Part of the reason why many women aspire to building their business is because they want to be able to contribute to important causes and communities. In some cases, the types of groups you support may even help a potential client make a decision on if they want to buy from you or not!

Here at A Successful Woman, we’ve committed to donating 10% of net profits generated from this website, including through book sales, to Kiva.org. This organization lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world — empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.

See my lending page here: http://kiva.org/lender/asuccessfulwoman.

For as little as $25 a month, you band with other lenders around the world and make a substantial loan through Kiva at 0% interest: the entrepreneur is able to purchase new equipment, a larger stock of inventory, or make capital improvements to increase their business. At the end of the loan period, you may re-invest your capital or withdraw it.

If you’re successful, you always have something to offer. Consider ways in which you may assist someone else in achieving their own measure of success: you might give a gift of time, energy, money, or your own expertise. When all of us give just a little bit, we are able to see major changes in the world.

If you’re a woman in business, I assure you that your charity work or pro bono consulting will increase your paid sales: make sure to publicize the causes you are working to support, and make sure to give as much as you are able. Everything will come back to you and will help benefit you, your company, your family, your loved ones, and your community.

It starts with you. How will you integrate charity into your business this year?

KivaStories.com has a video of recipients of Kiva loans:

Sejal Hathi and her team at Girls Helping Girls just launched their website, and these girls are a real inspiration. “‘I feel blessed to be able to give back to the community- my life would never be fulfilled without such service,” says Hathi, who was only 15 years old when she started the program.

http://www.empoweragirl.org

This international nonprofit organization, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, partners girls in the United States with girls in schools and community organizations in developing countries to jointly identify problems in their communities and develop social change through micro lending projects to address those issues.

There are four main areas in which Girls Helping Girls is focusing its efforts: 1) Eradicate Poverty, 2) Increase Access to Education, 3) Improve Health, and 4) Promote Peace.

Hathi and the other founders Sandal Khandoker, Hanna Kim, and Angelica Teng are all in high school, but they’re using their energy and belief in a better world to drive the organization forward.

Girls Helping Girls teaches girls to value their identities and find strength in one other. GHG not only empowers girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to stand tall and assert their voice, but it also educates them to value cultural diversity. The programs currently are in place in India, Ghana and Turkey, with more sites on the way.

With this kind of enthusiasm and passion for helping others, I’m excited to support Girls Helping Girls and I hope you’ll join me in helping spread the word about this remarkable project.