Giving Back to the World:

Kiva: (click to view website)

We let you loan to the working poor

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

We partner with organizations all over the world

Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified borrowers. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva.org, our partners upload their borrower profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them.

We show you where your money goes

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform for the poor. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle. The below diagram shows briefly how money gets from you to a third-world borrower, and back!

We facilitate connections

Kiva is using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Child sponsorship has always been a high overhead business. Kiva creates a similar interpersonal connection at much lower costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery. The individuals featured on our website are real people who need a loan and waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money.

Global Giving: (click to view website)

GlobalGiving.com is an online marketplace for international giving. Potential donors can browse and select from a wide offering of projects, organized by geography or by themes such as health care, the environment, and education. Once a donor chooses a project, he/she can contribute any amount, using a credit/debit card, check, PayPal, or stock transfer. Gift registries can be set up for special events, and donors can "give" any project as a gift.

These contributions directly support the entrepreneurial work of project leaders throughout the world, who are bringing innovative, empowering solutions to challenging social problems at the local community level.

All donations made to projects go through the GlobalGiving Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 entity, and are fully tax-deductible.

Projects

Project Ordering - The order in which projects appear on "browse" and catalog pages is dynamic and will change over time. GlobalGiving ranks projects according to the funding that the project has received to date, when the project was posted, and when projects were updated — either with new photos or new progress reports. This encourages Project Leaders to market and promote their projects actively, and keep them updated — increasing the overall visibility of these projects and helping them generate even more donations.

Progress Reports - Progress reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.com by project leaders as they are completed, normally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them, therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

Partners

Corporate and Institutional Partners - GlobalGiving works with corporations, foundations, affinity groups, and other institutions to help them with specific giving needs. We offer a variety of customized giving services including giving websites, project sourcing and vetting, co-marketing and retail programs. To learn more about GlobalGiving's custom giving services, please visit our Partner Services page.

Project Partners - We work with a network of "Project Sponsors" to post projects on globalgiving.com. Project Sponsors are reputable organizations which vet projects to ensure they are legitimate, well-run, and compliant with PATRIOT Act guidelines. Once projects are submitted, GlobalGiving does a secondary check, prior to posting. Learn more about our Project Partners and due diligence process.

Funding Partners - Much of our operating budget comes from foundation grants. Learn more about our Funding Partners.