What unites a 113-year-old Japanese global organization with a microfinance nonprofit on the other side of the world? For Hitachi and Kiva, the shared commitment to improving social, environmental, and economic issues is a call to action that upholds each organization’s core values. This seven-year partnership has engaged thousands of employees and community stakeholders, supported an astonishing 90,000 borrowers, and generated a collective impact of over $4.0 million.
Read on to learn how this partnership has proven that with great engagement comes even greater impact.
Hitachi and Kiva ignite a dream
"Making a Kiva loan is more than just a financial transaction; it's a powerful testament to our collective ability to create positive change. I’m proud to be part of an organization that encourages and supports such meaningful engagement."
Launched in March 2017, the partnership between Hitachi and Kiva began with a five-year commitment to disburse an initial deposit of $100k in funds to support entrepreneurs in need. With Kiva partnerships averaging three years in length, Hitachi’s extended offering was an early indication of doing things differently. To capitalize on the spark of this new venture, Hitachi created Team Hitachi and launched Ignite a Dream, an employee engagement campaign designed to:
Instill Hitachi’s group identity in employees by engaging them to become advocates of Hitachi’s Mission, Vision and Values in the world beyond company bounds
Provide employees an avenue to support Powering Good, a mantra aligned with Hitachi’s larger impact agenda
Foster camaraderie by connecting employees through philanthropic activity as “One Hitachi”
One Hitachi employee, Jennifer Fitzpatrick, shares how this impacted her. "In 2017, I had the privilege of launching Team Hitachi and using my first loan credit from Hitachi on kiva.org" she says.
"Inspired by knowing that my contribution directly impacted someone’s life and that this amazing opportunity also inspired my colleagues across the world, I have been a lending champion ever since. Making a Kiva loan is more than just a financial transaction; it's a powerful testament to our collective ability to create positive change. I’m proud to be part of an organization that encourages and supports such meaningful engagement."
Hitachi began tracking the collective impact of their corporate fund and employees’ support. Within the first two years, Team Hitachi funds had reached over 6,600 borrowers across 40 countries! While hopes to continue developing more opportunities throughout the partnership had no signs of slowing down, neither Kiva nor Hitachi could have prepared for what would come in 2020.
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Hitachi and Kiva stand up to COVID
The start of an unprecedented global pandemic caused many organizations to freeze extraneous spending. How Kiva would be able to support small businesses and borrowers dependent on these funds was a question without a definitive answer. Thankfully, Hitachi took a stand…
In May 2020, Hitachi invested an additional $1M in relief as the founding partner of Kiva’s Global COVID-19 Response Fund. Set up to provide economic resilience and support to borrowers and lending partners around the globe, this fund supported an additional 19,000 borrowers across 36 countries.
So how did they do it? Knowing that increased engagement drives increased impact, Hitachi took a multi-phased approach:
Employee Engagement: Hitachi offered free loan credits to employees, enabling them to invest in Kiva borrowers directly. Inspired by the effort, many employees took their support deeper by adding their own funds. Together, Hitachi and its employees lent $210,000 to over 6,700 entrepreneurs across 34 countries.
Social Media Amplification: Building on this momentum, Hitachi launched lending reward incentives on social media, reaching borrowers across 17 countries, with 82% of the funds supporting women.
Matched Loans on Kiva.org: Matching loans is one of the most effective tools for making an impact, as lenders are more likely to increase their loan volume knowing their funds are matched dollar for dollar. This initiative helped support another 14,155 borrowers across 36 countries, lending over $794k.
Hitachi and Kiva's commitment
Hitachi and Kiva continued their commitment to shared causes by launching a lending campaign on International Women’s Day to help bridge the gender gap in financial access and empower women borrowers. This will be the fourth year that Hitachi and Kiva team up to create a more equitable future for all.
"I am proud to champion our company's partnership with Kiva, which aligns seamlessly with our commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and global impact. By empowering individuals through microfinance, we contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future, where every person has the chance to build a better life for themselves and their community."
"Hitachi's mission since its establishment in 1910 has been to improve quality of life and contribute to society," says Lorena Dellagiovanna of Hitachi.
"As Chief Sustainability Officer, CHRO and CDEIO, Hitachi, Ltd., my goal is to leverage the uniqueness of each employee to create the innovation necessary and ensure long-term and sustainable business growth for Hitachi to continue to fulfill its mission for the next generations to come. As part of this strategy, I am proud to champion our company's partnership with Kiva, which aligns seamlessly with our commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and global impact. By empowering individuals through microfinance, we contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future, where every person has the chance to build a better life for themselves and their community."
Recently, Kiva announced a new impact strategy, focusing on supporting borrowers across four key impact areas, including underbanked women and communities impacted by climate change.
Hitachi answered the call and has committed $250k to support women borrowers through continuous matching on kiva.org. Dedicated support like this will push Kiva closer to supporting an additional 4 million underbanked women by 2028, bringing our total to 8 million women over the course of Kiva’s history and doubling the number of women we have reached through 2023.
With climate change affecting borrowers and lenders alike, Hitachi committed an additional $250k in matching funds to support communities impacted by climate change. This support will help Kiva reach its commitment to supporting an additional 500,000 climate-vulnerable people (including smallholder farmers) by 2028, totaling more than 1.1 million throughout Kiva’s history.
What partnerships like Hitachi's mean to Kiva's mission
The remarkable collaboration between Kiva and Hitachi is a testament to the power of shared values and a commitment to Powering Good. The willingness to pioneer new and innovative ways to connect, matched with an unwavering dedication to social, environmental, and economic improvement, has allowed Hitachi to exemplify the profound results that can emerge when organizations align their missions.
Together, Kiva and Hitachi are not just setting goals; they are paving the way toward a brighter, more inclusive future for all.
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Learn more about Hitachis' impact with Kiva here and follow Kiva and Hitachi on LinkedIn to find out when Hitachi is matching loans on Kiva!
