2. Kiva Zip Overview
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Kiva Zip is a website that enables financially excluded and
socially impactful entrepreneurs to access 0% interest loans
up to $5,000 that are crowd funded online.
0% interest business loans
First loan can be up to $5k. Subsequent
loans up to $25k
Up to 24 month term, repaid in regular
weekly or monthly installments via PayPal
We do not look at credit scores and we
make loans to startup businesses
Easy online application
Crowdfunded by individual lenders
around the world, each lending
small amounts
Average number of lenders is 150
per loan
98% of businesses have
successfully raised funds
Grace periods available for startups
and agricultural businesses
For more information about the Kiva Zip program, check out this presentation.
3. Our Requirements
The borrower's debt : income ratio must be less than 30% (excluding a mortgage)
‒ Specific details around the debt : income ratio can be found in the appendix
The borrower cannot have any past-due debt (30 days past due)
‒ Specific details can be found in the appendix
The borrower cannot be in foreclosure, in bankruptcy, under any liens, or subject
to a lawsuit
The borrower must have a PayPal Account or be able to create one
‒ This is how the loans are disbursed and paid back
The borrower must have a household annual income under $100,000
The borrower must be over 16 years of age
You can complete our financial capacity assessment to check if you meet our requirements:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12258mbVcgakDXAaD9SSjs-q5tdfkpytrtu8bTeGCt50/viewform
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4. Trustees
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You must be endorsed by a Trustee in order to qualify for the Kiva Zip program.
A Trustee is meant to add credibility to you as you fundraise on our website, by
vouching for your character and business.
Individual Trustees
Organizational Trustees
Allow you to qualify for a
loan up to $2,500
Allow you to qualify for a loan up to $5,000
Can be a mentor, professor,
advisor, accountant, etc.
Can be any organization that you have a
relationship with that can vouch for you on a
personal and professional basis
Cannot be a family member
or someone in your business
Cannot financially benefit from endorsing
you for the Kiva Zip program
Trustees can be startup incubators, shared workspaces, neighborhood associations,
economic development corporations, small business development centers, SCORE
advisors, religious groups, non profits, other small businesses, student groups,
professors, stores you sell your goods in, suppliers etc.
To see the different Trustees Kiva Zip has partnered
with you can visit: zip.kiva.org/trustees
5. The Process
1) Give us the name, contact information, and organization name (for
organizational Trustees) of the Trustee that you want to endorse you -- see next
slide.
1) We will send your Trustee an invitation to sign up.
2) Your Trustee will complete an online Trustee profile and write an endorsement
for you.
3) Once your Trustee completes their endorsement, you will be sent a loan
application by email. The loan application includes private financial information
and your public profile on Kiva Zip.
4) We will review your loan application and post you to the Kiva Zip website where
you will begin fundraising.
If you and your trustee are diligent and efficient in completing the applications,
you can be posted to the Kiva Zip website within a week of beginning this process.
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6. Next Step
Please submit the following information about your Trustee by
completing this form and we will send an invitation to your
Trustee.
We will notify you once we send the invitation to your Trustee.
Once we do, it’s important that you follow up with your Trustee to
ensure they complete their application and endorsement.
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8. Email Template for Approaching a Trustee
Hey Blakely,
I have an opportunity that I'm looking for assistance with and was hoping you might be able to
help me out.
Kiva is a non profit that helps small business owners with 0% interest loans to help them grow
their businesses. The first loans are up to $5,000 with opportunities to get bigger ones down the
line. In order for me to qualify for the program I need a recommendation from someone like you
that can vouch for my character and my business. There’s no financial or legal responsibility –
you would just need to set up a profile on Kiva Zip as a Trustee and you would build a lot of
recognition and exposure through it.
This would mean a lot to me and my business and I would be so excited if you could help me out!
This wouldn’t be too big of a time commitment, but if you feel like you really just don't have the
time I would totally understand too. Here’s a presentation
(http://prezi.com/rmuvoa5my87b/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy) about the
program and you can also check out their website at www.KivaZip.org.
If you can do this, I will pass your information to Kiva and they will send you an application to get
started.
Thanks for taking your time to check this out,
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9. Debt to Income
Monthly Debt to Income Ratio (DTI)
DTI is Monthly Household Debt Payments divided by Monthly Household Income. This ratio
must be under 30%.
Monthly debt payments include monthly payments on credit cards, car loans, student
loans, medical debts, bank loans, and all other monthly debt payments (excluding mortgage
payments).
Monthly household income includes all of your take home pay from your business (not your
business revenue), as well as any salary either you or your spouse/partner earn from other
jobs.
Kiva Zip borrowers monthly household debt payments must be less than 30% of their
monthly household income (excluding mortgage payments).
This website helps a user to calculate their own DTI ratio:
http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/mortgages/ratio-debt-calculator.aspx
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10. Other Financial Qualifications
Past Due Debts
Kiva Zip borrowers should have no debts over 30 days past due. If this is a hurdle, then
the borrower should clear these Past Due Debts before applying for a Kiva Zip loan.
Special Cases
Medical Debt: We will allow $1,000 of past due debt from medical expenses
Disputed Debts: We will allow disputed charges on a borrower's credit history up
to $1,000
Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Liens, and Lawsuits
Borrowers undergoing a bankruptcy, foreclosure, under any kind of lien, or the
defendant in a lawsuit cannot be posted.
Past bankruptcies and foreclosures do not disqualify you from the Kiva Zip program.
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