Don't you think people in YOUR community need to know about Kiva?
Kiva is a grassroots organization and in that spirit, we're asking YOU to write a letter to the Editor of your local paper to tell them that Kiva is alive and well in their community and they need to tell their readers about it!
How do you do this? It's SUPER EASY!!
1 - To make it really easy we've made a letter template for you, to help you get going:
"Dear Editor,
My name is _____________ and I am writing you today to bring awareness to Kiva.org, the world’s first microlending website, which I discovered (insert date that you learned about Kiva e.g. “earlier this year”) and have since joined to become an international microlender.
Kiva.org is different to any non-profit I have heard about before, because it helps everyday people like me to lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world. I simply go to the website
www.kiva.org, browse the profiles of people in need of a loan and choose the person who I would like to lend to. Each loan request has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of what they need the loan for, and when they will pay the loan back. I can make loans of as little as $25 so even though I’m not a millionaire I can feel as though I’m having a big effect on many people’s lives in the developing world, which makes me feel great.
The reason Kiva.org really appeals to me is (write as much as you want here - tell your story!)
(Now give a story about one of your loans, who you donated to and what they did with your investment. Be as detailed as possible, explain where the person set up their business, and if possible, give an update on how well the business is doing. Give the editors a face to this organization, both the lender and the entrepreneur. Explain who you are as opposed to who the person you lent to and the differences and/or similarities in your lives.)
I think your readers would be interested in this organization because it is very different from a run-of-the-mill non-profit agency. It gives your readers an alternative from donating to charity. The money given is not charity — it’s a loan.
Kiva.org allows those at an economic disadvantage the financial means to become self-sufficient, which is something every American understands.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your time,
Your Name
(555) 555-5555
user@youremailaddresss.com"
The key thing to remember is make it PERSONAL. The editor will be most attracted to the fact that one of their readers is already a member, therefore this story is likely to appeal to more of their readers. So be sure to explain why Kiva appeals to YOU.
2 - Find the contact details for the editor of your local paper in an old copy of the paper, or on the paper's website.
3 - Send it off! Hopefully the editor will respond to your letter and might give you a call to ask some questions. if they have questions specifically about how the organization works, or the history of the organization, just invite them to drop me an email or phonecall, my contact details are in the Press Center on the website.
What if... we can get Kiva in 25 local papers before then end of the year. There's no better holiday giving story than Kiva!!! EVERYONE needs to know about Kiva before they do their holiday gift shopping.
If you're sending off a letter, let us know on this thread so we can get a real community effort going!
Fiona
