Note: The Must Know is on vacation next week. Happy Fourth!
In this week’s Must Know:
- Corporate Interest in Small Business
- CAMEO Co-sponsored Webinar on Credit – TOMORROW
- The Goodies: information on important opportunities like trainings, funding, scholarship programs. This week’s highlight is a free conference call hosted by Small Business Majority to answer questions about the the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold (!) the Affordable Care Act on June 29, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET. Register.
Corporate Interest in Small Business
Paradox or Paradise? This year, we’ve seen many corporations stepping in to help small business. In November, American Express sponsored and promoted Small Business Saturday and Starbucks launched their “Jobs for USA” program.
Recently, Chase and LivingSocial announced their new grant program for small businesses Mission: Small Business They will award up to 12 individual grants of $250,000 to 12 small businesses. As we mentioned in previous Must Knows, the deadline is this Saturday, June 30, 2012.
More recently, American Express OPEN announced the launch of the second-annual “Big Break for Small Business“. This year, American Express OPEN is giving every small business that enters educational and brand-building tools, as well as $50 in Facebook advertising credits. American Express Cardmembers and merchants who enter will receive $100 in Facebook advertising credits. The five winning small businesses will receive house calls from American Express OPEN and Facebook branding experts, who will provide in-depth marketing and strategy sessions as well as $25,000 in cash to put the strategies into action.
Were you the recipient of these corporate efforts? Are they helping our clients and our field? If so, how? Or is it just good PR for them? What else could corporations be doing to help small business? Join the discussion on LinkedIn.
CAMEO Co-sponsored Webinar
CAMEO co-sponsors a free webinar with Small Business Majority – Credit Crunch: Small Business Lending on Friday, June 29, 2012 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT.
- Learn about the small business credit landscape
- Hear a lending expert’s tips on ways to access capital
- Get your questions answered
Speakers: Ami Kassar, CEO and Founder of MultiFunding, is a nationally renowned small business advocate and leader. He’s committed to ensuring that small business owners have the best possible access to the capital they need to help grow and manage their businesses. Ben Geyerhahn manages Small Business Majority’s New York office, while also managing special projects in healthcare, clean energy, access to capital and small business workforce management.
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!
Job Opportunity: Fresno EOC and Fresno CDFI will soon be launching a federally chartered Credit Union in downtown Fresno and are hiring a CEO to complete the chartering process and then to manage its affairs. Please check CAMEO’s job page for other listings.
Small Biz and Healthcare: Small Business Majority is hosting a free conference call to answer questions about the pending Supreme Court Decision on the Affordable Care Act on June 29, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET. Register. (Note if SCOTUS hasn’t decided by June 28, 2012, the call will be postponed.) Our friends have also surveyed small business owners in California and Oregon about the health insurance exchange that will go into effect next year.
Grant Opportunity: Reminder – The Telecommunications Consumer Protection Fund supports the efforts of community-based organizations to ensure that Californians become more informed, savvy consumers of wireless telecom services and to advance regulatory protections covering the use of mobile services by consumers. Activities that may be funded include education, publication and dissemination of consumer
information, investigation of trends, resolution of consumer complaints, and advocacy. Deadline is July 2, 2012. Read the guidelines.
Important Article: Ann Sullivan, our DC maven, was featured in a Bloomberg Government article which focused on the Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Procurement Program and the lack of federal funds awarded to WOSB contractors. Ann commented on the disappointing figures, which indicated that in 2011 small women owned firms were awarded approximately $21 million — or in other words, less than the cost of one military drone. Please see the attached article and feel free to share within your network.
Vote for Micro Enterprise: Julie Abrams, CEO of Women’s Initiative, is up for MORE Magazine’s HIRE CALLING: MORE’S JOB GENIUS AWARD, an award given to one of ten woman innovators who create jobs for women. Learn more or vote directly by August 31. The winner will receive $20,000 donated to her organization.
For Your Client (and you): Social Media Management Workshop – a free online workshop series developed by the California Community College Economic & Workforce Development Program.
New Member Benefit: Through 2012, CAMEO members will receive a 20% discount to the Mighty Minnow Web School in Oakland. Mighty Minnow is picking up the role of teaching technology to non-profits as Compasspoint has discontinued its tech classes. For non-Bay Area members, remember that CAMEO can help defray travel costs. Contact CAMEO for the discount code and information on assistance.