We’re kicking off the 3rd year of the Microfinance Alliance, Accion Chicago’s young professional Associate Board, and we want YOU!

Do you have a desire to help small and emerging businesses in Chicago?

Do you have a strong interest in microfinance?

Are you looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity that will engage you in the Chicago business community?

If you answered “yes” to ANY of these questions, then consider applying to join the Microfinance Alliance of Accion Chicago, the organization’s young professional Associate Board.

The Alliance is currently recruiting to fill roles in the areas of Communications, Partnerships, Fundraising, Outreach Events, and Consulting.  Please read more about these Committee Chair opportunities at http://microfinancechicago.org/current-projects/

If you have an interest, please send your resume and a brief statement of interest (1-2 paragraphs explaining why you’re interested in being an Alliance committee chair) by April 15th to alliesofaccion [at] gmail[dot] com.

To learn more about Accion Chicago, please visit www.accionchicago.org.

How we can support environmentally-sound food markets right here in our own community? Start-ups, social enterprises, women entrepreneurs, and those in the food industry face unique challenges that ACCION works to solve through microfinance. Oxfam has launched the GROW Food Justice campaign to build a better food system: one that sustainably feeds a growing population and empowers poor people to earn a living, feed their families, and thrive. Come hear Gourmet Gorilla co-founder Danielle Hrzic discuss how her company got its start through microfinance and is working to strengthen the local organic food market, our environment, and children’s health.

Join us for this FREE event to enjoy food, film, and a lively panel with speakers:

• Danielle Hrzic, Gourmet Gorilla, President & Co-Founder
  
• Elizabeth Dwyer, ACCION
• Clara Herraro, Oxfam America
  

When: Friday, March 16th, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60626 (next to the Howard CTA station)

About the speakers:

Danielle Hrzic, Gourmet Gorilla President & Co-founder
Gourmet Gorilla™ provides 90 Chicago schools with 4,500 healthy, local, organic meals and snacks daily. Founded in 2009, it expanded from one school to dozens thanks in part to support from the microfinance organization ACCION Chicago. Today Gourmet Gorilla obtains 100% of its produce from local, sustainable, and certified organic purveyors. Their kitchen is also working towards becoming a zero waste kitchen, with a composting program, recycling program, and delivery via environmentally responsible vehicles. Schools that switch to Gourmet Gorilla not only obtain better nutrition and safer food, but also help the local economy, promote food security, and encourage environmental responsibility. Co-founders Danielle Hrzic and Jason Weedon also created the educational curriculum that supports their lunches, teaching children how to eat healthier and how food choices affect the local environment and economy.

Elizabeth Dwyer, ACCION
As a national leader in microfinance, ACCION Chicago empowers aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners with access to capital and financial education. Since inception in 1994, ACCION Chicago has made more than 2,500 small business loans totaling over $19 million. More than 40% of ACCION entrepreneurs are women, and each loan creates or maintains an average 2.5 jobs. As Programs & Policy Associate, Elizabeth manages expanded programmatic initiatives and government relations. Prior to joining ACCION, Elizabeth worked in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Peru, and Kenya designing and implementing USAID-funded capacity building programs and microsavings initiatives with Catholic Relief Services and local community development organizations. She is also a long-term volunteer financial counselor and tax preparer with the Center for Economic Progress, helping Chicago’s low-income families move toward financial security.

Clara Herraro, Oxfam America
Clara is a Community Engagement Specialist at Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Clara also supports the nationwide Oxfam Action Corps, volunteers who work locally to inform, inspire, and mobilize public support for policies to end hunger, poverty, and social injustice through grassroots action. In her spare time Clara enjoys learning new recipes for all the produce she gets from her local community sustainable agriculture share. Currently, she is collecting recipe suggestions on what you can do with kohlrabi.

The Microfinance Alliance of ACCION Chicago is gathering to ring in the holidays and start planning for 2012!

Come join us for our holiday happy hour to connect with other young professionals, learn more about domestic microfinance and ACCION Chicago, and share your wish list for Microfinance Alliance activities in 2012.

There will be drink specials and half-off appetizers! Stick around for a trivia night with Alliance members.

