It's a Chimed Life™: Meet Kira Traore, Director of Social Impact

Finding purpose through global community: Kira Traore's career journey
"I've always been fascinated with other cultures and people, but didn't have the means to travel a ton when I was younger," says Kira Traore (she/her/hers). When she was preparing to graduate college, Kira contemplated what to do next. She knew she wanted to work in social impact, but at the time, such careers didn't exist to the degree that they do today. "There was an early notion of Corporate Social Responsibility, but I wanted to do work that connected me to a community," she says. "I thought going overseas might be a good way to do that, but doing so required money, which I didn't have—so I looked into the Peace Corps instead."
Three weeks after graduating, Kira joined the Peace Corps and was placed in Mali, where she lived for nearly three years. Her project was to build water access and infrastructure in a bush town. "I thought the hardest thing I'd ever do was go to Mali when, really, the hardest thing was leaving," she says.
Although her move to Mali was challenging in certain regards—she didn't speak the language or know how to eat according to local customs—what struck Kira was the beauty of the community there. "There's no such thing as a stranger in Mali—you invite the people around you to eat with you if you're eating, and it's not something you politely decline," she explains. "If you're hungry, you sit and enjoy a meal with those who invited you. I was almost never alone there and was fully drawn into the culture, language, and people—it was amazing."
Bridging non-profit and for-profit worlds
When Kira returned from the Peace Corps, she wasn't ready to give up her direct connection to community in her work. She took on a role at an environmental non-profit and managed projects across sub-Saharan Africa, where she had a revelation: for-profit companies play an integral role in driving development. "For example, if an internet retailer expands to a new location, it needs a logistics network, warehouses, local employees, and delivery people— driving new infrastructure and technology development in that place. That development can, and should, be done intentionally to include net positive social impacts," she says."
I believe for-profit companies should be at the forefront of driving sustainable growth and change instead of always relying on non-profits,” she explains. Kira became fascinated by leveraging for-profits to drive positive growth. She transitioned to a for-profit company, joining an Amazon subsidiary, where she transformed a local employee engagement role into a community engagement position.
The power of impact-first thinking
"It was very difficult to make the transition to a for-profit at the time, but I came to love the challenge of working for a company where, on the surface level, it doesn't look like impact feeds into its operations or goals," she says.
Drawing from her unique experience, Kira developed a philosophy of working backward from the community and customers she's serving—not the business' needs. "It's easy to back into impact from what your business needs, but that approach doesn't work if you want to make a real difference," she explains. "Building from the business needs results in inauthentic work—instead, you have to marry impact with the business goals and start with the community you’re serving."
Finding her place at Chime
When Kira discovered Chime's social impact role, she saw an opportunity that aligned perfectly with her vision. What drew her to Chime most was the people—everyone she spoke with shared her passion for meaningful impact. More importantly, she found something unique: "I had never worked at a company where there was such alignment between the core customers and impacting their communities,” she says.
In addition to being drawn to the people, Chime's approach to social impact particularly resonated with her. Unlike her previous experience, Chime wanted a focused, top-down strategy that could be integrated across business units. This structured approach promised the potential for a more concentrated, amplified impact.
As part of Chime's Corporate Affairs team, Kira's scope has grown significantly over the past few years. Her work now spans both internal and external initiatives, collaborating across various business units—from core product development to marketing campaigns and operational protocols for natural disasters. The company's commitment to social impact has evolved substantially, implementing volunteer time off, launching core programs like Chime Community ChangemakersTM (formerly Chime in for ChangemakersⓇ), Financial Progress MonthTM, and joining the Pledge 1% movement.
Building trust and driving mission-driven work
Working in financial services has taught Kira valuable lessons about trust-building. "Being in fintech, a relatively new sector, and given the historical nature of financial services, building trust takes on a whole new meaning," she reflects. This insight has shaped her approach to initiatives like providing financial coaching to underserved communities, where overcoming initial skepticism is crucial for creating transformative experiences.
Under Kira's leadership, this trust-building philosophy comes to life through programs like Chime Community Changemakers, which partners with community-embedded organizations driving financial progress at the grassroots level. "We recognized that true change requires action to happen on the ground, in the communities where our members live and work," she explains. The program provides unrestricted funding, pro bono support, and mentoring to organizations working in areas like workforce development, entrepreneurship support, and innovative wealth-building initiatives.
Kira points to partners like EatOkra, an app highlighting Black-owned restaurants, and WeThrive, which provides entrepreneurship programs for underestimated youth, as examples of how corporate support can amplify community-led solutions. "These Changemakers are already doing incredible work in their communities. Our role is to help them scale their impact while staying true to their mission,” she says.
Alongside supporting community organizations, Kira has helped shape Chime's ambitious commitment to financial education. "We recognized that financial education isn't a required course in school, leaving many Americans without access to crucial knowledge," she says. Chime has pledged to bring financial education to 10 million people by 2027 through a multi-faceted approach including in-app learning tools, online lessons through partnerships like Zogo, and hands-on community events.
Kira continues to champion the importance of corporate citizenship beyond core business operations at Chime—and marrying impact with business success. "While our core business drives significant impact, we recognize that our responsibility doesn't stop there," she explains. "We're constantly sharing and explaining why going further is important, showing how it benefits our members, communities, and business alike."
Through storytelling and constant feedback cycles, Kira strives to ensure Chime's impact work remains authentic and effective. She emphasizes the importance of incorporating lived experiences and continuously examining programs to ensure they're meeting community needs. "It's about making sure we're not just continuing something because we started it, but because it's truly making a difference," she says.
A journey coming full circle
While she's a long way from Mali, Kira's core commitment to driving social impact has only grown since her days in the Peace Corps. Her unique approach and career journey have shown that authentic community engagement can thrive in corporate settings if the right approach is taken.
Just as she once shared meals with strangers in Mali, she now helps build trust between Chime and the many communities we’re a part of. The principles she learned early on about community, trust, and genuine connection continue to shape her work at Chime, proving that everyone benefits when companies prioritize real human impact alongside business goals. “I truly believe we all do better when we all do better, and I hope that companies like Chime continue to prove that correct.”