Question of the Week: ‘Which client will you nominate for CAMEO’s 3rd annual Faces of Entrepreneurship Awards?’ Nominations due April 30, 2013.
Have a pressing question affecting the Micro sector? Share it with us so we can open up discussion on the Question of the Week.
In this week’s Must Know
- CAMEO at AEO
- Annual Survey
- The Goodies: This week’s highlight includes CAMEO’s Individual Training program that can offset some of the costs for all of the conferences listed in The Goodies. Contact Shufina English for more information.
- Watch our video CAMEO Connects to illustrate the power of locally-grown small-businesses.
CAMEO at AEO
Let us know if you are going to the AEO Conference, Tilt Forward on May 5-8 in St. Louis. We want to invite you to the CAMEO member dinner. And early bird prices for the conference are still available until Friday.
Once again, the California imprint will be strong at AEO. Because of her leadership of integrating entrepreneurship within the Workforce system, Claudia will participate in a panel entitled One in Three in Action: How the National Association of Workforce Boards and AEO are Partnering to Unleash Main Street’s Power to Hire One. Micro-businesses and self-employment are key to rebooting the American economy. What is the the community support, infrastructure and resources that entrepreneurs and small businesses need to survive, thrive, and ultimately grow? Others from the CAMEO family that are on panels include Marsha Bailey (Women’s Economic Ventures), Megan Fielding (Microplace), Jason Friedman (Friedman Associates), Maika Hemphill (Kiva), Sharon Miller (Renaissance Center), Dairo Romero (Mission Economic Development Agency) and Eric Weaver (Opportunity Fund.)
On Monday May 6, 8:00am-12noon, join CAMEO members Marsha Bailey (WEV) and Sharon Miller (Renaissance Center) at a very special forum celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Business Ownership Act. The Women and Business Ownership Forum has a great line up of speakers and panelists that include Michele Ozumba, CEO of the Women’s Funding network and other key leaders in the field.
And vote for Opportunity Fund. They’re a finalist for the 2013 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) under the capital access category and can win a $75,000 grant from AEO and Citi. Voting closes Friday, April 19 at 11:59pm ET.
As always, CAMEO can offset some of the costs for this conference, which is a terrific opportunity for professional development. Scroll down to Goodies to find out other opportunities in the next couple months. Contact Shufina English for more information.
CAMEO Annual Survey
FIELD at the Aspen Institute has launched the 2013 U.S. Microenterprise Census! And CAMEO is partnering once again with FIELD for our annual survey. So it’s time to gather your data and fill out the census. If you complete the survey by May 10, 2013, CAMEO will treat you and your staff to lunch up to $100!! Last year, CVBI (pictured) was the first team to submit their survey results and photo. This year it will be your organization! Community Action Agency of Butte County has already finished their survey, but hasn’t submitted the staff photo, so there’s still a chance!
The Goodies
New opportunities for trainings, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know: I have posted a running tab of current Goodies on the CAMEO website that lists items that were in past emails. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing anything, like grants whose deadlines are still alive!
Save the date for the Annual CAMEO member meeting in Sacramento on June 5-6, 2013. The Faces of Entrepreneurship Awards will be presented by legislators from the business owners’ districts on June 5 at a reception.
California Economic Forums: They began this week and are taking place all over the state. The ones in April are in SLO, Inland Empire and San Joaquin Valley. The goal is to identify local priorities for investing in people, infrastructure and innovation to prepare our state to compete in the 21st century global economy. Please participate if you can and represent our sector. Make sure you identify as a member of CAMEO.
Grant Opportunity: The Huffington Post, Skoll Foundation and Half the Sky Movement are teaming up to Invest in Women who Change the World. On April 24, they’re launching the RaiseForWomen Challenge, a fundraising Challenge to help female-focused charities gain recognition and resources. And, they’re giving away $75,000. Deadline is April 24, 2013 to sign up.
Small Business Event: Intuit hosts Hire Smart on April 27, 2013 at Intuit’s offices in Mountain View. It’s a free event to help small businesses hire their first employee. Learn more and register.
Free Webinars: Opportunity Finance Network hosts Scaling Up Microfinance, a series of ten, free technical assistance webinars from April to October 2013. The goal of the CDFI Fund’s Scaling Up Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative is to create jobs, build assets, and reduce poverty by scaling microfinance operations. The next topic is Encouraging Innovation and Developing Talent on April 30, 2013 at 11:00am PT. Find a full list of topics and webinars as well as registration information.
CAMEO Event: CAMEO co-sponsors a networking reception hosted by New Resource Bank and ASBC on May 1, 2013 5:30-7:30pm at the New Resource Bank Office in downtown San Francisco. Join with fellow business leaders to share ideas about the important role that business can play in supporting public policies that build a more just and sustainable economy. RSVP required.
Free Webinar: Friedman Associates host: Prep My CDFI! and Get the CARS™ Rating You Deserve! on May 1, 2013 at 11:00am PT // 2:00pm ET. More investors require CDFIs to produce positive financial returns and data that demonstrate long-term impacts. Register to learn more about CARS™ and how Friedman Associates will help you get the CARS™ rating you want!
RFP Opportunity: The City of Ukiah invites proposals for Underwriting Services for Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Allocation Program. Proposals are due no later than 12:00 pm, May 8, 2013. Download Ukiah’s RFP (it includes contact information.)
Economic Development Conference: California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA)’s annual teaching and learning conference is in San Francisco on May 9 at the Hilton. Registration fees are $75 for members and $90 for non-members Scholarships are available, contact CAMEO for information.
Free Webinar: CAMEO is co-sponsoring a webinar hosted by Small Business Majority – What Immigration Reform Means for your California Small Business – on May 10, 2013 at 10:00am PT. Register to learn about the latest of immigration reform and what it means for small business.
Public Banking Conference 2013: Funding the New Economy will take place in San Rafael, California on June 2-4. They will explore one of the core foundations of successful economies around the world: a distributed network of public banks that operate in the public interest of each respective community. It starts off with a Conversation among Matt Taibbi (Rolling Stone magazine), Birgitta Jonsdottir (Member of Icelandic Parliament), Ellen Brown (author of Web of Debt), and Gar Alperovitz.
Refugee Microenterprise Development Grant: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has announced the availability of funds for the Refugee Microenterprise Development Project. ORR has supported microenterprise development projects since 1991 through the award of discretionary grants to a variety of public agencies, community economic development agencies, local mutual assistance associations, and voluntary agencies. Non-profits qualify. Applications are due June 10, 2013.
2013 Small Business Finance Forum: OFN hosts a CDFI conference focused on the small business sector on June 11-12, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Remember CAMEO can offset some of the costs for this and other conferences. Contact Shufina English for more information.