If you have been thinking about getting more involved with microfinance in Chicago, or just want to learn more about ACCION Chicago, it is a great opportunity to meet Microfinance Alliance members and share your interests. It is sure to be a fun way to kick off the holiday season.

What: Microfinance Alliance Holiday Happy Hour
Where: Bull & Bear (431 North Wells, Chicago)
Date: Tuesday, December 6
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE!

We hope you can join us!

Sign up today: http://tinyurl.com/MicroBike

You can also register at the ride! See you at 11am  Saturday Oct. 1st at Protein Bar for a leisurely ride through Chicago visiting ACCION’s microfinance clients’ businesses!

by Brett Bivens

As the US economy remains stagnate after the recession, running a successful small business has not become any easier for entrepreneurs. To gather more information on particular issues facing Chicago small business owners and to spread the word about ACCION, the Microfinance Alliance of ACCION Chicago recently partnered with students from Depaul University and North Central College to do Block Walking.

Block Walking is a program designed to spread awareness of microfinance and ACCION Chicago while giving Chicago-area college students the chance to engage with entrepreneurs in their communities.

Students formed teams and surveyed business owners in 7 Chicago neighborhoods (Austin, Bridgeview, Roger’s Park, Humboldt Park, Little Village, Logan Square, and Pilsen) as well as 2 suburban Chicago communities (Naperville & Downer’s Grove). The students’ conversations ranged from growth strategies and borrowing preferences to the entrepreneurs’ views of their community. The results indicate a strong commitment from business owners to their neighborhoods and also show a general lack of resources to grow to the levels they desire.

Here are some of the other findings:

• Only 21 of the 65 businesses surveyed indicated an awareness of microfinance. Many reported trying to fund their business solely from personal savings or credit cards.

• While almost 50% of the companies surveyed cited growth as a business goal, most were hesitant at the idea of taking on loans to aid that growth. Many business owners displayed a lack of trust towards lending institutions.

• If ACCION is to combat the first two problems, business owners said the outreach must be personal. Almost 50% of business owners would prefer to be contacted through face-to-face interactions and stressed the importance of having representatives communicate with them in their native language.

• Finally, over 30% of business owners believe the most important business topic to learn more about is the idea of cost-effective marketing and social media. Local business owners identified the necessity of becoming strong in these areas in order to compete and remain in business.

Flourishing as a small business owner in the current economic environment is a challenge. Microfinance can be a sustainable solution for some entrepreneurs, helping them to grow without relying on family or more expensive credit cards.

Yet, as the Block Walking has shown, getting the word out there takes time and personal connection. Of course, with a small staff, ACCION Chicago can only do so much. The Microfinance Alliance helps solve this problem by spreading the word through initiatives like Block Walking. You can always help too by sending entrepreneurs to our website or calling ACCION directly at 312-275-3000. You can volunteer with the Microfinance Alliance by contacting them at alliesofaccion [at] gmail dot com.

Eric Solomonson and Yesenia Diaz De Leon also contributed to this article.

Did you know that only a tiny percentage of American small business have access to microfinance? Of the 10 million small businesses in the U.S., microlenders are reaching only 2 percent of the individuals in need of their services, the Association for Enterprise Opportunity reports.

One reason is lack of awareness: Aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners can grow their businesses with microfinance *only* if they know it exists right here in Chicago! The Awareness Committee is doing critical work to make this a reality.

YOU can expand microfinance in Chicago.

Get involved with the Awareness Committee and contribute to ACCION Chicago’s continued success helping clients grow: In May, the team closed its biggest loan month in history. To date in 2011, ACCION Chicago’s loans have invested more than $750,000 in our economy and created/maintained 300+ jobs.

