Kiva update: only a few days remain!


Hey all,

You’ve definitely noticed me flogging the latest push to get people signed up to the “Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious” Kiva lending group. This group is the all-time #1 lender on Kiva, and is just shy of 25,000 members. I received an e-mail from Kiva.org saying that if we get to that 25,000 milestone by Sunday, March 31st, we will be given $10,000 in loan matching. $10,000 is a lot of money, especially given that many of these microloans are only for a few hundred dollars.

The response from you has been overwhelming. Since Friday, more than 90 of you have signed up through the link I provided, meaning that the Crommunist Manifesto Kiva account has been given $2350 in gift loans, matched by large-money donors. We’ve been able to fund 23 projects at the $100 level. Additionally, everyone who joins Kiva for the first time gets a $25 gift loan of their own, meaning that our actual contribution has been something like $5000.

We’re not done yet, though. As of writing, we are still 170 members short of that 25,000 milestone. I’m going to need your help to push us over the edge here. Here’s how you can pitch in:

  1. If you haven’t already, follow this link and sign up. It is free to join, and your first $25 loan is free, so even if you’re tapped out at the moment you will be able to participate.
  2. If you have Facebook, share this post on your wall, and ask your friends to share it.
  3. If you’re on Twitter, throw out a link to this post and ask people to re-tweet.
  4. If you have a blog, put up a post about the campaign (hell, you can even copy this one verbatim).
  5. If you’re not on social media, consider sending an e-mail to a couple of friends and ask them to join up.

It only takes a couple of seconds, it’s free, and you can make a big difference to the lives of the borrowers. Also, it will be a profound statement in support of the fact that you don’t need to believe in a god to do good things.

Please join in the campaign. It would be a real shame if we fell short of something this helpful and easily achievable.

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Comments

  1. katybe says

    Well I was hoping I’d manage to remember to come back to this one after payday. With the extra details, I don’t need to wait – you’ve got another one!

  2. arresi says

    Done. I can’t say I’ll be able to donate much, but I figured this was when it would do the most good. Good luck.

    Oh, and hi. I’ve been lurking around here for a while.

  3. carlie says

    I have a confused – it seems to say that I have to choose a borrower before I can create an account?

  4. Shplane, Spess Alium says

    So, like I said on the other thread: I just made one of those $25 free loans, and I’ll possibly make more when/if I happen to have money with which I can do so. I also joined up with the group.

    I do wish I could use a pseudonym when giving out loans, though. I don’t like putting my real name on things, but I don’t want to be wholly unrecognizable, either. Oh well, anonymity it is, I suppose.

  5. says

    I do wish I could use a pseudonym when giving out loans, though. I don’t like putting my real name on things, but I don’t want to be wholly unrecognizable, either. Oh well, anonymity it is, I suppose.

    From ‘My Portfolio’, go to ‘Lender Page’. You can put anything you like in the ‘Display Name’ section.

    (Also joined – got 3 friends from Facebook to join – only 90 more to go!)

  6. Randomfactor says

    Done the “free” $25 loan and a second one. Been meaning to get involved in this, thanks for the nudge.

  7. maddog1129 says

    Signed up. Like randomfactor, been meaning to join for a long time, and thanks for the campaign.

  8. Cuttlefish says

    Looks like only 32 to go? It says it updates daily, so I don’t know if that is an accurate number.

  9. says

    It says it updates daily, so I don’t know if that is an accurate number.

    I’m pretty sure that’s a running tally, since it changes several times a day.

  10. says

    I’ve just signed up and made my first loan. The free $25 is a great incentive, because even people who would be concerned about being repaid have nothing to lose.

  11. Eristae says

    Whoo! We made 25,000 members (25,014 as of this moment)! So exciting! Wheeee!

    *dances*

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