KivaFriends Liaison: Topics for the next check-in (now 10 FEB 2011)

[Guest]

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[KFLiaison]

I have our first regularly-scheduled KivaCall with Liz on Thursday this week (26 Feb.).  I will send her an email on Wednesday laying out the topics we'll be addressing and any specific questions KF folks would like answered, so she can talk to the right staffer before our call.  I do not intend in the long run to post a thread each week asking for thoughts, but this week I've been preoccupied with pressing matters that haven't let me do enough KF forum sniffing to pull out the Top Five Concerns as I see them.  Please post here to suggest some topics or questions you'd like me to address with Liz this week.

Two suggestions I've heard for this week is a concern about the overall financial health of Kiva as an organization with questions about their future plans for financial stability, and a related topic around ideas about how Kiva might generate monthly revenue from lenders and philanthropic organizations.

What other ideas do you have for this week's KF Liaison call?  I'll plan to solicit ideas on Tues. and then post Wed. morning the list of items I'll be sending to Liz.

Again, this is NOT the long-term topic-soliciting thread: I hope to try some other organizational ideas.  But for now, feel free to offer your thoughts and ideas.  Thanks!

--Diane.
(KivaFriends Liaison)

[Good Dogg]

Diane,

Thank you for all you do and congratulations!
I look forward to the next 2,500.
Keep up the good loaning!

--Good Dogg

[KFLiaison]

Things will eventually be more organized, but in the meantime here is what appeared in the last few days.  If you have any other input, please send it to me ASAP so I can email Liz in an hour or two.  I'll report back Thurs. or Fri. after our call.  Thanks!

This week's list of things to send to Liz today, to talk about tomorrow:

• A generalized concern was expressed about the overall financial health of Kiva as an organization with questions about their future plans for financial stability.  Is it possible to get a snapshot of the current state so we know how dire things are?
• An update is needed on whether Kiva has a final stance on the subject of "what happens to abandoned Kiva account funds".
• The wording on the "0% donation" line on the newly modified donation page presented during check-out seemed harsh. "No support for Kiva" ??  The older "No thanks" seemed less troubling, perhaps the new phrase could be modified.
• Many suggestions were offered about how Kiva might generate monthly revenue from lenders and philanthropic organizations.  I will point Liz at the details in the conference call thread and ask for their list of what they'll be addressing first.  (As a side note, a couple KFs offered their thoughts about why their donations had dried up, which included references to paused MFIs and to how the MIFEX situation was handled last year, which translated into, "Why should I give them donations when they are not good stewards of my money?"  Addressing these situations head-on and promptly may be good for the financial stability of Kiva overall.)

While not an item for Liz to address, there were several requests to thank the Kiva staff for the positive trend and interactions on the monthly conference calls, especially the Feb. call, and to encourage them to continue in the same vein.  The calls have been good for improving flagging morale and re-inspiring confidence for some lenders.

Anything else you'd like me to send Liz this morning?  Thanks!

--Diane.

[waywardcats]

• The wording on the "0% donation" line on the newly modified donation page presented during check-out seemed harsh. "No support for Kiva" ??  The older "No thanks" seemed less troubling, perhaps the new phrase could be modified.

Anything else you'd like me to send Liz this morning?  Thanks!

--Diane.

To the above point I would add does Kiva plan to put more information on this page?  When asking for help many have expressed a wish for much more specific information than simply listing "operational expenses".

I think this is a great list!  Thank you KF Liaison Diane!

-Kerry-

[Eli]

An update is needed on whether Kiva has a final stance on the subject of "what happens to abandoned Kiva account funds".

--Diane.

This to me is one of the most important, hoping they have abandoned their ill conceived idea of by-passing the unclaimed property laws.  Thanks for keeping it on the 'must be addressed' list Diane, our favorite Liaison!

