5 steps to securing your Kiva Rochester loan:
1. The Application (30-45 minutes)
- First, check that you meet the Kiva requirements
- Kiva's application can be found online at kiva.org/borrow
- The application has both private financial information, and public narrative sections.
- A list of all the items you will need to complete your application can be found here
- Best practices for the public profile part of your application can be found here
Before submitting the application, ask a KivaRoc team member to look over it with you! Applicants that work with our team are much more likely to succeed on their Kiva Journey! You can email us at rochester@local.kiva.org
2. Review (1-3 weeks)
- Your application will be reviewed by Kiva staff at their headquarters in San Francisco. This can take a few weeks.
- Reply to any emails that come from Kiva representatives! Responsive and enthusiastic applicants are prioritized by the review team.
- While your application is being reviewed, you should begin reaching out to your personal networks and letting them know that you will be asking them to support you with a loan of $25 or more.
- It may be helpful to share these media articles about Kiva with your network
Remember, Kiva is a fundraising platform. Being approved for a Kiva loan means you've been approved to have access to the platform - you still have some work to do before you receive your loan!
3. Private Fundraising Period (15 days maximum)
- You can view our complete fundraising guide here
- Once you are approved, you are eligible to start private fundraising.
- When you are ready, Kiva staff will send you an email with a link to your private fundraising profile. This link is the only way that private lenders will be able to contribute to your campaign - they will not be able to find your profile without the link.
- Once your loan is posted on the site, your community will have up to 15 days to show their support on the platform in Private Funding.
- You will need to bring between 10-35 individuals from your personal network to contribute to the first part of your loan
- The exact number of private lenders you will need is based on things like your loan size, credit score, how long you've been in business, and the quality of your photo and narrative section.
- Each of your personal lenders will need to lend $25 to you on the platform
- By lending you $25 on the platform, they are giving you a character reference. They are saying, "I believe in this business, and other lenders should too!
You should aim to fund between 20-30% of your loan during the private fundraising period. You should contact as many people as possible, using email, social media, phone calls, etc.
4. Public Fundraising (30 days maximum)
- As soon as you reach your number of supporters, your loan automatically transitions to Public Funding, where your community and the Kiva community of nearly 2 million individual lenders will have up to 30 days to fund the rest of your loan, $25 at a time.
- Kiva lenders come from all over the world will now be able to contribute $25 or more to your campaign!
- Interact with your lenders using the comments section - your lenders want to hear from you!
- Once your loan is fully funded, the money will be disbursed to your PayPal account.
5. Repayment (1-3 years)
- Repayments begin one month after your loan is disbursed. There is no grace period for a Kiva loan.
- All repayments are made via PayPal. A step-by-step repayment guide can be found here
- When you send your repayments, we encourage you to also send updates on your business to your lenders. Remember, lenders can become customers, so engage with them as much as you can!
- Kiva is a program, not a product! The KivaRoc team is here to offer support if you need any assistance during repayment
- The KivaRoc team often invites our borrowers to local events or marketing opportunities, so keep in touch with us!
Learn more about Kiva Rochester >> Kiva Rochester