Daily Archives: 11/25/2008

(Community Matters) Prof Peter Frumkin, director of the RGK Center, and his colleague Prof Josh Busby hosted last night’s dinner for Matt Flannery, the founder of KIVA.

Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Matt created a website allowing individuals to lend $25 and up directly to entrepreneurs around the world. These entrepreneurs are working with some of the best microfinance institutions.

I enjoyed visiting with Matt – Peter was thoughtful enough to move Matt around the table during the night and, at one point, we were seated next to each. Haven read his blog, I knew he’s opened up his website to social networking and that they’d recently increased the funds’ liquidity by making interim repayments to lenders. About 30% of Matt’s 300,000 lenders are engaging in the networking – especially forming lending teams – and the interim repayments are rapidly being deployed as new lending for other entrepreneurs.

Guess what folks are getting for Christmas this year – Kiva gift certificates. Our nephews, nieces and godchildren will learn a lot.

Peter pulled together a super group including Lynn Meredith, Nav Sooch, Philip Berber, Ken Gladish, Chris Earthman, Mary Ellen Pietruszynski, Norma Van Horn and Mitchell Medford. Nav and Philip already fund microfinance in India and Ethiopia, respectively.

(Community Matters) Well, maybe I spoke too soon about being caught up. Actually, I am mostly. Now just keeping up. Full and productive day, including a site visit to the Austin Children’s Shelter.

Met with ED, Gena Van Osselaer; development director, Steven Anderson and April Kevwin. They house 30 kids in their 2 West Austin houses. Unfortunately, they turn away children almost every night. Thanks to Dick Rathgeber and several very generous donors they’ll have 8 new buildings at a Robert Mueller Airport site by Fall 2009, allowing them to serve 580 kids per year, rather than current capacity of 300.

Of their $13.6 million capital campaign, they’ve raised $13.3mm. In the final lap and have to raise an additional $300k for a $700k Kresge match.

I’ve spent the rest of today at EF offices working on admin, our CSR conference, a new newsletter and details for this weekend’s opening of STILL FOUNTAINS. Yikes, I never got to creating a shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner. Though, I did preorder my smoked turkey and a natural, fresh bird (the latter from Wheatsville).

Dinner tonight with Matt Flannery, founder of KIVA.org, as a guest of Peter Frumkin of the RGK Center.