into a donation to Kiva's operating expenses and we'll send a donation receipt to the purchaser via email.
How can I tell which of my friends have accepted my invitations to Kiva?
To find a list of all your successful invites, just sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/invites. This page will show you everyone you've invited to Kiva, as well as the status of those invitations.
You can also see a list of your successful invites on your public lender page.
How can I send lender messages?
You can send a lender message from a public lender page
by clicking on the "Send Message" button.
You can also reply to a message
you've received signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/account/messages
This page will display all the lender messages you've received, and if you'd like to reply to the message, just click the "Reply" button. Draft your reply and click "Send Message" to send your response.
How do I update my credit card information?
At Kiva, we actually do not handle lender financial information. Instead, PayPal provides us with free payment processing on all financial transactions. This means that regardless of whether you use funds from a credit card or a PayPal account to make loans on Kiva, PayPal will process your payment and send you a receipt.
If you choose the guest checkout option, you should be able to enter your new credit card details directly on PayPal's website once you are redirected from Kiva (after clicking "Pay now"). If you are paying with a PayPal account, you will need to update the credit card associated with the account by logging into PayPal before going to Kiva and adding the new card details in the "Bank and cards" section of your account.
If you have any trouble getting into or updating the information in your PayPal account, please visit their website at paypal.com/help or contact their customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
I tried to post on Facebook but it didn't show up.
We're excited that you want to share your Kiva activity with your friends on Facebook. With Facebook timeline, sometimes when you post to Facebook it won't show up on the top of your feed, however the information was in fact posted. To confirm that your loan was post, please check out your Activity Log on Facebook.
Why might a borrower use their loan for another purpose than what's described in their loan profile?
While the situation of a borrower taking out a loan for one reason and using it for another purpose doesn't happen very often on Kiva, in the microfinance industry it is common for borrowers to use funds they receive for various purposes outside of the primary loan use. Due to lack of available cash flow to help meet changing needs in the life of a borrower, often times they may use some or all of their loan funds to meet more immediate needs instead of using the loan in its entirety for the original loan purpose.
This blog post, written by one of our Kiva Fellows, does a great job at better explaining this concept: fellowsblog.kiva.org/2011/10/03/loan-use-not-as-simple-as-you-might-think
Why don't my estimated repayments accurately represent my outstanding loans?
The estimated repayments noted in your Kiva portfolio (kiva.org/portfolio/estimated-repayments) are calculated based on the original repayment schedule for each of your loans. These estimates don't account for delinquencies, defaults, currency loss, or for when borrowers pay more than was scheduled and the principal has been paid down. This means that if a borrower ends up making repayments early on their loan, this early repayment will not be reflected in the estimated repayments schedule.
For example, if a borrower ended up paying back their loan in full in February, but wasn't scheduled to be paid back until May, it would still show up as a portion of the estimated repayments for May. The amount repaid in February wouldn't be removed from your estimated repayments just because it was paid back early.
Why does the group loan only list information about 1 borrower?
Kiva has found it to be more effective and efficient for our Field Partners to choose 1 borrower from a group to highlight in the loan description, instead of having them list information about every member of the group and how they will use their loan.
By encouraging our partners to spend time highlighting 1 borrower and telling that person's story, our hope is that lenders will feel more of a sense of connection to that borrower (and the loan) than they would to the loan if it were just a list of group names and loan uses. Therefore, it is our policy to ask our Field Partners to choose a member of the group, typically a person who acts as a group leader or has a particularly compelling story to share, and share more detailed information about that person in the loan description.
What is social performance?
Social performance is defined as the effective translation of an institution's mission into practice in line with accepted social values. Kiva has chosen seven social performance badges to help display our Field Partners' social performance strengths: Anti-Poverty Focus, Vulnerable Group Focus, Client Voice, Family and Community Empowerment, Entrepreneurial Support, Facilitation of Savings and Innovation.
To learn more about these badges, go to: kiva.org/about/socialperformance
Why do I have an odd amount of credit in my account?
Kiva repays lenders as soon as repayments are received by Kiva, so it is not uncommon to have an odd amount of credit in your account, as borrowers often make repayments in small amounts. To see how your account ended up with its balance, check out your transaction history at: kiva.org/portfolio/transactions
What is a preferred lending team?
If you are a member of more than one lending team, you may wish to set a preferred team. Your preferred team will be the default team listed in your basket, making it easy to quickly count your loans toward your preferred team’s impact. Also, if you have auto lending enabled on your account, your loans will automatically be attributed to your preferred team.
You can set your preferred lending team by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
When a borrower makes a repayment, can I use the funds immediately?
Your Kiva account will be credited each time a repayment is made, and you can then choose to relend your funds, donate them to Kiva's operating expenses or withdraw them into a PayPal account.
Currency exchange loss rate
The percentage of loans for which losses have been realized due to currency fluctuations. This is calculated as currency exchange loss rate = amount currency exchange loss / total loans.
How does loan matching work?
Thanks to generous sponsors, loans marked with a "x2" icon on Kiva's website will be eligible for matching. When a loan is eligible for a match, it means that if you lend $25 to that borrower, a fund set up by the loan matcher will also lend $25 to that borrower as well -- essentially doubling the contribution made to that loan.
Please note, while loans with a "x2" icon on them should be matched by a sponsor, we do not guarantee that all loans will be matched. Matching will occur so long as matching funds are available that meet the criteria of that loan and the matched amount does not exceed the total loan amount.
Why do I have a negative Kiva credit balance?
If you have a negative Kiva credit balance, it's likely that one of your previous deposits was reversed by PayPal, leaving your account in arrears. In order to make additional purchases on Kiva, you will need to add funds to make up for any deficit in addition to the total of your purchase.
To do so, simply just sign into your account and click the "Add credit" link on your portfolio page, or go to: kiva.org/portfolio/credit/deposit
Why are all direct loans in the United States?
Kiva is currently only offering direct loans to borrowers in the United States through our Kiva U.S. program. We chose to focus the program in the U.S. because we not only believe there's a large population that will benefit from direct loans, but we have found that in order for this model to be sustainable, borrowers themselves must be digitally included at a level that is currently not common for low-income borrowers in developing countries.
How is microfinance in the Muslim world different than microfinance in other parts of the world?
Because the prohibition of interest is a key tenet of Islam, some of Kiva's Field Partners lending in the Muslim world have created loan products with a 0% interest rate associated. These loans are designed solely for Muslim borrowers. In order to cover the costs of administering these loans, the Field Partner does charge a fee to the borrower. The fees are subtracted in their entirety from the gross amount of the loan at the time of disbursal and the amount of fees charged vary from one microfinance institution to another.
In some countries, Kiva's Field Partners need to make these adaptations so they may claim a fatwa in order to be allowed to operate in the area. A fatwa is a legal pronouncement made by an Islamic scholar or religious leader, and it is important for a microfinance institution to receive a fatwa that officially condones their work.
There are also many organizations operating in the Muslim world that don't make these adaptations to their methodology. The decision to charge fees up-front or interest during the course of the loan is dependent on the local religious and cultural practices in the areas where these organizations operate.
Why was my subscription/automatic deposit suspended?
Kiva subscriptions may be suspended if the last 3 attempts to make an automatic payment failed or after 3 years.
If you have questions about why your payments are failing or why your subscription was suspended, please contact PayPal's customer service team at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
If you'd like to re-enable your subscription, you can do so by going to: kiva.org/settings/credit
What do I do if I can't view or print the PDF version of my Kiva Card?
Kiva's print-it-yourself Kiva Cards are delivered via PDF format. If you're unable to view the PDF in order to print your Kiva Card, it may be that you haven't set up your browser to view PDFs using Adobe Reader or another PDF viewer such as Preview. For instructions for how to set up your browser to view PDFs, go to: helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/cant-view-pdf-web
How do I sort the loans to find those that are expiring soon?
You can use the pulldown menu on kiva.org/lend to sort loans by expiration date. Select the "Expiring Soon" option in the "Sort by:" list, to see loans sorted in order from oldest (and therefore the closest to expiration) to newest.
You can also use this direct link: kiva.org/lend#/?sortBy=expiringSoon
How do I view other lenders' profiles on Kiva?
We don't have a way to search for other lenders, however if you know the URL a friend's lender page (kiva.org/lender/_______), you can find his or her profile that way. You can find other lenders' profiles by browsing loans or lending teams.
How can I get involved or support Kiva beyond lending?
We're so appreciative of our supporters, and all the creative ways people have thought to help spread the word about Kiva over the years. To learn more and get ideas for ways you can support Kiva beyond just lending, check out: kiva.org/do-more
MIX profile
The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Market is the standard microfinance industry database on microfinance institutions. Many of our Field Partners make their performance more transparent by posting their profile on the MIX Market. Kiva strongly encourages each microfinance institution Field Partner to participate in the MIX. The MIX Market website is: mixmarket.org
Do I need to report my loans to the IRS on my tax return?
Given that lenders do not accrue interest on the loans they make on Kiva, we don't believe that you need to report your Kiva loans on your IRS tax returns. However, we are not in a position to provide tax advice, so we recommend you consult with your tax counsel regarding the deductibility rules that apply to you.
Why are there so few green loans available?
We rely on our Field Partners to upload loan requests to Kiva's website. Sometimes the demand for loans on Kiva outpaces our Field Partners' ability to upload these loan requests. When this happens, you may not see the type of loans you want -- or loans from a particular country, partner or sector, such as green loans.
Green loans also tend to be some of our most popular loans on Kiva, which means when they are posted, they often fund very quickly (which is great news!). If you're interested in supporting green loans on Kiva, please keep checking back at: kiva.org/lend#/?themes%5B%5D=Green -- our partners post new loans every day.
How can I register for a Kiva account using Facebook?
If you're new to Kiva and don't have an existing account, you can create a Kiva account using your Facebook login.
To do so, go to kiva.org/register and click the "Sign up with Facebook" button.
If you're already signed into Facebook, you will be prompted to allow Kiva access to your Facebook account. Click "Allow" and your Facebook account will automatically be linked to your Kiva account. If you are not signed into your Facebook account, you will be asked to log into Facebook to connect your Facebook account with Kiva. Once you've entered this information, your account will be created and you can begin lending!
To edit your Facebook settings or disconnect your accounts, just sign into Kiva and go to: kiva.org/settings/facebook
How do I post to a team message board?
You can post a message to the team message board of any lending team you are a member of. To post a message, simply sign into your account and go to your "My Teams" page, or go directly to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
On this you'll see a list of all the teams you belong to, and using the menus next to your list of team, you can jump directly to any of their message boards. Once you're there, type your message in the box at the top of the page. When you're done typing your message click the "Add Message" button to post it to the team message board.
What are comments?
Comments were designed to encourage conversation between Kiva lenders about specific loans and are viewable by anyone visiting Kiva. Comments on a loan can only be made by lenders who've supported that loan and should abide by Kiva's Community Guidelines: kiva.org/kiva-community-guidelines
Amount of refunded loans
Total amount of loans refunded to lenders due to an error.
Partner loans may be refunded for various reasons, which range from unintentional errors (e.g. Field Partner accidentally uploaded a duplicate borrower profile which received funding and recognized it later) to more serious issues (e.g. a Kiva audit discovered that loan funds were used inappropriately). In the latter case, Kiva will attempt to refund lenders with any funds recovered. Direct loans are typically only refunded if the borrower requests it (typically because they've found alternative sources of funding) or if the borrower breaches one of Kiva's policies (e.g. self-fundraising, violating our community guidelines, found evidence of inaccuracies in the information provided to Kiva).
In all cases, information about why the refund was issued should be in the refund email sent to all contributing lenders.
Can you convert my Kiva Card to a donation to Kiva's operating expenses?
We really appreciate your offer of putting your Kiva Card value toward a donation to Kiva's operating expenses. At this time, we unfortunately do not have a feature that allows us to automatically donate the funds from a Kiva Card.
If you want to use your Kiva Card, you can apply it to a loan. Then, if you want, you can set up your account to automatically donate any loan repayments to Kiva. Once you do that, as your loan is repaid the funds will be converted into donations and you will receive a tax receipt for your donations at that time. To redeem your Kiva Card, go to: kiva.org/redeem and follow the prompts. Then, once you've used your Kiva Card to make a loan, you can set up your account to donate repayments to Kiva. To do so, please sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit. This page will allow you to set your repayment preferences.
If you choose not to redeem your Kiva Card, it will automatically be converted to a donation to Kiva's operating expenses 1 year after it was purchased and we will send a tax receipt to the purchaser.
Field Partner's default rate
The default rate is the percentage of ended loans (no longer paying back) which have failed to
repay (measured in dollar volume, not units).
How this is calculated: default rate = amount of ended loans defaulted / amount of ended loans
Notes:
- Many Field Partners do not yet have many ended loans due to their
short history on Kiva (see "Time on Kiva"). If this is the case, a more meaningful indicator
of principal risk is "delinquency rate."
- At Kiva, we define default (non-repayment) as: the time when Kiva determines that collection of funds from a borrower or partner is doubtful, or the cumulative amount repaid as of a quarterly reconciliation is less than the amount expected as of 180 days prior and there have been no repayments reported to Kiva during this time. . Kiva typically processes defaults on a quarterly basis, and case by case exceptions may be made if the partner or Kiva anticipates future repayments to be made on the loan. Field Partners also have the option to default loans at any time, should they determine that further collection of loan repayments from the borrower is unlikely.
How do I change my loan alert settings?
You can unsubscribe from receiving emails about loans that match your saved searches directly from the email. You can also change these email settings at any time by going to: kiva.org/lend/saved-search
What should I do if I notice any API and developer site bugs?
The best place to report any problems with applications built on the API is the Kiva Developer Google Group: groups.google.com/group/build-kiva
That way, Kiva's engineering team, along with other developers, can work together to resolve this issue. We appreciate your help!
Why is Kiva not listed on the Better Business Bureau?
Kiva has not sought accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, but we have been evaluated by Charity Navigator and given a 4 star rating. You can see more information on Charity Navigator's website here:
charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12978
You should be able to find all of the information about Kiva on Charity Navigator that BBB lists about charities they have evaluated.
Why is this loan listed as anonymous?
Out of respect for the borrower's privacy, Kiva has decided to anonymize this loan. As we want to protect the reputation of borrowers on our website, we sometimes choose to anonymize loans. Refunded loans are also anonymized.
How do I sign out of my Kiva account?
