2012 Small Business Finance Forum

Monday, June 18, Chicago

At OFN’s first Small Business Finance Forum, more than 150 representatives from dozens of CDFIs from around the country and their partners focused on issues of importance to small business finance providers while networking and building relationships with each other.

Highlights of the day included:

• Opening remarks by Senator Richard Durbin, Assistant Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, and Don Graves, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development and Housing Policy, U.S. Treasury and Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
• A keynote address by SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns. Ms. Johns announced a three-year extension of the Community Advantage pilot program and introduced a new Community Associate category that allows CDFIs and other organizations to become referral sources to Community Advantage lenders.
• An introduction to the SBA’s Community Advantage pilot program
• A roundtable discussion among current Community Advantage and 7a lenders and SBA staff. Key takeaways included the need for more Community Advantage training for CDFIs and SBA regional staff, the idea that Lender Service Providers—entities that can provide packaging and other services to Community Advantage lenders—can help CDFIs implement a Community Advantage program, and the importance of selling Community Advantage loans to make the program economically viable for lenders.
• An introduction to small business finance for CDFIs that are new to the small business market or are modifying a microenterprise program to meet the needs of larger businesses.
• Discussions on small business product pricing, portfolio management, creating a sales culture among lending staff, and measuring the impact of the technical assistance CDFIs provide to their small business clients.

Session PowerPoints and handouts are available for download below.

Community Advantage 101
11:15 AM–12:45 PM
Andrea Giles and Andrea Peoples, U.S. Small Business Administration
Community Advantage is a pilot initiative aimed at increasing the number of SBA 7(a) lenders who reach underserved communities. In this introductory session, SBA representatives will describe the program and its significance to CDFI small business lenders. You’ll learn what the program offers you and your small business clients, new features that make Community Advantage even more attractive to CDFIs than when it launched in February 2011, and how you can position yourself to join the growing numbers of CDFI Community Advantage lenders.
Download materials

Pricing Your Small Business Products and Services
11:15 AM–12:45 PM
Ceyl Prinster, Colorado Enterprise Fund; Greg Wineland, Hope Enterprise Corporation; and Jason Friedman, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs
What is the best way to price your business loans, your technical assistance, and your other small business products and services? In this session you’ll learn about strategies that some CDFIs are using, have an opportunity to share your own strategies, and discuss the pros and cons of the various options.
Download materials

Small Business Lending 101
2:15 PM–3:45 PM
Pam Porter and Wanda Speight, Opportunity Finance Network
For CDFIs that are new to the small business lending market or thinking about entering it, including microenterprise lenders that are beginning to offer larger business loans. This core competency training will provide an introduction to the small business market, how to underwrite small business loans, and how to monitor a small business loan portfolio.
Download materials

Measuring the Outcomes of Your Technical Assistance and
Training Services
2:15 PM–3:45 PM
Tamra Thetford, FIELD at The Aspen Institute, and Galen Gondolfi, Justine PETERSEN
How do you know if the technical assistance, coaching, advisory services, or training you provide to your business clients is making a difference? Learn about the results of research conducted by The Aspen Institute’s FIELD program and from CDFIs that are leaders in this area. The session will cover measurable indicators of success, how to create a system to collect and analyze performance data, and lessons learned about what works and what doesn’t.
Download materials

Portfolio Management
2:15 PM–3:45 PM
Donna Nails, Independent Consultant, and Roni Monteith, Craft3
Learn best practices in small business loan portfolio management. The session will cover loan loss reserve policies, loan modifications and restructures, portfolio monitoring, and reporting portfolio performance to your board and investors.
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