Giving is in the news a lot recently especially with the publication of Bill Clinton’s book, Giving. I’ve mentioned previously that i  am a big fan of Kiva and today some of my first loans were repaid. So far i’ve made 15 and 4 have repaid all ahead of time which is great.

So with new money available to re lend i searched out some new potential borrowers but could only lend $25 at a time and then just two loans in total. Why?

Because Kiva is so overwhelmed with support that there are not enough businesses to lend to. They want to make sure as many people as possible get to be involved.

That’s great news on all fronts.

Ultimately we are moving towards a point where money will be viewed more and more as energy, not to be stored up but to be spread around. P2P finance, as well as other forms of exchange, have the opportunity to subvert current systems because it is people led. Social capital via the web is being built at an astounding rate.

Giving  is just one way of building this social capital which will be so important to the success and prosperity of society.

Kiva has been a remarkable success story and one which could really change the way we spread our hard earned around. Charity has always been a core value for humanity as a way of expressing gratitude for what we have and compassion for those who don’t.

But Kiva is not a charity it is a lending organisation with a difference: they don’t charge interest on their loans. So in effect you are donating money but you get it back!

This changes the dynamic from charity to help.  I love this  approach. I made a deposit of $1000 about 6 months ago and lent money to 15 different people all over the world and so far 2 loans have fully repaid whilst the total amount lent is $1075 and repaid $595 (you only get fully repaid when whole loan is paid up).

What is exciting is helping out so many people but as help rather than charity. There is no interest, which as you know from previous posts is the cause of all human suffering.

I am also keen to see how far that $1000 can go because as soon as loans are fully repaid you can lend out again.

Try it out….its a great experience.