The Awareness Committee is looking for individuals interested in reaching out to community organizations, corporations, faith groups, and universities to let these organizations know about microfinance opportunities that could help their members. Responsibilities include:

• Reaching out to relevant Chicago-area organizations and student groups to set up informational sessions, Q&A’s, and collaborative partnerships
• Maintaining ongoing relationships with area organizations and universities in an effort to increase applicant, referral, volunteer, and donor pools
• Generating and executing new ideas to spread awareness of domestic microfinance generally and/or ACCION Chicago specifically

If you are interested in getting involved please send an email to Eric Solomonson, Awareness Committee Chair, at alliesofaccion [at] gmail dot com including the following information:

1. Name
2. Prior/current involvement with the Microfinance Alliance and/or ACCION Chicago
3. Current organizational relationships (university, non-profit, community-based, religious, corporate, etc)
4. Anticipated availability (hours per week and/or which months available)
5. Three ideas for how to effectively promote awareness of domestic microfinance and ACCION Chicago

We are also looking for a new co-chair for the Awareness Committee. If you are interested please respond with the same information as above, but please also include a resume and brief statement of intent.

We have a ton of events in June here at the Microfinance Alliance!

First up, join us 6-9pm Thursday, June 9 to Share Your Story: Speed Networking for Social Innovators sponsored by the Microfinance Alliance of ACCION Chicago, Chicago for Acumen, and Young Ambassadors for Opportunity. If you are an entrepreneur, innovator, or just have an interesting idea on addressing social challenges, come and share your story with others. Or if you have time, talent, or enthusiasm to offer, there will be plenty of people with good ideas looking for your support. $20 ticket includes drink and appetizers at The Southern in Bucktown, 1840 W. North Ave: www.opportunity.org/yao-chicago/events/story-speed-networking/

Save the date for our 2011 Summer Social: A Benefit for Chicago Small Businesses! June 28, 6-8pm at Lincoln Hall, 2424 Lincoln Ave in Lincoln Park. Enjoy live band music, drink specials, appetizer buffet, raffle prizes, and more as we mix & mingle with ACCION staff, supporters, and other professionals interested in domestic microfinance. All proceeds with support ACCION Chicago’s microfinance program. Tickets are available now: https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1002379

There are substantial new opportunities if you’ve been wanting to get actively involved volunteering with ACCION Chicago. Click on the Alliance Opportunities tab to find your niche. Interested in consulting with ACCION clients to improve their businesses? Filming client success stories to be published on ACCION’s website? Spearheading relationships with Chicago corporations, communities and organizations to grow our client, donor and volunteer base? Planning awareness events or fundraising initiatives? Writing about domestic microfinance and developing social media campaigns? Contact us with ideas about how you’d like to put your skills & interests to work with us! E-mail us: alliesofaccion [at] gmail dot com.

Also in June, visit ACCION clients guided by ACCION CEO Jonathan Brereton & VP of Development Mary Fran Riley on the Microfinance Bus Tour Friday, June 24 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Microfinance Alliance Executive Team member Chris Wagner and ACCION Chicago Resource Development Manager Jenny Magill will talk to attendees about ACCION, our microfinance model, and opportunities to be involved along the way. Space is limited; tour designed for current and prospective donors, board members, and Alliance members. RSVP with Jenny Magill, ACCION Resource Development Manager: jmagill [at] accionchicago dot org or call 312-275-3000 x113

Get in touch now to start your work with the Microfinance Alliance of ACCION Chicago and join us in June to connect and enjoy at our events!

Expand Your Network  -  Swap Ideas  -  Lend Your Support

Discover Social Enterprises

The Microfinance Alliance of ACCION Chicago, Chicago for Acumen, and Young Ambassadors for Opportunity are partnering to offer you a truly unique event to connect young professionals in the social enterprise marketplace.  If you are an entrepreneur, innovator, or just have an interesting idea on addressing social challenges, come and share your story with others.  Or if you have time, talent, or enthusiasm to offer, there will be plenty of people with good ideas looking for your support.

What: Sharing Your Story: Speed Networking for Social Innovators
Where: The Southern, 1840 West North Avenue, 60622
When: Thursday, June 9; 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $20 includes a drink ticket and appetizers
Purchase Tickets: www.opportunity.org/speednetworking

We will kick off with a presentation on how best to share your story in today’s age of rapid communications and social connections.  And then the fun begins!  Make connections, discuss timely topics, and come up with innovative ideas, all while having quick conversations in a structured format.  Expand your network, swap ideas, and discover what is happening in social enterprises across Chicago!

**There are a limited number of tickets and this event is expected to sell out, so get your tickets today.  Sign up at: www.opportunity.org/speednetworking