You may have visited the Lendwithcare website and found fewer loan profiles available for funding than you would expect. So, we wanted to take a moment to explain what’s happening behind the scenes, and why the number of loan profiles can sometimes rise and fall throughout the month, or at different times of the year.
If you ever find there are fewer small business owners to support with a loan, remember there are other ways to make an impact. You could make a donation or fund a grant. Donations are crucial to Lendwithcare’s continued operations, and funding a grant can offer direct support to both people and the planet.
Crowdfunding is dynamic by nature
At its heart, Lendwithcare is a crowdfunding platform. That means the number of loans available to fund depends on both lender activity and when loan profiles are submitted to us by our local development partners. It also means that once a loan has been fully funded, the profile of the entrepreneur who requested the loan will no longer be visible, since they have successfully received the funding they need to invest in their business.
Most lenders choose to re-lend at the end of the month, just after repayment emails are sent out. It’s a time of huge generosity, and our team works closely with our fantastic volunteers to get new profiles online as quickly as possible to meet the rise in demand, and to offer the variety we know lenders like to see.
But sometimes, the number of people ready to make a Lendwithcare loan outweighs the number of loan profiles available that week. That’s why you might notice the website feeling a bit quieter than usual at the very end or the beginning of the month. This is because we are waiting for more profiles to be submitted for funding.
Our partners work on their own schedules and we respect this
As you will likely already know, we work with dedicated local partners in different parts of the world. Each one has its own operating rhythm and loan cycles, which don’t always align perfectly with the lending patterns seen on Lendwithcare
For example, some partners disburse loans at specific times based on their internal planning. In addition, cultural and religious holidays can temporarily reduce staff availability or demand for loan capital, especially in countries where celebrations span several days or weeks. Loan cycles are also likely to be centred around the needs of the borrowers. We respect the decisions made at a local level, because our partners understand the local context better than anyone.
It’s also important to remember that many of our partners, like us, are small teams working hard with limited resources and often in incredibly challenging contexts. As such, they may not always have the capacity or ability to scale up profile submissions quickly in response to spikes in loan activity on the Lendwithcare platform. It would be unfair of us to dictate the workload of local staff who are already working hard, and who may be from low-income backgrounds themselves.
A responsible approach to lending
We believe strongly in responsible lending. We want to support our partners to grow and reach more low-income entrepreneurs, but never in a way that puts them or their borrowers under pressure and encourages poor lending decisions.
This is also why we choose not to flood partners with more funding than they can manage. Lendwithcare’s team of Microfinance Advisors work carefully to find the right balance for each partner and will sometimes adjust the level of funding allocated to a partner if the local context changes. This approach helps to ensure that Lendwithcare loan funding goes to the right people, who require funding the most and have the capacity to repay.
The seasonality of loans
Many of our loans support small-scale farmers. Naturally, farming is tied to seasons and weather patterns. During planting or harvest seasons, loan demand increases. At other times, it slows down. These cycles can cause changes in the number of farming loan profiles available throughout the year.
Growing Lendwithcare carefully and meaningfully
Since Lendwithcare began in 2010, we’ve been amazed by the generosity of our dedicated community of lenders. As more people join us in supporting hard-working entrepreneurs with life-changing loan funding, the total funding available has grown. To match this, we’ve been working year on year to bring new partners on board, but this takes time.
We carry out thorough checks to make sure every partner we work with shares our values and has a strong track record of supporting small business owners in a meaningful way. Shaping new partnerships takes a great deal of planning and coordination, working in collaboration with CARE colleagues and local partner staff.
Globally, the picture is tough. Conflict, climate change, and economic instability are affecting the communities Lendwithcare seeks to support. Our partners are often working in the areas hardest hit.
Lendwithcare is committed to supporting those most in need of loan funding, but an ever-changing global landscape makes it more important than ever to work carefully and responsibility. We know it can be a discouraging when there aren’t enough loan profiles to choose from, especially when you are eager to lend. However, please remember that there are many complexities underpinning the Lendwithcare model, which we are managing with a small team of staff.
We hope this has helped shed some light on why profile availability fluctuates. It is not a sign that something is going wrong, but instead reflects our commitment to working carefully, responsibly, and in a way that truly puts small business owners and their communities first.
Please remember that a dip in loan profiles will always be followed by an increase, it might just take a few days. Thank you for your patience, for your generosity, and for continuing to believe in the power of small loans to create lasting change. Your support has the power to create a real difference in the lives of hard-working people.