To sign out of your Kiva account, just roll over the circle in the top right corner of the website (or click the circle if you're on a touch device). When you do this you'll see a dropdown menu appear -- the bottom option on the list is "Sign out." Click that and you'll be successfully signed out of your Kiva account.
What is loan diversification?
You can diversify your portfolio by lending to multiple borrowers on Kiva. For example, you can make a $25 loan to 4 different borrowers (loan diversification) vs a single $100 loan to 1 borrower (non-diversification). Diversification helps spread out your risk, increasing your likelihood of repayment.
Can I recommend a new loan tag?
All tagging is done by Kiva's lender community once a loan is posted to Kiva for funding, with much of it managed by members of the Loan Taggers lending team. If you'd like to suggest a new loan tag, we recommend you first join this lending team: kiva.org/team/loan_taggers
Once you've joined the team, you can suggest a new tag to your fellow team members.
When adding new tags, we ask the following questions: 1. Is there a reasonable consensus in the Loan Taggers team that this would be a good addition?
2. Is the tag distinct and definable?
3. Will the tag get much use?
When I edit my subscription, I get an error that it can't be increased by 20%. What do I do?
All Kiva subscriptions are processed through PayPal and unfortunately changing your subscription amount can sometimes result in an error. The best thing to do if you want to change the amount of your subscription is to first cancel your existing subscription, and then sign up for a new monthly subscription in a different amount.
To do so, you can cancel your monthly subscription by following these steps:
1. Log in to your PayPal account at paypal.com
2. Click ‘Transactions’ at the top
3. Click down arrow next to ‘All transactions’ select ‘Subscription agreements’
4. Specify the time frame in which the subscription was set up
5. The History pages displays a list of recurring payment setup transactions.
6. In the My profiles list, locate the subscription that you want to cancel.
7. In the row for that subscription, click the Details link.
8. The Recurring Payments : Profile Details page opens.
9. Click the Cancel link under Profile Status.
10. Click the Yes button to confirm the cancellation.
11. The Recurring Payments : Profile Details page refreshes with a message confirming that the subscription is canceled.
Once you've done that, go back to the credit settings page in your Kiva account and set up a new subscription: kiva.org/settings/credit
I want to host an event to raise money for Kiva. Do you have any resources?
Thanks so much for your interest in hosting an event to raise money or awareness for Kiva. You can find brand resources here: brandfolder.com/kiva/brand-guidelines
Outstanding loans
Outstanding loans refers to the balance of loans still awaiting repayment.
After a Kiva Card is used, are repaid funds deposited back into the purchaser's account or the recipient's account?
Once a Kiva Card is redeemed into an account, those funds are owned by the redeemer. This means that repayments on loans made using a Kiva Card will be returned to the recipient's account, and they will be free to relend the funds to another borrower, donate them to Kiva, or withdraw them into a PayPal account.
Why do expired loans count toward team stats?
When Kiva originally created lending teams, there weren't many loan expirations on Kiva's website, so we chose to include loans that were made, but ultimately expired, in team statistics. Over the past few years as we've seen more expirations on the Kiva website, we've considered updating the way we count team and lender stats to not include expired loans. However, we have yet to make this change.
Why is the photo upside down on the print-it-yourself Kiva Card?
Print-it-yourself Kiva Cards were designed to be printed on an 8.5x11" piece of paper and folded into card shape. When you print out the PDF, the photo may look upside down, however if you fold the page in half twice, into the shape of a card, the photo should be right-side up. To see a preview of this card, go to: kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards#/print
What is an Experimental Field Partner?
If a Field Partner is labeled as Experimental, this means that Kiva has required only a comparatively light level of due diligence and monitoring, in exchange for only allowing this Field Partner access to a small amount of funding through Kiva at any given time. The Experimental Field Partner program was created to facilitate access to Kiva for small social enterprises and innovative pilot credit programs. Frequently, Kiva will conduct further due diligence on these Field Partners after an initial testing period, potentially graduating the Field Partner out of Experimental status. Since Kiva does not conduct a full risk analysis of Experimental Field Partners, they are not assigned a formal risk rating on our website. Lenders should always assume that these partners represent the highest level of repayment risk on Kiva.
How do I find a list of Kiva's lending teams?
You can find a list of all Kiva lending teams at: kiva.org/teams
Average cost to borrower (PY)
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays portfolio yield (PY), which is equal to a Field Partner's financial earnings divided by its average loan portfolio outstanding during a given year. Currently, Kiva displays portfolio yield for most of its Field Partners that are microfinance institutions (MFIs). Portfolio yield applies to the institution as a whole, and thus is a proxy for cost to borrowers rather than a direct measurement. Kiva calculates portfolio yield directly from the most recently available financial statements of a Field Partner and compares this result with other publicly available sources of pricing information such as mixmarket.org and mftransparency.org.
For more information, please visit: What do “Average cost to borrower” and “PY” mean?
Can I search for loans by Field Partner?
Yes, lenders can search for loans by Field Partner. This search filter is available under the "Advanced Options."
In addition, you can also find all of the fundraising loans by a particular Field Partner by visiting their partner page (kiva.org/partners). On each partner page there is a link that says "See all fundraising loans from this Field Partner »" which will direct you to a list of all of that partner's currently fundraising loans.
Can I match loans on Kiva?
Right now, we're limiting the loan matching to individuals or groups who would like to match $10,000 or more in loans.
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a loan matcher, please email development@kiva.org
What are lender messages?
Lender messages allows lenders to communicate with one another directly through the Kiva website. Our hope is that lender messages will help lenders build stronger community with one another.
How does Kiva calculate currency exchange rates?
All currency conversion rates come from XE, which calculates its rates using live, up-to-the-minute mid-market currency rates. For more information please visit: xe.com
The starting amount is calculated on the date that the loan is posted on Kiva, and we’ll use the currency rates on the billing date every month to calculate whether there has been any currency exchange loss on the repayment.
How do I apply to become a Trustee?
If you want to apply to be a Trustee, follow this link and select "I want to be a Trustee".
After submitting the application and being approved, you can begin endorsing borrowers on your Trustee dashboard.
How are India loans different from other loans on Kiva?
In order to lend in India, Kiva tackled the complex regulations used by the Reserve Bank of India to control foreign funding to Indian institutions. These regulations require that loans made to non-governmental microfinance institutions have a minimum term of 3 years. Because of this, the funds Kiva sends to Indian Field Partners must remain in India for at least 3 years, even if the loan terms for borrowers are shorter than that.
How to transfer money from my PayPal account to my bank account?
1. Sign into your PayPal account at paypal.com
2. Once signed in, click "Withdraw" near the top of the page
3. Click "Transfer Money to Bank Account"
4. Enter the amount you want to withdraw
5. Select the bank account you want to credit, then click continue
There should be no charge to withdraw money from your PayPal balance to your local bank account, but some banks may charge a fee for transfers. Please contact your bank directly for more information. Depending on the bank, it can take 3-4 business days for the money to appear in your bank account.
You can also withdraw money from your PayPal balance by requesting a check. (There’s a fee of $1.50 USD for check withdrawals.)
Loans at risk rate
The loans at risk rate refers to the percentage of Kiva loans being paid back by this Field Partner that are past due in repayment by at least 1 day. This delinquency can be due to either non-payment by Kiva borrowers or non-payment by the Field Partner itself.
Loans at risk rate = outstanding $ value of delinquent paying back loans / outstanding $ value of all paying back loans
Where can I find my gift code?
If you received a plastic credit card sized Kiva Card you'll find the gift code on the backside of the card, next to the dollar amount.
If you received an emailed version of a Kiva Card you can find the gift code in the center of the email.
If you received a printed version of a Kiva Card you can find the gift code below the dollar amount.
Can I select a loan to fund when I give a Kiva Card?
It is not possible to select a loan to go with a Kiva Card. Instead, Kiva Cards give the recipient the option to choose which loan to support using the funds from their Kiva Card.
How do I know if someone’s accepted my lending team invitation?
To see if anyone you've invited to join your team has accepted your invitation, simply sign into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/invites
On this page you'll see all the invitations you've sent, including lending team invitations. If someone's accepted your team invite, you'll see this noted under "My invite activity."
Can I mark or save a loan and come back to it later?
If you're interested in marking a loan and lending to it in the future, once you have signed in, simply click the star on the bottom right corner of the photo. When you're ready to lend, roll over "Lend" in the header and select "Starred loans" under "My Kiva. This will show you all of your starred loans that are currently fundraising.
Please note, by default, this list will only should loans that are currently fundraising, so if the loan has already been fully funded by other lenders, it will not be displayed.
What are higher education loans?
Higher Education loans give underprivileged and vulnerable students the opportunity to attend a vocational program, university or higher education institution. These loans can fund student fees, school supplies, or room and board.
What is Kiva U.S.?
Kiva U.S. is a lending program through which lenders make microfinance loans directly to borrowers in the United States on the Kiva website. Unlike partner loans, direct loans are not facilitated through a Field Partner. This program was originally launched as a pilot in November 2011 under the name Kiva Zip, and graduated out of beta in June 2016.
How are mixed-gender group loans categorized?
The gender of groups it determined by the group majority. That means that group loans are designated as female if more than half the borrowers in the group are women. If more than half of the borrowers are men, the group will be categorized as a male loan. Even if the group leader is a male and/or the description is of a male borrower in the group, so long as more than half the borrowers in the group are women, then loan will be categorized as a female loan.
Why do some Field Partners decide not to pass on currency loss to Kiva lenders?
Kiva allows its Field Partners to choose whether to pass catastrophic currency losses on to Kiva lenders. In these cases, if the value of the US dollar appreciates more than 10% against the local currency, repayments made on Kiva loans will be marked with a currency loss.
However, some Field Partners opt to cover all losses on the loan that are due to currency fluctuation. For instance, some Field Partners disburse loans to borrowers in US dollars, thereby posing no currency risk as the loan will never have to be converted into a local currency that might fluctuate against the USD. Other Field Partners simply do not see foreign exchange rates posing a significant risk, as they operate in countries where the local currency exchange rate has fluctuated very little over the past several years.
Meanwhile, some Field Partners may simply want to eliminate risk for its lenders, thereby hoping to increase the amount of loans made to the borrowers they support. These are just a few of a variety of reasons why Field Partners may decide to opt out of sharing currency risk.
Expected repayments
This is the principal repayment schedule uploaded by the Field Partner at the point that the loan is posted. It outlines when the Field Partner expects to collect principal repayments from the borrower.
Please note, this doesn't include interest, which may be charged by the Field Partner to the borrower.
Why do some Field Partners post group loans?
Group loans are a powerful innovation in microfinance because they are often less expensive for partners to manage in terms of time and resources. Organizations can leverage the local knowledge of individuals to select good borrowers, disburse many loans at once, collect repayments in a group and more easily follow up on delinquent loans, as group members have an incentive to work with each other to ensure on-time repayment.
How will borrowers and Field Partners be affected by currency exchange risk sharing?
Sharing the burden of currency-related losses between Field Partners and lenders can help reduce a partner's risk of defaults arising from catastrophic local currency devaluations. It may appear that borrowers are not directly affected by foreign exchange risk sharing, as they both receive and pay back loans in their local currency. However, currency exchange risk sharing offers protection for Field Partners in these borrowers' local areas. This ensures that borrowers can continue to apply for and receive loans from their local Field Partners. This also enables Field Partners to serve more borrowers in their local communities.
To learn more about this topic, check out this video: youtube.com/watch?v=1-RUq0-RMGU&feature=youtu.be
What are green loans?
Green loans allow borrowers and their families to gain access to environmentally friendly products that reduce pollution and waste, provide solar energy, or deal with recycling and repurposing used materials.
What do “Average Cost to Borrower” and “PY” mean?
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. While Field Partners may request payment from borrowers, and some Field Partners are profitable, Kiva carefully chooses to partner with organizations that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked and underserved, and our due diligence methods include thorough analyses of the costs and benefits of individual loan products. Moreover, partners with a very high cost to borrowers undergo additional annual screening by Kiva to further review their pricing rationale.
Currently, there are 4 different types of information about our Field Partners that may appear in this Average Cost to Borrower field: Portfolio Yield (PY), Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Monthly Percentage Rate (MPR) and Not Applicable (N/A). Kiva displays only versions of these rates that are nominal, meaning that the effect of inflation in each country is not taken into account. See The World Factbook for a publicly available list of inflation rates.
For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays Portfolio Yield (PY), which is equal to a Field Partner's financial earnings divided by its average loan portfolio outstanding during a given year. Currently, Kiva displays Portfolio Yield for most of its Field Partners that are microfinance institutions (MFIs). Portfolio Yield applies to the institution as a whole, and thus is a proxy for cost to borrowers rather than a direct measurement. Kiva calculates Portfolio Yield directly from the most recently available financial statements of a Field Partner and compares this result with other publicly available sources of pricing information such as mixmarket.org and mftransparency.org.
Although there's a strong correlation between Portfolio Yield and APR, in some circumstances Portfolio Yield underestimates borrower cost, primarily because it does not account for the cost to borrowers of mandatory savings and/or security deposits. For more information on the relationship between Portfolio Yield, APR and cost to borrowers, see this analysis. Although Portfolio Yield remains a valuable metric, Kiva is also exploring ways to simplify and standardize the process to collect, calculate, assess and share APR pricing information for more partners.
So why does Kiva choose to show Portfolio Yield for some partners?
- It's a better metric than self-reported interest rates because it includes fees and other charges, and is annualized.
- It's readily available from an analysis of a Field Partner's financial statements.
- It's widely understood and commonly used within the microfinance industry, and many MFIs report this data publicly to Mix Market.
- It's much quicker and cheaper to calculate than APR, saving Kiva resources to invest in efforts such as expanding to new countries and supporting new and innovative lending.
Can I delete or hide the invites in my portfolio?
There is unfortunately no way to hide or delete the invitations you've sent, inviting people to join Kiva. All invitations will be noted in your Kiva account at: kiva.org/portfolio/invites
Why isn't my donor-advised fund contribution reflected in my account?
All donations made to Kiva via a donor-advised fund, such as Fidelity or Charles Schwab, will unfortunately not be reflected in your Kiva account. Kiva also does not email a receipt directly for these donations. To get a receipt or confirmation of any contribution made to Kiva through a donor-advised fund, please follow up directly with the account manager at your fund.
Donor-advised fund contributions are also always made as charitable contributions to Kiva's operating expenses, and cannot be applied to loans.
