Last week, on a dreary, rainy Seattle night, 500-600 people walked through a door in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.

Inside, they mingled. The room was filled with conversation about sustainability, about ambitious goals, and about fundamental world change.

Terry Provance and Re-Vision Labs gave everyone something new to think about: how our money can change the world. And not with donations, with real investments in people.

Join The Movement

The economics of the past clearly haven’t worked, as we have seen over the past several years, but particularly in the last year. The economic norms don’t have humanity in mind, they are not for the good of the people, they are for the good of the few. The rich few.

Money is one of the things that makes the world go round, there’s no denying it – when the economy goes south, we all feel it.  However, I firmly believe individual actions make a difference. I believe each of our actions together can change the world.

So let’s redefine finance, change how money works or doesn’t in our world. Let’s put our money where our passion is and truly, completely, invest in our future.

How Does This Movement Work?

Instead of investing your money in a money market fund, or keeping it in a savings account, you put it into a microfinance fund like Oikocredit. That fund is used to provide loans and business services to people in the developing world who cannot obtain a bank loan for their business plan (because they are poor and have no collateral or previous credit history). These loans have a 95-99% success rate – much higher than typical small business loans. And in 35 years, Oikocredit has repaid every single lender with their money plus interest.

It is a strategy for bringing people out of poverty by helping them become self-sufficient. And it is a strategy for changing the world by changing what we do with our investments: why give our savings to a big bank who cares nothing about you, your money, or the greater good of the world? You can do more with your money.

How Is That A Movement?

Because we can only change the world if we all do it together.  So that requires each of us to take a few moments and literally join the movement – not just invest, but spread our excitement and encourage our friends and families to invest in people.

Who Does It Help?

Here is a bit I wrote on the Oikocredit website about a woman named Flora:

Flora lives in a region of Kenya where 90% of people in the area live below the poverty line on less than $2 a day. When Flora’s husband was killed and their cattle stolen in 2001, she cried, feeling helpless and hopeless. But with four young children to support, she desperately needed to rebuild her life. With a series of loans – and a lot of hard work – she was able to re-establish her herd and eventually open a small grocery store. Little by little Flora started thinking big again and taking control of her life.

Flora has never forgotten her own struggle and is devoted to helping others in her community. She offers fair credit in her shop to customers who need it. In addition to a home for her family, she has also built rooms to rent out. This housing means others can live affordably and benefit like she has from the town’s growth. Today, she not only feeds and clothes her family; she pays school fees for her two brothers and plans to send her own children to college. Her future dreams include opening another business. Not only does Flora have improved her own life, but she has also become the inspiration for other single women in her community. Photography: Samburu Teachers Sacco

But quite honestly, it doesn’t just help Flora.  It helps you, and me, and our friends, our families, our neighborhoods, and our world. I firmly believe that part of living in a sustainable world is helping our neighbors, helping spread the wealth and happiness to other communities, and being there when others need us most.  Sometimes the best thing we can do for the planet – and for ourselves – is to help others.

Why am I so excited about creating a movement with our partners at Oikocredit?

The founders of Re-Vision Labs set out to change the world as a business, and we don’t choose our clients lightly.  Oikocredit has been around for 35 years, with an amazing mission and truly selfless people working together. They also take huge strides to make sure their work is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable.  They want to improve the world just as much as we do, and they believe, as I do, that we can change the world by changing what we do with our money.  Learn more at the new interactive website we’ve created with Oikocredit.

There are other great microfinance organizations as well.  If you want to look around at other microfinance organizations to pick which one works best for you, just make sure you investigate them as we did with Oikocredit.  Make sure they are offering loans at reasonable rates to people in the developing world, and that they offer services beyond loans – support services like courses in creating a business plan, accounting, marketing, etc – these things are what make the biggest difference.

Thank You For Joining Us

Last week we gathered 144 names of people interested in becoming a part of the movement in microfinance.  We gathered $1,000 in donations to the Seattle Greendrinks Oikocredit investment fund.  We gathered a lot of excitement and interest in a new way of investing.

And this is just the beginning.  This is just Phase 1, the pilot project. We will be expanding this movement around the country, and eventually around the world. So if you know anyone who may be interested in helping us champion this cause, PLEASE let us know! Leave a comment, send us an email, give us a ring. Thank you for helping us truly make a difference in the world.

We thank our community so much for joining us, and for having open ears and warm hearts. Together we can change the world.

Similar Posts:

• Microfinance Week at RVL!
• Do You Know What Your Money is Doing While You’re Not Watching?
• This Week in Education: Microfinance