Year 1: Genealogy Benefits and Team Achievements

Genealogists for Families is one year old today. When I started this project (to continue a family tradition of helping others) I did not realise that there would be so many genealogical and personal benefits for our team members!

The Genealogists for Families motto is 'We care about families (past, present and future)'. As family historians we know that our lives have been shaped by previous generations, and we care about the world that our children will inherit. Through Kiva, we can make that world a better place.

To combine genealogy with Kiva, some of us make commemorative loans on dates that have special significance for our family.

When I asked team members what they thought were the benefits of belonging to 'Genealogists for Families', most said that they wanted to make a positive contribution in the world, and that they liked the sense of community; but that could apply to any lending team on Kiva, so what are the specific benefits for members of a genealogy team?

• From the Meet the Team guest posts in this blog, plus team members' lender pages on Kiva, we get to know new people and learn about new genealogy resources. (For example, Fiona heard about Yvette's Dutch genealogy Web site, followed the advice there, and found an ancestor who had previously eluded her.)


• We swap tips for genealogy at team social events and on social networking sites. (Kerry said, "I love the networking - getting to know other genealogists so that you can ask their advice.")


• We increase our chances of contacting 'new' relatives. Contributors to the 'Meet the Team' series mention surnames that they are researching, and at least one team member has subsequently been contacted by a previously unknown relative.


• An Australian team member was given a personal tour of National Archives overseas by another team member who works there.


• When two team members made their first visit to State Archives, another member (a professional genealogist) offered to be their guide for the day.


• Australians helped a team member in Britain by contributing local data to her One Name Study.


• Links on our Kiva lender pages and in 'Meet the Team' posts provide free publicity for our Web sites and genealogy blogs. This may also attract new clients for team members who are genealogy professionals.

What have we achieved in one year?

In addition to winning an award for Best New Community Project...

• Our team has grown to 215 members (who live in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Spain, USA and Wales).


• By re-lending money as it was repaid, we have loaned a total of $28,500. (Jan 2014 update: With continued re-lending, and over sixty new team members, the total sum loaned has now reached an amazing $88,000!)


• Many of our 1,082 loans (the number increases daily) were to large groups, so I estimate that we have helped over 3,500 families. 

These two colourful charts show the many activities for which our loans have been used, and the countries where the borrowers live.

Activities for which our loans have been used

Countries where our borrowers live

If the only thing stopping you from joining Kiva is the $25 needed to make a loan, you could raise the money by doing online surveys (from which I earn at least $25 each month) or passing around the hat at an informal social event. It will be worth the effort, because a small loan really does make a big difference. Please join us!

Our Birthday Prize Winners

I was disappointed that only eleven of our 215 members entered the prize draw to celebrate the first birthday (tomorrow) of the 'Genealogists for Families' project.

The main prize (a team T-shirt) was won by Kelli Taylor in Canada.

Two small consolation prizes were won by Roger Moffat (a New Zealander currently living in the USA) and Doug (also in the USA).

Congratulations to the winners, and my sincere thanks to those who took part.
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Join Genealogists for Families. Together we can make a difference!

Two More Awards for Genealogists for Families

In 2011 we won the GeneaBlog Award for 'Best New Community Project'. Now, a week before Genealogists for Families celebrates its first birthday, I am proud to announce that the project has received two more awards.

From Pauleen we received the HUG (Hope Unites Globally) Award:   "What you have done to set up and continue the Genealogists for Families group definitely fits... Thanks for all you do to bring hope to the world!"

To accept this award I must in turn nominate someone else. I don't suppose anyone will be surprised to hear that I am nominating Kiva.

From Jill we received the Illuminating Blogger Award:   "Genealogists for Families Project team leader and blogger, Judy, is an inspiration as she encourages genealogists to reach out and help families in third world countries with micro-loans. Judy's enthusiasm for this project and her personal generosity know no bounds."

On behalf of the team... thank you! If you are new here... please join us! Together we are making a difference!
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Kiva Team Birthday Prize Draw

To celebrate the first birthday of 'Genealogists for Families' on 27th September 2012, there will be a random prize draw.

