In this Must Know…
- Annual Member Meeting Highlights
- 2025 Holiday Gift Guide Roundup
- The Present and Future of the Creative Economy
- This week’s Goodie Highlight is the Association of Women’s Business Centers’ Client Mindsets Workshop on December 17, 2025 at 8:00am PT / 11:00am ET.
Annual Member Meeting Highlights
Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Member Meeting today. It was a privilege to be able to share our 2025 accomplishments and our plans for the next few years.
Below are some highlights from today’s meeting:
- We announced the incoming Executive Committee for our Board of Directors, which includes Hilda Kennedy, Randi Zeller, Brett Melone, and Naima McQueen.
- We unveiled our Strategic Plan for 2026-2028.
- We welcomed 23 new member organizations, including members in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and elsewhere across the country.
- Alex Alvarez and Johanna Perez Herrera of CIELO shared that their work with us through the SCALE and MEHKO programs is having real impact in connecting clients to loans and local advocacy.
- We discussed plans for 2026, including making the Shared Services Center available to all, continuation of AI training, a focus on membership and value, a conference in November, and more responsible lending legislation.
2025 Holiday Gift Guide Roundup
The holidays can be a make-or-break season for small businesses, and our members know this better than anyone. Each year, they work hard to lift up their clients—promoting local goods and services through lovingly curated gift guides, holiday markets, and festive community events. As always, we’ve gathered CAMEO Network members’ holiday guides and happenings. Submit your organization’s guide or event (and forward to your friends!)
The Present and Future of the Creative Economy
The creative economy is a powerful force—contributing $1.17 trillion in value, 5.4 million jobs, and creating space for local artists to thrive. But as monetization fuels growth and AI reshapes how content is made, creators face new challenges in visibility, compensation, and control. A recent blog post by the Aspen Institute explores the risks of algorithm-driven markets and the opportunities for artists to experiment with emerging tools while advocating for an equitable, sustainable creative economy.
The Goodies
New Research
- Independent Sector’s annual review, “Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector,” brings together key insights on how the nation’s 1.9 million registered nonprofits are shaped.
- OFN recently published a report on how the CDFI Fund’s Financial Assistance Awards strengthen their members’ loan funds.
Industry News
- A group of organizations, including the Woodstock Institute and NCRC, are suing OMB Director Russel Vought for attempting to shut down the CFPB by starving it of funding.
- The California DOJ is giving nonprofit organizations who are currently “delinquent” in the Registry of Charities an opportunity to update their filings by January 15, 2026.
Other Goodies
- For Your Clients: The Association of Women’s Business Centers’ Client Mindsets Workshop on December 17, 2025 at 8:00am PT / 11:00am ET, teaches business advisors how attitudes can help change their clients’ mindset.
- Jobs: Pacific Community Ventures, The Center for Community Wealth, National Consumer Law Center, and Greenlining announced new jobs recently. See who else is hiring!