CDFI Fund Releases Final Webinar Schedule for Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas Training

The final five webinars for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund)'s Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas training series have been scheduled. The series, part of the CDFI Fund's Capacity Building Initiative, provides specialized training and technical assistance to certified and emerging CDFIs to extend their reach into certain underserved communities in the United States that currently lack a CDFI presence.

The free webinars, provided by Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) and its partners, are intended to maximize Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) participation in this important training.

The five webinars will be held between April and June, 2016. The webinars are:

• Portfolio Management: Best Practices for Definitions and Reporting to Funders and Partners (Tuesday, April 19, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT): Feeling a bit fuzzy on loan portfolio definitions and reporting? Join this webinar to learn about best practices and to hear about the latest research in the field in order to help you tell your story and accurately report your portfolio performance to funders and partners. If you need additional capital to support your expansion plans, knowing how to describe and report on your portfolio performance is critical. Join the webinar to learn how from experts in the field.

• Adding a Near-Equity Product to Your Toolbox (Tuesday, May 3, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT): Many CDFIs are eager to learn about near-equity products to complement their lending and development services activities. This webinar will introduce key concepts, including how to know if your organization is a good candidate for offering equity products and what kind of customers might benefit from a near-equity investment.

• Small Dollar Loans (Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT): Small dollar loans can provide much-needed capital to low-income, low-wealth consumers and small businesses. Join this webinar to learn about developing quality small dollar loan products designed to align borrower success and lender profitability.

• Expanding Capacity for Credit Unions through High-Impact Products and Services (Tuesday, May 31, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT): Geared toward community development credit unions, this webinar is focused on expanding coverage in underserved areas through high-impact products and services. CDFI credit unions offer loans and services in some of the nation's most economically disadvantaged communities. Come learn about high-impact products and services that respond to the needs of underserved markets and support growth and profitability for community development credit unions.

• Looking Forward: Industry Trends (Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT): Is your business model evolving? What are your sources of capital, and how should they change? What lies ahead for the CDFI industry? How might these questions inform your strategies for growth and expansion of coverage in underserved areas? Join this webinar to learn about new research illuminating how to look forward about industry trends so that you can position your CDFI for expansion.

Registration

The Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas webinars are free and open to the general public, but advanced registration is required to access the live presentations. Registration may be completed up until the start time listed for each individual session.

Click here to register.

Resource Bank

The CDFI Fund has also added an Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas Virtual Resource Bank to its website. The new Resource Bank supplements the training and webinar series with reference materials for CDFIs, community development practitioners, and the general public. The Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas Resource Bank includes the series' training materials, additional publications, and tools. The topics covered are relevant for CDFI banks, credit unions, loan funds, and venture capital funds seeking to expand their coverage. Past webinars will also be archived and added to the Resource Bank.

View the Resource Bank here.

To learn more about Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas series and the other training series available under the Capacity Building Initiative, please visit www.cdfifund.gov/cbi.