Giving (was Re: school fundraisers)

On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:07:09 GMT, Jeff <kidsdoc2000@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


When I give money to NPR stations, I don't even want the "free"
thank-you gift. You can't deduct the value of the free gift (so if you
donate $100 and get a $30 thank-you gift, you can only deduct $70). And
the station has to pay shipping and handling. If I wanted the thank-you
gift, I would have gone to a store an bought it.

Jeff

I don't usually watch Oprah, but I happened to see a segment today
that was pretty impressive.

Bill Clinton was on promoting his new book. It's called Giving and is
a who's who of philanthropic organizations and civic organizations
that make a real difference in people's lives.

Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006. Nearly everyone discounted the
success of such microcredit programs when they began, but it seems
they have beaten the odds and now a website has been started to allow
us to participate in loaning small amounts to real people who want to
begin businesses to help themselves out of poverty. Due to Oprah's
popularity, the website is experiencing heavy traffic, atm, but it's a
great idea, in my opinion. According to the Oprah show over 90% of
the loans have been repaid in full.

http://www.kiva.org/

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 are
waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money.

--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: How Bad It It Outthere?
    ... and agricultural lending in particular. ... "business is dead as a doornail." ... anybody who qualifies for a loan doesn't want to borrow. ... forfeiting their earnest money and closing costs. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Nonprofit group Kiva lets volunteers lend money to small business owners in developing countries
    ... Nonprofit group Kiva lets volunteers lend money to small business ... demand will bring more microlending organizations out." ... she wants to do with the loan. ...
    (soc.culture.cambodia)
  • Re: How Bad It It Outthere?
    ... and agricultural lending in particular. ... "business is dead as a doornail." ... anybody who qualifies for a loan doesn't want to borrow. ... forfeiting their earnest money and closing costs. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: How Bad It It Outthere?
    ... and agricultural lending in particular. ... "business is dead as a doornail." ... anybody who qualifies for a loan doesn't want to borrow. ... forfeiting their earnest money and closing costs. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
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