Search StreamScheme

Stream Scheme

Kiva: A Unique Charity for Your Charity Stream

calendar1 Last Updated

Kiva is an organization that specializes in micro-donations/loans. When “donating” to Kiva, you are actually giving someone an interest-free loan. Each micro-loan is $25 (several people generally lend to the same person) and will be repaid to you over the course of several months.

This charity has been designed to help people who don’t necessarily want a “hand-out” and instead want a “hand up.” Many of the people asking for loans live in third-world countries and are asking for loans for education or tools for their trade. 

How to Set up a Charity Stream with Kiva

  1. Register on the website and create a Team.
  2. Spread awareness about Kiva on your streams and in your social media ahead of time.
  3. Create channel rewards to encourage donations. Link to the team and remind people that they will need to add the team when the make a donation.
  4. Promote your stream through social media and on forums that are relevant participants.
  5. Thank your participants after the stream through a shout out over Discord, your socials, or a highlight reel on YouTube.

How Did Kiva Start?

Kiva was founded in San Francisco in 2005 with the hope to expand financial access throughout the world to help communities thrive. To date, the company has loaned out nearly $1.5 billion in funding to over 3.5 million people worldwide. 

Kiva Asks for Loans, Not Donations

Kiva creates partnerships between people loaning the money and the people receiving it. These loans are interest-free and may take several months (or even years) to be repaid. When the money is repaid, it is returned to the account of the lender, who can then withdraw the funds, or lend them to someone else on the platform. As of this writing, there has been a 96.7% repayment rate on all loans. 

Due to the nature of their set-up, Kiva truly can be seen as the “charity” that just keeps on giving!

How Does Kiva Work?

As a lender, you are able to browse individuals asking for loans by category or by region. There is generally a picture of the person, their name, where they are located, the amount they are asking to borrow, and the reason for the loan. 

kiva categories

When viewing a profile, you can see which corporation the loan is through and how long it will take to be repaid. You can also see who else on Kiva has “donated” to the loan and how much more is needed to finalize it. If you choose to lend the person money, you simply click the “Lend Now” button and specify (in $25 increments) how much you are willing to lend. 

Currently, you can lend money to people who reside in 77 countries, many of which are third-world nations.

How Kiva Makes Money

To pay for their expenses, Kiva relies on donations given to them in the checkout section. While they have a “suggested donation,” you can pay more or less depending on your budget. Kiva doesn’t earn interest from the loans given through its platform. 

What is a Kiva Team?

A Kiva Team is a group of people who want to work together to donate to a cause. As a member, you can be a part of as many teams as you choose. When making a loan, you can decide which team gets “credit” for the loan. 

kiva lending times

To start a team, you must have verified your address with the platform. You can name the team and you will be given a special “page” on the platform for the team. If, as a streamer, you decide you want to support Kiva with your community, this is a great place to start and track your lending process. 

As a bonus, if you recruit people to the platform, you may receive a $25 bonus which you can lend (you won’t receive that money back into your account). These extra funds are only given out when they are available. 

Ideas for a Great Kiva Charity Stream

As there is a way you can create teams on this platform, talk to a few other streamers around your size and see if you can have a collaborative competition. Each of you can create your own team and see how much you can raise with your individual communities during a certain time period. Not only will this raise more awareness for Kiva, but it will also create some friendly competition for a cause!

The nice thing about Kiva is that people can donate through their platform and you can track it because of the team aspect. Make sure to update your viewers with the current donation count periodically during your charity stream. Your mods can help you out by keeping track as well. 

If people donate to Kiva by donating to you, you can lend out the funds at the end of your stream. Take a screenshot and post it on your socials to show how much you were able to raise as a team. 

Have your viewers seek out specific causes through the stream and donate to as many as you can. With more eyes browsing the site, you’ll find some very interesting stories and feel connected with other parts of the world. 

Conclusion

Kiva is a great organization for which to raise money through a charity stream. When lending to people around the world, you know where the money is going and what it is being used to do. The team aspect of the platform makes it easy to turn it into “a game” and tackle some of the needs in the world.

About the Author

Luci

Luci is a novelist, freelance writer, and active blogger. A journalist at heart, she loves nothing more than interviewing the outliers of the gaming community who are blazing a trail with entertaining original content. When she’s not penning an article, coffee in hand, she can be found gearing her shieldmaiden or playing with her son at the beach.

Back to top