As we gear up for Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to philanthropy and kindness, it's an opportune moment to reflect on the powerful impact of collective giving. Originating as an antidote to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday has grown into a movement that celebrates generosity and the spirit of giving back. It's a day when each of us can make a difference, supporting the causes and organizations we believe in.
The vital role of nonprofits in our world
Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in our society. They fill crucial gaps, tackling societal, environmental, and economic challenges that are often overlooked by both the government and the private sector. Their existence is not merely beneficial but essential, as they provide unique solutions and perspectives that are indispensable for a balanced and compassionate world. Simply put, our society needs nonprofits to exist, to thrive, and to drive meaningful change.
Kiva’s unique model in the nonprofit sector
Kiva's mission is to expand financial access for underserved communities, a goal we achieve by crowdfunding loans from our global lending community. Our commitment has always been that “100% of lending contributions go directly to funding loans”. To uphold that commitment we fully separate loan funds that are used for lending, from donations that are used for operations.
This model is unique in the nonprofit sector where typically organizations blend operational costs with mission-driven activities in their use of donations. Kiva’s approach allows us to provide transparency of the direct impact lenders make through their loan contributions.
It is also why donations to Kiva are a vital part of our organization’s ability to achieve success, as our operational expenses are entirely funded through these contributions.
How your donations propel our mission
Behind every loan is the operational framework that makes Kiva's work possible. From maintaining our digital platform to employing a dedicated team that continually refines our approach, every aspect requires resources. Donations play an instrumental role in this, ensuring the sustainability of our organization and ability to maintain and grow our impact over time. They enable us to keep innovating and reaching more underserved communities, ensuring that our impact is not only widespread but also deep and meaningful. We work with local organizations worldwide to provide training, support, and resources to our borrowers, empowering them to succeed not only today but for years to come.
Kiva’s ambitious goals for 2028
This year we celebrated an incredible milestone at Kiva, reaching over 5 million people through $2 billion in loans. Looking ahead, we have set bold and ambitious goals to drive our mission further, as our work is far from over. We recently announced our impact strategy, which focuses on scaling our efforts to reach more individuals in four target populations.
Our bold 2028 goals are to support
4 million underbanked women, bringing our total to 8 million
350,000 refugees and displaced people,
7,500 systemically marginalized business owners in the U.S., and
500,000 individuals impacted by climate change.
These targets, while challenging, are achievable with the continued support of our dedicated community.
As part of this strategy, we’ve also developed a set of positive outcomes we seek to achieve with our borrowers and we will significantly elevate our assessment and measurement efforts to track these outcomes over time.
These critical efforts ensure Kiva’s mission stays central in our work, and as they are part of our operations, are supported by donations.
Giving Tuesday: A catalyst for collective impact
This Giving Tuesday, let's take this opportunity to amplify and grow our collective impact. Your philanthropic support, whether through donations or simply by spreading the word, plays a crucial role in Kiva’s work to transform lives and communities. Thanks to support from people like you, Kiva is able to distribute over $1 million in loans each week to borrowers in 70+ countries, and we aim to reach millions more.
Let's unite this Giving Tuesday to create a more equitable and thriving world.
With gratitude,
Vishal Ghotge
CEO, Kiva