If you'd like to have your donations to Kiva tracked in your Kiva account, please donate directly on our website at: kiva.org/donate
Why isn't Kiva working in Western Europe?
Kiva’s priority is to work in the developing world and to reach people who, were it not for Kiva, wouldn't have affordable access to microloans. Kiva doesn't have any plans to work with partners in the EU at the moment due to regulatory constraints, however may re-evaluate this decision in the future. To find a list of the countries where Kiva operates, please visit: kiva.org/partners
Is there a middle man when I make a loan to a borrower?
There are actually two middle men involved when you make a loan on Kiva. The first is Kiva. The second is the Field Partner.
When you make a loan on Kiva's website, your funds are first sent to Kiva. Then, from Kiva, the funds are then sent to a Field Partner, who distributes the loan and collects repayments from the borrower. Repayments are made from the borrower to the Field Partner on a schedule determined by the Field Partner. As each repayment is collected, the Field Partner enters the repayment amount into Kiva's software over the internet, notifying Kiva and the lenders that a repayment has been made. Kiva invoices Field Partners monthly, and all funds collected on the loans you've made are repaid into your Kiva account.
Both Kiva and our Field Partners are crucial to enabling this loan process. By dividing and conquering -- Kiva collecting and distributing loan funds through the website and Field Partners managing the loans on the ground -- we're able to operate at maximum efficiency and lowest cost.
How are free trials funded?
Free trials are funded by generous Kiva supporters. These supporters are interested in helping Kiva attract new audiences and grow our lender community, so they choose to give funding to support free trials as a way to encourage new people to join Kiva. With free trial loans, people new to Kiva have the opportunity to make a $25 loan to a Kiva borrower without having to use their own money. These loans are disbursed to borrowers in the same way other loans are disbursed on Kiva. However, since a supporter is funding the loan, any repayments on the loan will go back to sponsor, not to the lender. Our hope is that you'll enjoy the experience of lending on Kiva so much that you’ll want to deposit your own funds into Kiva to make even more loans.
How do I change my inactivity settings?
Kiva accounts are considered inactive if they haven't been used or modified for 24 or more consecutive months. That means all it takes to keep your account active is to sign in. To edit your inactivity settings in the case that their account does become inactive, sign into your account and go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Total amount lent
The cumulative amount of funds applied to Kiva loans in a lender's portfolio and can include loans made using repaid Kiva credit.
Field Partner currency exchange loss rate
Kiva calculates the Currency Exchange Loss Rate for its Field Partners as: Amount of Currency Exchange Loss / Total Loans.
What does "Profitability (Return on Assets)" mean?
"Return on Assets" is an indication of a Field Partner's profitability. It can also be an indicator of the long-term sustainability of an organization, as organizations consistently operating at a loss (those that have a negative return on assets) may not be able to sustain their operations over time.
What is a Trustee?
Trustees play a crucial role in Kiva U.S. loans and are responsible for recommending borrowers for loans, providing business advice, and inviting their network to support loans. Trustees also play a role in communicating with lenders and encouraging borrowers to make payments during delinquency. A Kiva U.S. Trustee can be an organization or an individual.
Why are interest rates in post-conflict areas so high?
Self-sustainability is critical to creating long-term solutions to poverty, and charging interest to borrowers enables our Field Partners to bear costs and achieve self-sustainability. Due to the high cost of reaching borrowers, and relatively low profit gained from each small loan, microfinance institutions generally have to charge higher interest rates than traditional banks, which is why these rates are so much higher than what we are accustomed to in the developed world.
In addition, the cost of delivering microfinance services in post-conflict environments, such as the DRC or South Sudan, is still higher, which necessitates an even higher interest rate. In a post-conflict environment, communications and transportation infrastructure is often severely compromised, making it more expensive to contact and visit borrowers and manage a microfinance institution (MFI). Furthermore, the risk of default is higher in post-conflict environments. This is true due in part to continued instability, which can make it difficult for borrowers to operate successful businesses, as well as a culture of aid. A person who is accustomed to receiving donated goods is often less-likely to repay a loan. To manage this enhanced risk of default, MFIs in post-conflict areas must put aside a larger portion of their available capital as a provision against loan losses, a costly but necessary means of ensuring that they have sufficient funds to continue to operate when faced with defaults.
Due in part to these realities on the ground, and in part to funders' reticence in investing in unstable countries, the cost of funds is higher for MFIs in post-conflict areas. This is one of the reasons Kiva works in post-conflict areas, and also supports MFIs with high interest rates in countries such as the DRC or South Sudan. Because our Field Partners don’t have to pay interest to Kiva for the loans that they administer, Kiva loans help these Field Partners reach communities and populations that may not otherwise be served. It is also important to note that Kiva partners only with microfinance institutions that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked, and underserved.
All that being said, we understand that some lenders may not wish to fund particular loans on the Kiva website, or loans over a certain cost to borrowers. Therefore, if you are not comfortable lending to borrowers in these regions of the world, given either the riskiness of the operating environment or the cost to borrowers, we encourage you to exercise your consumer choice and select loans that are in line with your own values and preferences.
How do I share my loans on social media?
When you complete a loan purchase you will be taken to a receipt page on Kiva. On this page you'll see a box that says "Lending with friends is more impactful. Share this borrower's story." In this box you'll see buttons to be able to share your recent loan on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
If I quit a lending team do my loans get removed from that team?
If you decide to quit a lending team, all of the loans that you've previously counted toward that team’s impact will remain attributed to that team.
How does the private fundraising period work?
When a loan is approved for fundraising, it's first posted on the website in a 15-day Private Fundraising Period (PFP). During the PFP, the borrower must recruit a given number of lenders from their personal network to contribute as little as $25 to their loan and kickstart their fundraising. Once the required number of lenders has been reached, the loan will graduate into a 30-day public fundraising period, where it will then be publicly viewable by our worldwide community of lenders.
Kiva uses the private fundraising period as a means to assess creditworthiness. Instead of asking for bank statements, cash flows and financial information, we choose to rely on a borrower's social capital to determine whether or not they’re able to access a loan. To learn more about PFP, please visit the Borrowers Hub at http://www.kivaushub.org/borrower/
What are Kiva's community guidelines?
Kiva is about connecting people through lending to alleviate poverty, and as a member of the Kiva community, your rights and responsibilities are laid out in the Terms of Use and in our Community Guidelines, which can be found at: kiva.org/kiva-community-guidelines
More about loan matching
Thanks to the generosity of Kiva's sponsors some loans are being matched on Kiva's website. Due to the popularity of matching, our sponsors' funds are often used very quickly. Therefore we cannot 100% guarantee your loan will be matched. If a loan has a "x2" icon on it, it means that matching funds will match your contribution made to the loan, so long as sponsors' funds are still available. To confirm if your loan was matched, please visit: kiva.org/portfolio/loans after your transaction is complete.
Average loan term
The average amount of time in months allotted to this Field Partner's borrowers to repay theirs loan.
Please note: If a loan is not fully repaid by the end of the
loan term, the Field Partner may choose to continue to attempts to collect outstanding funds.
What is the private fundraising period?
The private fundraising period is a period of time where a borrower must recruit a certain number of lenders from their own networks to support their loan, prior to that loan be posted to the Kiva website. Most direct loans go through a private fundraising period, as do some larger partner loans.
What are the risks involved with lending to direct loans?
Lending money to direct loans can be risky. You should only loan money that you can afford to lose, because there is no guarantee that you will get it back.
There are various risks associated with lending to direct loans.
Direct loans go through a different risk rating process compared to other loans, and don’t receive a formal risk rating. These loans are approved through our due diligence and social underwriting processes.
Social underwriting allows borrowers to prove their creditworthiness by having a Trustee vouch for them, and by recruiting their friends and family to lend to them before they are posted to the greater Kiva lender community.
In direct lending, if a borrower defaults on a loan, the lender will lose their entire investment. There are many reasons why a loan might not be paid back, ranging from poor market conditions for the business to the borrower experiencing a catastrophic accident.
Being a newer type of lending, there are more unknown variables in direct lending that continue to be discovered as we support more borrowers.
Can partners cover borrower default?
In the case of borrower default, we do not allow our Field Partners to cover what is owed to the lenders.
When Kiva started we originally allowed Field Partners the option to cover borrower defaults. However, after receiving much feedback from our lender community about the desire for a stronger connection between lenders and borrowers, Kiva changed its process around default protection to no longer allow our Field Partners to cover borrower defaults. For more information on this change, please check out this blog: blog.kiva.org/kivablog/2010/02/10/update-on-recent-change-in-default-protection
What would cause my loan not to be matched?
Due to the popularity of loan matching, our sponsors' funds are often used up very quickly. Therefore we cannot 100% guarantee your loan will be matched. If a loan has a "x2" icon on it, it means matching funds will match your contribution made to the loan, so long as sponsors' funds are still available. Also, when a loan is almost fully funded, there may not be enough of the loan left for a matcher to match your contribution. For example, if you fund the last $25 of a loan, there would be no loan balance remaining for the matcher's fund to support, so in that case your loan may not be matched.
I thought Kiva was about microlending. Are larger loans still considered microfinance?
In most emerging markets, the average microfinance loan is under $1,000, so larger loans are not necessarily considered microloans. In development terms, they’re on the small end of “small and medium enterprise loans.”
At the same time, at Kiva we don’t think of ourselves as just about microlending, but instead about connecting people through lending to alleviate poverty. Microloans will continue to constitute the vast majority of the loans on Kiva, but we also believe that addressing an issue as large and complex as poverty is best tackled from a variety of different angles. And today, one of the biggest unmet needs to spur economic development in less-developed countries is the Missing Middle (small enterprises that create jobs and provide large-scale solutions for poverty). We believe that by supporting both types of loans, we can all play a significant role in building the foundations for thriving communities both today and long into the future.
To learn more, please check out this blog: blog.kiva.org/kivablog/2013/12/27/bridging-the-missing-middle-the-impact-of-larger-loans-on-kiva
Average cost to borrower
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. There are 4 different types of information about the cost paid by Kiva borrowers to our Field Partners that may appear in this Average cost to borrower field: Portfolio yield (PY), Annual percentage rate (APR), Monthly percentage rate (MPR) and Not applicable (N/A). Please check the loan for more information.
Why do your Field Partners in Mexico have such a high cost to borrowers?
There are many reasons why our Mexican Field Partners have a higher than average cost to borrowers compared to other areas where Kiva works.
Because Mexico is not the poorest country in the world and there is a large middle/upper class, the costs of doing business in Mexico are much much higher than places in Africa, or Bolivia, as an example. This means that salaries are higher because cost of living is higher, rent for offices is higher, transportation costs are higher, etc. Because of all of these factors, operational costs of an institution in Mexico are higher than other places in the world, therefore interest rates are higher.
Mexico is also a very large country as compared to many other countries we work in. Our Mexican partners work all across the country from the border with Texas to the border with Guatemala, and from one coast to the other. Since you can’t drive from one side of the country to the other, our Field Partners have to have offices in each region, and those offices need to be supervised by headquarters. Since it's not easy for management to drive between offices, they must take overnight buses, or sometimes fly. This is a pretty particular issue to Mexico and the partners we work with in this region.
Lastly, loan sizes in Mexico are quite small, especially as in relation to the “wealth” of the country. The loan sizes are around $400 and that’s about 3% of GNI per capita. This really tells you that they are serving more downmarket in a country where there are higher incomes and therefore higher costs, so they are really reaching down market. Many other partners are doing loan sizes that are more than 20% GNI per capita. Reaching populations at 3% of GNI per capita implies much higher costs.
All that being said, we understand that some lenders may not wish to fund particular loans on the Kiva website, or loans over a certain cost to borrowers. If you're aren't comfortable lending to a borrower with a portfolio yield this high, we encourage you to exercise choice and select loans that are in line with your own values and preferences.
I want to share my loans on my group's Facebook page. How do I do this?
The Facebook share functionality unfortunately only works for personal Facebook accounts, not group accounts or pages. That means that when you share your loan using Kiva's Facebook share functionality, it will go to a personal page. If you want share your loan on your club's Facebook page you will have to do it manually. To do so, copy the URL of the loan profile you're trying to share and post it on your group page.
What is the due diligence process for Kiva U.S. loans?
Kiva U.S. has developed a due diligence checklist, which includes:
- Verifying the identity of borrowers using a third party platform called EarlyiQ.
- Conducting online research on borrowers and their businesses.
- Connecting with borrowers on social media to examine the extent and strength of their networks.
- Examining borrowers' performance on their first loan before allowing them to apply for additional loans.
We do our best to screen borrowers prior to allowing them to fundraise on the Kiva website through the use of these due diligence checklists. As we continue to grow our due diligence processes, these process will continue to be improved upon and refined, as we learn from past experiences and work to strengthen our risk management systems.
How do repayments get back to lenders?
Loan funds are repaid from borrowers to lenders through Kiva’s Field Partners, or by utilizing the money transfer platform PayPal.
For partner loans, Kiva’s local Field Partners collect repayments from the borrowers, based on each loan repayment schedule and the borrower’s ability to repay. The partner then repays Kiva and repayments are deposited into your individual Kiva lender account. This typically happens on a monthly basis. Lenders should be aware that this introduces a layer of risk: repayment of Field Partner loans relies on the borrower repaying the Field Partner, and the Field Partner repaying Kiva.
For direct loans, borrowers use PayPal to transmit repayments and Kiva deposits repaid funds into your individual Kiva lender account. Lenders should be aware that this model introduces a different kind of risk: there is no Field Partner working on the ground to follow up with the borrower and encourage or collect repayments.
In either case, as you’re repaid you can withdraw your money, donate it to Kiva, or relend it to another borrower.
Learn more about the risks of lending on our website here: kiva.org/about/risk
Why do some borrowers make early repayments on their loans?
A culture of early repayment is common in many countries where we work. Field Partners tell us that often times borrowers will repay loans early if they have the financial means to do so. This has both social implications (i.e. pride, respect, reputation, etc.) as well as practical financial reasons for the borrower. Some partners operate on a "declining balance" payment system, which means that by paying more money early on, the borrower is charged less in total interest payments. Also, many of these partners don't charge early repayment penalties, which means there isn't a charge to the borrower should they decide to repay ahead of schedule.
Does Kiva earn interest on lenders' funds?
