Archive for the ‘Active in the community’ Category

Making a difference with e-Cards

December 17, 2012

 

Since December 2010, instead of sending our clients traditional Christmas cards, we send electronic greetings cards and add the money saved to our Kiva account.

I first heard about Kiva at a philanthropy talk given by the Charities Aid Foundation who described Kiva as a new kind of Charitable Giving* or a new way for Philanthropists to use their money. Kiva enables individuals and companies to lend to people and small businesses in the Third World. This microfinance is used to help low-income individuals lift themselves out of poverty improving the lives of their family and boosting the community in which they live.

The Kiva model is very simple.

  1. You select an applicant to lend to on the Kiva website. These loans are made possible by Kiva Partners who vet, administer and disburse each loan.
  2. You receive updates on your loan and the person you have helped through emails and the Kiva website.
  3. As the loan is repaid, the money becomes available in your Kiva account.
  4. Once you have sufficient in your account, you can use it to fund another loan, donate it to Kiva, or withdraw it to spend on something else.

To date Bluecoat Wealth Management has made 38 loans to people in Agriculture, Clothing, Food, Manufacturing, Retail, Services and Transportation sectors in Africa, Asia, The Middle East and South America. This Christmas, instead of burdening your local postman we have lent to and helped;

  • A cooperative of nine women in Indonesia who breed pigs
  • A carpenter who is starting a butchers in Mongolia
  • A farmer in Kenya who wants to buy a cow and three acres of land for a tea plantation
  • A furniture maker in Mongolia to buy a delivery van
  • A group of farmers in Uganda producing beans, maize and millet.
  • A cooperative in Tanzania that produces and sells shoes
  • A lady in Ecuador buying stock for her grocery store

If you would like to help us alleviate poverty by making loans as small as $25, join our lending team so that we can work together to expand opportunity for borrowers worldwide. Click here http://bit.ly/VLmSOc

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and successful 2013.

 

*Kiva is a Not-For-Profit Organisation rather than a UK registered Charity. Lending to the working poor through Kiva involves risk of principal loss. Kiva does not guarantee repayment nor do they offer a financial return on your loan.

 

Posted in Active in the community, Legacy, Money Matters

Christmas blog 2011

December 20, 2011

Tegal Sari Group

This year Bluecoat Wealth Management has sent electronic Christmas Cards to clients which are kinder to the environment. We have used the resultant cost savings to donate money to Kiva whose mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

  • People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
  • The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
  • Connecting people creates relationships beyond financial transactions, and builds a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

The money donated by Bluecoat Wealth Management this Christmas has helped the following people;

The Tegal Sari Group in Indonesia, to help them buy new piglets and feed to expand their pig business, http://www.kiva.org/lend/372189

Armen in Kapan, Armenia to buy materials for his furniture making business,     http://www.kiva.org/lend/372342

Odbayer Tsevegmed in Mongolia to buy spare parts to keep his taxi business running, http://www.kiva.org/lend/351550

Yassay Alaru in Uganda to by more cows to expand his butchers business, http://bit.ly/tndv7W

Wishing all our clients and friends a Merry Christmas and prosperous 2012.

Robin & Lena

 

Posted in Active in the community, Money Matters

Bluecoat helps Entrepreneur in Uganda

December 22, 2010

Bluecoat Wealth Management has lent money to Namuganza Joy  through KIVA to invest in her welding business.

Namuganza is affliated to Alinhinkira Group-Jinja and is happily married with nine children.

The trade of welding has mostly been a male preserve, but it is fascinating that in today’s Uganda you will find women who are eager to turn a hand to even the hardest of jobs, which often involve a lot of elbow grease. Joy has been involved in this trade for ten years now. Her operating headquarters are in Ivunamb trading center-Jinja.

The need for self reliance, she says, is what got her started in this business. Her story of transformation from a housewife into a fully fledged businesswoman is something in which she takes pride. She says young underprivileged girls can look up to her and emulate her. Her weekly income is 70,000 UGX. Joy also runs a charcoal sales business. With this loan, she wants to purchase metal materials for welding doors, windows and chairs.

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

  • People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
  • The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
  • By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

Kiva promotes:

  • Dignity: Kiva encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.
  • Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.
  • Transparency: The Kiva website is an open platform where communication can flow freely around the world.

