ACCION USA, Opportunity Fund, and Kiva bring you the Microfinance USA 2011 Conference this May 23-24 in New York City!

Are you a student interested in local economic development? Are you passionate about being part of the growing microfinance movement in the U.S. – and interested in learning from industry experts about the impact you can make? If so, this conference is not to be missed. Microfinance USA provides a unique setting for networking and learning from the industry’s top practitioners, funders, and researchers.

Topics that will be discussed at this year’s conference include:

• What does “Microfinance” mean? – debating and defining our terminology
• Impact of microlending in the U.S.
• Social Entrepreneurship and Microfinance
• Promise and Peral of Microfinance Impact Evaluations

Over two days, you can:

• Network with leading practitioners and researchers in the U.S. microfinance field
• Attend plenary sessions and panels led by the nation’s leading microfinance voices.
• Deepen your understanding of the challenges facing Microfinance Institutions through case-study analysis.
• Experience microfinance first-hand by touring local microenterprises in New York.
• Debate current microfinance topics during small group sessions and networking dinners.
• Discover how students LIKE YOU are impacting the domestic microenterprise industry in remarkable ways
• Collaborate with student microfinance clubs and young professionals across the country

For More Information please visit the website:

http://www.microfinanceusaconference.org/home/

Student Price: $75

 1. Microfinance USA conference (MFUSA)

The conference takes place in San Francisco from May 20-21, and includes keynote speakers Maria Shriver and Gavin Newsom. “A Living History: U.S. Microfinance Past, Present and Future” and “Leveraging Partnerships to Reach Millions” are two of the panels to which I am most looking forward.  I also can’t wait to meet some of the 200 students that will be in attendance at the conference. I’ll be moderating a panel on student-led microfinance to talk with various stakeholders in microfinance initiatives on campuses across the U.S. and discuss their strengths, challenges, and impact. I hope to see you there!

2. A video about a lemonade stand

Recently ACCION USA ran a “Twitition” (A competition on Twitter) in which three student groups competed to win two trips to the Microfinance USA conference. In addition to tweeting in support of ACCION USA, the students held events on their campus to raise awareness about U.S. microfinance. I’d like to congratulate Global Youth Connection from the College of Wooster (Ohio), which won the Twitition and will be attending the conference next week. Because most students are more familiar with international microfinance, Global Youth Connection became an important voice for U.S. microfinance. Check out the video about their lemonade stand!

3. Tonight’s meeting with the Microfinance Council (MFC)

ACCION USA has a core group of volunteers called the Microfinance Council that is nearly 300 members strong. Tonight I will be meeting with them to discuss ACCION USA’s initiatives with campus microfinance clubs. The MFC will be heading up a project to manage partnerships between ACCION USA and student groups that are interested building awareness, fundraising, and bringing access to microloans in their communities. The MFC is essential in spearheading research into new products and partnerships at ACCION USA.  We look forward to sharing with you the fruits of our work!

Working with students over the past few months, I have learned a great deal about their creativity and dedication to a cause. ACCION USA plans to continue expanding our connection with campus microfinance clubs. In the meantime, I am looking  forward to learning about “Leveraging Partnerships to Reach Millions” at MFUSA and seeing how students can play a role in strengthening their communities.