Thanks for the question. I think what I find so exciting about the new concepts we’re seeing on the web, both philanthropic and technological, is the way in which they leverage the modest contributions of individuals to create something massively useful and positive. Take Photosynth’s model of Notre Dame: Without this “Web 2.0″ concept of collective collaboration, imagine how much work it would have taken an individual or organization to build the photo library used in that model. Now imagine how much more work it would take to create similar maps of Paris! Currently, only the most massive corporations have the resources to create such kinds of models. Google, for example, relies on satellite imagery and expensive street-level photo-trucks to provide real images of the places on its maps. Yet even such a great tool as Google Maps can’t offer the detail or richness of a photosynth model.

So what’s the connection to Kiva.org? I think Kiva.org provides a much needed supplement to the satellite-level aid provided by major humanitarian organizations. By empowering individuals to offer loans themselves—Kiva.org loans are paid back to lenders so that you can lend the same $25 again—Kiva.org creates individual micro-donors who are directly connected to the recipients of their micro-loans. Sure, you could donate $25 to a humanitarian organization. But in many cases part of your money would go into overhead, and I’ll bet it wouldn’t have the same richness of personal connection and investment. In the end, I think it means a lot when you don’t need to be a big spender to see the difference your contribution makes.

Cheers,
Alex

Thanks