November 14, 2012

Washington, DC-- The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) is pleased to invite Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) involved in microfinance or small dollar lending to participate in the Capacity Building Initiative training series Scaling Up Microfinance. The training will enhance the exposure of microfinance CDFIs to best practices in the field, explain tools for determining appropriate strategies to scale microfinance operations, and include advanced technical assistance opportunities. The series will be provided by Opportunity Finance Network (OFN).

"Microfinance is a rapidly growing sector for CDFIs, and I am pleased that the CDFI Fund is providing innovative support for institutions that provide microfinance and small dollar lending," said CDFI Fund Director Donna J. Gambrell. "By providing the Scaling Up Microfinance series, we are directly assisting CDFIs that support entrepreneurs and start-ups in non-traditional and highly effective ways."

In January and February 2013, the Scaling Up Microfinance series will offer two-day training sessions in New York, San Francisco, and Atlanta for CDFIs. The training has been developed around four themes integral to scaling microfinance operations:

• Innovative Business Models
• New Microfinance Products
• Technology to Improve Performance and Efficiency
• Developing a Culture of Innovation and Talent Management

Training participants will access up to 20 hours of free one-on-one technical assistance with OFN’s roster of experts, including staff from OFN, FIELD at the Aspen Institute, The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions, the Center for Financial Services Innovation, and Resources for Leadership, Inc. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in mentored working groups to develop solutions to challenges that impede scaling operations. Additionally, the trainings are designed to provide an opportunity for collaboration between loan funds and community development credit unions offering microfinance products.

The workshops are free; however, advance registration is required. There is room for thirty participants per training, and up to two representatives from an organization may attend.

OFN will be holding a webinar to provide more information about the Scaling Up Microfinance training sessions on Thursday, December 6, 2012, at 3:30 p.m. EST. Sign up for the webinar here.

Registration links for the trainings can be found below and on the CDFI Fund’s website.

For more information about the Scaling Up Microfinance series, or other trainings available under the Capacity Building Initiative, please visit www.cdfifund.gov/cbi.