The next Silicon Valley Microfinance Network (SVMN) meeting will be Tuesday, March 30th, 2010  and will feature Rick Parras, CEO & Co-Founder of Apoyo Financiero and Haydeé Moreno, Micro Branch Director & Vice President of Self-Help. Devin McAlpine, Business Advisor for Opportunity Fund will follow the presentations with a case study and interview with one of Opportunity Fund’s loan recipients.

During this speaker event, local microfinance practitioners and a borrower will speak about the successes, challenges and the current and future environment of domestic lending in the Bay Area.

This evening will showcase the business models of three unique, Bay Area microfinance initiatives, as well as a case study interviewing one of Opportunity Fund’s clients.

• Apoyo Financiero is a for-profit microfinance company servicing primarily the Hispanic un-banked community with personal loans.  Founded in 2007 and located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Apoyo Financiero has provided almost $5M in loans in the Bay Area in the first 2 years of operation.

• Self-Help is a nonprofit community development lender, credit union, and real estate developer that works with underserved individuals, organizations and communities. Self-Help’s Micro Branch Pilot is designed to provide a one-stop-shop of relevant products that can meet the needs of working families today and offer a path towards financial stability tomorrow.  The first Micro Branch opened in East San Jose in January, 2010.

• Opportunity Fund is California’s largest nonprofit microlender.  Opportunity Fund offers a unique blend of microfinance products, business advising, financial education, and community investment to help low-income families work toward economic stability. Since 1995, Opportunity Fund has provided $10 million in capital to more than 700 low-income entrepreneurs, and offered thousands of hours of business advising to over 2,200 clients. Three-quarters of their borrowers are minorities, and 60% are women.

Rick Parras, Haydeé Moreno and Devin McAlpine will bring their extensive, practical experience to the table.   This event will be hosted in partnership with Opportunity Fund, to support the upcoming May conference, Microfinance USA.

Register early!  Online registration closes the day of the event.  At-the-door admission is $10 more.

When: Tuesday, March 30, 2010

6:00-6:30 — Sign-in, dinner, networking
6:30-7:15 — Intros and speaker presentation
7:15-8:00 — Q&A
8:00-8:30 – Networking

Where: Hanson Bridgett offices

425 Market Street, 26th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
(directions here)

There is a parking garage (entrance on Fremont St) that costs $10 after 4:30pm.

Cost:

in advance: $20 regular attendee | $10 students & non-profits (w/ ID)
at the door: $30 regular attendee | $20 students & non-profits (w/ ID)
(includes dinner + drinks)

Speaker Bios

Rick Parras

Rick Parras is CEO & Co-Founder of Apoyo Financiero and has over 25 years of experience in the consumer finance industry, including 18 years at Citifinancial, a member of Citigroup. While at Citifinancial, he wa an instrumental part of the team that started Credito Familiar, a joint venture between Citigroup and Bancomer Financial Group. He helped to grow the network from two to 28 branches, and was responsible for branch operations and implementation of business model and business culture.

Mr. Parras was also involved with the acquisitions of Atlas Finance, the second largest consumer finance company in Chile; and Provencred, a consumer finance company in Argentina. Mr. Parras was responsible for implementing the business model and transforming the branch operations at Altlas Finance. Mr. Parras spent over 4 years on international assignments in Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

Mr. Parras established Apoyo Financiero in San Francisco’s Mission District in November of 2007. Since then, Apoyo Financiero has provided almost $5M in loans in the Bay Area.

Haydeé Moreno

Haydeé Moreno is Vice President of Self-Help, and Micro Branch Director.  The Micro Branch pilot is designed to meet the needs of working families who are un-banked and under-banked. The objective of the Micro Branch model is to provide a one-stop-shop of relevant products and services that can meet the needs of working families today and offer a path towards financial stability and wealth building tomorrow. The first Micro Branch opened in East San Jose on January 2010.

Prior to joining Self-Help, Ms. Moreno spent four years on Wall Street – as a financial analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions group of JPMorgan, then as an equity research associate in the Specialty Retail Stores group of Goldman Sachs. After leaving New York, she spent a year in Austin, Texas and worked with the CDFI PeopleFund as a Strategy Consultant before moving to the Bay Area. Ms. Moreno holds a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Stanford University.

Devin McAlpine

Devin McAlpine is a Business Advisor and manager of the Technical Assistance Department for Opportunity Fund.  In the time Mr. McAlpine has been with Opportunity Fund (since August of 2004), he has enjoyed watching the program grow from 30 loans a year to 200 a year.  Mr. McAlpine helps potential barrowers review contracts, provides post loan support and when necessary, supports business development if a borrower’s business is struggling.

