Microfinance USA 2011 Conference :: NYC May 23 - 24

Received two invites to this conference today, from Opportunity Fund & Silicon Valley Microfinance Network. Ummmm I'm barely done with the 2010 Microfinance USA conference materials:) But here ya go - get the early bird rate!



Opportunity Fund, Kiva and ACCION bring you the Microfinance USA 2011 Conference this May 23-24 in New York City!

Join the conversation with expert practitioners, top investors, and frontline researchers to explore and expand microfinance in the U.S.

Over two days, you can:
* Attend plenary sessions and panels led by the nation's leading microfinance voices.
* Experience microfinance first-hand by touring local microenterprises in New York.
* Debate current microfinance topics during small group sessions and networking dinners.
* Hear directly from entrepreneurs whose businesses were funded by microloans at the 2nd annual Kiva Lender-Borrower meet-up.

Topics at this year's conference include:
* What IS microfinance? - debating and defining our terminology
* Microfinance Crisis in India - what happened and lessons-learned
* Microsavings - expanding the microfinance frontier

What's new in 2011?
* New track: The Intersection of International & U.S. Microfinance
* New research on the microfinance consumer
* New experiences - like our Microfinance Bookstore

For the full scoop go here.

Register by March 1 for the early bird rates:
Microfinance Professionals: $350
Individual: $275
Student: $75

College Student-Run Microfinance Organizations

I did some reading about college student-organized and run microfinance organizations over the weekend, and am SO IMPRESSED!!

I began my research with a perusal of the 2009 Microfinance USA conference materials and blog posts. The session "Student-Led Microfinance" took place on May 25. In a blog post recapping the event Delaine Zody quoted panelist Alex Dang of Global Brigades, who said “The Kiva experience is not enough for college students. This group wants to go further.”

Alex also wrote a blog post, introducing himself: On a personal note, I started my career in microfinance as a student at UCLA with Global Brigades, a non-profit organization that empowers university students that volunteer in community development abroad. I was among 11 students who volunteered to advise a coffee cooperative in Honduras. I returned from Honduras committed to finding a way to offer that type of technical assistance to small businesses in California.

Another "Student-Led Microfinance" panelist, Rohan Mathew blogged about his work with the Intersect Fund, a Rutgers University microenterprise organization that he helped co-found from a dorm room in fall 2008.

Here's Rohan introducing the Intersect Fund:



Amazing.

The Microfinance USA materials referenced the report Can Student-run Microfinance Organizations Help Address Issues of Scale and Sustainability in the U.S. Domestic Microenterprise Industry? written by Elaine Edgcomb and Luz Gomez, published by FIELD of the Aspen Institute. I pulled the following points from the report:

The authors found that many college students who are engaged with microfinance organizations were inspired by Muhammad Yunus' book Banker to the Poor, and see their work with the schools' microfinance organizations as extensions of their interests in social entrepreneurship.

The services provided by the student-run microfinance organizations vary by the school, but generally speaking the students seem to be providing business coaching (and funding) to adult entrepreneurs from the local community. While the students try to make up for this by dressing professionally, the entrepreneurs are appreciative of the age gap because the students are very knowledgeable about low-cost marketing techniques that make use of technology.

However, the school calendar year with large gaps when students are not available to entrepreneurs, plus the relatively high student turnover rates as students graduate or drop out of the organizations, poses problems. Yale's program, for example attributes some of their problems with their delinquent portfolio to a lack of contact with borrowers during the summer vacation. The program's board members say that they play an important role in institutional memory and maintaining relationships with community partners and funders. They have addressed this by creating a handbook for the student leaders. However, the report authors feel that the students could also add training and mentoring for new leaders, too. The Brown program leaders have considered taking advantage of a full-time
AmeriCorps/Vista volunteer to transition the program longer term. However, Rutgers has a sufficient number of students on campus during the summer so they can keep their program going.

