San Diego Microfinance Summit

2012 San Diego Microfinance Summit: Technology and Innovation
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
8:15am - 4:30pm

USD Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice

Early Bird Pricing (ends March 21st):
$12 Students/faculty/staff
$25 General registration

REGISTER TODAY

Featuring:

• Chris Dunford, Freedom from Hunger

Dunford is the past president of Freedom from Hunger, with over 35 years of rural development experience in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. He is a key architect of the innovative ‘Credit with Education’ model, a microfinance methodology combining savings, micro-loan and life skills education. He currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow, continuing to represent the organization and speak at conferences and gatherings.

The 4th annual San Diego Microfinance Summit is a full-day event that will feature high profile speakers from the microfinance industry, provides an opportunity to meet and support local microfinance clients, and offers the best microfinance networking of the year. Microfinance institutions and the small businesses they support are often challenged to accomplish more with fewer resources. Join us as we survey innovative microfinance models and explore new technologies that are being used to encourage business growth and create positive change in the San Diego community and beyond. This year’s event promises to offer fresh topics and new speakers as we focus on highlighting the innovative strategies contributing to positive microfinance efforts in the greater San Diego region.

The summit highlights both international microfinance issues as well as the local micro-lending climate.  Participants hear from both microfinance professionals and clients throughout the day, in addition to enjoying a catered lunch and an artisan marketplace provided by local clients who are financed by local microfinance organizations. Attend two engaging and informative breakout sessions in the afternoon, followed by a hosted mixer providing an opportunity to network with students, microfinance professionals, microfinance clients and more.

New for 2012: Pre-summit networking mixer at the Ritual Tavern, a microfinance-funded establishment in North Park on April 3, 2012, from 6:00-8:00pm. Mingle with our plenary speaker, Chris Dunford, in addition to other speakers and microfinance practitioners. Appetizers and one drink ticket included in the $12 price (available to paid summit registrants only, as space is limited).

For more information about this summit or San Diego microfinance: http://sdmicrofinance.org/the-summit/2012-microfinance-summit/

This event is co-sponsored by the Ahlers Center for International Business as part of the San Diego Microfinance Alliance.

The San Diego Microfinance Alliance (SDMFA) is a consortium of local microfinance practitioners, donors, educators, students, and professionals. We are committed to raising the profile of microfinance in the San Diego region through a central organization that facilitates learning opportunities for the public, microfinance practitioners, and their clients. The Alliance brings one online location that offers information about the Alliances partner organizations, a central calendar of microfinance-related activities in San Diego, and collaborative tools designed for networking and practical use for those involved in local microfinance.