Comments on: Become a Microlender http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/ more than words Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:28:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-4841 apc Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:28:55 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-4841 We are coming up on 5 years with Kiva - and we still have never lost a penny! We are coming up on 5 years with Kiva – and we still have never lost a penny!

]]> By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-4303 apc Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:28:29 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-4303 Still no losses! We received a few comments asking how we decide which Kiva borrowers to lend to. First, we rely of Kiva to present only those deemed eligible. While each request is described, we try to eliminate any bias by selecting borrowers with a random number generator. It works like this: When you select "lend" on Kiva, you are taken to a list of borrowers needing money. At the end of the first page, it tells you the number of pages of listings there are. Today, for example, there were 138. We use a random number generator to select a page. Each page contains 8 listings, and we use a random number to make the final selection. That is all there is to it. By the way, to generate the numbers we use the program Andrew Culver developed for John Cage. He makes it available as shareware here: http://www.anarchicharmony.org/People/Culver/CagePrograms.html Still no losses!

We received a few comments asking how we decide which Kiva borrowers to lend to. First, we rely of Kiva to present only those deemed eligible. While each request is described, we try to eliminate any bias by selecting borrowers with a random number generator. It works like this:

When you select “lend” on Kiva, you are taken to a list of borrowers needing money. At the end of the first page, it tells you the number of pages of listings there are. Today, for example, there were 138. We use a random number generator to select a page. Each page contains 8 listings, and we use a random number to make the final selection. That is all there is to it.

By the way, to generate the numbers we use the program Andrew Culver developed for John Cage. He makes it available as shareware here:

http://www.anarchicharmony.org/People/Culver/CagePrograms.html

]]> By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-3504 apc Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:56:47 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-3504 Still no losses. Not a penny! Commissions from links on our pages are used to make new loans. Still no losses. Not a penny! Commissions from links on our pages are used to make new loans.

]]> By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-3312 apc Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:18:46 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-3312 In spite of the global economic meltdown, all our kiva borrowers continue to pay on time. As loans are repaid, we re-lend the money to other borrowers. In spite of the global economic meltdown, all our kiva borrowers continue to pay on time. As loans are repaid, we re-lend the money to other borrowers.

]]> By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-3170 apc Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:11:54 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-3170 Update from the editor: Any commissions received from amazon.com for sales of items linked to our pages will be used to make new loans. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/apclenmeyouea-20" rel="nofollow">buy now</a> Update from the editor: Any commissions received from amazon.com for sales of items linked to our pages will be used to make new loans.

buy now

]]> By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-3116 apc Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:13:15 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-3116 Update from the editor: Our Kiva borrowers have never missed a payment and we continue to make new loans from the same initial pool of cash. Update from the editor: Our Kiva borrowers have never missed a payment and we continue to make new loans from the same initial pool of cash.

]]> By: apc http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-2862 apc Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:51:35 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-2862 Update from the editor: <i>bend of bay</i> put a little money into kiva loans at the end of 2006, when this post was written. So far not a single payment has been missed. That's right, zero delinquencies. Repayments will be used to make new loans. Update from the editor: bend of bay put a little money into kiva loans at the end of 2006, when this post was written. So far not a single payment has been missed. That’s right, zero delinquencies. Repayments will be used to make new loans.

]]> By: John K http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-1158 John K Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:20:15 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-1158 NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF made the same comment in his column in today's New York Time. "You, Too, Can Be a Banker to the Poor." NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF made the same comment in his column in today’s New York Time. “You, Too, Can Be a Banker to the Poor.”

]]> By: Laura Hogan http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/comment-page-1/#comment-649 Laura Hogan Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:03:37 +0000 http://www.bendofbay.org/2006/12/28/become-a-microlender/#comment-649 Thanks for the link to kiva.org! Love the books project, too. Thanks for the link to kiva.org! Love the books project, too.

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