Nathan Huttner, a former student Director of Elmseed (Yale), and current board member, suggested creating a “hub" with full-time, experienced staff who could assist student “branches”. Since this report was published in June 2009, Nathan's idea has been realized. In his Microfinance USA blog post Rohan Mathew said that in October 2009 the Intersect Fund hosted like-minded students from eight schools to share best practices and collaborate. The Campus Microfinance Alliance grew out of that event - it was co-founded by Rutgers, Yale, and Brown students. The Alliance provides seed grants and technical assistance to emerging student-run microlenders. I LOVE IT!

I also love that Lehigh's Microfinance Club was one of the student-run microfinance organizations evaluated by the authors who wrote the FIELD report:) Did you catch the world's first hip hop microfinance video created by Fred Graves, '11, accounting major, former Grameen Foundation intern, and current President of the Lehigh Microfinance Club? :)

New Forum for Change Makers in the Communications Tech Space

Could this be you?

Change Connections :: Presented by The Feast + Nokia from Change Connections on Vimeo.

If so, then check this out -- launched recently by Nokia and The Feast, Change Connections is an open forum that offers a space to exchange, connect and collaborate on ideas for social good and to foster thinking around groundbreaking social innovation.

The goal is to define major problems and opportunities for solutions to major societal issues that build on the massive power and potential of communication technology to do good in the world.

Besides idea incubation, the site also features quotes from a series of more than 40 expert interviews, and case studies of existing work. For example, Samasource, which I recently blogged about here:)

Follow them on Twitter.

OK, now I'm off to watch the live webcast of the Microfinance USA Conference taking place in San Francisco today and tomorrow ...

Microfinance USA Conference Kick-Off Party :: San Francisco, CA. Wed May 19

Can't make it to the Thursday May 19 & Fri May 20 Microfinance USA Conference in San Francisco, but want to meet like-minded people? Check this out:



RSVP here.

For more info about the Microfinance USA Conference check out my Feb 19 blog post.


Also some additional good news for people who can't attend the full Microfinance USA Conference. This info came to me in an email: Tickets for single sessions at Microfinance USA now available! $50 per session. Register here.

Thursday, May 20th
10:00 - 11:45am -Sign up now!
Opening Session: Conversation with Maria Shriver, First Lady of California
& Premal Shah, President of Kiva
Opening Address: Martin Eakes, Self-Help

1:15 - 2:30pm - Sign up now!
Breakout Sessions
+ A Living History: U.S. Microfinance: Past, Present and Future
+ Scaling Global Microfinance: Funder Perspectives
+ Outsourcing: Improving underwriting and Portfolio Management

2:45 - 4:00pm - Sign up now!
Breakout Sessions
+ Growing Microlending in a Challenging Economy
+ Where Does All That Loan Capital Come From Anyway?
+ Leveraging Partnerships to Reach Millions

4:15 - 5:30pm - Sign up now!
Breakout Sessions
+ Inside the SBA Microenterprise Program
+ The Rise of P2P Lending
+ What is a Fair Price to Pay for Good Credit?

5:30 - 7:30pm
Taste of Microentrepreneurship Food Festival & Cocktail Reception
Microentrepreneurs representing some of the Bay Area's most popular and cutting-edge kitchens will delight guests with a "food festival" sampling of their culinary delights. Live music, hors d'œuvre, and cocktails. ($35 with conference registration/$45 at the door)


Friday, May 21st
9:00 - 10:30am -Sign up now!
Opening Remarks: Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco
Opening Address: Andrea Levere
General Plenary: Is Savings More Important than Credit?

11:00 - 12:30pm - Sign up now!
Breakout Sessions
+ Innovations in Microfinance Worldwide
+ Funding U.S. Microenterprise: Why Now? (for Donors and Funders only)
+ Policy Efforts to Promote Responsible and Appropriate Financial Products
+ Student Led Microfinance Clubs

12:30 - 2:00pm - Sign up now!
Lunch Sessions
+ Microfinance Careers Roundtables (Only a few spots available)
+ Microloan Client Tours (Only a few spots available)
+ Kiva Lender-Borrower Meet-Up

2:30 - 3:45pm - Sign up now!
Breakout Sessions
+ Proven Technology Trends for the Developing World
+ US Innovations: Serving the Unbanked
+ (Ir)Rational: Applying Behavioral Economics to Microfinance
+ Connecting Retail Banking and Microfinance