Posted in Active in the community, Legacy

Bluecoat’s support of Kiva

November 25, 2010

Bluecoat Wealth Management is helping poor, but entrepreneurial, people across the World improve their lives by lending money to them for business development purposes through an organisation called Kiva.

Kiva’s mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

  • People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
  • The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
  • By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

Kiva promotes:

  • Dignity: Kiva encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.
  • Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.
  • Transparency: The Kiva website is an open platform where communication can flow freely around the world.

As of November 2010, Kiva has facilitated over $175 million in loans.

Bluecoat Wealth Management believes that Kiva’s values are closely aligned to its own and is encouraging clients and suppliers to join us in making a difference by joining our community on Kiva.

So far we have lent money to the following people;

Namuganza Joy in Uganda to help expand her welding business.

Myagmardorj Lhamhuu in Mongolia, to expand and set up a vacuum window-producing business.

Erick Bett, in Kenya, to purchase and insure a dairy cow.

Phon Sarin, in Cambodia, to buy a boat, as well as buying more fishing gear.

Posted in Active in the community

Making a difference through Kiva

November 23, 2010

Bluecoat Wealth Management has just made a loan to Armine Khachatryan in Armenia through Kiva.

Armine is married and lives with her mother-in-law. Both Armine and her husband are university graduates, but as they were unable to find a job in their fields, they have started their own business. Armine has been in the clothing trade business since 2004 and her husband helps her by taking care of the bookkeeping. Armine has applied for the loan to purchase autumn clothing stock.

Kiva is an organisation that empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

  • People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
  • The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
  • By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

Why not join us in making a difference? Join the Bluecoat Wealth Management team on Kiva and help improve someone’s life. http://www.kiva.org/about

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Posted in Active in the community, Legacy

Your Legacy Journey

November 1, 2010

Navigating your legacy

Guiding you through your giving journey

You’ve decided to create a Legacy and give some money to good causes that make a difference in the world, but how should you set about it? How can you ensure that your money really does make a difference? Bluecoat Wealth Management can guide you on this journey.

Here are four key stages to your Legacy Journey;

1.       Develop your giving strategy. 

Which areas are of interest, medical research, education, poverty, third world, environmental, road safety? 

Having decided on which area you want to support, you then need to research which Charities will use the money most effectively so that you understand the impact of your Legacy.

Be clear about what it is that you want to achieve – set objectives.

Put in place the necessary infrastructure, perhaps a Charity or Trust account.

 Put in place a structure to evaluate the effectiveness of your giving.

Think about how to involve your family.

2.       Decide on funding and investment. 

How much do you want to commit? Will this come from income, cash, assets or investments?

Consider the tax implications.

When do you want to give the money – during your lifetime or after you pass away?  Over what period will your legacy be distributed – this will dictate whether cash or other investments are suitable.

What should the asset allocation be and how often will you rebalance it?

3.       Run your Legacy Programme. 

You may wish to do this yourself (during your lifetime), delegate it if you want to remain anonymous, or arrange for the programme to be run after your death. It’s essential to consider the individuals, or organisation involved, and to make contingency plans.

Are there any specific projects that you want to fund or become involved with? In which case make a restricted donation.

Identify who you will liaise with at the Charity and feedback mechanisms. Be clear about your expectations.

4.       Evaluate and Maximise the Impact of your Legacy Programme

 This is the part that is most often forgotten!

Use your evaluation structure and refine it. Review quantitative and qualitative data, outcomes and impact. Have there been any unexpected benefits?

Are there different, more innovative, ways to achieve your goals and maximise impact? Could you work with others to maximise this?

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Posted in Active in the community, Legacy

Helping youngsters develop through rugby

August 12, 2010

The values central to the game of rugby have always impressed me. Respect for opponents and match officials, building players confidence, personal and collective responsibility, a game for people of all shapes and sizes.

Helping youngsters develop through rugby

Bluecoat Wealth Management has donated equipment to the Worthing Girls Rugby Team and organised team-building events such as Beach Rugby and visits to Twickenham. It’s a privilege to see the girls develop confidence, learn new skills and make great friends.

To find out more about our work with the Worthing Girls Rugby Team or if you’d like to contribute please email Robin@bluecoatwm.com

Posted in Active in the community