Kiva only earns nominal interest (less that 0.5 percent) on the balances in lenders' accounts. All Kiva lender funds sit in an escrow-like account called "Kiva User Funds" which is a FDIC insured, low-yielding “For Benefit of Others (FBO)” account that we administer. Kiva set up this FBO account so that Kiva users’ funds (meant for lending) are fully separate from Kiva’s operational funds as a nonprofit (Kiva Microfunds) and protected.
Kiva also doesn't make money on the loans we facilitate through our website. Instead, we rely on donations. The majority of donations to Kiva Microfunds are given by our lenders in addition to the loans they make on the Kiva website. They do this because they believe in Kiva and the work that we’re doing, and recognize it takes infrastructure to make this work in 80+ countries. A large majority of the rest of our donation income is provided by foundations, who encourage us to create innovative programs to serve the poor more effectively (see: kiva.org/about/supportus/supporters).
At the end of 2012, Kiva had $31.3 million in cash for Kiva Credit value, which is the total of user cash balances that have yet to be lent by Kiva lenders. And in 2012 Kiva received about $50,000 in interest on this FBO account. That interest helped to pay for things like transaction fees to transfer those funds to the field (and in 2012, the transaction fees on these funds were about $30,000). So in total, Kiva earned roughly $20,000 from the bank, net of transaction fees. (And for reference, our operational costs in 2012 were around $14.2 million.) This reflects our philosophy that we shouldn't put our lenders’ capital at risk, and instead should be as conservative as possible in safeguarding those funds.
For more information about Kiva's finances, we publish our yearly audited financials on our website here: kiva.org/about/finances
What happens to lender funds when they’re held in India?
While Kiva loan terms for loans in India are set at 43 months, Indian borrowers may pay back their loan in a shorter period of time. If the borrower pays back in less than 43 months, the Field Partner has the option to disburse the funds to another borrower, provided that the second loan will be fully repaid within the 43 month period. The Field Partner will cover the borrower risk of the second loan.
How do I edit a monthly PayPal subscription to Kiva?
The best way to edit your monthly donation or deposit subscription to Kiva is to cancel your current subscription and then set up new contribution in a different amount.
To cancel your monthly subscription for Kiva, please follow these steps:
1. Log in to your PayPal account at paypal.com
2. Click on the gear icon on the upper right of the page
3. On the profile page, select the "Payments" tab
4. Click on "Preapproved Payments"
5. Select "Active" from the drop down menu and click "Go" to see all your active subscriptions
6. Click on "Kiva User Funds" to be taken to the "details" page. There you can cancel the scheduled payments
Then, you can sign back into your Kiva account and go to kiva.org/settings/credit to re-enable your subscription.
What happens if a borrower can’t repay the loan?
If a borrower is behind on paying back a loan, the Field Partner or Kiva (in the case of a direct loan) may try to reschedule repayments on the delinquent loan in order to make it possible for the borrower to eventually repay. This is common practice in microlending.
But sometimes, even with these efforts to be flexible, borrowers simply can’t repay and loans end in default. When a Kiva loan defaults, we notify all contributing lenders by email and these lenders can consider the remaining amount outstanding as a loss. Field Partners may decide not to lend to a specific individual again if they aren’t able to repay, and in the case of direct loans, borrowers can’t apply for another loan on Kiva unless they’ve repaid previous loans.
Inactive Field Partner
An inactive partner is not currently posting new loans, but is in good standing with Kiva (Kiva fully expects the partner to continue to send repayments owed to Kiva lenders for as long as the partner has an outstanding balance). A partner may be in inactive status for a variety of reasons, such as operational constraints preventing them from posting loans. Kiva monitors inactive partners according to their outstanding balance, with a higher level of monitoring conducted on partners with higher balances.
SeaMonkey, Iceweasal, Namoroka - browsers similar to Firefox
SeaMonkey, Iceweasal, and Namoroka are not a Kiva-supported browsers as we do not test our code on these browsers. We currently only test our site on the most-commonly used
browsers: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 18 & 19, Safari 6 and Chrome 24 & 25.
While you should still be able to use these Firefox-like browsers to access Kiva's
website, they are not a browsers that our team currently tests on and therefore you may run into problems from time to time and will continue to see the note mentioning
that you are using an unsupported browser.
Where do I find the delinquency, default and currency loss rate for my portfolio?
You can find a number of stats related to your activity on Kiva within your portfolio. Please navigate to the Loans page, or go directly to kiva.org/portfolio/loans to find this information.
What is Wakibi?
Wakibi (wakibi.nl) is a website that was built by a group of Kiva supporters interested in promoting Kiva in the Netherlands. The Wakibi website but was built using Kiva data through Kiva's API, but is not formally affiliated with Kiva in any way.
For questions about Wakibi, please contact their support team via e-mail at service@wakibi.nl
I received an update indicating a loan has been fully repaid, but that isn't reflected in my account. Why is that?
Because Kiva works on a net billing system, there's a delay between when the borrower pays back their loan in full and when those funds are settled back into lenders' accounts. This mean that if a Field Partner writes an update at the time in which the borrower repays their loan in full, it may be sent to lenders prior to the point in which those funds are actually returned to lenders. However, during the next billing cycle, the Field Partner should send any repayments collected on the loan, at which time Kiva will credit your account with the repayments due to you and mark the loan as fully repaid.
To learn more about how Kiva's repayment system works, check out this answer in our Help Center: kiva.org/help/solution/how_does_kivas_repayment_system_work
How do I support Kiva through Amazon Smile?
Amazon has pledged to give 0.5% of purchases to various charities through its website smile.amazon.com. If you'd like to help support Kiva through your Amazon purchases, you can do so by selecting Kiva Microfunds as your designated charity at smile.amazon.com.
Please note, donations made through Amazon Smile will not be reflected in your Kiva account.
Can I have auto lending lend more than $25 at a time?
If you'd like auto lending to make loans larger than $25, you can set this in your auto lending settings. To change your settings, go to: kiva.org/settings/credit
Under the section "Auto lending settings" you'll see a check box next to "Limit my automatic loans to $25." Uncheck that box to enable auto lending to make loans in increments of more than $25. When you're finished, click "Save auto lending settings" to enable this setting.
Who can get a Kiva loan?
Kiva crowdfunds loans for borrowers in more than 80 countries who are often financially excluded and can’t access other fair and affordable sources of credit. In the U.S., Kiva crowdfunds loans for borrowers who are either financially excluded or creating social impact in their communities.
Kiva borrowers work in many industries. They may be farmers, artisans, students, shopkeepers, builders or restaurant owners. Many Kiva borrowers work multiple jobs to generate enough income to support their families.
Kiva Field Partners and Trustees help identify and vet borrowers whose loans will be crowdfunded on Kiva. If you’re in the the U.S. and you’re interested in applying for a loan learn more at: borrow.kiva.org
Where can I find Kiva's privacy policy?
Kiva takes very seriously the privacy of both borrower and lender information. Kiva's privacy policy can be found here: kiva.org/legal/privacy
What is the Kiva Store?
The Kiva Store is a partnership between Kiva and Kiva’s Field Partner NOVICA, a mission-driven company that works with artisans around the world. Through the Kiva Store, people can purchase products made by artisans around the world (many of which are Kiva borrowers) as well as Kiva-branded gear.
The store is powered by NOVICA, which means all payment processing and product fulfillment is handled by NOVICA. Kiva is highly involved with product development, product packaging and messages.
Visit the Kiva Store at: store.kiva.org
Can Kiva donate or give discounts on Kiva Cards?
No. Because Kiva is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization there are legal regulations in place that restrict us from donating Kiva Cards to third parties or giving discounts on Kiva Cards.
Average time to fund a loan
This is the average length of time in days that it takes for a loan to be fully funded on Kiva's website. This is an indirect measure of the relative "popularity" of a loan compared to the average on Kiva (the quicker to fund, the more popular).
Why does my tax receipt not include my most recent donation?
When you make a donation to Kiva's operating expenses, it will be reflected in your Kiva portfolio at kiva.org/portfolio/donations
On this page, you should see all the donations you've ever made to Kiva, and you'll also be given the option to print out a receipt for your tax filings.
While donations made should be reflected on this page immediately, unfortunately there is a slight delay in information being updated on the tax receipt. If your tax receipt does not include your most recent donation, please check back tomorrow and you should see it included.
Will I receive lender messages via email?
By default, when you receive a lender message, you will be notified via email. The message will also be saved in your Kiva portfolio here: kiva.org/account/messages
Lenders can choose to opt out of these emails by signing into their Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/settings/email
To unsubscribe from receiving notifications of lender messages, just uncheck the box that says "Messages from other lenders."
Please note, sending and receiving lender messages does not expose your email address or other private information to the public.
How do I edit team members?
If you are the captain of a lending team, you can edit your team's members.
To do so, simply sign in to your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/teams/my-teams
Using the list on teams on the right side of the page, navigate to the team page. Once there, click on the "Members" tab. This page lists all of your team members with the option to dismiss them from the team, or bestow team captainhood to them.
Delinquency (PAR) rate
Delinquency rate is the percentage of paying back loans by this Field Partner that are past due in repayment.
This is a conservative early indicator of a Field Partner's long term default rate. It's conservative
because, there is still a chance a borrower or partner will fully repay the amount owed before the end of the loan term, even if they are behind currently.
How this is calculated: Delinquency rate = Amount of Paying Back Loans Delinquent / Amount of Paying Back Loans
What is a loan attribute?
Loan attributes are set by Kiva and help highlight certain characteristics of a loan product and/or population that's being served with the loan. Oftentimes attributes denote loan products, populations or regions of the world where Kiva believes lenders' capital can have a positive impact around the world.
Does Kiva accept stocks as a donation?
Kiva can receive stock donations into our Wells Fargo brokerage account. You will need to provide this information to your financial advisor to gift your stock:
Account number: 6477-1059
Account Name: KIVA MICROFUNDS
Deliver to: First Clearing LLC, DTC #141
Thank you for your support of Kiva!
Who can use lender messages?
Lenders with a public lender page who have also made at least 1 loan on the Kiva website can send and receive lender messages.
Why can't I use my bonus to make this loan?
Bonus funds cannot be applied to loans with repayment terms over 21 months or with a Field Partner Risk rating below 3 stars. To find loans that are bonus eligible, please follow this link.
I invited a friend to join Kiva but didn't get credit for the referral. How do I get credit?
Even if your friend has already created a Kiva account, they can still give you credit for inviting them to Kiva. To do so, they will need to sign into their Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/portfolio/invites. On this page they can click the link that says "Invited to Kiva by a friend?" and they'll see a window where they can enter in your email address or the lender page URL (i.e. www.kiva.org/lender/kivastaff) and click "Submit."
Partner delinquency (arrears) rate
Kiva defines a partner's delinquency (arrears) rate as the amount of late payments divided by the total outstanding principal balance Kiva has with the Field Partner. Arrears can result from late repayments from Kiva borrowers as well as delayed payments from the Field Partner.
How this is calculated: delinquency (arrears) rate = $ value of payments past due of delinquent paying back loans / outstanding $ value of all paying back loans
What does fundraising status mean?
The fundraising status lets you know whether or not a Field Partner is actively raising funds on Kiva's platform. Kiva adjusts the fundraising status of each Field Partner based on time and performance. Combined with the Field Partner risk rating, the fundraising status determines the number of loans a Field Partner can post in a given month. Kiva Field Partners can be in any of the following statuses:
Active: An active partner is currently raising funds on Kiva.
Inactive: An inactive partner is not currently posting new loans, but is in good standing with Kiva. A partner may be in inactive status for a variety of reasons, such as operational constraints preventing them from posting loans. Kiva monitors inactive partners according to their outstanding balance, with a higher level of monitoring conducted on partners with higher balances.
Paused: A paused partner has been restricted from raising funds while Kiva reviews a potential issue. A partner may be paused for a variety of reasons, such as excessive delinquency or default on Kiva loans, a violation of Kiva policies, or external factors such as country-related regulatory constraints.
Closed: A partnership will be closed when Kiva no longer works with this organization.
What kinds of businesses does Kiva support with larger loans?
The underlying characteristic of larger loans on Kiva is that they fall in the Missing Middle -- the underserved small enterprises between microloans and traditional bank loans. We expect these businesses will also have a strong social impact or spur the local economy through job creation, and sometimes both!
To learn more, check out this blog post: blog.kiva.org/kivablog/2013/12/27/bridging-the-missing-middle-the-impact-of-larger-loans-on-kiva
Can I make up any currency losses over the entire loan term?
No. Repayments made by Field Partners to lenders are made once local currency has already been converted into US dollars. Thus, the amount of USD you receive from these repayments has already been converted and is final.
Can I count my loan towards more than one lending team’s impact?
No, you can only count each loan you make toward the impact of 1 lending team.
What does it mean for a partner to cover currency loss?
When a Field Partner covers currency losses, they agree to cover any losses on loans due to currency fluctuations, even those in excess of 10%.
This would happen in the case where the US dollar appreciates significantly relative to a local currency. When the borrower pays back the full loan amount in a local currency, that amount converted to US dollars would be less than the original amount lent by Kiva lenders. The Field Partner would then cover the loss, so that lenders would be repaid the full amount they originally lent.
How is Kiva and its funding structured?
Kiva is made up of 3 corporate entities:
Kiva Microfunds is a California non-profit public benefit corporation registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Any donations made to Kiva's operating expenses will go to support Kiva Microfunds, which are used to cover the costs of running Kiva.
Kiva User Funds LLC is a California limited liability company that is wholly-owned by Kiva Microfunds. This entity was created to hold funds belonging to Kiva's users in bank accounts "for the benefit of" (FBO) those users and their lending activities. These FBO accounts are separate from Kiva Microfunds' operational bank accounts which hold funds that pay the costs of running Kiva.
Kiva-DAF LLC is a Delaware limited liability company (registered in California) that is also wholly-owned by Kiva Microfunds. Kiva-DAF was created to operate one or more donor advised funds to facilitate lending on Kiva's platform for Kiva's institutional partners (such as charitable foundations).
Why is it important that I donate to Kiva in addition to my loans?
At Kiva we’re committed to sending 100% of your loan contributions to the field. That’s the Kiva promise. We don’t take a cut of money lent on our website, and don’t charge a fee for lending.
But facilitating loans in 80+ countries around the world isn’t free, so we rely on lenders to make donations in addition to their loans. In fact, more than two-thirds of our operational revenue comes from individual lender donations. By crowdfunding a large majority of our operational revenue through our lender community, we’re able to keep our fundraising costs low and be less reliant on larger, one-off gifts to be sustainable.
