Feedback On Kiva

[Guest]

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[KivanSteven]

Kiva should have a link devoted to a feedback section for those who have participated in a successfully completed loan.  It could link our comment up with the person the actual loan was made to.  What makes people hesitatant to give Kiva a shot if indeed they are hesitant, is a lack of trust and uncertainty.  Seeing thousands of positive feedback responses would be as good a tool as any to gather new loaners.  Anyone serious about giving through Kiva will take the time to read through some of the feedback and probably go directly to it.  Good hearted people, most of us out there I would hope I can say, have a desire to give, thats what brings them to Kiva to begin with, and they will read through the feedback, 98% of which would most likely be completely positive, until they have read long enough to have satisfied their doubts and alleviated their uncertainties.  If you were going to ask someone how well Kiva works you wouldnt ask people at Kiva, youd ask people who have used Kiva, just like you wouldnt ask Sony how well their products work, instead you would ask those who purchased and have used them for themselves.

[Jundee]

I've read all the suggestions for KIWA that have been offered here & there are many good ones & many interesting ones for their consideration.

I have a suggestions of my own:

Let's go easy of bombarding KIVA with a mountain of suggestions no matter how good they may be. They've only been around for 2 years, have only so much staff & there are only so many hours in a day. I'm sure they have a lot of ideas of their own they would like to see in action right now & I'm also sure as time goes on many of the ideas & suggestions posted here will be considered & implemented.

But they just got creamed during the last few days as the result of the Oprah show & I'm sure their first priority at this time is to get more entrepreneurs, to find & train more field reps etc. so they can take full advantage of their exposure on the Oprah show.

I don't want to appear presumptuous as a newbie on this site but as moderator for the last 3 years of a forum with a membership of over 16 000, growing by an average of over 500 new members every month, I can tell you that we get a lot of suggestions all the time & it isn't that easy to consider, evaluate & decide all the proposals when the first priority is to provide help, ideas & resources to the membership. 

[RichardF]

And the counterpoint...

Kiva is run by competent adults.

This is a fan site.

Kiva is well-equipped to filter suggestions from all sources.

This site should not self-censor itself from displaying well-intentioned suggestions.

[KivanSteven]

I think the ideas we present are there to be considered in the future.  We know and agree with Kivas priorities that you outlined, and its not to say these small suggestions should take precedence over those priorities by any means, but an organization evolves through ideas and Im sure they will consider those they consider viable when the time comes.  When they do they have the perfect place to look here at kivafriends.

[wind5001]

And let me add that Kiva has actually integrated some of the ideas on this site on its website. Risk rating, gift certificate tracking, just to mention a few...We provide them when they occur to us and Kiva reads and ponders when they have time. So, there is no need to step back on this in my eyes.

[Henry]

and let me add...

KIVA is accomplished in ignoring the ones they don't want to discuss!  LOL
No doubt in my mind, KIVA Friends has been helpful to KIVA in a several instances.   The good and the bad post.

[KivanSteven]

Yes thats definitely true.  I remember mentioning to them a year ago that they should place the amount raised on their home page.  They didnt mention already having plans to do that and didnt specifically reply to that request, instead focusing on another idea I presented about group lending and how they were just starting to get into that, but within two weeks there it was, such and such amount from such and such # of lenders, and its been there ever since.  So our ideas are valuable and worth mentioning, whether they are our own or whether they coincide with the ones Kiva has already conjured up themselves.  One thing Ive realized from the beginning and have said all along is that Kiva makes us feel, more than most organizations, that we are involved, not only by the lending process which is obvious, but in other ways...by actually considering our ideas, by responding to them when we email and at times actually engaging us in conversation like talk in their replies...I mean Matt the CEO actually replied to me once about introducing in the future language options and currency rates that correspond to a lenders country of preference.  Being able to correspond with them makes us feel part of the team and is one of the best things about Kiva, they are so grounded.  They have started an incredible thing here, but they dont look at themselves as anything different than any one of us.

[cpbailey]

I have a little suggestion.  When Kiva is out of funds, the Lend button goes to a nice page telling you that they are out of funds and will get more.  However, the other aspects of the Lend button aren't available.  During stockouts, could Kiva enable the number of loans: paid off, active and defaulted?

Colette

[Robert]

I had this problem also this morning, but I found a way around. Click "About", click "Field Partners", choose any of those who are active, and then click "See all businesses from this field partner>>". After that you can search for any information you like. Why make it easy, when it can be complicated?

[RichardF]

Robert, you have to remember the psychology of the prospective dealer/addict relationship! 

Like Collette said, first you have to make the fixes cheap and easy!