New Tools and Systems for Performance Evaluation & Impact Reporting: Why? Which? How?
Tuesday, May 1, 10:15-11:45am
Moderator: Rohan Mathew, Executive Director & CEO, Intersect Fund
- Elaine Edgcomb, Director, FIELD Program, Aspen Institute
- Paige Chapel, President & CEO, CARS
- Nancy Kopf, Senior Manager, Success Measures Evaluation Services
- Laura Sparks, Director of Development Finance Initiatives, Citi Community Development
- **Marian Doub, Associate, Friedman Associates/ Outcomes in Action Consulting
Impact & Culture: Organizing to Tell the Story of Your Organization
Tuesday, May 1, 10:15-11:45am
Moderator: Angie Moncada, Vice President Communications, Citi Community Development
- Wendy Baumann, President & CVO, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation
- **Gwyneth Galbraith, Major Gifts Director, Opportunity Fund
As resources from all sources become increasingly scarce and competition for attention increases, the need to make a compelling and fact-based case about the importance of your organization and its impact is more critical than ever. Organizations that effectively tell their stories and demonstrate their impact reap benefits in many ways including attracting and retaining talented staff; securing funding and investments; and securing partnership opportunities. In this session you will hear from experts in marketing and PR about what it takes to tell a strong story and you will hear from practitioners about the steps they have taken to build the capacity to do this well.
Helping Underserved Entrepreneurs Create Jobs: Lessons from High Performers
Tuesday, May 1, 2:15-3:45pm
Persistent unemployment coupled with structural changes in the economy create an imperative for job creation through business ownership. In this session, you will hear from experts and experienced practitioners with an impressive track record of job creation through business ownership. They will share insights from their experience on what it takes to systematically generate successful outcomes.
Moderator: John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO, Small Business Majority
- **Julie Abrams, CEO, Women’s Initiative
- Elizabeth Isele, Co-Founder, Senior Entrepreneurship Works
- Erik R. Pages, President, EntreWorks
- Michael Simmons, Co-Founder, Extreme Entrepreneurship
- Nell Merlino, Founder, President & CEO, Count Me In (Invited)
Outsourcing Lending Operations: How New Business Models Can Improve Portfolio Management and Sustainability
Tuesday May 1, 4:15-5:30pm
Moderator: **Claudia Viek, CEO, CAMEO
- Joshua D. Miller, Underwriting Services Manager, ACCION Texas
- Leslie Hoffman, Vice President Lending & Client Service, ACCION New Mexico-Arizona-Colorado
Technology creates opportunities to standardize the loan approval process in order to reduce underwriting costs and improve risk management. At the same time, specialization permits some organizations the opportunity to create economies of scale or scope. In this session, you will hear from practitioners about the opportunities, tradeoffs and requirements associated with the decision to outsource all or part of your lending operations.
What is the Cost of “Free”?: Expanding Capacity Using Volunteers
Tuesday, May 1, 4:15-5:30pm
Moderator: Vanessa Carter, Executive Director, Campus MicroFinance Alliance
- Shannon Maynard, Director, Bankers without Borders
- Sabrina Quaraishi, Client Relations Manager, Bankers without Borders
- **Sharon Miller, CEO, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Volunteering is a long-standing American tradition. Yet the face of volunteers has changed significantly over the last decade. Students, experienced professionals, and mid-to-late career-changing professionals and retirees are seeking to find ways to use their skills and interests on behalf of underserved entrepreneurs. This enormous talent pool represents a massive opportunity to improve capacity among non-profit microbusiness lenders and service organizations. In this session, you will gain a deeper perspective about what your organization can accomplish by harnessing the enthusiasm, talent, and skill of volunteers and what it takes to manage “free.”
Making Self -Employment a Workforce Imperative
Tuesday, May 1, TBD
Moderator: Patricia Harris, CEO, The Edge Connection (Georgia)
- Lynne Cutler, Executive Director, WORC (Pennsylvania)
- **Shufina English, Director of Member Programs, CAMEO (California)
- Lisa Smith, Executive Director, Enterprise for Equity (Washington)
Self-employment is a labor market trend: out of the 27 million firms in the US, 21 million are non-employer firms and 3.7 million are micro businesses with less than 5 employees. The Dept. of Labor has recognized this trend and encouraged state and local Workforce agencies to support entrepreneurship training with policies and funding, e.g. the Workforce Innovation Funds and the new Self Employment Assistance option for those eligible for unemployment benefits. Yet only a few states have responded to this opportunity. This session will showcase examples of Workforce/Micro Enterprise Development partnerships and show you how to advocate for recognition and support. The lack of performance measures for self- employment is a primary obstacle to local Workforce systems adoption. The Workshop participants will show how to address this key issue.
Plenary Session: High Impact Investing in Women- Job Creation Potential of Women Owned Micro-business
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Opening Keynote: Lisa Hall, President & CEO, Calvert Foundation
- **Julie Castro Abrams, President, Women’s Initiative
- Beth Harrison, Walmart Foundation (Invited)
- Tina Tchen, Assistant to the President & Chief of Staff to the First Lady and Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls (Invited)