Now Go Do Good spoke with Kevin O'Brien, Chief Technology Officer of a nonprofit organization called Kiva, which helps enable global opportunity via technology. He sets the technological vision for the organization and works to leverage the resources and software available to help Kiva operate and scale.

NGDG: Tell us about Kiva. What is it and how does it work? Why loan people money instead of just giving it to them?

O'BRIEN: Kiva is a 501c3 non-profit with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Normally, when giving money, you give once and then that’s it. If it’s a good organization, you may get some updates on where your money went and the impact it had. With lending, the money comes back to you. It’s a hand up to the person to succeed.

You develop a connection with the borrower, rooting for his or her success. With the paid back money, you get to find a new borrower and lend again and build ever more connections continuously. Even if the borrower doesn’t succeed, which is rare with a 97%+ repayment rate, you get an update to know why. It’s this transparency and connection that really drives Kiva.

Read the full interview with Kevin O'Brien and find out more about Kiva at medium.com.