Join the FITE

Archive for the ‘Microfinance’ Category

Join the FITE

February 2nd, 2011, by Sloane Berrent. No Comments »

Earlier this month, Kiva co-launched an exciting new campaign to help empower women, together with Dermalogica and other strategic partners called JoinFITE. FITE stands for “Financial Indepence Through Entrepreneurship” and is focused on helping women worldwide start and grow a business.

The campaign has since been covered in BusinessWeek, FastCompany, and the Huffington Post.

Jane Wurwand, the 52-year-old founder of skin-care product maker Dermalogica started 25 years ago with $14,000 and built a business with customers in 87 countries and more than $200 million in annual revenue. She’s an incredible woman I’ve heard speak through my involvement with Step Up Women’s Network. She is dedicated to helping women in business and support entrepreneurship and this is an amazing partnership and campaign to highlight that commitment.

Dermalogica is donating $500,000 to help fund microloans to women through Kiva. Wurwand just stepped down as chief executive officer of Dermalogica to focus her attention on the microlending campaign. According to Jane:

It’s so authentic to our industry. Every spa and salon owner has said it feels like their story. Each of them started with a small amount of money and built their success through that. They know as a woman what it means to be financially independent.

The project will involve promotions on five of Dermalogica’s top-selling products, including skin cleansers, microfolients, and eye creams, that consumers can redeem online to contribute $1 to a Kiva loan. Wurwand hopes consumers will add to the credits with donations of their own, and aims to facilitate microloans to at least 25,000 entrepreneurs in two years. Unlike on Kiva’s main site, loans made through FITE will only go to women. When people fund a loan on the site, starting at $25, they choose what country and what industry their money goes to. Kiva will then choose the borrower and send donors e-mail updates on the entrepreneurs who receive their funds. You can check out the campaign site too, at http://joinFITE.org.

JoinFITE is inspiring a movement and I can’t wait to see where it goes! Celebrities like Geena Davis and Julia Ormond, companies like Dermalogica and Seventh Generation, and thought leaders like Isobel Coleman and Nicholas Kristof (NY Times Columnist and best-selling co-author of Half-the-Sky) have all joined forces and are competing in the joinFITE Challenge. Learn more about it at JoinFITE.org.

Take 5: Kiva Alums, Where Are They Now?

December 14th, 2010, by Sloane Berrent. 2 Comments »

Recently named to Oprah’s Favorite Things list, Kiva is a constant in many of my business and personal relationships. Much of that is from my time as a Kiva Fellow. One of the biggest perks of being a Kiva Fellow is being associated with the other amazing people who are also Kiva Fellows. While our time together is limited, we are only together in-person during a week long training at Kiva HQ in San Francisco, we are all linked together by our shared experiences in the field around the world. There are Kiva Fellows out there doing amazing work in sustainable development, microfinance, technology, getting their masters in business or public administration and running companies.

I wanted to take a moment to share some cool projects I do know about, there are many many others. But here are five of my favorite people I met through Kiva and a quick glance of “where are they now.” Support their organizations and follow these rockstars, they are on the cutting edge of their fields and amazing people to know. I also created a list on Twitter called “Kiva Fellow” which you can follow.

1. iMentor’s mission is to improve the lives of young people from underserved communities through innovative, technology-based approaches to mentoring. Over the past ten years, iMentor has transformed over 20,000 lives including matching over 10,000 mentor-mentee pairs, and partnering with 30 NYC schools and after school programs in four of New York City’s five boroughs and programs all over the country. Hanh Tran, a Kiva Fellow in Vietnam, who recently graduated from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, is now working at iMentor as a Program Manager.

2. It’s hard to pick one venture of Halle Tecco’s, so I’m going to include two. First, before becoming an intern at Kiva, Halle founded YogaBear, a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting more opportunities for wellness and healing to the cancer community through the practice of yoga. Yoga teachers and studios around the country provide free services to those in the cancer community. This past year she authored with friends, including another Kiva intern Analisa Shah (a powerhouse herself), The Flexitarian Cookbook, a cookbook for carnivores and vegetarians, with recipes from chefs around the country. Proceeds from The Flexitarian Cookbook benefit Slow Food USA and Yoga Bear and can be purchased here.

