“We love that Kiva is a meaningful way to engage with our global teams towards a single impact goal while providing employees the flexibility to select causes that are personally meaningful to them.”
In our age of easy clicks and instant access, it’s simple to send your money across international borders. It’s also expensive. According to the UN Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, it can cost upwards of 7 percent of funds sent from a person in one country to someone in another. Even with more digital providers available, average fees remained high — over 4% in 2024 for formal digital channels, and even higher for traditional cash-based remittances.
This cost burden impacts nearly 800 million people who rely on money sent from family members working abroad. In 2023 alone, 184 million migrants sent $656 billion back home, supporting education, healthcare, small businesses, and emergencies.
Lower fees mean more frequent transfers and greater impact. On average, Remitly keeps about $2.31 for every $100 sent — covering the cost of fast, secure, and reliable money transfers – and the rest goes directly to the recipient.
In 2024, individuals using Remitly sent over $54 billion worldwide, and Remitly estimates they saved their customers over $1 billion in remittance fees — meaning more money reaches the people who matter most. Yet the company wanted to do more to make a positive financial impact — and give its employees the opportunity to do so as well.
So when it came to Giving Tuesday, it made sense to partner with Kiva.
Giving on a global scale
“Supporting someone with a similar story feels like giving back to the journey that shaped my own.”
Headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices around the world, Remitly celebrated Giving Tuesday 2024 by gifting every employee $25 to support a Kiva borrower of their choice — encouraging personal connections to places and people that matter to them.
“What I love about Kiva is how it allows us to directly contribute to impactful projects and make a real difference in someone’s life,” says Remitly founder and CEO Matt Oppenheimer.
“This year, I used my credits to support Sarah, a smallholder farmer from the region of Busia. Her inspiring story resonated deeply with me — Remitly’s journey began while I was living in Kenya, and I’ve always felt a strong connection to the country.”
For some, the bonds reached closer to home. Pia Dailo, a Remitly Change Management Specialist based in the Philippines, chose to lend to borrower Jackelyn because it reminded her of her childhood.
“Helping Jackelyn expand her motorcycle business brought back memories of my family’s journey with tricycles as our main income source,” recalls Pia.
“Supporting someone with a similar story feels like giving back to the journey that shaped my own.”
All in all, the campaign reached more than 1,000 Kiva borrowers in 50 countries — reflecting Remitly’s Global Impact Vision: to increase financial security and resilience in communities around the globe.
Enthusiastic execs, increased engagement
"The energy and connection it created were incredible — global offices and teams felt personally invested, not just in the campaign but in the impact their lending choices made in communities that matter to them."
In addition to the investment from individual lenders, this Giving Tuesday campaign received a significant boost when CEO Oppenheimer announced that Remitly would double the impact for every $25 credit employees used.
The enthusiasm from top executives spread quickly across the globe, leading to outstanding results, including:
Over 70% employee engagement with over 2,000 participating employees, representing every single office —their highest employee engagement rate to date
Employees used Remitly-sponsored credits to invest over $50k in more than 1,000 borrowers
In their commitment to double the impact, Remitly lent over US$100K to Kiva borrowers
The company garnered such stunning participation with a cohesive communications strategy. Sharing Kiva borrower stories and their impact through internal channels, emails, and webinars piqued interest, while leaderboards created friendly competition between offices.
Feedback acknowledged the leaderboards as “critical,” used on a daily basis to keep employees and leaders informed across time zones. Each office also used their own assets and materials, which made it easy to tailor Kiva resources for their particular office or team.
The success of the campaign also grew from the grassroots level. Employee ambassadors from each office inspired their coworkers, using their own cultural knowledge and regular updates from the executive team. Borrower data revealed that many employees—especially those from international backgrounds—tended to invest in the country where they reside.
"Developing the Giving Champions program across our global offices was a game-changer for engagement. By encouraging local teams to lead, we saw participation jump from 33% to over 70%. The energy and connection it created were incredible — global offices and teams felt personally invested, not just in the campaign but in the impact their lending choices made in communities that matter to them,” says Kiana van Waes, Principal Program Manager of Sustainability and Global Impact, who leads the Kiva program at Remitly.
“This program proved that when we tap into local passion, we can drive real impact at a global scale."
Sharing stories of borrowers like Julita helped engage employees in the campaign
A partnership for good
Remitly’s commitment to increasing access to digital financial services around the world dovetails with Kiva’s mission of expanding access to underserved communities — though that didn’t necessarily guarantee a Giving Tuesday success.
Even with the best of intentions, engaging thousands of employees globally presents a significant challenge. How can companies align along so many different values, cultures, and communities?
An inspiring strategic plan like the one Remitly applied to Kiva’s global footprint brings organizations together —while allowing individuals to choose where they’d like to make an impact.
“What’s incredibly special for Remitly is that Kiva has options for lending in many of the countries where our customers’ recipients — and where our employees live and work,” says Mallory Boulter, VP of Global Impact.
“We love that Kiva is a meaningful way to engage with our global teams towards a single impact goal while providing employees the flexibility to select causes that are personally meaningful to them.”
Kiva has helped organizations and companies around the world engage employees and customers, while increasing their positive impact. What can partnering with Kiva do for your organization?
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