My 6th grade boys had the amazing opportunity to visit Kiva.org this morning and it was a blast. We arrived just after 9:30 am and we started with a tour of the facilities. After the tour, we grabbed seats in the middle of the office, listened, chatted, and asked questions.
Halfway through the presentations, and a few "I spy with my little eye a CEO in the building", Matt Flannery came over to say hello to the boys. They were pumped. He grabbed a slap band from Nicolas, joked about Kapernick and the 49ers through a few pictures, and joined us for the next round of presentations.
The boys loved visiting the Kiva offices and they enjoyed all of the presentations. From engineer, to media, marketing and kiva zip, the trip truly offered something for everyone. And in the end, when everyone in the Kiva office joined us to watch OUR video, the boys were amazed! While some of them thought it was slightly awkard and embarrasing, it truly gave them the positive feedback that what they were doing mattered.
Unfortunately, we had to leave... and while we no longer wonder if Matt Flannery would rather play Madden or FIFA, (the answer is apparently Madden) the boys do wonder the following. Will they ever get an answer? Who knows...but it's always good to WONDER. In the words of Socrates, "Wonder is the Beginning of Wisdom".
I WONDER...
Why would you want to start a non for profit?
What are the most challenging things when starting a business?
If I could ask one thing it would be why was so much money spent on the design of the building (which is very cool) when that money could probably have been used in better ways like raising salaries for employees or hiring more experienced web designers?
What was some of the biggest challenges you have met while working at kiva?
Does an update come to you when someone lends?
You make 70% of all your money from donations made to Kiva. How is the other 30% made?
How many voulenteers do you have?
Does Matt Flannery have an android?
What was a big barrier for Kiva, and what was something that went really easy?
Were there ever times when kiva was not succeeding, and you felt so down that you just wanted to stop?
How many people use Kiva a day and what drove you to create Kiva?
What was your biggest challenge and how did you solve it?
Do you feel good in knowing that you are helping thousands of people get a better life?
How long does it take to start up a business like kiva and how do you do it?
How did the idea of kiva come to your mind?
When do you think that Kiva will be able to get into the harder countries (Russia, China)?