Previously, Mr. McAlpine worked in Financial Planning and Analysis and a Controller for several technology companies during the dot com boom. He also lived in Madrid, Spain and taught English before returning to the United States.

The place where microfinance practitioners, investors, and enthusiasts meet.

May 20-21, 2010 * San Francisco, CA

Presented by: Opportunity Fund, Kiva, the ACCION U.S. Network and

Explore, Engage, and Expand microfinance in the United States.

Early bird registration through March 15^th!

www.microfinanceusa2010.org

Featured Speakers:

Maria Shriver, First Lady of California

Premal Shah, President of Kiva

Leslie Kane, Executive Vice President of Grameen America

Bob Annibale, Global Director of Citi Microfinance

Conference Features:

Microfinance Careers Roundtable

Microloan Client Tours

MicroEntrepreneurs Food Festival & Cocktail Reception

Principal Sponsor

Signature Sponsor

February 9th SVMN speaker Event photos and recap written by Elena Pons-Conforto:

Water Credit

“When a slum receives water, their lives change overnight” Gary White

SVMN’s event on Feb. 9, 2010 featured guest speakers Gary White (Executive Director and Co-Founder, Water.org) and April Rinne (Director of WaterCredit at Water.org), who discussed the numerous benefits of partnering with microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the developing world to provide access to clean water and sanitation to their existing clientele.

Gary began by providing background on Water.org and the landscape of the water supply in the developing world. Gary explained that with 890 milion people lacking access to water and 2.5 billion lacking access to adequate sanitation, the water supply to those at the bottom of the pyramid has been mostly grant/subsidy driven. Water.org realized that philanthropy was not enough to provide water and sanitation to those in dire need. Gary spoke about the need to look for innovation and more scalable options to solve the water crisis for the total population. Through the WaterCredit program, microloans (aimed at securing access to safe water) empower the poor to address their own water needs, on their own timetable.

On average, the poor pay 12x more per liter of water than those connected to water utilities. Water.org has found that there are 300-400 million people that are willing to pay for water services, if they are giving the tools.

With the creation of WaterCredit the concept of partnering with local NGOs has been expanded to the MFIs, providing “smart subsidy” grants for start-up, product, and capacity development cost. The Impact of WaterCredit is obvious :

• Efficiently leveraged investments
• No need for loan sharks or water mafia
• Monthly outlays for water decrease
• Improved health of benefits
• Secondary spin-offs & “ripple effects”

A more efficient and economical water and sanitation environment leads to more time for productive (income-generating) activities.

April illustrated how the mission of WaterCredit is to bridge the gap between the local water and sanitation NGOs and the MFIs, graduating MFIs with water and sanitation expertise and connections. April discussed the different water and sanitation needs for those living in urban environments vs. rural areas and the creation of different WaterCredit products to fulfill those needs.

She explained the process of building relationships with the MFIs. Some of the reasons why microfinance institutions might be hesitant to adapt this new concept are the historical 50% failure rate of the water projects; the fact that the financed product does not generate any income, and the possible competition with the government.  WaterCredit, though, has seen a global repayment of 98% in the past 2 years, and 93% since inception and thus far has garnered excellent results.

“Smart subsidies” are not intended to finance the infrastructure, but to reach those at the bottom of the pyramid. Likewise, Water.org is not a bank, just the catalytic support and water expertise for MFIs. By providing small water loans to the creditworthy, WaterCredit manages to free up some of the philanthropic capital to reach the very bottom of the pyramid.

Since inception, WaterCredit has delivered $1.6 million in smart subsidies. The average loan size is about of $150 with a two year repayment schedule. WaterCredit is currently active in India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Uganda. In addition to expanding deeper in India, the organization plans to develop in Southeast Asia, West and East Africa and Latin America.

Although WaterCredit is a new concept, it has a proven track record. Water.org will continue working toward promoting new partnerships, creating innovative financial tools and encouraging a broader cross-sector engagement.

What does clean water have to do with microfinance and ridding the world of poverty? Come find out…

This SVMM Speaker Event featuring Gary White and April Rinne of Water.org has now been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 9th.

Gary and April will discuss WaterCredit, and how Water.org is catalyzing the work of MFIs in the water and sanitation sector to address the foremost water-related health issues in the developing world.

Tickets purchased for the original date of this event (January 12) are valid for the February 9th event. If you have already purchased a ticket, but will be unable to attend the “Water It Down” event on February 9th, please email hilary@svmn.net and a refund will be issued immediately.