Donations to Kiva are also considered tax-deductible charitable contributions in the United States.
Can you delete a loan tag?
Loan tags were designed to allow Kiva lenders to denote and search for loans that match certain criteria. Most tagging is done by members of the Loan Taggers team, who reviews and tags all loans using a common set of definitions, a list of which can be found at: kiva.org/team/loan_taggers
Only the lender who tagged the loan is able to remove it, so if you see a loan tag that doesn't seem correct, there isn't a way for you or Kiva to remove it from the loan. Members of the Loan Taggers lending team developed a tool to do so, however, and members can post a message to the team board about any questionable tags.
How do I get my products in the Kiva Store?
The Kiva Store is powered by NOVICA, who manages the relationships with all the artisans who supply the store.
If you’re an artist, artisan or represent an artisan group, NOVICA welcomes you to send full details and pictures of your products to: newproducts@novica.com
Please note, the Kiva Store is in pilot phase and doesn't currently feature products made by Kiva U.S. borrowers. Depending on how the store progresses, our hope would be to eventually expand our product offerings to include Kiva U.S. businesses in the future.
Amount of paying back loans delinquent
Total amount of loans raised and disbursed which are in the process of being paid back, but are past due on repayment.
Refund rate
The refund rate is the percentage of total loans that have been refunded due to an error. Errors vary from the unintentional (e.g. Field Partner accidentally uploaded a duplicate borrower profile which received funding and
recognized it later) to more serious issues (e.g. a Kiva audit
discovered that loan funds were used inappropriately).
How this is calculated: Refund rate = Amount of refunded loans / Total loans
What is mandatory savings?
Some microfinance institutions (MFIs) require borrowers to make a mandatory deposit into a savings account prior to disbursing a loan. The mandatory savings is the property of the borrower and returned to him or her when the loan is repaid, unless the borrower takes out a subsequent loan. If the borrower defaults on loan payments, the mandatory deposit may be used as loan collateral by the MFI. Although mandatory deposits don't always generate interest compensation to borrowers, the frequent lack of access to reliable savings options in developing countries means that making such deposits may be viewed positively by borrowers.How are bonuses funded?
Bonuses are typically funded by generous Kiva supporters who have given to support our marketing efforts, and help us engage our lender community and attract new audiences. With bonus funds, since a supporter is funding the loan, any repayments on the loan will go back to Kiva, not to the lender, and can typically be reused again and again for other campaigns.
Total amount lost
The total amount lost is the total amount of loans not repaid due to either loan defaults or currency exchange losses.
I'm credited with inviting someone to join Kiva. Can I remove this credit?
It isn't possible to remove record that you've invited someone to join Kiva. Once you've been credited with inviting someone to Kiva, this will remain on your public lender page. If you don't wish for this information to be displayed, you can choose to make your public lender page anonymous. To do so, log into your Kiva account and go to: kiva.org/settings/account
Can I use my Kiva credit to purchase items on the Kiva Store?
The Kiva Store is run separately from Kiva, which means that you can’t use funds in your Kiva lending account to shop the Kiva Store. The Kiva Store is powered by NOVICA, a Kiva Field Partner that works with artisans around the world, and uses a separate sign in system from your lending account. You can, however, make purchases on the Kiva Store using the same PayPal account that you use when lending on Kiva.
Loans to women borrowers
This is the percentage of total loans through this Field Partner for women borrowers.
Why is my loan amount raised fluctuating?
It’s normal to see fluctuations in your amount raised during fundraising. This is caused by lenders putting a loan share into their basket but not completing the checkout process. When a loan share is added to a basket, you’ll see the total amount raised on your loan increase to reflect that. If the lender doesn’t complete the checkout process, their basket will be emptied and your percent raised will decrease to reflect that.
Average cost to borrower (APR)
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays an Annual Percentage Rate (APR), which represents the estimated average cost paid by a borrower to this Field Partner to access a loan posted on Kiva, with that cost annualized and converted into a percentage rate. Currently, Kiva displays APR for most of its Field Partners that aren't microfinance institutions (MFIs), in addition to some that are. Kiva is exploring ways to simplify and standardize the process to collect, calculate, assess and share APR pricing information for more partners. Using tools provided by MicroFinance Transparency, Kiva calculates this APR based on a detailed analysis of the types of loans this Field Partner has posted and/or plans to post on Kiva.
For more information, please visit: What do “Average cost to borrower” and “APR” mean?
Why aren't borrowers smiling in photos?
We know that many lenders prefer to support borrowers that are smiling in their photo, as in America it’s a common practice to smile when you’re in front of a camera.
However, this is not true for all cultures and regions of the world. In fact, in some cultures it's inappropriate to smile in pictures. Smiling in a photo might imply that someone is foolish or doesn’t take their loan or business seriously. Or, it could just be that someone isn’t accustomed to smiling in photos, so it didn’t occur to them to smile for the loan officer when taking a photo for their Kiva loan. Whatever the reason, we want to respect the cultures where borrowers live and work, allowing them the choice to smile or not.
To read a bit more about this, check out this blog post written by one of our Kiva Fellows: fellowsblog.kiva.org/fellowsblog/2014/02/20/dona-elsa-meets-her-smile
Does Kiva work with Roma borrowers?
While Kiva doesn't currently work with partners in Romania, we do have partners supporting Roma borrowers and communities in Kosovo and Albania. Both KosInvest and VisionFund Albania have developed "Vulnerable Groups" loan products to support Roma (and other vulnerable ethnicities) in their countries. Please see direct links below:
KosInvest - kiva.org/lend?sortBy=newest#/?perPage=20&sortBy=newest&queryString=Kosovo%2C+&themes%5B%5D=Vulnerable+Groups
VFA - kiva.org/lend?sortBy=newest#/?perPage=20&sortBy=newest&queryString=Albania%2C+&themes%5B%5D=Vulnerable+Groups
Do I need to create a Kiva account to make a loan?
Yes, you will need to create a Kiva account in order to make a loan. As repayments are made on your loan, they will be repaid back into your account. You can then choose to relend those funds to other borrowers, donate them to Kiva or withdraw them into a PayPal account,
To create an account, go to: kiva.org/register
What are water and sanitation loans?
Water and Sanitation loans help purchase water and sanitation equipment for individuals, families and communities. Providing access to clean safe water, as well as sanitation systems, helps reduce illness, disease, and death within the poor communities where these borrowers live.
How do I see what loans have been dedicated to me?
If you're an existing Kiva lender and a loan is dedicated to you, you'll see this noted on your public lender page, as well as on the main page of your Kiva portfolio (kiva.org/portfolio) under the headline "Loan Dedications."
Are India loans riskier than other loans on Kiva?
Loans in India carry more risk, on average, than other loans on Kiva. Country regulations, currency fluctuations, and partnership changes all play into the risks involved with these loans.
While Kiva expects to receive repayments from our Field Partners and pay back Kiva lenders 43 months after a loan is made, lenders assume the risk that repayments may be delayed due to regulatory difficulties transferring funds out of India. Kiva’s current policy around currency risk will also apply to loans in India. However, because funds have to stay with Field Partners in India for at least 3 years, Kiva lenders assume the risk of exchange rate fluctuations for this full period. Kiva will also not provide real-time delinquency, default and risk ratings for our Field Partners in India, which is why those fields have been set to “N/A.” Because Kiva will be unable to withdraw funds immediately from India in the event of institutional failure or partnership dissolution, lenders will bear increased risk that does not apply to other loans.
Repayment schedule for direct loans
Direct loans are disbursed after the loan has fully fundraised on Kiva's website, and the detailed repayment schedule will be published here at the time of disbursal. This loan is scheduled to be repaid in monthly installments, and may or may not include a grace period. The loan length listed includes both the grace period (if applicable) and all anticipated monthly repayments.
Disbursement and repayments on direct loans will be made via PayPal, a web-based payment system.Repayments made on delinquent loans will be applied toward the oldest payment due until the loan becomes current.
Default rate (for lender portfolio)
The percentage of loans you've made that have paid back that have ended in default.
How this is calculated: Amount of ended loans that defaulted / Amount of ended loans
How do I remove someone from my lending team?
In order to remove people from your lending team, you will need to be a team captain.
If you're a team captain and want to remove someone from your team, go to the team's page. From there, click on the "Members" tab to see a list of all your team members. Click the link "Dismiss from team" next to the person you want to remove from your team.
Actual repayments
These are the actual repayments made by the borrower to the Field Partner and from the Field Partner to Kiva. When we receive repayments from the Field Partner, we pass those along to contributing lenders.
What does a Trustee being "paused" mean?
Trustees are paused when their overall repayment rate falls below the repayment rate required for their Trustee tier. When a Trustee is paused, they will no longer be able to endorse new loans.
Will I receive the repayments on matched loans?
The matched contribution to a loan is made using the loan matcher's account and will not be counted toward your personal lending stats -- for example, if you lend $25 to a borrower and that is matched with a $25 loan made by a loan matcher, your account will only reflect the total amount lent of $25. Because of this, when the borrower makes a repayment on their loan, you will only receive repayments on the contribution you made, not on the contribution made by the loan matcher.
Why does Kiva allow Field Partners to post larger loans?
In keeping with Kiva’s mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, we're committed to making sure that lenders’ capital is being used to address poverty in the most effective and impactful ways. Most of the time, that’s through catalytic microloans that enable borrowers to make transformative changes in their lives and the lives of their families.
In addition to these microloans, we see that ideas for addressing poverty can happen on a bigger, community-sized scale. Kiva strongly believes that the largest development gains are enjoyed not only when there’s a thriving microenterprise sector, but when we also see a healthy number of small enterprises that can create jobs for other members of their community.
To learn more, please check out this blog: blog.kiva.org/kivablog/2013/12/27/bridging-the-missing-middle-the-impact-of-larger-loans-on-kiva
Can I get a copy of Kiva's 2015 annual report?
You can find a copy of Kiva's 2015 annual report here: https://brandfolder.com/s/ooxojq-asgaew-ea7kjc
Why did repayments show up in my account the month prior to when they were due?
Kiva works on a net billing system with our Field Partners, which means that for any given month we subtract the amount of repayments that a Field Partner owes to Kiva lenders from the amount that the partner fundraises for borrowers on Kiva. Any money that the partner has raised during the month is first used to cover what is owed to Kiva lenders.
Field Partners then have until the 1st of the following month to send Kiva any additional amount outstanding. This process of returning funds to Kiva lenders is called "settlement" and has historically started to run on the 17th of the month prior to when repayments are due to lenders. For example, settlement for repayments due to lenders by February 1, 2016 would start to occur on January 17, 2016. Depending on how much the partner had raised on Kiva, repayments owed to lenders may begin posting to lender accounts on the 17th of January (when settlement began) and would continue to post Kiva received additional funds from the partner, up until the 1st of February (when the actual repayments were due).
Because of this process, a month's repayment will usually show up in your account the second half of the month prior on partner loans.
How much are the fees associated with Muslim world loans?
The fees associated with sharia-compliant loans in the Muslim world can vary from one organization to another. As with all loans on the Kiva site, the best measure of fees the borrower pays to the Field Partner is the Average Cost to Borrower, which is displayed on each loan profile page and also on the Field Partner pages (kiva.org/partners).
Amount in arrears
Amount in arrears refers to the current amount of repayments past due.
How this is calculated: amount in arrears = Repayment amount expected - actual amount repaid
How do I add a loan tag?
If you'd like to add a tag to a loan, you'll need to first sign into your Kiva account. Once signed in, navigate to any loan profile and scroll down the page to the "Tags" section. Click the "Add more tags" link to see the list of available tags.
Will Kiva be monitoring Field Partners in India regularly?
Kiva will be conducting routine monitoring with our Field Partners in India to help ensure that they are following Kiva’s policies and procedures. This monitoring will occur through staff visits, Kiva Fellows placements and borrower verification “spot checks”. Although we won’t be able to share detailed information on individual loans, we will be monitoring Field Partners in India in the same way we monitor other Field Partners on Kiva.
Why does the registration page for free trials require my mailing address?
At Kiva we value your privacy and will never sell your information nor will we use it to contact you without your permission. The purpose of collecting your mailing address is to encourage authenticity of new users for free trials. You can skip the form by registering with your Facebook account.
Who runs the Kiva Store?
The Kiva Store (store.kiva.org) is a partnership between Kiva and Kiva’s Field Partner NOVICA, a mission-driven company that works with artisans around the world. The store is powered by NOVICA, which means all payment processing and product fulfillment is handled by NOVICA. Kiva is highly involved with product development, product packaging and messages.
To learn more about Kiva’s partnership with NOVICA, visit: kiva.org/about/where-kiva-works/partners/225
I live in India. Why can I not pay for my loans using PayPal?
Based on the scope of PayPal's license to operate in India, PayPal is unfortunately unable to accept payments from lenders in India for the purpose of supporting microloans on Kiva. Lenders in India are still welcome to use free or promotional credit to make loans or relend any available funds in your Kiva account.
As an organization that cares deeply about our lenders, we’re sorry about how this may impact your ability to lend on Kiva going forward. PayPal and Kiva are exploring other potential options for Kiva lenders to make loans from India, but we don't foresee the ability to overcome these license limitations in the near future. In the meantime, if you'd like to support microloans in India, you may want to check out Milaap.org, which is a crowdfunding microloan website based in India, and also a Kiva Field Partner.
What does it mean for currency to depreciate? Why does depreciation occur?
Currency depreciation refers to a decline in the value of one currency relative to another currency. Depreciation occurs when, because of a change in exchange rates, a unit of one currency buys fewer units of another currency. For instance, if the US dollar depreciates relative to the Euro, the exchange rate (the Dollar price of Euros) rises; therefore, it takes more Dollars to purchase 1 Euro.
Amount of ended loans
Total amount of loans raised and disbursed which are no longer in the process of being paid back by a borrower. This excludes refunded loans.
What do “Average Cost to Borrower” and “APR” mean?
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. While Field Partners may request payment from borrowers, and some Field Partners are profitable, Kiva carefully chooses to partner with organizations that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked and underserved, and our due diligence methods include thorough analyses of the costs and benefits of individual loan products. Moreover, partners with a very high cost to borrowers undergo additional annual screening by Kiva to further review their pricing rationale.
Currently, there are 4 different types of information about our Field Partners that may appear in this Average Cost to Borrower field: Portfolio Yield (PY), Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Monthly Percentage Rate (MPR) and Not Applicable (N/A). Kiva displays only versions of these rates that are nominal, meaning that the effect of inflation in each country is not taken into account. See The World Factbook for a publicly available list of inflation rates.
