Today I received a detailed update from Unitus, and I think you might find it as fascinating as I did, for both its honesty and its comments about the state of microfinance in general. I made a small donation a few years ago, and have been impressed with the organization’s communications ever since.  It begins: Dear Unitus Donors and Supporters: This is a follow-up to our July 2 announcement that … Read More >>

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 … Read More >>

Last Friday, Unitus, which provides capital and expertise to microfinance institutions in developing countries, announced that it is closing its doors to its Seattle headquarters and is redirecting its efforts from non-profit microfinance to new social ventures.  This comes as a big suprise, as Unitus has directed $40 million in donations and $30 million in investment capital to microfinance partners over the last 10 years.  Joseph Grenny, chair of the … Read More >>

Our friends at SeaMo are throwing another great Microfinance and Microbrews event this month with Unitus.  Ed Bland, the President of Unitus, as well as members of the senior management and board, will be there for an evening of networking and an update on their expansion into East Africa.  Unfortunately I missed the last Microfinance and Microbrews event, but the two before that were really fun and were a great … Read More >>