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Overview
CAMEO Network’s National CDFI Academy, in collaboration with U.S. Bank, is pleased to offer CDFI Partnerships: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Alliances, a 90-minute course designed to provide an overview of collaboration models from strategic partnerships to full organizational integration.
As CDFIs look to scale impact and strengthen long-term sustainability, formalized partnerships are being used as an innovative growth strategy. This course will help participants understand when and how to leverage these approaches effectively.
Participants will gain a clear understanding of when different partnership approaches are appropriate, what it takes to prepare internally, and how to navigate the process from initial exploration through integration.
We are also excited to welcome CDFI industry leader Hilda Kennedy, Founder and President of AmPac Business Capital. Hilda will speak to AmPac’s 2024 merger with Enterprise Funding, which combined decades of SBA 504 lending experience and expanded their footprint across California.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Understand the landscape of CDFI collaboration from strategic partnerships to full mergers and acquisitions and when each is appropriate
- Assess an organization’s readiness for collaboration and determine the best-fit approach
- Understand the process, timeline, phases involved
- Identify critical considerations, including organizational culture, leadership roles, and governance
- Learn best practices for initiating potential partner conversations, defining success, and managing communications
- Understand due diligence, legal structures, and potential costs associated with mergers and acquisitions
- Gain an understanding of the work involved during the integration phase along with tools and resources to support mergers and acquisition exploration.
About the trainer
Lara Jakubowski is a Partner at La Piana Consulting and brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across community development finance, nonprofit management, and capacity building. She has worked with nonprofits and foundations across the country on strategic planning, business planning, mergers and partnerships, and financial modeling. Lara previously led Impact Development Fund, a nonprofit CDFI lender, and today helps organizations navigate complex strategic and financial decisions with clarity and practicality. She also teaches Nonprofit Financial Management at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs.
Who should attend this course?
This course is designed for leadership and board members from CDFIs, nonprofit lenders, and mission- based organizations who are exploring or considering strategic partnerships or mergers and acquisitions.
PRICING
U.S. Bank invitees: U.S. Bank has sponsored FREE registration for its Access Capacity program participants and will provide a free discount code to use to register.
The cost of attending this course is $125. CAMEO Member pricing is $62.50.
To receive the U.S. Bank FREE ticket code or the CAMEO membership discount code, please contact Dara Dado at ddado@CAMEOnetwork.org.
CAMEO MEMBERSHIP
To learn more about CAMEO membership benefits and pricing, please click here.Scholarships are available for organizations that qualify. Please contact Dara Dado (ddado@CAMEOnetwork.org) to learn more.
Upcoming Trainings
Join us on April 30 for Building and Using Financial Projections. This session is designed specifically for CDFIs and mission-based small business lenders and provides a practical walkthrough of how to build and use multi-year financial projections to support planning, decision-making, and communication with stakeholders.
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