For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays an Annual Percentage Rate (APR), which represents the estimated average cost paid by a borrower to this Field Partner to access a loan posted on Kiva, with that cost annualized and converted into a percentage rate. Currently, Kiva displays APR for most of its Field Partners that aren't microfinance institutions (MFIs), in addition to some that are. Kiva is exploring ways to simplify and standardize the process to collect, calculate, assess and share APR pricing information for more partners. Using tools provided by MicroFinance Transparency, Kiva calculates this APR based on a detailed analysis of the types of loans this Field Partner has posted and/or plans to post on Kiva.
Showing an APR value does not always imply that the Field Partner charges interest on its loans. Kiva works with Field Partners across many sectors, including some that don't provide cash loans to borrowers. Instead, these partners provide impactful products or services, which the borrower pays for over time. Thus, the total costs paid by a borrower to a Field Partner may (or may not) include interest charges, fees, security deposits, rent or other delayed payments for the delivery of goods or services.
Currency
The local currency unit in which the loan is disbursed to the borrower or group of borrowers. Borrowers will repay the Field Partner in this currency unit as well.
What does "Keep me signed in" mean?
The "Keep me signed in" feature allows users to remain signed into their Kiva account, making it easier to use the website over time. For security purposes, certain transactions, such as withdrawals and settings, will still require additional authentication. If you want to opt-out of this feature at any time, simply click the "Sign Out" link.
Can I see who's matching my loan?
It depends on who's matching the loan. Some matchers have chosen to have their identities kept anonymous, and if that is the case, you won't be able to see who matches your loan. Other matchers, however, have chosen to share their identities, so if that is the case, you will be able to see who's matching your loan before you make it.
What are the responsibilities of a team captain?
Captains are essentially team leaders and have administrative functions for the team. As a captain of a lending team, it's your responsibility to make a good faith effort to remain involved in your team. This includes considering requests to join your team, reading messages posted to the team message board and responding to lender messages sent to you by members of your team.
If you want to read more about how you can create and maintain a successful lending team, go to: kiva.org/teams/playbook
We hope you find this position fun and rewarding!
Number of refunded loans
Total number of loans refunded to lenders due to an error.
Partner loans may be refunded for various reasons, which range from unintentional errors (e.g. Field Partner accidentally uploaded a duplicate borrower profile which received funding and recognized it later) to more serious issues (e.g. a Kiva audit discovered that loan funds were used inappropriately). In the latter case, Kiva will attempt to refund lenders with any funds recovered. Direct loans are typically only refunded if the borrower requests it (typically because they've found alternative sources of funding) or if the borrower breaches one of Kiva's policies (e.g. self-fundraising, violating our community guidelines, found evidence of inaccuracies in the information provided to Kiva).
In all cases, information about why the refund was issued should be in the refund email sent to all contributing lenders.
Total amount refunded and expired
This figure is the total amount of loans refunded to your account, either due to a loan expiring (as a result of lack of support of lenders) or being refunded (due to an error with the loan).
How do I delete a saved search?
You can manage and/or delete your saved searches by signing into your account and going to: kiva.org/lend/saved-search
Why is this loan ineligible?
Since the funding you received is via Kiva's Donor-Advised Fund, all of Kiva's Field Partners have to sign an amended agreement in order to receive these funds. Direct loans and loans through Field Partners who haven't signed the agreement will not be eligible to support while using DAF funding. Currently, over 80% of all loans on the Kiva website are eligible.
Number of ended loans defaulted
Number of ended loans which are not repaid in full.
Does every loan posted by a Field Partner correspond with that partner's social performance strengths?
Social performance badges are awarded to Field Partners for their overall work in addition to facilitating microloans. Even though these badges appear on specific loans on Kiva, they do not describe the specific loans, but rather describe the Field Partners' overall focus.
How many students are involved with Kiva U?
For a list of the current Kiva U participants, check out this page on our website: kivau.org
What forms of payment are accepted at the Kiva Store?
Like Kiva, the Kiva Store uses PayPal for online payment processing. If you don't have a PayPal account, you may check out as a PayPal guest.
How much of my Kiva Store purchase goes to Kiva?
A portion of each Kiva Store purchase goes to fund Kiva operations, and this amount ranges from 18%-25%.
For all artisan-made products, 25% of product sales go to Kiva. Kiva artisan borrowers are fairly compensated for their products, and control their own prices with the ability to increase or decrease their price at any time. The remainder of the sale price goes to Kiva’s Field Partner NOVICA, which works with artisans around the world and powers the Kiva Store.
For Kiva gear and Kiva-branded products, 18% of product sales are donated to Kiva’s operations. Donations added at checkout, included in a gift bundle or a build-your-own bundle, go to Kiva in full, after processing.
What is a sector?
When a Field Partner uploads a loan to Kiva's website, they select a sector for the loan. The sector helps describe what the loan is being used for, aiming to help categorize the type of loan or the industry in which the borrower works.
What are youth loans?
Youth loans are for individuals under the age of 30. Youth are often seen as more risky and therefore can experience limited availability of resources and financial services due to their lack of business experience and/or lack of established credit history. However, there's a high social impact from supporting youth entrepreneurship and getting young people exposed to financial management early on.
Exchange rate
The amount of local currency for this borrower that is equivalent to 1 US dollar. The exchange rate on a particular loan represents the rate on the date the loan was added into Kiva's system by the Field Partner.
The exchange rate is updated nightly from xe.com
Amount of paying back loans
Total amount of loans raised and disbursed which are in the process of being paid back by a borrower.
What are mobile technology loans?
Mobile technology loans specifically target individuals with businesses that are increasing the access of mobile phones and mobile services to their local communities, including those who utilize electronic data capture (EDC) machines for bill payments.
Does the honoree have to have a Kiva account to dedicate a loan to them?
No. While we hope that loan dedications will encourage new people to learn about Kiva and make their own loans, the recipient of a loan dedication doesn't have to have a Kiva account in order to receive a loan dedication.
Delinquency rate (for lender portfolio)
The percentage of loans you've made that are being paid back and that are past due in repayment. How this is calculated: Amount of payments past due / Total amount outstanding
How does Kiva aim to reach people not being served by traditional banks?
At Kiva, we aim to do more than simply provide a platform for microfinance services to thrive. We're also trying to reach people who, for whatever reason, are not often within the scope of traditional microfinance institutions or banks. We envision a world where every individual has the power to create opportunity for themselves and others and as we work toward this reality, we are constantly challenging ourselves to find new ways for our lenders’ flexible, risk-tolerant capital to grow markets and reach even more people with innovative loan products. This is core to Kiva’s quest for deeper impact – one that is shared by our generous lender community. So when it comes to reaching even more borrowers with the right loans and services, we look to enable change at the partner level in 2 different ways: First and foremost, we want to support good institutions, with strong social missions, so that they can grow their core offerings and serve even more people. These partners work to achieve what we call breadth of impact. Our social performance scoring process helps ensure that we pick good organizations to work with, and that we give them credit for the work they do. On the depth side, we look to help our Field Partners reach into new areas, innovating and expanding their loan offerings in what we call the four Ps: populations, products, places and prices. Here’s what we hope to achieve: Populations - Enabling partners to use Kiva funding to help expand to new populations, especially those that are marginalized or excluded from financial services. Products - Enabling partners to use Kiva funding to offer new products that promote or enable social causes, like loans for solar lighting devices, or to pay college tuitions. Places - Enabling partners to use Kiva funding to expand to new geographic locations, especially areas where there are few options for accessing loans. Prices - Enabling partners to use Kiva funding to drive down the cost of loans for clients. With this support, we’re seeing more and more partners develop new types of loans that take this into account -- loans that provide the right products and services to the people who need them most. We consider these loans to have a higher potential for impact. As we grow, we will continue to work hard to increase both our breath and depth of impact -- all in the spirit of serving more borrowers, better.
Does Kiva report on my credit score?
For business owners who started applications after December 2015, Kiva is reporting on their business credit score. This means that when you submit an on-time payment on your Kiva loan, we report positively on your score, and if a payment is late we report negatively on your score.
While business credit is different than personal credit, personal lenders may still look at their business credit report before deciding whether to give them a personal loan.
We hope that this will allow more of our borrowers to access larger forms of capital from other lenders, and at a lower interest rate.
You can find more information about business credit reporting here: https://borrow.kiva.org/blogs/225
Total amount repaid
The value of all repayments and any refunds issued by Kiva (due to errors or fraud).
What is social underwriting?
Rather than determining a borrower's financial eligibility based on traditional financial factors like credit scores, cash flow or collateral, social underwriting allows a borrower's community to vouch for their creditworthiness. Kiva U.S. uses social underwriting to lend to socially impactful borrowers based on their character.
Social underwriting is implemented in multiple ways. Borrowers can be endorsed by a Trustee who writes an endorsement and can help the borrower in fundraising and provide business advice. All Kiva U.S. borrowers also go through a private fundraising period where they must have a certain number of their personal network make a loan to them before they are posted to the greater Kiva community. Finally, every loan must be funded by Kiva's lender community, and every lender has the chance to independently decide if they want to support the loan.
If you'd like to learn more about the social underwriting model, we encourage you to read some of these articles: nextbillion.net/the-power-of-social-underwritingfastcoexist.com/3052439/screw-fico-how-social-underwriting-could-expand-access-to-credit
How are loans facilitated?
Kiva loans are facilitated through 2 models, partner and direct, that enable us to reach the greatest number of people around the world.
For partner loans, borrowers apply to a local Field Partner, which manages the loan on the ground. Field Partners are responsible for screening borrowers, disbursing loans, posting borrowers to the Kiva website for funding, collecting repayments and otherwise administering Kiva loans on the ground to borrowers.
For direct loans, borrowers apply through the Kiva website and may or may not be endorsed by a Trustee. Unlike Field Partners, Trustees don't handle any financial transactions or have any duty to repay loans on behalf of their borrowers. Instead, Trustees take the role of providing support and business advice to their borrowers throughout the term of the loan.
Can I contact the Trustee?
Lenders are encouraged to reach out to borrowers and Trustees through the lender comments feature on each borrower profile. There, you can directly communicate with them about the loan and how the business is going. Kiva is unable to facilitate communication between lenders and Trustees outside of lender comments.
Can a Trustee cover a borrower's default?
An endorsement from a Trustee doesn't guarantee any loan repayment, and Trustees have no fiduciary duty to Kiva, borrowers or lenders to repay a loan on behalf of a borrower. They never handle money associated with direct loans, as loans are disbursed directly from Kiva to the borrower once they are fully funded. Trustees can play an advisory role and help borrowers with business advice or create new repayment plans if they ever become delinquent on their loan.
What is the Kiva Store return policy?
Whenever possible, the Kiva Store encourage exchange of items vs a full return. This ensures that the donation to Kiva that your purchase generated, will still go towards supporting Kiva’s operations. You may return items for refund or exchange within 60 days of the purchase date. To learn more, please visit: https://store.kiva.org/help/
Network affiliation
Field Partners typically are supported by microfinance networks, which help provide funds, technical advice and best practice information to its members. Microfinance networks play a critical role in building capacity for Field Partner organizations. We encourage Kiva lenders to learn more about these networks if they wish to learn more about a Field Partner organization.
Total journals
The total number of loan updates posted on Kiva's website by this Field Partner.
Average loan size (% of per capita income)
A Field Partner's average loan size is expressed as a percentage of the country's gross national annual income per capita. Loans that are smaller (that is, as a lower percentage of gross national income per capita) are generally made to more economically disadvantaged populations. However, these same loans are generally more costly for the Field Partner to originate, disburse and collect.
What are disaster recovery loans?
Disaster recovery loans help borrowers who are working to rebuild their lives, businesses and homes following a natural disaster.
Field Partner's time on Kiva
Time on Kiva shows the number of months a Field Partner has been posting loans to Kiva for funding.
What do “Average Cost to Borrower” and “N/A” mean?
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. While Field Partners may request payment from borrowers, and some Field Partners are profitable, Kiva carefully chooses to partner with organizations that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked and underserved, and our due diligence methods include thorough analyses of the costs and benefits of individual loan products. Moreover, partners with a very high cost to borrowers undergo additional annual screening by Kiva to further review their pricing rationale.
Currently, there are 4 different types of information about our Field Partners that may appear in this Average Cost to Borrower field: Portfolio Yield (PY), Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Monthly Percentage Rate (MPR) and Not Applicable (N/A). Kiva displays only versions of these rates that are nominal, meaning that the effect of inflation in each country is not taken into account. See The World Factbook for a publicly available list of inflation rates.
For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays N/A (Not Applicable) because the structures of the particular loan products used by the partner do not allow for a standard pricing calculation. For example, the loan products may have loan repayments linked to the borrowers' revenues or profits, or to repayments from carbon credits or clean energy utility charges. In other cases, the Field Partner may not charge borrowers directly, but may work with third-party intermediaries that do charge borrowers. In each of these cases, Kiva will provide detailed descriptions of the relevant pricing practices in loan alert text and on partner pages.
What are innovative loan product loans?
Innovative loan product loans are designed to specifically meet the needs of unique populations they serve. Traditional microfinance loans are distributed in cash and have regular, fixed repayment plans, making them well-suited to the needs of entrepreneurs with predictable income streams. However, some borrowers require more unique or flexible financing. Innovative loan products include: loans repaid in-kind rather than in cash, loans repaid from carbon credit revenue, loans with repayments based on a percentage of borrowers' income or profits, loans with flexible repayment schedules and other innovative loans that are pushing the boundaries of traditional microfinance.
Why aren’t larger loans being provided by traditional banks?
Traditional banks don’t often serve small enterprises for many of the same reasons they don’t serve entrepreneurs with traditional microloans.
One of the primary reasons is that it simply isn’t profitable. Many businesses prefer to remain in the informal sector and do not have bank accounts. Those that do have bank accounts are relatively small and have much lower revenue potential per enterprise than larger businesses. On top of that, it’s common for these small enterprises to need technical assistance related to best business practices, which can add to the bank’s overhead costs. Unless banks view this sector as a viable market, it’s unlikely they’ll develop the necessary strategy, products, delivery channels and risk management systems to address it.
There are also many regulatory barriers that can diminish the incentives a bank may have to work with smaller enterprises. For example, banks may have difficulty with enforcing a loan’s collateral, lowering operational costs through out-of-court settlements or having well-protected creditor rights during a default.
