- Here’s To Another 20 Years – 20th Anniversary recap
- Measure Your Impacts and Help Us Advocate
- The Goodies – This week’s highlight is a webinar to help you understand the ever-changing landscape of online small business lenders. GoBiz hosts Online Business Loans, a webinar to help you understand the ever-changing landscape of online small business lenders, led by CAMEO microlending guru, Susan Brown. Join GoBiz on Monday,June 23, 2014 at 12:00pm to learn more.
Here’s To Another 20 Years
Over 100 people helped us celebrate two decades of micro and building wealth in our communities! Thanks to those of you who attended. For those of you who missed it, we had a great day of learning, inspiration and fun (don’t miss next year’s event!). In the morning, we heard about community-level factors that are correlated with microbusiness and what that means for policy; we discussed the need for our sector to sit at the economic development table and re-imagine a new collaborative system; and we learned the proof that micro is BIG. At lunch, Judy Wicks inspired us with her story about creating an alternative economic development system by staying in one place, by truly engaging in local economic development. And of course all of our award winners – Wells Fargo, Scott Hauge, Forescee Hogan-Rowles, Sheilah Rogers, Alfredo Garcia and Patty Rodriquez – proved once again why we do the work we do. Then in the afternoon, members gathered to discuss how to remain calm in the face of the disruption that we face. Finally, we kicked back and enjoyed connecting with our colleagues.
To see the full agenda and access resources (including presentations), check out the 20th Anniversary Recap on our website and be sure to check out the lovely photos of our lunch!
Measure Your Impacts
You’ve told us before, but it was re-iterated at the annual meeting that CAMEO’s advocacy efforts on behalf of its membership is one of the benefits that you value most. In order for us to help you, once a year, we ask you to help us.
As Ann Sullivan of Madison Government Services, our woman in DC, says
For those of us advocating for strong microbusiness policies, from ensuring microbusinesses have access to the capital they need to increased investments in business training and entrepreneurship programs, impact data is essential.
If you haven’t already, fill out the microTracker census with your 2013 impacts. Email Andrew with any questions. We will be closing the survey at the end of July.
The Goodies
New opportunities for training, 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 Industry 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!
CAMEO White Paper: Download Do-It-Yourself Economic Growth: How Communities Can Cultivate Their Talent and Thrive. Read it. Use it as a resource. Share it. The Do-It-Yourself Economy is built on a foundation of small, locally-owned, diverse businesses. CAMEO’s white paper focuses on why we need a new approach to economic development, explains the reality of small business and self-employment labor market trends, and delineates some of the tools that local economic developers can use to create a sustainable future for their regions.
Member Kudos: Congratulations to Opportunity Fund, who was allocated $43 million in New Market Tax Credit and to Indian Dispute Resolution Services, who received a USDA Rural Community Development Initiative Grant.
Free Webinar: GoBiz hosts a webinar to help you understand the ever-changing landscape of online small business lenders, led by CAMEO microlending guru, Susan Brown. Some say online small business loans are quicker and more flexible to process than loans from brick and mortar lenders. What’s out there? Would this financing option would work for your clients? Join GoBiz on Monday,June 23, 2014 at 12:00pm to learn more.
Free Webinar: CBA hosts When Loans Go Bad on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 11:00am Pacific. No one wants loans to go delinquent or into default, but when it does happen, what are your responsibilities? How can you help borrowers who fall far behind but reappear to make things right? CBA will review some best practices, as well as Metro2 guidance to help you maintain accurate reporting and work with your borrowers where you can.
Grant Opportunity: The USDA has announced the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. Funding is now available for organizations who loan to small rural businesses. Notice of funding availability here, and more info here. The application deadline is June 30, 2014.
Healthcare Webinars: The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are committed to helping businesses navigate the changes and opportunities in health care through the webinar series What the Healthcare Law Means For Your California Small Business . It’s every two weeks in English and monthly in Spanish. The next ones are on July 2, 2014 at 10:00am and July 8, 2014 at 1:00pm respectively. Note the Small Business Health Option Program’s online enrollment function is on hold and will be back online in the fall. Businesses can still purchase insurance through the traditional paper process, working with your Certified agent or the SHOP Service Center.
Grant Opportunity: The SBA announced the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) Grant RFP. Applications are due July 14, 2014. Friedman and Associates are available to request a consultation for PRIME application support, which includes full proposal development or project design, review and refinement of drafts. To request a consultation.
Women Business Leader Conference: Women business owners from across the country will be gathering in Washington, D.C. to grow their businesses, enhance their leadership skills and advocate on key issues impacting the women entrepreneurship community. Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)’s Annual Leadership Meeting is on July 23-24, promising an opportunity to network and cultivate business opportunities with women business owners as well as interact with policymakers to discuss the challenges you are facing in your industry.
Scholarship Opportunity: Do you have an idea, product or service that helps microbusiness owners address their financial challenges? CFED is collecting those ideas. Up to 10 standout submissions will be selected, recognized, and offered a free trip to Washington, DC from September 17-19, 2014 to take part in a special design thinking intensive at CFED’s Assets Learning Conference. Deadline for submission is July 25, 2014.
Professional Development Scholarship: Through the Diane Lupke Scholarship Fund, IEDC is proud to award four scholarships to economic development professionals (two IEDC members and two nonmembers) working in distressed communities to attend an IEDC education course of the recipient’s choice. Submit all materials by Friday, July 25, 2014 to be eligible for consideration.