In-Depth Process

Here is a more in-depth look at each aspect of our process.

Step 1: Create and Advertise

Creating a club works differently by school, so reach out to your Activities Director or other administration to make that work.
Click here to check out an example of an advertisement we used in past years; this one was for a fundraiser we were doing.
Keep in mind that most people have no idea what Microfinance is, so simple definitions go a long way!

Kiva is perhaps the best, most simple way to participate in microfinance out there. Head over to Kiva.org to open up an account-- it's very intuitive and easy. Click here to learn more about Kiva and how it works.
Create a common account for the club that can be passed down for years to come. It is cool to keep track of the loans you make every year and see the progression.

For us, a normal meeting would be 4-5 members (self-chosen, changing most meeting) presenting possible loan recipients chosen on Kiva. We would then throw together a Google Form as they are presenting and use a tiny url link to have everyone vote on their phones. Finally, whichever loanee received the most votes would receive the pre-determined loan amount.
One tip-- loans on Kiva are constantly being fulfilled. I could find one the night before that looks good to go and the next morning it could be fully funded, so I recommend choosing your loanees right before you present.
This is just what we did, but feel free to adjust on this based on club size, etc, and if you get creative and something works, reach out and let us know!

Educating about microfinance is difficult but absolutely vital. The number 1 way we suggest you go about it is to keep it light, repetitive and fun.
First, keep it light; no members want complete, super in-depth explanations about microfinance, nor do they need to know that much do be an active member in the club.
Second, be repetitive about what microfinance is. Explain it just about every meeting, at least at the beginning of the year.
Finally, be fun about it. This will help people not only understand it more but will make the topic more interesting. Whether it be in a video, infographic, skit, whatever, it works a lot better than being boring.

Fundraising is critical, so it earned its own section. Click here to check that out.
Nonetheless, I will note that creativity is key when it comes to fundraising; the more creative, the more money you will pull in. Always be receptive to what club members want to do as well-- I find they often have some very unique ideas.

This is the fun part-- at this point you have a strong club base and continued attendance, and your funds are growing.
Here are some suggestions: connect with other clubs at your school (with similar or different goals, host an event, etc), connect with other microfinance clubs around you, or link into the national network.
The National High School Microfinance Coalition is the best way to connect in; click here to check out their website. Feel free to reach out to us as well to connect into our growing network of schools.