Local Volunteers Give the Gift of a Chance
Old Saint Nick is arriving soon, which got me thinking about all the other saints that I am surrounded by. For the talent and dedication that volunteers bring to ACCION USA, I deem them all saints! Volunteers, with their diehard support and energizing enthusiasm, have infiltrated all aspects of the operations here at ACCION USA.
Hear from a volunteer that has been with ACCION USA since August. Elise talks about how she supports her local small business community and about her dedication to ACCION USA.
How do you support local businesses in your community?
In a city like New York, it’s easy to support local businesses. I’m surrounded by local providers of all the services I need! I love to go to local cafés; there is one near my house in the Chelsea neighborhood where I’ve gotten to know most of the staff. I like that they always offer unique seasonal coffee selections! I also like to buy fruit and veggies from the local farmers markets. The prices are better and the food is more fresh and delicious than the produce that you can find at the large supermarkets in the City.
How are you involved with ACCION USA?
I’ve been volunteering at ACCION USA for five months. As a member of the Microfinance Council of ACCION USA, I learned about the volunteer translation team and began doing Spanish translations. Erica, the Kiva/Volunteer coordinator, asked me if I’d like to get involved on other projects. Since I was unemployed and had the time, I came on full-time as the Kiva intern. I’ve been involved in getting the Kiva program integrated into the operations at ACCION USA. It’s been rewarding to see how far the partnership with Kiva has come! The best part of volunteering at ACCION USA is that you are given quite a bit of freedom to take on various projects at the organization and to learn as much as you can.
What do you find inspiring about working with ACCION USA?
First and foremost I am inspired by the clients. I’ve gotten to see firsthand their ingenuity and incredible work ethic. Each client has a different story of entrepreneurship. Their lives inspire me. Also before I came to ACCION USA, I’d never worked at a non-profit, so it has been incredible to see how supportive the staff of ACCION USA is. Everyone is always willing to help out one another and to collaborate.
Any words of advice for small business owners who want to get more involved in their community?
1. Strike up a conversation with your local business providers. More than just making a purchase, it is making a connection to someone in your community, widening your social circle.
2. Learn how to use technology to improve every aspect of your business!
3. Focus on meeting the needs of your costumers and making them happy.
After spending five months of dedicated volunteerism to ACCION USA, Elise was hired this week! I can’t think of a better gift to ACCION USA than to have Elise join us as a loan consultant. Her hardworking spirit will ensure that many microentrepreneurs in New York City will be treated with dignity and will be given the chance of a microloan. To all the saints out there, your dedication to social good through volunteerism brings gratitude beyond words. Thank you for giving the gift of chance.
Above and beyond, Elise has been an innovator on the Main Street Microfinance blog, check out her in-depth posts on ACCION USA staff and the Kiva program. Most recently Elise put together the content for our new video. Her creativity has inspired an organizational video strategy, so stay tuned for more ACCION USA videos!
Microfinance Week in Review: Week Ending December 18, 2009
We hope that like us, you’ll be taking the next two Fridays off to spend time with friends and family. On behalf of ACCION USA’s staff and clients, Happy Holiday and best wishes for a wonderful New Year.
Some of the week’s news in the microfinance and small business sectors:
- Branchless and Mobile Banking Could Become Top Microfinance Channel by 2020 Says CGAP Focus Note- Microcapital
- Citi, Wells to Repay Bailouts- Wall Street Journal
- As Microfinance Grows in India, So Do Its Rivals- The Wall Street Journal
- Bank of America pledges $5 billion more for small businesses- CNN
- Ten Things for the Holidays- The Nation
- Updated: S.B.A. May Get Big Increase in Funds- New York Times Blog
Running on Alternatives: Meet ACCION USA Client Brian Duda
Brian Duda is an ACCION USA client from Alabama. Through his company DudaDiesel, he sells all the tools that “DIY-ers” need to make their own diesel vehicles run on biodiesel or vegetable oil. His mission is to make alternative fuel methods available to a wider market and to educate people about the use of biodiesel fuels. Elise had a chance to interview him last week about his effect on his local community.
Elise Tosun: Brian, you obviously provide a service whose need has not really been met yet in your community. How does your business support your local community in general?
Brian Duda with bio-fuel processing equipment
Brian Duda: Well, since my business has grown I’ve been able to provide jobs for some locals who do packaging, shipping, and cleaning in my warehouse. I also do a lot to educate my market about alternative fuels. When people want to learn about biodiesel, they know to go to the internet, but they often don’t know where to start. We’ve partnered with a website that provides very comprehensive and organized information to consumers about how to convert their vehicles to run on biodiesels. We direct our customers there so that they’re empowered to do it on their own, and then we sell them the materials to do so.
Another significant way we’re helping the local community is by providing restaurants with a market to sell their used vegetable oil waste. To do this, restaurants usually need to partner with a large company and must sign a multi-year contract. Our relationship is a much more flexible one.
ET: What were some of the challenges you’ve had getting your business to where it is today?