For more information on this event, please scroll down to article below.

Online registration closes the day of the event.  At-the-door admission is $10 more.

To register, please click on the SVMN registration link here:

When:

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

6:00-6:30 — Sign-in, dinner, networking

6:30-7:15 — Intros & Speaker Presentations

7:15-8:00 —Q&A

8:00-8:30 — Networking

Where:

The Orrick Building

405 Howard Street.

San Francisco, CA 94105

What does clean water have to do with microfinance and ridding the world of poverty? Come find out…

The next Silicon Valley Microfinance Network (SVMN) meeting will be on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 and will feature Gary White, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Water.org and April Rinne, Director of WaterCredit at Water.org.

Gary White

April Rinne

This Speaker Event will address water sanitation, microfinance and the potential of the sectors working together to target and alleviate poverty.

Gary and April will discuss WaterCredit, and how Water.org is catalyzing the work of MFIs in the water and sanitation sector to address the foremost water-related health issues in the developing world.

• Why has financing for water sanitation (watsan) in the developing world historically been so challenging?
• What – and where – are current global watsan funding needs, options and gaps?
• What are the appropriate roles of philanthropic, “social” and commercially-oriented capital vis-à-vis watsan investment?
• What microfinance models can be applied most effectively to the watsan sector?  What does WaterCredit uniquely bring to the table in this regard?
• What’s still needed to bring the microfinance and watsan sectors together to achieve maximum scale and success?

Join us at this meeting, as Gary and April will address these questions and more!

Register early!  Online registration closes the day of the event.  At-the-door admission is $10 more.

To register, please click on the SVMN registration link here:

When:

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

6:00-6:30 — Sign-in, dinner, networking

6:30-7:15 — Intros & Speaker Presentations

7:15-8:00 —Q&A

8:00-8:30 — Networking

Where:

The Orrick Building

405 Howard Street.

San Francisco, CA 94105

(directions here)

Cost:

in advance: $20 regular attendee | $10 students & non-profits (w/ ID)
at the door: $30 regular attendee | $20 students & non-profits (w/ ID)
(includes dinner + drinks)

Speaker Bios

Gary J White

Gary White is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Water.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people in the developing world to gain access to safe water and sanitation. (Water.org is a result of the July 2009 merger between WaterPartners, co-founded by White, and H2O Africa, co-founded by Matt Damon.) White’s entrepreneurial vision has driven innovations in the way water and sanitation projects are delivered and financed, and these innovations now serve as a model in the sector.
White is a leading advisor in the water and sanitation space, counseling organizations such as the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Open Square Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and Coca-Cola on responses to the global water crisis. White is a founding board member of the Millennium Water Alliance and Water Advocates. In 2003, he was named a fellow of the British American Project. In 2008, he was inducted into the Philanthropy World Hall of Fame. In March 2009, WaterPartners received the Skoll Foundation’s Award for Social Entrepreneurship and White was inducted into the community of Skoll social entrepreneurs.

White’s educational credentials include: M. S., Environmental Engineering with emphasis on water supply and sanitation in developing countries, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M. S., Civil Engineering, University of Missouri-Rolla; and B. S., Civil Engineering, Minor in Communications, University of Missouri-Rolla.

April Rinne

April Rinne is the Director of WaterCredit at Water.org.  WaterCredit is an innovative initiative that puts microfinance tools to use in the water and sanitation (watsan) sector, and catalyzes more efficient use of philanthropic and commercial capital to meet the watsan needs of the developing world.

Prior to Water.org April was the Director of Venture Development at Unitus, a global microfinance accelerator and provider of innovative solutions to global poverty.  In this capacity she provided legal and strategic advice to the Unitus family, including both non-profit and commercially-oriented strategic affiliates of the organization.  Previously April was a private lawyer focusing primarily on international microfinance-related transactions for several years, both in the United States and abroad.  In this capacity she advised numerous non-profit and for-profit microfinance clients and worked on various microfinance transactions, including the Blue Orchard Loans for Development (BOLD) 2006 securitization which won international legal awards.  April also collaborates with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) as a microfinance course trainer and frequently serves as a speaker on microfinance- and watsan-related topics.  She began her microfinance career at Women’s World Banking.

April is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D.) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A. in International Finance and Development Economics).  She speaks fluent Italian, advanced Spanish and passable French.  She enjoys running, hiking, biking, camping and spending as much time in nature as possible.  An inveterate adventurer, April has travelled to 78 countries at last count.