Finally, there’s typically a lack of financial infrastructure in many of these regions. Specifically, a lack of robust credit reporting systems, accounting and auditing standards, insolvency regimes, as well as functioning payments and settlements systems which help address legal uncertainties that lenders face.
What are vulnerable group loans?
Vulnerable Group loans are for borrowers who are particularly underserved, vulnerable and/or very poor. These include those affected by or forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict, human rights violations, violence, or manmade disasters.
What are fair trade loans?
Fair Trade loans are for artisans and farmers who sell their Fair Trade certified produced goods in the international economy. The price of the goods are set to cover the cost of production as well as a living wage to cover the basics of food, shelter, clothing, education and medical care. Fair Trade also ensures that the worker’s revenues are reinvested into their businesses, that the method of production is sustainable and guarantees workers freedom of association and safe working conditions.
What resources can Kiva U.S. borrowers take advantage of?
There are a number of public and private resources that are available to borrowers. We have capital, advising, and value add resources available for you to view here.
How do I make a payment on my loan?
All payments are processed through PayPal. You will receive a monthly payment reminder email which you can click through to submit a payment, or you can follow the instructions below:
Log into your PayPal account.
Select "Pay or Send Money" at the top of the page.
Select "Send money to friends or family".
Send your payment amount to paypalzip@kiva.org.
Click "Send" and you're done!
How do I apply for a Kiva U.S. loan?
To apply for a Kiva U.S. loan, you can start an application by clicking the “Apply Now” button on kiva.org/borrow.
After completing your application, a member of the Kiva U.S. team will reach out to you to better understand the business and ask any follow up questions. After reviewing the completed application, the Kiva U.S. team will determine if you qualify for the full loan request. If you have any questions during the application process, please email borrowers@kiva.org.
How does my Trustee endorse my loan?
If your Trustee hasn’t done so yet, they must first apply to become a Trustee here.
If their Trustee application is approved, they can submit their endorsement of you by following these steps:
Log into their Trustee account
Visit their Trustee dashboard
Search for your name or email address in the search box
Click “endorse” next to your loan
Complete the endorsement and hit “submit”
Once the endorsement is submitted, it will automatically appear on your profile.
More information about successive and concurrent loans
Field Partners often work with borrowers over time to help them build credit and expand their businesses. In order to make it easier for partners to post loans for borrowers who have been listed on Kiva before, we allow some partners the ability to relist a loan without having to re-enter all of the borrower's information. When this occurs, you'll see an updated loan description, as well as excerpts of the original descriptions from an earlier loan.
Most borrowers take out loans consecutively, meaning that they receive a second loan after having repaid the first. However, sometimes our Field Partners give out concurrent loans, allowing borrowers to take out one primary loan and a secondary "add-on" loan along with it. These additional loans are typically smaller than the borrower's primary loan and serve a different purpose. We trust our partners to determine whether a borrower has the means to be able to repay a successive or concurrent loan.
How do I accept and decline request to join my team?
To edit the membership of your lending team, simply sign in to your Kiva account and go to your team's page. Once you are there, click on the "Members" tab. This page lists all of the members of your team, with the options to dismiss/accept/decline them from the team or bestow team captainhood to them.
When someone requests to join a closed team, as a captain, you should be notified via email. You can also check for requests by going to kiva.org/teams/requests
Trustee's time on Kiva
Time on Kiva shows the number of months a Trustee has been endorsing loans on Kiva for funding.
Trustee loans defaulted
This figure represents the number of loans endorsed by this Trustee that have ended in default.
Why does Kiva US require borrowers to invite their own lenders?
Kiva US borrowers must invite lenders from their own network to fund their loan before they are posted live to the Kiva website for the larger Kiva lender community to support. This as an important measure of the borrower’s trust network and hope that the lenders invited by the lender will help keep them accountable for repaying their loan. Depending on the size of the loan and other factors, borrowers are required to invite between 5 and 30 lenders from their network.
We ask borrowers to recruit lenders from their own networks for 3 principal reasons:
- Borrowers who invite their own networks have a significantly higher repayment rate on their loans.
- We’ve found that loans fundraise much faster when the immediate network of the borrower is engaged in the fundraising period. When lenders see that a borrower has some skin in the game because they have invited their own friends and family to lend to them, we believe they're more likely to make contributions of their own.
- Inviting lenders fuels the growth of the Kiva Zip program, allowing us to support more entrepreneurs.
Repaid in full
This figure represents the number of loans endorsed by this Trustee that have completed all repayments.
What are Trustee tiers?
Trustee tiers determine the number of endorsements a Trustee can make and what loan sizes they can endorse. All Trustees begin as a pilot and can advance in tier depending on their borrowers' repayment performance.
For for more information about Trustee tiers, visit: kivaushub.org/trustee-tiers
Trustee's loans paying back late
This figure represents the number of loans endorsed by this Trustee that are currently paying back behind their repayment schedule.
Direct loan private fundraising period
This loan is currently in its private fundraising period on Kiva. All direct loans must go through this period, where the borrower is required to tap into their own networks to recruit support of their loan prior to the loan being posted to the public Kiva website. This innovation makes borrowers accountable to helping get their loans funded and acts as social underwriting on the loan, while also helping Kiva reach new lenders and expand our markets.
Do all direct loans have Trustees?
Not all direct loans have Trustees. If you'd like to see if a borrower has a Trustee, visit the borrower profile and click "Trustee" on the right hand side. Borrowers with Trustees will have the Trustee's information and endorsement listed, and borrowers without Trustees will be shown as endorsed by the borrower's network.
Trustee repayment rate
This figure is the total amount of money currently collected by borrowers endorsed by this Trustee, divided by the total amount of money currently due from borrowers. This excludes payments made ahead of schedule.
What does it mean for a loan to be endorsed by a borrower's network?
Direct loans without Trustees are shown as endorsed by the borrower's network. Our social underwriting model for all direct loans has borrowers go through a private fundraising period where they are required to have a certain number of their friends and family to support their loan. We believe that this private fundraising period makes borrowers accountable to their personal social network, and show that as an endorsement when borrowers don't have a Trustee.
To learn more, please visit the borrower's network Trustee page: kiva.org/trustees/1552
Note about this loan
Due to government regulations in this country, foreign funding must remain in the country for a set period of time before being returned. This means that this borrower will likely repay their loan sooner than the repayment term noted on Kiva, however as a lender you will not be repaid until this waiting period is over. In the meantime, the Field Partner may choose to relend your funds to help other local borrowers. We want you to be aware of these terms and the associated risks before making this loan.
Fundraising / raised
This figure represents the number of loans endorsed by this Trustee that are currently fundraising or fully funded.
Trustee's total loans
This figure includes the total amount of loans that this Trustee has endorsed. This excludes refunded loans.
Paying back on time
This figure represents the number of loans endorsed by this Trustee that are currently paying back on their repayment schedule.
Kiva borrowers (direct loans)
This figure represents the total number of loans endorsed by this Trustee that have fundraised on Kiva.
What are rural exclusion loans?
Rural exclusion loans provide financial services to individuals and families living in very remote areas of the world. Many of these loans are for innovative agriculture products that support the livelihoods of those living in rural areas.
How can I increase my fundraising speed?
The most powerful way that you (or your Trustee) can increase fundraising speed is by inviting your network to become lenders.
You can invite lenders to contribute to your loan by sharing the link to your loan, which can be found on their Borrower dashboard.
Additionally, you can work to increase your fundraising speed by doing the following:
Post a high quality profile with a good photo. The best photos are ones that clearly and colorfully show your face (ideally smiling!) and show you doing something related to your business.
Post comments and updates in the comments section.
Finally, the endorsement of a Trustee with a proven repayment history of other endorsed borrowers can increase fundraising speeds. Lenders can sort by repayment rate when looking for credible Trustees and borrowers.
Best practices, tips and templates for fundraising can be found here.
What guidelines are there for fundraising?
While fundraising on Kiva, borrowers should expect to recruit some lenders from within their own network. However, borrowers may not:
Engage in self-promotion, advertising or solicitation. FOR EXAMPLE: Do not promote your loan in private lender messages or in lending teams (unless you have permission from the team captain).
Fund any portion their own loan.
In the event of either of these instances, the share purchase will be refunded, and further, more severe steps might also be taken, depending on the circumstances.
Kiva borrowers (partner loans)
This figure represents the total number of borrowers posted by this Field Partner that have raised loans on Kiva. This number includes individual borrowers within any of this Field Partner's group loans.
Population below poverty line
The percentage of the population living below the poverty line (i.e. the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living).
Number of paying back loans
Total number of loans raised and disbursed which are in the process of being paid back by a borrower.
I made a payment several days ago. Why isn't it showing up?
There are a few different reasons your payment may not have been received yet:
1. Processing Delay: The payment is still processing. Typically payments take about 1 business day to process.
2. E-check: The payment was sent as an e-check, which takes 3 to 5 days to clear. To check if your payment was sent as an e-check, log into your PayPal account, view your recent history, and confirm if the payment was sent as an e-check. Learn more about e-checks (and how to avoid them) here.
3. Wrong Email: The payment was sent to an address other than paypalzip@kiva.org. To check if it was sent to the wrong email address, log into your PayPal account and view your PayPal transaction history. If you used the wrong address, cancel your initial payment and re-send it to paypalzip@kiva.org.
For any other issues related to payment, please email us at borrowers@kiva.org.
Can I make payments early?
Yes, you can make payments ahead of schedule and there is no penalty for making early payments.
Average loan size / GDP per capita (PPP)
This figure provides insight into Field Partner's depth of outreach. In other
words, the relative poverty level of the borrowers selected by this partner.
Average Loan Size / GDP Per Capita (PPP) Rule of Thumb:
- If less than 20% = the poorest of the poor are being reached.
- If between 20%-149% = the middle poor are being reached.
- If between 150%-249% = the upper poor are being reached.
- If over 250% = the middle class or established small businesses are being reached.
Field Partner's total loans
Total loans indicates the total amount of loans this Field Partner has raised through the Kiva website. This excludes refunded loans.
Number of raised inactive loans
This is the total number of loans raised but not yet disbursed to the intended borrower.
What does "Instant Sign-In" mean?
The Instant Sign-In feature allows users to sign directly into their Kiva account from links within Kiva emails, making it faster and easier to use the website over time. For security purposes, certain transactions, such as withdrawals and settings, will still require additional authentication. If you want to opt-out of this feature at any time, simply go to the Email Settings page in your portfolio and uncheck the option for "Allow Instant Sign-In from Kiva emails."
Number of ended loans
Total number of loans raised and disbursed which are no longer in the process of being paid back by a borrower.
What guidelines are there for borrowers’ loan photos?
The loan photo must meet the following criteria:
The borrower must be in the photo.
The borrower’s face must be clearly visible.
The borrower must not be wearing sunglasses.
The borrower must be at their place of business, or doing something related to their business.
The photo can not be a passport photo or “mugshot.”
As well as meeting all of these criteria, the best photos are colorful and well lit, and feature smiling borrowers.
For some examples of great borrower photos, please go here.
How long do I have to fundraise on Kiva?
When a loan is posted into the private fundraising period, you have 15 days to invite the required number of lenders to fund your loan. Once the loan reaches the required number of lenders, it will be posted to the public Kiva website and have 30 additional days to raise the remaining amount.
What do “Average Cost to Borrower” and “MPR” mean?
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. While Field Partners may request payment from borrowers, and some Field Partners are profitable, Kiva carefully chooses to partner with organizations that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked and underserved, and our due diligence methods include thorough analyses of the costs and benefits of individual loan products. Moreover, partners with a very high cost to borrowers undergo additional annual screening by Kiva to further review their pricing rationale.
Currently, there are 4 different types of information about our Field Partners that may appear in this Average Cost to Borrower field: Portfolio Yield (PY), Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Monthly Percentage Rate (MPR) and Not Applicable (N/A). Kiva displays only versions of these rates that are nominal, meaning that the effect of inflation in each country is not taken into account. See The World Factbook for a publicly available list of inflation rates.
For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays Monthly Percentage Rate (MPR), which represents the estimated average cost paid by a borrower to this Field Partner to access a loan posted on Kiva, with that cost normalized per month and converted into a percentage rate. In certain rare cases where Field Partners provide very short term loans to borrowers, Kiva believes that MPR is a more transparent method of representing cost than the more common Annual Percentage Rate (APR). Using tools provided by MicroFinance Transparency, Kiva calculates this MPR based on a detailed analysis of the types of loans this Field Partner has posted and/or plans to post on Kiva.
Showing an MPR value does not always imply that the Field Partner charges interest on its loans. Kiva works with Field Partners across many sectors, including some that don't provide cash loans to borrowers. Instead, these partners provide impactful products or services, which the borrower pays for over time. Thus, the total costs paid by a borrower to a Field Partner may (or may not) include interest charges, fees, security deposits, rent or other delayed payments for the delivery of goods or services.
Average cost to borrower (MPR)
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays Monthly Percentage Rate (MPR), which represents the estimated average cost paid by a borrower to this Field Partner to access a loan posted on Kiva, with that cost normalized per month and converted into a percentage rate. In certain rare cases where Field Partners provide very short term loans to borrowers, Kiva believes that MPR is a more transparent method of representing cost than the more common annual percentage rate (APR). Using tools provided by MicroFinance Transparency, Kiva calculates this MPR based on a detailed analysis of the types of loans this Field Partner has posted and/or plans to post on Kiva.
For more information, please visit: What do “Average cost to borrower” and “MPR” mean?
Average cost to borrower (N/A)
Although Kiva and its lenders don't charge interest or fees to borrowers, many of Kiva's Field Partners do charge borrowers in some form in order to make possible the long-term sustainability of their operations, reach and impact. For this specific Field Partner, Kiva displays N/A (not applicable) because the structures of the particular loan products used by the partner do not allow for a standard pricing calculation. For example, the loan products may have loan repayments linked to the borrowers' revenues or profits, or to repayments from carbon credits or clean energy utility charges. In other cases, the Field Partner may not charge borrowers directly, but may work with third-party intermediaries that do charge borrowers. In each of these cases, Kiva will provide detailed descriptions of the relevant pricing practices in loan alert text and on partner pages.
For more information, please visit: What do “Average cost to borrower” and “N/A” mean?
Why can't I make this loan with my free trial?
