Kiva

I remember the first day I was introduced to Kiva.org, a micro-credit lending site that seeks to help alleviate problems due to lack of capital that entrepreneurs face in third world countries. This organization really hits home for me as I am an entrepreneur myself, but fortunately when I needed funds and or capital I had family and friends who were more than willing to help. Since then I have started my own business that has been quite successful, and has set me onto the right path for continued success in life. What sets Kiva apart from all other non-profit organizations is that it just doesn’t beg for money from the supporter and give it to the needy for items such as food or water, even though those hand-outs are vital for survival, their effects can only be observed in the short-term. Kiva seeks to help in the long term by providing enough capital for entrepreneurs to fulfill their dreams and support their families. What makes it even better is that the donor or lender in this case, gets all his or her money back. So how did this revolutionary nonprofit organization set up a supportive base to make a change? Well, it was also through another revolutionary medium; social media.

            First of all Kiva is an organization that is strictly built for the internet, as lenders sit behind a computer and initiate micro loans to selected entrepreneurs after going through their profile on Kiva’s website. This in my opinion is one of the main reasons why Kiva has been so successful. Because it gives lender information on to whom the money goes to and what the money is going to be used for, it gives the lender a feeling of connection to the person he or she is helping. It then comes as no surprise that Kiva is a big user of social media to bring awareness and incite participation from the community. I recently read “The Dragonfly Effect” by Andy Smith and Jennifer Aaker which goes in depth revealing all the topics an organization should consider to properly utilize social media to further improve and advance to the next level. The book is split into 4 “wings” or another way I would like to put it is the 4 main steps to use social media for a social change.
            The first wing emphasized the importance of settings goals and objectives for your organization. First Kiva’s goal can be easily found under their “About us” page stating that their goal was to “connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.” Kiva also emphasizes variations of its goals (micro goals as Aaker or Smith would say) on their Twitter such as a certain amount of money lent out in a certain time period. Kiva also seems to have taken on another more specific goal and that is the lending of funds to women entrepreneurs in third world countries. After going through their twitter (https://twitter.com/#%21/KIVA) it seems that multiple posts made by Kiva bring the issue up.
            Besides setting up their goals and broadcasting it over social media Kiva has spent enormous amounts of time and effort in grabbing attention and creating awareness. Kiva and its CEO Matt Flannery are strong believers in Twitter to promote the organization. When asked what was the key in using the social medium to create awareness Matt Flannery answered. “Twitter helps me understand where people are coming from and helps other people understand where I am coming from. ForKiva, it helps demonstrate that we are not some big impersonal organization; we are just a group of human beings showing up and trying our hardest every day” (Link to Q & A can be found here http://tinyurl.com/7ucu3pf). Matt Flannery and his team have made a connection with their audience through Twitter, giving them the “personal” vibe versus the detached corporate vibe. According to Aaker and Smith “personal interaction builds an emotional connection” and in that emotional connection is what most people act on when giving or contributing to a cause. Kiva has also used other social mediums such as Google + and Facebook, but according to Flannery in the Q&A neither has been as successful as he has “too many friends” claiming that is no longer “as personal anymore”. Making a cause personal is definitely one of the most important methods of sustaining and progressing ones organization. Most people like to know where the money goes to, and when people and organizers are hiding behind a big company logo or name, it’s harder to illicit that personal connection.
           Kiva has also started events that take place in the real world such as Kiva’s sixth anniversary using social media. In these celebrations Kiva aims to empower its lenders around the world by giving them the freedom to organize their own celebrations that help create awareness for the brand. These lenders create teams to spread the word on their celebrations creating awareness and introducing the organization to people who do not know about Kiva. Kiva is promoting participation of the contributor’s yet again building on the whole “personal” theory. Kiva’s goal is clear as its written on its website and continuously posted on its Twitter as it strives to alleviate poverty. By creating these micro goals of lending within a certain time to a certain place it allows consumers to act in helping the progression of the goal by lending $25.00 at a time. Kiva also keeps everyone updated about the status of these goals with a meter on their site, which is very intuitive and interactive. Contributors can follow up on the status giving them a sense of involvement as opposed to contributing and never hearing anything about it again.
            Reaching out and interacting via social media is a powerful phenomenon. It is a very unique and effective way in building awareness. From president Obama to non-profit groups such as Kiva, social media has helped many with their goals and purposes.