[KFLiaison]

Just a quick update for everyone:  Today Liz and I talked for an hour, and I have 4 pages of notes I took on responses to the questions I'd forwarded to her yesterday, plus several more issues that came up during our call.  I will be writing up the responses and expect to post (probably here? maybe in a new thread?) by the end of the day Friday.  The call went really well, I'm looking forward to a productive partnership and two-way communication here.

Thanks for your patience as I write this all up,

--Diane.

[JoanW]

Just a quick update for everyone:  Today Liz and I talked for an hour, and I have 4 pages of notes I took on responses to the questions I'd forwarded to her yesterday, plus several more issues that came up during our call.  I will be writing up the responses and expect to post (probably here? maybe in a new thread?) by the end of the day Friday.  The call went really well, I'm looking forward to a productive partnership and two-way communication here.

Thanks for your patience as I write this all up,

--Diane.

Thanks Diane.  I would suggest having a special thread for KFL similar to KivaTube & KivaCountries.  That will make it easier to find the posts.  Since whatever you post will generate comments AND for ease of finding it later on - Maybe some sort of uniform titles like "26Feb09 Check-in" would be good??  Just a couple of ideas....I really liked your ideas of putting in structural organization from the beginning to make it easier over the long run.

[KFLiaison]

Friday update:  Liz and I still need to check in with each other on one more topic, and we're not likely to connect again on Friday, so I'll post as soon as we've connected, over the weekend if possible otherwise first thing Monday morning.

I am also waiting to hear back from Joe about creating a KFLiaison section of the KF site where these threads could be grouped.  Once I hear from him we can create the appropriate area.  (The Moderators alone don't have sufficient privileges on the site to do this.)

Thanks for the PMs and emails that many of you have been sending.  I already have quite a set of things to bring up with Liz next week based just on those comments!  The first few weeks (or maybe months?) may be a little rocky as we work out the best processes, days of the week, etc and set the right expectations on both sides of the Liaison in terms of what can be accomplished in what time period, and I appreciate your patience.

One thing I can say, though, after talking with Liz is that I am feeling more reassured about a number of things.  I can't and won't ask you all to just "take my word for it" but I'm hoping that I'll be able to help you see some of what I'm already seeing.  I'll do my best.


--Diane.

[TheTatiana]

Oh, Diane!  I didn't see this thread in time.  I hope I can post here and get these questions in for next week?

My main question has to do with the other MFIs now that we've seen they are the weak link in the chain.  Of the MFIs who aren't paying any money back right now (EbF, Friendship Bridge, etc. you know the whole list), should we expect defaults from them as well?  And if so, what would the total default percent be?  I'm kind of tentatively writing them all off, now, in my portfolio, since we've never seen anything good happen yet after an MFI has stopped paying for a while. (Have we?  Correct me if I'm mistaken.)  Anyway, it's upsetting but I sort of want to swallow the whole pill right now instead of waiting to find out in dribs and drabs.  What are we going to do going forward to be able to feel any confidence in MFIs?  How can we feel better about it?  That's my number one concern with kiva right now.

Secondly is the erosion in the kiva experience that comes along with having the funds hit my account once a month instead of spread out over the whole month, and having the loans be all gone during about half the month, while they are full to overflowing the other half of the month.  I do think a happier solution would be to spread out the funds being paid back over the whole month, perhaps just have due dates fall throughout the month like most businesses do.  Another alternative could be to hold the loans back and then release them to correspond with the flood of new money.  Whatever works.  That's my second point for discussion that I'd like to see. 

Those two are enough for one week, I think.  I'll add more later.  Thanks!  =)

[mejane]

My main question has to do with the other MFIs now that we've seen they are the weak link in the chain.  Of the MFIs who aren't paying any money back right now (EbF, Friendship Bridge, etc. you know the whole list), 

Tatiana, there is no problem with loan repayments from Friendship Bridge.  They have been paying back regularly.  It was discussed here in this post:  http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,321.msg51829.html#msg51829
and several subsequent posts.  One of my loans with them has paid off and the other is making regular payments.  I think we need to take care in identifying problem MFIs and be sure they are a problem before linking their names with the "infamous."
Jane