What is the prize?  A team T-shirt.

Who can enter?  'Genealogists for Families' Kiva lending team members who are not anonymous and who have made a total of at least two (2) loans before submitting an entry for the prize draw.

When do entries close?  11:59pm (GMT) Tuesday 25th Sep 2012.

How do I enter?

1. Log in to Kiva and check that you have made at least 2 loans.
2. Find your name on www.kiva.org/team/genealogists/members (you may need to use 'Next page'). Click on your name, then note the Web address, which will be in the format 'www.kiva.org/lender/your-Kiva-ID'.
3. Email me privately at the address shown in the sidebar here, quoting your Kiva ID and#270912prize.

Join Genealogists for Families. Together we can make a difference!
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Make Your Own Personalised Kiva Badge

Genealogists for Families team member Alex (whose genealogy blog is Family Tree Frog) has just told me about a site where we can create personalised dynamic Kiva badges for a blog or Web page......

UPDATE: The site that was mentioned in this post no longer exists. Sorry!

A Commemorative Loan

My Dad

Today would have been my father's 93rd birthday. He was the inspiration for the Genealogists for Families project, so I wanted to make a commemorative loan that was somehow relevant to his life.

We lived on a grazing property 45 miles from the nearest town, so we could not just pop down to the shops to buy fresh produce. Remembering what life was like there, I decided that my $25 loan should go to a man who milks cows and grows vegetables!

Join Genealogists for Families. Together we can make a difference!

Progress Report and Team Tips

Progress Report:

The Genealogists for Families team now has over 200 members worldwide (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Netherlands, NZ, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Spain, USA and Wales). In less than nine months we have loaned a total of $19,000.

Team Tip No.1 - Choosing a Loan:

This week two new members of the 'Genealogists for Families' team asked for advice on selecting loans through Kiva.

1.  On www.kiva.org, click 'Sign in'. (I use an email address and password, not Facebook.)

2.  Click 'Lend'.

3.  To choose a borrower, use check boxes to filter the loans by any combination of criteria, including country, gender, groups or individuals, and sector (which often refers to the borrower's business - agriculture, arts, manufacturing, services etc).

4.  Click 'Advanced Options'. At 'Risk rating', 'Delinquency' and 'Default', drag the circles left or right to set your preferred ranges. For example, if you are a cautious lender you might set the Risk rating at 3-5, Delinquency rate at 0%-5% and Default rate at 0%-1%.

5.  Use the 'Sort by' drop-down menu to display the loans in various ways. 'Loan length' sorts them with short-term loans at the top. 'Ending soon' will show loans that are most urgently in need of funding.

6.  If you intend to search for similar loans in the future, set your filters and sort order, then create a bookmark in your browser.

Team Tip No.2 - Terminology:

Not sure what terms like 'delinquency' mean? If there is a dotted line under a word, hover the mouse pointer over it to see a pop-up explanation.

Team Tip No.3 - Expiring ('ending soon') Loans:

If a loan is not 100% funded within about 30 days, it will expire, and money that was received is refunded to the lender's Kiva account (and you can then choose another borrower).

Often this does no immediate harm to the borrower. Some Field Partners disburse loans before they are fully funded on Kiva - but if a loan expires, the Field Partner is seriously out of pocket. If that happens often, the Field Partner may eventually go out of business, which would have a negative impact on borrowers and their lenders.

If you have not yet joined our team ('Genealogists for Families'), you're welcome to do so as soon as you've made one $25 loan.

Meet the Team: Mark Taylor

After a lull in the series, I was pleased when Genealogists for Families team member Mark Taylor from Victoria, Australia, volunteered to write a guest post.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Mark Taylor and I'm a Genealogist. Now that I've confessed to being an obsessed, computer bound, eccentric name collector, I feel better already. I run a BMW Dealership at Bundoora in North East Melbourne, and am therefore able to continue my childhood passion of playing with cars. I also love bird watching (there I go confessing again), playing tennis, and my 3 girls.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families project?

I read about GFF on the 'Australian Genealogy' Facebook page, and lent my first $25 to a Mongolian seamstress seeking funds for a new sewing machine.

