Fill out the microTracker Census to help us make the case for the micro sector.
Save the Date: Microlending Essentials Training, November 7-9, 2017 in Los Angeles. This new training program is for staff who want to learn the difference between micro and small business lending and do it right.
Prosperity Now’s Scorecard – How does CA fare on Small Business?
Non-profit Overhead
And…Action! – Focus on Federal
The Goodies – This week’s highlight is that applications for AEO’s Future Youth Startup Summit (FYSS) are due on Friday, July 28, 2017 (see below for details).
Prosperity Now’s Scorecard – How does CA fare on Small Business?
Prosperity Now (formerly known as CFED) released its 2017 Scorecard, which finds that even as many major economic indices suggest that the U.S. economy is gaining momentum, only a lucky few are actually enjoying the opportunity to get by and get ahead.
Released annually, the Scorecard is a data and advocacy tool that assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on measures related to how their residents are faring economically and what the states are doing to put them on stronger financial footing. This year’s Scorecard assesses the states on 113 measures in five issue areas: Financial Assets & Income, Businesses & Jobs, Homeownership & Housing, Health Care and Education.
The Scorecard is rich with information to help make the case for the value of your work – following are some resources to get you started:
Non-profit Overhead
Fair overhead cost reimbursement in government contracts and foundation grants can help nonprofits become more financially sustainable. CalNonprofits has collected best practices with their
Nonprofit Overhead Project. Here’s how you can learn more:
- Attend a workshop in Riverside on the OMB Uniform Guidance for county officials and nonprofit managers on August 24, 9:30am — 3:30pm at the Riverside County Innovation Center in Riverside. Learn more about the Uniform Guidance on indirect costs, and discuss it with the very county officials who administer it.
- Read State Controller Betty Yee’s memo to all California cities and counties that urges review and compliance with the Uniform Guidance and its accepted methods for reimbursing nonprofits for indirect costs.
- Attend a workshop this fall in San Francisco (October 12 & 13), San Diego (November 2 & 3), and Los Angeles (November 16 & 17) for both grantmakers and grantseekers on how to calculate and think about nonprofit overhead.
- Read “Two-Legged Stool: New Findings from California on Nonprofits & Overhead“
And…Action! – Collect Data!
The new section of the
Must Know — And…Action! — is in response to the current political reality that demands that we participate more fully in the state and the federal legislative processes. We urge you to assign a staff person to be responsible for taking action.
Federal Efforts
Net Neutrality: Demand that the FCC respect free speech and drop its plan to gut net neutrality protections that prevent monopolies from squeezing us all for more money, slowing down websites, apps, and services, and blocking our access online content. Congress has oversight authority over the FCC — and they have to answer to us: their constituents. Find out
where your lawmakers stand and urge them to defend net neutrality! It’s easy to tweet them. For why it’s important to small business owners, check out Claudia’s HuffPost piece from a couple of years ago –
Small Business Not Neutral on Net Neutrality.
Support the
collection of small business lending data (for the why, check out
last week’s Must Know).
- Submit a comment directly to the CFPB before the deadline on September 14, 2017.
- The California Reinvestment Coalition has a survey – CRC Small Business Lending Survey – that will help develop a letter to send to the powers that be.
- It is critical that your client’s voices are heard! Ask your clients to weigh in – you can reach out to them directly or ask them to complete these brief surveys by Opportunity Fund (English, Spanish)
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!
For Your Clients: Please pass this on to your clients – “As part of their vision to make quality jobs for working people the norm (and not the exception) our friends at Pacific Community Ventures are working to equip small business owners like you with practical tools and cost-effective resources to offer higher quality jobs in a way that balances your business’ financial and operational needs with doing right by your employees. In order to better create resources that meet your needs and serve as true actionable guides, they’re asking for your input in a 5 minute, anonymous survey. The goal is to better understand small businesses’ current employee benefit and engagement practices, pain points, and goals when it comes to providing quality jobs. Take the survey:
http://bit.ly/2sP5WmA.”
Free Webinar: Cutting Edge Capital hosts “
Economic Activism Starts at Home: The Impact of Community Investment Funds” on
July 27, 2017 at 11:00am PT. What if your community can come together to fund local ventures? Join Cutting Edge Capital’s Kim and Brian to find out how to utilize community investment funds.
AEO’s Future Youth Startup Summit (FYSS): AEO is organizing a think tank for big questions and industry shaping conversation focused on accelerating youth entrepreneurship as a greater part of the microfinance and microbusiness industry. FYSS invites motivated practitioners and leaders working in youth entrepreneurship, focusing on ages 16-24, to exchange ideas, and formulate questions that need to be answered on how to advance this work, particularly among youth of color, youth living in rural areas, and other under-served groups. All selected applicants will be invited to FYSS from
September 14-15, 2017 and receive a $250 travel stipend. Email
Ingrid Gorman for more information. The
application deadline is
July 28, 2017.
Free Webinar: Join CalNonprofits for “
2018 Political Forecast – What Can We Expect and How Can We Prepare?” on Tuesday,
August 15, 2017 at 11:00am.
Professional Development: Credit Builders Alliance is offering a one-day training that will help non-profit community-based organizations
enhance their understanding of credit building as an asset building strategy as well as best practices in credit education. The training will provide participants with an opportunity to learn from each other and credit experts and about the growing field of credit building including. The training is on
August 21, 2017 from 9:30am-5:00pm PDT at the National Asian American Coalition, 15 Southgate Avenue, Daly City, CA 94015.
Save the Date:The OFN Conference will be in Washington, DC on
September 26–28, 2017.
Professional Development: The
Nonprofit Tech Roundup is in Portland this fall,
October 3-4. At the two-day conference, you’ll get the inspiration and practical tips you need on topics like websites and accessibility, data visualization, project management, email campaigns, and more. The early bird deadline is
August 15, 2017.
For Your Clients:The
Census Business Builder is an easy to use, mobile-optimized tool that provides access to selected demographic and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau tailored to business owners and regional planners.
Yelp! for Grant Makers:
GrantAdvisor is now open for you to hare your experiences of working with a foundation. The program is sponsored by CalNonprofits, GreatNonprofits, and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
New Report: The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) released
“Necessity as a Driver of Women’s Entrepreneurship” this week. The report examines whether and how women turn to entrepreneurship to address potential market failures that limit their ability to attain or maintain economic self-sufficiency, or as an avenue to overcome flexibility bias and potential stigma in balancing work-life conflict assumed in traditional gendered roles and social norms. Join the conversation online using
#NWBCResearch.
New Report: America’s SBDCs did a study –
America’s Voice on Small Business – that delves into the entrepreneurial mindsets of different generations of Americans. The findings reinforced previously held beliefs such as a strong entrepreneurial inclination among millennials, while challenging preconceived notions about their motivations for starting a business. One third of Americans (34 percent), have worked in a small business and nearly a quarter (24 percent) of both millennials and GenXers own or have owned a small business.]]>