Free trials cannot be used to make loans during their private fundraising period on Kiva. If you'd like to make a free loan, please select a different loan to support.
What are underfunded area loans?
Loans to borrowers in underfunded areas reach those people who live in particularly remote areas with scarce resources or a limited penetration of financial services. Underfunded areas also include countries that have a hard time accessing capital to support microfinance. These borrowers have very limited options for financing because of where they are located. By funding a loan in an underfunded area you are helping provide financial services to these excluded areas.
Will I know if a borrower in India defaults on his/her loan before the end of the loan term?
Our Field Partners in India will be tracking repayment information on their Kiva loans, but Kiva will not be able to report repayments or defaults on individual loans until the end of the 43 month loan term.
What does "Listed" mean?
The listed date is the date this loan first appeared on Kiva's website and began fundraising.
Average number of comments per journal
Lenders can leave comments on any loan update they read. This figure measures the average number of comments per update.
Average group loan size
This is the average size in dollars of all group loans on Kiva.
What should I do if my payment is going to be late?
If your payment is going to be late, please email our team at borrowers@kiva.org. As a best practice, we also recommend updating your lenders via the comments section on your loan.
How does Kiva U.S. screen Trustees?
Every Trustee must fill out an online application form. We then review every Trustee's application, following up where appropriate.
The performance of loans that a Trustee endorses affects their ability to endorse additional borrowers. Trustees that endorse borrowers who do not repay their loans will be prevented from making future endorsements.
Average number of borrowers per group
This is the average number of borrowers in a group loan on Kiva. This doesn't include individual loans.
Infant mortality rate (per 1000)
Rate of death per 1000 infants in the first year of life. The leading causes of infant mortality are dehydration and disease.
What are the qualifications to become a Trustee?
Trustees should have compelling answers to the following questions, which appear on their public profile:
How will you determine whether or not the business plans of the borrower(s) you endorse are sound?
How will you know whether the borrower(s) you endorse will have the "character" to repay a loan?
Please describe what type of business, financial, technical or other support you plan on providing to the borrower(s) you endorse.
How will you establish whether the borrower(s) you endorse are in debt, or have a history of debt? How will what you find affect your endorsement of their loan application?
Why can't the borrower(s) you endorse access traditional loans?
Individual Trustees should have at least 2 years of experience in a relevant field -- for example, small business ownership, economic development, community development, etc.
Within that scope, anyone (an individual or an organization) can become a Trustee, so long as they can provide strong answers to these questions.
Life expectancy
Average length of survival for members of country's population.
Literacy rate
The percentage of the population with the ability to read and write.
How do I engage my network during the Private Fundraising Period?
When you begin the private fundraising period, we recommend you make a list of 30 friends and family members that you can email or call directly asking to contribute to your loan. We've found that personal emails and phone calls are generally more effective than impersonal social media posts or generic emails.
You can find email templates, sample phone scripts, and other helpful resources to make your campaign successful at our fundraising hub.
For more advice on fundraising, and answers to any of your questions, please reach out to our team at borrowers@kiva.org.
Can lenders contribute to my campaign offline?
In order for lenders contributions to count towards your goal, they must create a Kiva account and lend through the website. Unfortunately we’re unable to process offline contributions.
Why isn't PayPal accepting my lender's credit card?
PayPal provides Kiva with free payment processing on all financial transactions, which means that regardless of whether a lender pays using a credit card or PayPal account, PayPal will process their payment and send them a receipt. Because of this, if your lenders run into trouble using a credit card to make a payment on Kiva, we unfortunately can't do anything directly to figure out why your payment isn't going through.
To help troubleshoot the issue, you may advise them to use a different browser, use a private browser or go into "incognito mode", to clear their current browser's cache and cookies, or use a different credit card.
If they continue having trouble using their credit card, they can give PayPal's customer service team a call at 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US) or 402-952-8811 (International), or reach out and explain their issue to Kiva's PayPal representative, Scott Riley, at sjriley@paypal.com.
For more information about lending on Kiva, please visit our lender help center here.
Can I see how much each of my lenders contributed and their contact information?
Due to privacy reasons in our lender agreement, we are not able to provide that information. However, we encourage you to reach out to your lenders in the comments section of your loan to engage with and thank them.
If my loan expires, what happens to the lenders' contributions?
If your loan expires, each lender will receive the funds they contributed back to their Kiva account as Kiva credit. At that point, they can choose to relend the funds to another entrepreneur, or withdraw into a PayPal account. To withdraw the funds, lenders can follow these instructions:
First, go to http://www.kiva.org/withdraw. You can also access this page by signing into your Kiva account and clicking "withdraw" under your available credit balance in your portfolio.
On this page, enter the amount you wish to withdraw and the email address registered with your PayPal account (you will need to type this email twice), then follow the prompts.
Kiva and PayPal will process your withdrawal request, your funds should be deposited into your PayPal account in 1 to 2 week's time. Currently all withdrawals must be completed to PayPal accounts, and Kiva cannot deposit funds directly into your personal bank account. If you do not have a PayPal account, please create one at: https://www.paypal.com.
What are the loan terms for U.S. loans?
The maximum amount that U.S. borrowers can borrow depends on multiple factors in their application. Borrowers may request loan amounts from $25 to $10,000, and will be notified of the final amount they qualify for after submitting their application.
What is social underwriting and why is it a requirement to get a Kiva U.S. loan?
At Kiva, we envision a world where someone’s creditworthiness is determined by the strength of their character rather than their credit history. We’re working to re-insert human relationships into the financial system by using social underwriting to assess the creditworthiness of our borrowers.
To demonstrate social capital, we require all gather support from their community through the Private Fundraising Period. During this 15 day period, we ask that borrowers recruit a certain number of lenders from their network to make a loan to them before the loan is publicly posted on Kiva.
We view this as an important measure of the borrower’s trust network and hope these lenders keep the borrower accountable for repaying their loan.
While the Private Fundraising Period is a tool we use to access a borrower’s creditworthiness, we’ve also found that it increases a borrower’s chance of success on Kiva, as loans fundraise much more quickly when the borrower’s immediate network is engaged during fundraising.
Depending on the size of the loan and multiple factors, borrowers must invite between 5 and 35 lenders from within their network.
What due diligence does Kiva U.S. do on borrowers?
Kiva has developed increasingly robust due diligence checklists for U.S. borrowers.These checklists include verifying the identity of borrowers using third party background check companies; conducting online research on borrowers and their businesses; connecting with borrowers on social media to establish the extent and strength of their networks, and requiring them to invite their own personal network to support their loan.
Our due diligence processes are being continuously improved and refined.
Borrowers’ performance on their first loan affects their eligibility for additional loans of higher amounts.
How do borrowers use their loan?
Borrowers use their loans for a wide range of different reasons.
Some examples include:
A $4,000 loan to begin commercial production of granola bars to employ ex-convicts.
A $5,000 loan for marketing material to expand a non-profit.
A $10,000 loan to build a walk-in refrigerator for an organic farm.
A $3,000 loan to help a first-generation migrant make a website for their hazelnut spread business.
A $1,000 loan to pay for a stall at a artisan jewelry fair.
What interest rate does Kiva U.S. charge?
Kiva U.S. loans are at 0% interest and have no fees.
What financial involvement do Trustees have in the loan?
Trustees have no fiduciary duty to Kiva, borrowers, or lenders, including repayment of a loan on behalf of a borrower. Trustees never handle the money associated with the loan – loans are sent directly from Kiva to the borrowers, once fully funded by the lenders.
Trustees also don’t receive any interest rate or flat fee (e.g. servicing fee, referral fee, access fee, etc.) related to the loan.
What happens to the Trustee if a borrower they endorsed doesn't pay back a loan?
The Trustee will face no financial penalty in the event that a borrower defaults on a loan. However, the repayment rate of each Trustee is publicly displayed on their profile, and a defaulted loan will reflect poorly on their reputation. Over time, we will stop working with Trustees who endorse borrowers that do not repay their loans.
Why is it hard to track if a post-disbursed loan is dependent on Kiva lender funding?
Direct loans on Kiva are always post-disbursed. That means that if the loan doesn't fully fundraise on Kiva's website, the borrower won't receive the loan.
Partner loans may be pre- or post-disbursed. With partner loans, Kiva's Field Partners are the ones responsible for screening borrowers, disbursing loans, collecting repayments and otherwise administering Kiva loans on the ground. When a borrower receives a loan through Kiva's Field Partner, they have gone through an approval process, evaluating their credit-worthiness and likelihood of repaying their loan.
If a Field Partner has cash available when they approve a borrower for a loan, they may choose to give out that loan right away, prior to posting it to Kiva for funding. By pre-disbursing a loan, they're helping to ensure the borrower gets their funds as soon as they're needed, instead of having to wait until the loan fundraises on Kiva. However, some of Kiva's Field Partners don't have the cash available to do this, so they must wait until they receive the funding from Kiva lenders to disburse a loan. Regardless of whether a loan is pre- or post-disbursed, when a partner posts a loan to Kiva, they're doing so because they believe that the borrower is worthy of receiving a loan, and they hope that Kiva lenders will choose support the borrower, thus assuming the risk for that loan.
If a partner loan is post-disbursed and does not get funded on Kiva's platform, oftentimes the borrower will not get the loan (a majority of our partners who post-disburse loans don't have other sources of funding besides Kiva). However, if a loan isn't supported by Kiva lenders and the partner has the resources to do so, they may choose to still give out that loan to the borrower, using other sources of capital.
It's hard for Kiva to track which post-disbursed partner loans won't happen without the support of lenders for a variety of reasons. First, the financial situation of a partner can change relatively quickly. One month a partner may only be able to finance loans through Kiva, whereas the next month they may have leveraged their relationship with Kiva in ways to get additional sources of funding. Because this situation can fluctuate on a regular basis, it's difficult to know for certain if a loan on Kiva that has a future disbursal date will be able to be given out even if it isn't funded by Kiva lenders.
In addition, the Partnerships Team at Kiva has chosen not to invest the resources in tracking this on a routine basis, given limited staff time and the number of partners each person must manage (it typically takes 2 people to manage 25-30 partners). Our Portfolio Managers and Portfolio Associates already monitor a lot of details about their partners, focusing their efforts on key tasks such as the overall financial health of the Field Partner, accuracy of the loan information (through borrower verifications), monthly repayment reporting and conducting updated risk models every 24 months.
Labor force
The country's suppliers of labor grouped by specific occupation. The labor force consists of everyone of working age (typically above a certain age (around 14 to 16) and below retirement (around 65) who are participating workers, that is people actively employed or seeking employment. People not counted include students, retired people, stay-at-home parents, people in prisons or similar institutions, as well as discouraged workers who simply do not want work.
Do I qualify?
There are a number of criteria that you must meet in order to qualify for a Kiva U.S. loan.
The criteria are as follows:
You must live in the U.S.
You must be over 18.
You must be using the loan for business purposes.
Your business must not be engaged in any of the following activities:
Multi-level marketing / direct sales
Illegal activities (e.g. gambling, scams)
Pure financial investing (e.g. stocks)
You cannot currently be in foreclosure, bankruptcy, or under any liens.
You must be willing to demonstrate your social capital by having small a number of your friends and family make a loan to you.
Average dollars raised per day per loan
For any given loan on Kiva, the average amount of funds raised from Kiva's lender community in a 24 hour period. This figure is a more direct measure of the relative 'popularity' of loans posted by this Field Partner vs. the Kiva average (the higher the rate
of funding, the more popular).
Amount of ended loans defaulted
Remaining balance due on ended loans which are not repaid in full.
Amount of raised inactive loans
This is the total amount of loans raised but not yet disbursed to the intended borrower. Typically, loans are disbursed within 90 days of being fully funded on Kiva's website.
Official language
Languages which have been given a unique legal status in this country and are typically the languages used in a nation's legislative bodies.
Start date on Kiva
Date at which the first loan from this Field Partner was posted on Kiva's website for funding.
What happens if my loan doesn't fully fund during public fundraising?
If your loan doesn’t reach it’s goal during public fundraising, it will expire and you will not receive any portion of the loan. If you reach at least 50% of your fundraising goal, you are eligible to reapply once. To begin a new application, you can submit a new application here.
If you do choose to reapply, we encourage you to consider requesting a lower loan amount as well as work to improve the quality of your profile by following these guidelines.
What are start-up loans?
Start-Up loans are tailored to new business owners. These individuals may have limited access to financial services which enable them to get their businesses off the ground and running. Oftentimes these are loans are helping people who otherwise may have been declined because of their lack of experience or steady income stream.
Field Partner's average individual loan size
This is the average size of this partner's loans to individual borrowers on Kiva.
What happens if I don't reach my required number of lenders during the private fundraising period?
If you're not able to recruit the required number of lenders during the private fundraising period, your loan will expire and you will not receive any portion of the loan. You may reapply for another loan from Kiva only once. To begin a new application, you can submit a new application here.
Average annual income
The average annual income per person in this country, given in US dollars. This is the GDP per capita (PPP), which is the value of all final goods and services produced within the nation in a given year.
Number of paying back loans delinquent
Number of loan paying back with one or more repayments past due.
Average GDP per capita (PPP) in local country
This number provides insight into the approximate average yearly income of an individual living in a particular country. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the value of all final goods and services produced within the nation in a given year. This figure divides GDP by the total population of the country.
Average number of recommendations per journal
If lenders like what they read in an update, they can 'recommend' it on Facebook. This figure measures the average number of recommendation per update.
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About Kiva
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Contact Kiva
Can't find answers to your questions in the Help Center? Our Community Support team is here to help! Send us a note using the form below.We aim to reply to all messages within 48 hours, so you should hear back from us soon!
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With questions about payment processing, contact PayPalat 888-445-5032 (Toll Free US)
or 402-952-8811 (International).
Kiva Headquarters
875 Howard Street, Suite 340San Francisco, CA 94103 USA
Nairobi Field Office
Hurlighum-Starwood AptsApt. No. A4, Argwings Kodhek Rd
P.O. Box 27603-00506 Nairobi
How do I comment on a loan update?
You can leave a comment on any of the loans you've supported by signing into your Kiva account and going to: kiva.org/portfolio/loans
This page will list all of your loans, and if you click on the name of the borrower whose loan you'd like to make a comment on you'll be directed to their loan profile. Under the title "Comments & Updates" you'll see the ability to make a comment. Please note that you can only make comments if your lender page is public, which you can change by going to kiva.org/settings/account and clicking "Make my page and loans public" at the bottom of the page.