BD: The main challenge for me has been keeping up with demand! My business started straight out of my apartment, but now that I’ve begun selling on the internet there is so much more demand, not only for more of what I already am selling, but also for different products. It’s a tough balance because I want to expand to new products, but I also need to make sure I have the funding in place to keep up with new demand. My products sell out very quickly and keeping them in stock has been challenging.
ET: So has your ACCION USA loan helped out with that problem at all?
BD: Definitely – that’s exactly what I used my loan for. I was able to buy some inventory and now I’m about a month ahead of the curve keeping up with demand.
ET: What does the future hold for DudaDiesel?
BD: First, I really want to work on expanding to new product lines. One of those lines is solar energy; however I need to make sure there’s a market for it first because it’s an expensive investment. Once I have all of the product lines I want to carry, I’ll focus more on biodiesel production. My dream is to get to a point where I am producing fuel of a standard high enough to be sold to vehicles on the highway. Right now, there is one gas station in town that sells diesel at extremely high prices, so I’d like to put a station up right across the street to provide some competition. It would be great to get prices down to a more affordable level for consumers.
ET: Lastly, do you have any words of advice for small business owners who want to get involved in their community?
BD: My main piece of advice is to concentrate on serving your customer base and satisfying the demand that exists in your market, before getting too big too fast. Make sure you’re selling products that people want to buy and more importantly that they can afford. It also helps to team up with local businesses that can help you access different sections of your market.
Microfinance at Work in Boston: Video Success Story Series
Meet Adam Lantheaume, owner and founder of The Boston Shaker Inc., in the second post of our video borrower success story series, brought to you as part of our “Microfinance: It’s Not Charity, It’s a Chance” holiday awareness campaign and fund drive.
Adam is sprucing up the “specialty cocktail” industry by selling imported garnishes, hard to find cocktail bitters, staple barware and cocktail books. The Boston Shaker provides the ingredients and classes to build the ‘know how’ for hosting a cocktail party, or enjoying cocktails from the comfort of home.
How is Adam’s business making a difference?
The Boston Shaker Inc. is working to be ‘economy friendly’. “My business is helping people who, in this soft economy, are starting to do more things themselves at home rather than spending money going out.” Customers of The Boston Shaker are hailing from all over and latching to this idea! “That enthusiasm and the excitement I get from my customers is what keeps me going”, says Adam.
Adam is working hard to start small and expand his business, and opportunities for future employment. Adam recently moved into his own storefront space, after finding an innovative way to share rental space with a local retail store. “It was a really positive experience for both parties. [After sharing space], I better understand my future business goals and now, with my own four walls, I can do a lot more for the community that I’ve been trying to help.”
Encounter with ACCION USA
Adam learned about ACCION USA’s business loans by attending one of our free financial education seminars, The Fundamentals of Running a Successful Small Business. When he was ready, he applied for a small business loan to purchase materials for his classes and attend an annual gathering of the top individuals in his industry. As a recipient of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Loan Fund at ACCION USA, Adam has taken advantage of the program’s speed coaching events, meeting one on one with experts to gain valuable advice.
Cheers to that!
Check out The Boston Shaker for your holiday shopping needs.
Microfinance at Work in Miami: Local Success Story Video Series
ACCION USA’s “Microfinance: It’s Not Charity, It’s a Chance” awareness and holiday fundraising campaign launched earlier this month and has since won critical acclaim. Thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word by sharing our video on Twitter, Facebook, email, and more. With nearly $3,000 raised, we’re at a steady pace to reach our final goal of $10,000 by the end of the year!
As part of the campaign, Main Street Microfinance will be bringing you video blogs of donors and borrowers from across the United States to inspire others to join the cause. Check out our first client video interview, from Miami, Florida:
Meet Everardo, owner of Branford’s Originals Hot Sauce. Using family recipes from his native Panama, Everardo concocts a wide variety of unique hot sauces and barbeque sauces (try the best selling Roasted Garlic sauce to add tangy spice to your grilled chicken.)
With a small business loan from ACCION USA, Everardo was able to expand his business and he now carries 10 sauces. You can find his sauces in Sedano’s Supermarkets and Whole Foods throughout Florida. If you’re outside the state, pick up a gift basket on the Branford’s website for the spicy food lover on your holiday gift list.
Thanks to Benjy Himmelfarb in Miami for the interview and video footage!
Microfinance Week in Review: Week Ending December 11, 2009
Some of the week’s news in the microfinance and small business sectors:
- Perhaps Microfinance Isn’t a Such Big Deal After All – Financial Times Blog
- Microloans Buoy Cash-Strapped Entrepreneurs- The Street.com
- Giving Back: Holiday gift ideas for traveler- The Seattle Times
- Obama Pushes Small Business Aid for Job Recovery- Business Week
- Can Microfinance Bankrupt Entrepreneurs?- Social Earth.org
- College Loans as Development Aid- New York Times
Top 7 Local, Online Retailers: Buy Local, Give Local this Holiday Season
As the holiday season kicks off, consumers are faced with the lingering question that haunts us every year. Where should I do my holiday shopping?
