If you’ve been following our Facebook page you may have noticed our campaigning for our most recent Kiva borrower Marieme Haynes and her emerging small business Yummy+Society. The business offers delicious, nutritious, healthy, and convenient alternatives for your morning food routine. Marieme set out for a crowdfunding goal of just under $10,000 through Kiva; a popular web-based platform that connects private lenders to aspiring entrepreneurs and families across the world. Kiva allows their borrowers to borrow at zero percent interest with no collateral or credit score consideration. It’s truly a great opportunity for those coming from communities were access to capital (for micro-entrepreneurs) and credit are out of reach.
As a Kiva Trustee, RISE can endorse any local borrower using the Kiva platform. Additionally, we assist in promoting the campaign by reaching out to our network and asking for support. Successful campaigns are ones that use the power of great story-telling across social media platforms to tell a story and get people excited enough to participate.