3. You all know Habitat for Humanity, right? Founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, the organization has built over 350,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.75 million people in 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Dave McMurtry, a Kiva Fellow in Libya, now serves as the Senior Vice President of Strategy for Habitat International. In his role, he travels the world to visit projects and is hard at work at new and innovative strategies to take Habitat forward. I always love hearing about his exciting travels.

4. Worldreader’s mission is to make digital books available to all in the developing world, enabling millions of people to improve their lives. Where many schools and villages lack a library because they cannot keep current books in circulation, worldreader provides an endless amount of learning with one device. Zev Lowe, a Kiva Fellow in Indonesia, leads worldreader.org’s finance and research, and supports trial development while based in Barcelona. Zev, also known as an international man of mystery, is an enigma. Worldreader is so lucky to have him.

5. Pando Projects is a nonprofit that empowers people to step up as leaders and develop new, local solutions to the problems in their communities and called “the next big thing” by Kiva CEO, Premal Shah. Milena Arciszewski (who wrote a guest blog post on The Causemopolitan this summer) is the Founder and Executive Director and has been working on Pando since she returned to the States earlier this year from a yearlong Kiva Fellowship in Bosnia, Kenya and the Philippines. Launching in 2011, they are currently looking for 10 people (age 18+) with ideas that can be executed within 3 months in the New York City area. You can find out more about submitting a project here. Milena is a true social entrepreneur. I have loved hearing about Pando from an idea she described over dinner at the Bohol Bee Farm in the Philippines to seeing it executed on the verge of launching, it’s the makings of an incredible success story.

Any Kiva Fellows Alumni reading this, please send me your updates or leave a comment below and I’ll include you in an upcoming post!

New Orleans Reflections For K10

August 31st, 2010, by Sloane Berrent. No Comments »

The following post is a written letter by Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. I’m sharing the letter in its full format because I believe this is something more people should read and hope that by sharing it with you – readers of The Causemopolitan – that you’ll understand a little bit more the struggles and the triumphs of New Orleans and how we all work a little bit every day to undestand it more and to work towards a better future.

The “us” is all of us. It’s not just residents, it’s expats living elsewhere, it’s one-time residents now somewhere else, it’s college students and JazzFest visitoes. It’s all of us. We all have the power, passion and influence to keep New Orleans top of mind and continue to help her from whereever we may come from. I hope you’ll join me. Now onto Michael’s letter:

Reflecting at the fifth anniversary of Katrina — K5 — it is tempting to claim success.

Our population is back; we powered through the recession; global companies are moving to our region; reforms are making New Orleans a better place; and, of course, the Saints are world champions.

But the truth is, it’s too early to claim success. We have been buoyed by a short-term recovery economy, and significant long-term challenges remain. Decades are not reversed in days.

To really know if we have succeeded, to really know if we have created a New Orleans region better than before, we have to go out ten years. Here we will find the “new normal” that will come to pass after the Katrina money has run dry, and the economy is left to stand on its own.

At this point — at K10 — we will be able to sit back, and reflect. And, if indeed we have been successful, here is what it may look like:

New Orleans will be the great boutique city of America. In a world of creeping sameness, NOLA will shine with its unique culture and diverse flair, attracting professionals and tourists, alike.
Greater New Orleans will be a great region of America: cohesive and connected, it will offer a lifestyle or corporate option for everyone — and offer places like Houston and Atlanta a run for their money.
Globalstar, which recently relocated here from Silicon Valley, will prove to be the vanguard of a dynamic digital sector, as dozens of firms choose Greater New Orleans and create “Silicon Valley South.”
Showing that you can make lemonade from oily water, Southeastern Louisiana will have become a global hub for sustainable industry. Heralded by the recent move of Blade Dynamics to Michoud, this new sector will create thousands of jobs, diversifying our economy while sustaining our environment.
At the same time, next-wave oil production will remain an important — and safe — part of our economic mix — while Louisiana finally gets the royalty share it has so long deserved, to help fund the restoration of our coast.
Greater New Orleans will be on its way to reclaiming the mantle of “Gateway to the Americas,” with reinvestment in its ports, rekindling of relationships with partners like Brazil, and a refocus on value-added port-side production. (more…)

We Did It! Thanks To You Kiva Won $1 Million Dollars!