Check out Funky Urban's unique graphic T's
While the bargains and catchy jingles sported by huge mega stores seem inviting, I urge you to take a moment to think about the number of mom-and-pop retailers in your local area who would benefit much more from your business this holiday season. You can learn more about who these small business owners are in our new video.
Not only will you be helping small business owners, but you’ll find that local businesses offer bonuses you won’t find in larger stores. Small business owners pride themselves on providing great customer service. The small storefront means that , you will less likely be battling crowds for the last pair of gloves on the rack, the freshest flowers, or that prime piece of meat for your holiday celebration dinner.
So this holiday season, give back to the people who make up your local small business community by shopping locally. You won’t be disappointed.
To make it as easy as possible for you to support local small businesses, no matter your location, we’re giving you a list of small, local retailers that sell online—all are ACCION USA clients, and all are locally owned small businesses that are giving back to their communities.
- Funky Urban- cool printed t-shirts and hats for men, women and children.
- Jonathan Garcia Photography- sells and ships beautiful photos both framed and unframed.
- Bijules NYC Inc- gorgeous hand crafted jewelry and clothing.
- Dope Jams- an eclectic mix of records, books, DVDs and other odds and ends
- Diversity In Art- online art gallery dedicated to providing ethnic & cultural art that is representative of our own diverse backgrounds.
- iZon Greetings- special customized greeting cards for the holidays and all year round.
- Deborah’s Kitchen- scrumptious all natural, low sugar spreadable fruit and relish.
I’d love to hear from you—where are the local deals for holiday gift shopping near you?
10 Reasons Why Microfinance Isn’t Charity
‘Tis the season for holiday fundraising, and along with holiday cheer we’re sharing our message that microfinance gives hard-working people the chance they need to support themselves. Our holiday fundraising site, www.itsnotcharity.org, is up and running and even though it’s cold outside, you can make our donation thermometer get on the rise.
What Donors Want to Know
How does a donation to ACCION USA impact our clients? Well I’ll tell you. And you may just see yourself, your mother, cousin, best friend, or next door neighbor in these ideas as well.
10 Reasons to Give to ACCION USA and Microentrepreneurs
- Know somebody who needs a job? Our microentrepreneurs create or retain an average of 2.4 jobs
- Sustainability: Our loans gets recycled into the loan fund where it grows and then gets lent to the next entrepreneur
- Impact: Our loans help microbusiness owners increase their income about 20% on average
- Entrepreneurs have to start somewhere. We can offer loans to start-up businesses as young as 6 months old. Most banks are looking for 2 years in operation
- Universal Education. Our stellar financial education program, from tip sheets to webinars, is free and open to everybody
- The America Dream. 67% of our microentrepreneurs have immigrated to the US to achieve their dreams, like owning a small business
- Business survival. An astonishing 97% of ACCION USA’s established businesses and 90% of start-up businesses stay open, even in this economy!
- Giving people the credit they deserve. People near our branch offices with no credit history can start building it with one of our loans
- Be a part of our socially conscious partner community. Join the ranks of Kiva, the designer Tory Burch, Samuel Adams, and many more
- It’s not charity, it’s a chance. And you can’t beat that!
Want more reasons why you should give the gift of a chance? Watch our video to learn more about microfinance in your local community. You can even dance while you’re watching…
Microfinance Week in Review: Week Ending December 4, 2009
Some of the week’s news in the microfinance and small business sectors:
- Buddy Can You Spare a Startup Dime? – www.msn.com
- Loans to Small Business Are Key to Economy- Wall Street Journal
- Changing Lives with Spare Change: My Two Cents on Microfinance- Huffington Post
- How to Secure a Microloan- www.inc.com
- For Small Business the Jobs Forum Is All About Credit- New York Times
Microfinance Video Launch: It’s Not Charity, It’s a Chance
Over the past few weeks, we at ACCION USA have been thinking a lot about the impact microentrepreneurs have on our communities. Since their local impact is such a large part of our lives, we decided to put together an amazing microfinance video about it! The video launched yesterday as part of our It’s Not Charity campaign to raise donations this holiday season. And better yet—each dollar raised will be matched 100% by ACCION USA’s Board of Directors!
Making the microfinance video was an exciting opportunity for us to creatively think about what our communities get back from supporting microentrepreneurs. First, microentrepreneurs create new employment, which provides more people with the opportunity to earn a living wage, support their families, and spend their income at other businesses. Second, microentrepreneurs enliven and enrich the communities we live in—we all value the human connection and conversations we share with our local business owners on a daily basis.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, microfinance doesn’t mean giving charity—it means a chance. That’s why we’ve chosen “It’s Not Charity, It’s a Chance” as the overall theme of our campaign.
Consider giving back to your local community by donating to ACCION USA this holiday season and buying from local businesses. In the meantime, check out www.itsnotcharity.org and the video above!