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Free CAMEO Coaching for You and Your Org

Persistence pays off! The power of Micro message is getting louder.

  • Claudia wrote an op-ed that was published in the Sacramento Bee about how micro is a key job generating strategy.
  • Last week, AEO’s One in Three campaign was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal.
  • And Sweet Treats – a client of Accion San Diego and CDC Small Business Finance – was featured on page 16 of MOSO Magazine.

And onto this week’s Must Know:

  • Technical Assistance for Individuals and Organizations
  • CAMEO’s Annual Survey
  • The Goodies: information on important opportunities like trainings, funding, scholarship programs. Today’s highlight is to vote for CAMEO in the Small Business Influencer Awards.

Technical Assistance

Did you know that CAMEO offers a limited amount of free organizational technical assistance and training services to qualifying organizations. CAMEO can work with members on a short-term basis to address a specific issue or help launch a larger effort. Some of the projects that we can help you with include:

  • Plan or facilitate a board/staff retreat
  • Design a strategic plan
  • Assess your organization
  • Assess needs and identify resources for leadership training
  • Review or evolve your program design
  • Find ideas for new services
  • Upgrade your financial management skills
  • Plan for collaborations with other organizations and agencies
  • Train your staff on best practices for training, customer retention, credit analysis, communications
  • Review your website
  • Plan a press conference or implementing other media strategy

What do you need? CAMEO wants you to succeed. Learn more and reach out to see how this program may work.

Speaking of ‘Technical Assistance’, I’ve prepared a District Meeting How-To webinar (cost to register=free!) that will walk you through logistics of setting up the meeting, how to prepare and what to do afterwards. It will be on August 4, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. Register to receive information on how to connect.

Speaking of district meetings – now is a great time to meet with state and federal electeds. California legislators are on recess until August 15 and then again after September 10. Congresspeople are on summer break from August 8 until Labor Day. See last week’s Must Know – Summer Recess, Meet Your Legislators for more information about contacting your legislators, tips for the meeting and downloads to bring with you.

Annual Survey

CAMEO Annual Survey: It’s up to all of us to ensure that everyone knows about the good work we are doing so that we can keep on doing it and do it at a much larger scale. So if you lead an organization, please complete the CAMEO Annual Survey. (If you don’t head an organization, forward this request to the right person. Thanks!) While you’re at it, fill out the 2011 U.S. Microenterprise Census.

The Goodies Highlight

To better serve you and to keep these emails shorter and sweeter, I’m only going to list new opportunities for trainings, conference information, funding, scholarships, etc. that have been announced since the last Must Know or those that are ultra-important (like the PRIME grants). Never fear, I will keep a running tab of available Goodies on the web.

Vote for CAMEO: Small Business Trends is sponsoring the Small Business Influencer initiative, which honors contributors who have made a significant impact on the North American small business market. CAMEO is nominated in two categories. Vote for CAMEO in the organization/corporate category and vote for Claudia in the leader category!

Until next week,
Heidi

Heidi Pickman
Communications Manager

P.S. Like CAMEO on Facebook. Suggest us to your friends. Post comments. Spread the word!