What do lending and participating in this project mean to you?

I have always been concerned that overseas charity donations are consumed by administration. Kiva is a brilliant grassroots way to see your money at work, and gives you the choice of how much you give to admin.

Did you choose particular borrowers because their occupations or situations have some significance in your family history or your own life?

In choosing a borrower, I prefer to lend to families with children. I enjoy reading the business plans to find those I think will succeed. Now I also look at social needs, and I'm covering the globe. South and Central America done, Africa next. I'm trying to keep 50:50 on gender too.

Is there a borrower whose success story inspired you?

The borrowers are all inspiring in some way. I felt strongly for the Colombian locksmith whose tools were stolen. He had to borrow to replace them. I hope he locks these ones up!

Do you have a strategy for raising funds or saving for your $25 loans?

In today's economic climate, saving is important. I know that most of what I lend I can eventually get back if I need it, so for me Kiva is a form of saving. The social interest rate is far higher than the banks', and with our dollar falling, I may even make a profit. To reinvest of course! I started out thinking that I would make a loan every 2 weeks. That has changed to once per week, and I have been reinvesting repayments on top.

Web address of your Web site or blog?

www.kiva.org/lender/mark7436.

Your main family history research interests?

Albiston, Barrie, Carbines, Fillan, Hayhow, Lilley, McCallum, Sheerman, Waldram. I've found famous artists and actors, murderers, murder victims, preachers, banned authors, AFL stars, champion jockeys - and agricultural labourers. I've seen family feuds dissolved, birth families found, heirlooms rediscovered, tears shed. It started as a tree full of names. Now they are telling their stories.
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Join Genealogists for Families. Together we can make a difference!

Mnatsakan needs our help urgently

Mnatsakan is a young entrepreneur who has a bakery where he makes lavash, an Armenian national bread. He needs investments to develop the bakery by buying special equipment to puddle the paste and flour to make lavash. This will allow him to expand his production and increase his sales, generating more income and creating improved living conditions for his family.

The funds he needs must be received by Kiva (as $25 loans by people like you and me) within the next three days. The 'Genealogists for Families' team is responding to this urgent call.

Because several team members made loans to Mnatsakan in a short space of time, his profile on Kiva zoomed up onto page one of the default ('popularity') listing. That means visitors to Kiva are much more likely to choose him. (What a great example of teamwork! Thanks, Mark, for bringing this special case to our attention.)

There is still a long way to go; so if you can help this hard working young man with a loan of just $25, please see www.kiva.org/lend/420519.

Update, 2 Jun 2012: The response to this was amazing. The loan was fully funded before the deadline, and 24 of the 57 lenders were Genealogists for Families members! Many enthusiastic people followed the loan's progress and commented via the team's Facebook page. Mark said, "Well done to the GFF team. I think this is what Kiva is all about. Lots of people getting together to make a real difference. I hope that lavash is good! There are a whole lot of people here with a little stake in this bakery."

Another borrower who needs more support is Gulchehra, who does beautiful gold embroidery. She has four children, and needs a loan to purchase plastic windows and other things to fix her house.

Genealogists for Families: a Milestone

The Genealogists for Families project is less than eight months old, but today we reached a significant milestone.

Through the non-profit organisation Kiva, the Genealogists for Families team has now loaned a total of $15,000 to low-income borrowers without access to traditional banks. We have helped over 1,000 individuals to expand their small businesses so they can support their families, educate their children or install windows, running water etc in their homes.

(Postscript, 18 May 2013:  It is only one year since I wrote this, but the total amount loaned by our team has now reached a staggering $57,000+. That's because we have over 260 members who keep re-lending the same $25 each time it is repaid.)

The graph above shows the wide variety of small businesses that our loans are currently supporting. It does not include loans that have already been fully repaid. (Repeatedly lending the same $25 does so much more good than a one-time donation to charity!)

Please join the Genealogists for Families team - we are really making a difference! For a limited time, new members can make a free trial loan. It costs you nothing because it is sponsored by an anonymous donor.

You may be also interested in a series of articles in which team members write about their family history research interests and how these are linked to their experiences with Kiva.