- CAMEO’s Annual Member Meeting
- Faces of Entrepreneurship Award Nominations Open
- We’re looking for stories about business owners that take their kids to work by April 10, 2015. Reply to this email with a couple sentences on the business.
- The Goodies – This week’s highlight includes first-come-first-served scholarships for Credit Builders Alliance in July in Washington DC. Scroll down for details.
CAMEO’s Annual Member Meeting
What do planning, purchasing, people, partnerships, and purse all have in common besides starting with the letter ‘p’?
Find out at our Annual Member Meeting in Sacramento!
June 9, 2015
8:30 am – 6:00 pm
Sterling Hotel
1300 H Street, Sacramento
The meeting will be a full day – first, member advocacy followed by lunchtime keynote, Michael Shuman, speaking about his new book, The Local Economy Solution. We’ll then break out into rich discussions about the five “P”s or business pollinators, that will give you tools to make the case for your work. And of course there will be time to network and celebrate our Faces Entrepreneurs (see below) in true CAMEO style.
More details about the morning (with details about the afternoon forthcoming)…
We will hold our CAMEO member meeting, train for advocacy and then send you off to your legislators to educate them on three crucial issues:
- the merits of the SB 197 (Block) that CAMEO is co-sponsoring with Opportunity Fund and will help small businesses be more aware of capital resources offered by microlenders;
- the need to support business technical assistance and AB 184 (Garcia); and
- the importance of women’s business ownership in closing the wealth gap.
Register today for our Annual Member Meeting!
Faces of Entrepreneurship Award Nominations
We end our day in Sacramento with the Fifth Annual CAMEO Faces of Entrepreneurship Award during the reception. Last year’s winners were Patty Rodriguez of SF Parking (see photo) nominated by Working Solutions and Alfredo Garcia of Watsonville Diesel, nominated by El Pajaro Community Development Corporation. This year it could be your client!
Legislators from the business owners’ districts will present the awards. This is a great opportunity for your clients and helps us build strategic connections with our legislators. Award winners will be selected based on the following criteria: type of business, region, demonstrated growth and job creation, and contributions to their community.
Nominate your businesses by April 24, 2015.
Post a photo and a one-liner of your nominee on CAMEO’s Facebook page once you’ve filled out the nomination form.
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!
Take Action: We are co-sponsoring SB 197 with Opportunity Fund. The bill will allow CAMEO’s microlenders to pay referral fees to consultants, non-profits (e.g. TA providers), and others who refer successful loans. It will give your clients more information about affordable lending products and enable microlenders to more easily compete with online alternative lenders. Download the SB 197 Support Letter Template and put it on your letterhead. Edit appropriately, then email to: Senator.Block@senate.ca.gov, and cc Eileen.Newhall@sen.ca.gov and me! For more information check out the Must Know from February 19, 2015.
Conference Scholarship: Credit Builders Alliance hosts the 2015 CBA Credit Building Symposium on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 – Thursday, July 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. They have 10 scholarships ($250 per organization) for interested groups on a first-come, first-served basis to help defray some of the costs related to the registration fee, travel, and lodging. Email them ASAP if you are interested in the scholarship.
New Report: Small Business Majority released a paper examining the impact of freelancers on the economy, how emerging technologies are paving the way for more people to work for themselves and how the U.S. can update broadband policies that address the needs of this new workforce.
For Your Clients: The U.S. Small Business Administration Los Angeles District Office has launched the registration for its 2015 Emerging Leaders executive-level training series for Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Nationally, the Emerging Leaders Program has trained more than 2,400 promising small business owners in underserved communities, and its impact continues to expand in helping small businesses to grow and create jobs. Participant recruitment begins in February through SBA’s local district offices and classes typically begin in April. Learn more.
Impact Data: Do you need credible data on your organization’s micro and small business outcomes to support fundraising and program management? Aspen’s FIELD is signing up programs now to join the EntrepreneurTracker client outcomes survey process in 2015. Check out the one-page summary to get a visual idea of what EntrepreneurTracker is all about. Sign up ends April 3, 2015. To learn more about EntrepreneurTracker and how your organization can participate in 2015, please contact Tamra Thetford, tamra.thetford@aspeninst.org.
Economic Outlook: Forecast LA is an annual event that combines an economic forecast for the U.S., California, and Los Angeles, with original survey research to produce a comprehensive look at what lies ahead for Los Angeles County and its nearly 10 million residents. CAMEO members receive a $25 discount off the $175 ticket (use link). The event takes place on April 7, 2015, 8:00-12noon at Gersten Pavilion, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
Free Webinar: Our colleagues at ASBC are hosting a media training webinar on April 8, 2015 from 10:00-11:00am PT / 1:00-2:00pm ET You will:
- Learn tricks for effectively getting your messages across
- Make business policy arguments that even conservatives will find persuasive
- Turn difficult questions to your advantage
- Secure tips to enhance your credibility and confidence
- Pick up interview do’s and don’t’s
Member Event: The seventh annual San Diego Microfinance Summit is on April 15, 4:30 – 9:00 pm. Presented by the San Diego Microfinance Alliance, the event will take place at University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice.
Member Event: Tickets are on sale for Opportunity Fund’s Taste of Microfinance on April 16, 2015 at Minna Gallery in San Francisco. Celebrate entrepreneurship and microfinance in the local food scene.
Funding Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS) today announced the next funding round for CED and CED-HFFI grants. These are extremely competitive grants that supports social enterprises that create jobs for low-income individuals and require a considerable amount of pre-planning. Friedman Associates will partner with a limited number of CDCs and CDFIs to write successful proposals. The grant deadlines are April 24, 2015.
Business Conference: NAWBO California ‘Propel Your Business’ Conference takes place on April 27-28, 2015 at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel. The theme is Think Bigger- Grow Strategically-Network Statewide.