May 5th, 2010, by Sloane Berrent. No Comments »

I’ve been a longtime supporter of Kiva, including having made hundreds of dollars worth of loans on their website for entrepreneurs worldwide and spending last summer in the Philippines as a Kiva Fellow. I am also a member of their “Social Media Dream Team” (follow my Twitter list: Kiva Dream Team) a small group that rallies and support their online campaigns. I’m so incredibly proud to announce that our latest endeavor has been a success and Kiva has won the Sam’s Club Giving Made Simple campaign and a $1 million grant.

See my original blog post entitled: Please Vote for Kiva In Sam’s Club Giving Competition!

From Kiva:

We are thrilled to announce that Kiva has won a $1 million grant through the Sam’s Club Giving Made Simple campaign. The campaign ran from April 8th to May 2nd with over 125,000 Sam’s Club members and associates placing votes for their favorite charities.

Thank you to everyone who supported Kiva throughout the campaign. We could not have won without your daily votes, outreach to friends, and participation during the Double Points Days on Twitter.

KIVA will use the $1 million grant to enhance and expand the reach of its microloan platform to generate approximately $10 million more in loans from the internet community, helping approximately 25,000 entrepreneurs in the United States and around the world.

“We are truly grateful to Sam’s Club and its members for helping Kiva win this generous grant,” said Premal Shah, president of Kiva. “Kiva’s mission is to help to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty in the developing world – and right here at home. This grant will enable Kiva to continue to provide the opportunity that microfinance presents to hard-working entrepreneurs in our global community.”

On behalf of our community of staff, board members, volunteers, and friends, thank you for showing your support for Kiva. We won this together!

(more…)

Please Vote for Kiva In Sam’s Club Giving Competition!

April 13th, 2010, by Sloane Berrent. No Comments »

I might be a former Kiva Fellow, but Kiva never fails to remind us “alumni” that we’re part of their extended family. My true passion for Kiva and dedication to the work they are doing in microfinance and microlending grows stronger with each loan I make, each update from a borrower, each correspondence with a new Kiva Fellow.

I hope you’ll take my true sincerity for this nonprofit and consider the request below.

Kiva has been chosen as one of four finalists in the Sam’s Club “Giving Made Simple” competition, for a chance to win a $1 Million dollar grant! Yes, this is super exciting news!

Winning this $1 Million grant would be a huge deal for Kiva! With this grant, Kiva will multiply the impact by 10 by generating approximately $10 Million more in loans from the Internet community, to help 25,000 entrepreneurs in the US and around the world.

If you’re a Sam’s Club member, you can vote daily between April 8th – May 2nd.

If you’re NOT a Sam’s Club member but would like to support the campaign in other ways, Kiva is accepting volunteers – fill out their form for more information.

Other ways to help?
* Share the voting link with friends and family who are Sam’s Club members.
* Post to your online social networks.
* Tweet a message! Here’s mine:

Kiva could win a $1M dollar grant with your vote! Sam’s Club Members – Vote for Kiva once a day. http://bit.ly/arTEUH – Please RT!

You can do something TODAY to change lives from where ever you are by taking just a few minutes to take action on this very simple request. Thank you (in advance) for your support!

Sidenote: In the grand scheme of things, there has been much debate about the merit of these contests and the impact and effectiveness. Regardless of those conversations, debates and arguments, $! million is on the line so let’s vote for Kiva NOW and continue that very worthwhile conversation in another outlet.

Join the FITE

New Orleans Reflections For K10

We Did It! Thanks To You Kiva Won $1 Million Dollars!

Search The Causemopolitan

Sloane Berrent

NOLAlicious

Cause It's My Birthday

Gulf Coast Benefit

Kiva