Kiva Fellows Program – Summer 2016
Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website. Kiva’s field partners, in 80+ countries around the world, post thousands of loans to Kiva.org every month so that individual lenders can help fund entrepreneurs who have limited access to capital.
ABOUT THE JOB:
Kiva Fellows have a unique opportunity to witness the realities of microfinance firsthand by working directly with Kiva’s international field partners or in support of Kiva’s new initiative in the U.S. for a minimum of 16 weeks. A limited number of shorter 12-week placements may be available during the summer class for currently enrolled graduate students. The Kiva Fellowship is designed to increase Kiva’s global impact, offer participants a unique insider experience into the microfinance industry, and provide a career opportunity of a lifetime. The position is volunteer-based, and all fellows receive a week of in-depth training at Kiva’s headquarters, plus ongoing access to Kiva’s network of staff and former fellows.
Kiva Fellows are integral to the organization, serving as our eyes and ears on the ground and helping to extend limited resources to maximize impact. Fellows fulfill a core set of deliverables laid out in a personalized workplan that is defined by Kiva along with the host field partner or Kiva U.S. team. Kiva aims to leverage the unique skill set of each fellow to accomplish key tasks that are crucial to the success of the partnership or initiative.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
Although no two fellowships are the same, core responsibilities may include the following:
- Consulting/Capacity Building:
- Train field partner staff on Kiva processes, policies and best practices;
- Observe, learn and document the field partner’s operations and its use of the Kiva platform, making recommendations as appropriate;
- Help identify new field partners or loan products that align with Kiva’s mission and help to further strategic goals.
- Monitoring/Oversight:
- Interview Kiva borrowers to assess loan impact, verify data, and gather information for journal updates;
- Provide updates and feedback through field reports.
- Marketing/Communications:
- Contribute regularly to the Kiva Fellows Blog;
- Create content to help tell the story of Kiva’s impact in the field and engage Kiva lenders;
- Capture images and video footage to be used by Kiva’s marketing team.
- Scale New Initiatives:
- Identify and onboard new Kiva U.S. trustees and borrowers;
- Raise awareness about Kiva U.S. through community outreach and public speaking;
- Contribute to ongoing improvements of the Kiva U.S. model.
Qualifications:
- Overseas experience, preferably in developing countries (not required for placements within the United States);
- High degree of flexibility, self-motivation and problem solving abilities;
- Ability to adapt to new cultures and be flexible in new, challenging environments;
- Background in finance, consulting, international development, business/social enterprise, social science, media production, marketing/communications, economic development, urban studies;
- Familiarity and comfort with various web applications and technology;
- Dedication to working in the field;
- High degree of self-motivation and ability to work independently;
- Minimum 4-month commitment;
- Ability and commitment to fund the experience;
- Enthusiasm for Kiva!
Fluency or advanced communication ability in Arabic, French, Khmer, Mandarin, Mongolian, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog/Cebuano, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese are highly preferred or required for many positions. English-only speakers are encouraged to apply to our diverse Anglophone portfolio.
HOW TO APPLY:
The deadline for the 30th Class of Kiva Fellows is January 24, 2016. Fellows must attend a one-week training in San Francisco from May 23-27, 2016, and deploy into the field within two weeks of training.