Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

Published by Jerry Ostradicky on 21 Aug 2010

SKS Microfinance in the News

On Monday of this week, SKS Microfinance made its debut on the stock market.  All week long there has been speculation on how this will effect the economy of India and a how a leading microfinance organization will do in the public market.  Here’s a list of articles that dig into SKS further:

Published by Jerry Ostradicky on 29 Jul 2010

Unitus Closure Announcements

Ever since the announcement that Unitus is leaving Microfinance, there has been a lot of speculation about their next step.  Ryan Calkins and the board at SeaMO have come up with a guide to the recent announcments:

“It’s been a couple of weeks since Unitus unexpectedly announced its decision to shut down operations, suspend its involvement in microfinance, and eventually reopen with a new approach to poverty alleviation. In the wake of the announcement and because of our close ties to a number of Unitus staff, we have received numerous requests for the story behind the story. Truth be told, we were as surprised as everyone and have been seeking more information about the motivation behind the closure, its timing, and why the board chose to make the announcement as abruptly as it did.

1. Seattle Times article announcing the Unitus closure
2. SiliconIndia.com post about closure and corollary funds
3. Discussion on Ohio State Develpment Finance Listserv
4. Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Microfinance Group Unitus Shuts Down, Eyes ‘Reinvention’”
5. MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Unitus to Discontinue Microfinance-Related Activities to Focus on Other Poverty Alleviation Strategies, Will Release 40 Staff Members in India, Kenya, United States
6. Chronicle of Philanthropy, “When It Comes to Donations, Is It Possible to Have Too Much?”
7. “Closure of Popular Poverty-Fighting Charity Raises Big Questions”
8. “Microfinance mission accomplished? Hardly, expert says” — Seattle Times
9. Discussion of “Microfinance Mission Accomplished? Hardly” on Microfinance Practice Listserv (login required)
10. Unitus Fund to Cash Out on Indian IPO — Puget Sound Business Journal
11. Matt Flannery’s tweet immediately after the announcement: “Is this what happens when your non-profit succeeds?“

Among our board and volunteers, one consensus has emerged: the Unitus closure is consequential for the microfinance industry…”

Visit SeattleMicrofinance.org to get the whole scoop and participate in the conversation

Published by Jerry Ostradicky on 25 Jul 2010

SeaMo’s August Microfinance & Microbrews: Meet the Micro-entrepreneurs

It’s time for another great SeaMO event for all you folks in Seattle.  SeaMO is hosting an August Microfinance & Microbrews featuring entrepreneurs from Washington CASH:

When: August 12 · 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Where: Ventures, 314 1st Avenue South (in Seattle’s Pioneer Square), Seattle, WA
Price: A suggested $5 donation
About: It is rare to have the opportunity to meet the people, who microfinance has helped. Usually they are only a distant face in a foreign country or a profile on a web site or on a microfinance organization’s brochure, but microfinance helps people locally here in Washington state. Join us for this rare opportunity to meet local micro-entrepreneurs, who have been lifted out of poverty. Come listen to the first-count stories from …Washington CASH’s clients/micro-entrepreneurs at Ventures, a Washington CASH retail store and business incubator, which displays and sells the products and services of dozens of talented and determined micro-entrepreneurs. Microbrews and light appetizers will be provided.

Head over to seaMO to find out more.

Published by Jerry Ostradicky on 24 Jul 2010

Microfinance Jobs: Social Media Volunteer Internship – Wokai (Beijing, China)

Wokai is looking for an intern at it’s headquarters in Beijing who will work with the Marketing Director to help Wokai raise $1 million in loan capital over the next year:

You are the right person if you are:
1. Passionate about social media as it applies to social enterprises.  You love it, breathe it and would swim through piranha-infested waters to spend all day learning about Social Media around the world and in China.

  • You must be an active blogger, Twitterer and have accounts on more than one social network.
  • You must demonstrate superior writing and editing skills, with writing/blog samples to support.

Bonus points for:

  • Blog with high Google rank
  • Connections to more than 100 people on any single social network
  • More than 150 Twitter followers
  • A view on which short URL service is best and why
  • A YouTube channel or similar vlogging account
  • 2x bonus points for reading/writing Chinese
  • 3x if you are an active user of Chinese SNS ie. Sina Weibo, Douban, Kaixin, or RenRen.

2. Passionate about China. If you do not speak Chinese, you must have traveled through the country and read extensively about its culture.

About the job
Researching:

  • You are responsible for conducting research across any given topic.
  • Other than just collecting information from the Internet and media, you will be required  to organize the information, analyze the data, and write up blog posts and enewsletters.

Strategy and Social Media Management:

  • Assist the Marketing Director in developing, and carrying out Social Media Strategies and managing Wokai’s voice across multiple social network platforms.

Media Strategy and Outreach

  • Assist the Marketing Director in developing long and short lead PR strategies, campaigns and outreach, preparing media releases as necessary, and generating ideas on how to mobilize Wokai’s Chapter network of volunteers around the world.

Copy Editing

  • Iteratively optimizing website copy and all Wokai communication including auto-emails, post-contribution emails, borrower profiles, and Calls-To-Actions throughout website.

Visit Wokai to find out how to apply

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