Travel Benefiting Kiva

[Guest]

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[SPeSeR]

Hello,

My name is Rusty Jordan and I am new to the Kiva community but this program is changing my life by allowing me to help others.  I have been looking for a system like this for a long time.  Anyway I am very excited about Kiva and all the people we can help through it and want to do what I can to help others who really need it.  I have decided to make my business Kiva friendly.  I am a travel agent and have recently created a website for my business, anyway I will be giving 50% of all my commission earned to help fund Kiva Loans with 10% of that going directly to fund the Kiva Organization.

My Travel site (functional but still updating) can be found at http://www.SPeSeR.com  (If you cannot see my phone # or email in the top right please let me know)

Since I work from home I have no overhead cost which allows me to not charge any booking fees and just work off of the commissions paid by the hotels, cruise lines, etc...  This means my prices are as good or better than what you typically can get online.

I would like to make my business as Kiva friendly as possible, so if you have any suggestions please let me know.  I have added Kiva to my business cards and website.  I believe in helping others with what God has Blessed me with.

[saabnet]

I would like to make my business as Kiva friendly as possible, so if you have any suggestions please let me know.  I have added Kiva to my business cards and website.

Hey Rusty and  to KivaFriends!

Like you, I have a business web site and I put Kiva on my home page too. I think that goes a long way as it introduces all the folks that come through your site, potentially, to the Kiva site, so keep it up! Very nice that you are using business proceeds to fund Kiva loans. I am doing the same. Best place for this info is in your profile here on KF and on your Kiva lender page.

-Scott

[CathyInMission]

I put "go to kiva.org and make a difference" in my MSN tagline. (I'm not on facebook, still in old fashioned MSN). Still enough people in my MSN contacts who see it and it reminds them.

[SPeSeR]

Thats a great idea.  Instead of giving out $25 gift cards for birthdays I will be giving out $25 Kiva Gift Certificates.  If I have it right they can withdraw their money without making a loan but I am hoping they will.

Also I am new to the travel business so it may take a little while before I start pulling in money for Kiva loans since you gotta wait 30 to 60 days after the trip is taken before you get paid from the distributors.  :o(

[abc]

Thats a great idea.  Instead of giving out $25 gift cards for birthdays I will be giving out $25 Kiva Gift Certificates.  If I have it right they can withdraw their money without making a loan but I am hoping they will.
...

I don't know what the others will say, but I strongly recommend that you follow up diligently on
any gift certificates you give.

Like any GC, some folks take to the idea immediately and use them
right away, and some hang on to them and need to be helped along in setting up
the account and even choosing the loan. (Still others ignore them -- though not many --
and eventually Kiva gets that money, but I try not to worry about those ones.)

I gave a GC to my sister-in-law who was so happy that she had made a loan. Turns out all
she had done was set up the account and *thought* she'd made a loan. So I sat down
with her and helped her with the rest.
Another friend got a GC from us as a wedding present. Knowing her pretty well, I went
ahead and created an account for her under my email and put the credit on the
account. When she's ready, we'll shift it over to her address. That's about all she
could handle.

Welcome to Kiva land. I congratulate your enthusiasm.

Ann