Webinar Archives
October 2011
Is the Price Right? The Role of Pricing in Microenterprise
Date: Thursday, October 13th- webinar complete
Over the last few years, the interest rate issue in microfinance has been a hot topic among those engaged in international programs. Concerns about over-indebtedness, coupled with questions about the pressures some microlenders have placed on borrowers, have fueled debate and a movement for greater transparency in pricing. Now these issues seem to be emerging in the US market as some for-profit lenders offer consumer and business loans at what appear to be considerably higher rates. What's right? What's fair? Where's the US nonprofit field in this, and what are the implications for funders? This webinar explores these questions drawing on an analysis summarized in FIELD's Funder Guide 17, with commentary by Brett Simmons of microlender ACCION Chicago and Paul Leonard of the Center for Responsible Lending. Download podcast, view webinar, or download PowerPoint.
Listen to webinar podcast, view webinar, or download PPT slides.
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Kindergarten to College: Local Innovation, National Impact
Date: Tuesday, September 20th, 2011- webinar completed
Download Leigh Phillips' K2C presentation slides.
Download the September 2011 K2C Report by the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment and the New America Foundation.
In 2011, the City and County of San Francisco launched the nation's first publicly funded universal children's savings account project - Kindergarten to College. This year, 3600 public school children will have K2C accounts and the opportunity to start saving for the future.
Leigh Phillips, Manager of the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, and Jenny Flores, Citi Director or Community Development, discussed the design and implementation of K2C, with a focus on how San Francisco developed an account structure that allows every child to automatically receive a college savings account in his or her name.
This webinar was open to everyone.
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Financial Literary and Credit Building in Microenterprise Programs
March 10th 10am-11am PST/1pm-2pm EST
Download Power Point Presentation HERE.
Listen to Webinar Recording HERE.
AFN hosted a webinar on Thursday, March 10th from 10am-11am PST on Financial Literacy and Credit Building in Microenterprise Programs with presenters Elaine Edgcomb and Luz Gomez of FIELD, a program at the Aspen Institute and Manny Hidalgo, Executive Director,Latino Economic Development Corporation.
Microenterprise organizations have long recognized - and struggled with - the fact that their clients' credit histories and personal financial management skills directly affect their ability to manage their businesses, and to take on business debt. As such, microenterprise trainers and lenders alike have been early adapters of products and services - such as financial literacy training, IDAs and credit reporting/building services - that help their clients to build their credit and their financial management skills. Today, many microenterprise organizations are working to promote financial capability by offering a broader range of products, including credit builder loans and secured credit cards, which support strong financial skills and behaviors.
Elaine Edgcomb, Luz Gomez and Manny Hildago shared results of research documenting current work in this area of the microenterprise field along with the experience of the Latino Economic Development Corporation in Washington D.C., which has restructured its microenterprise work around a central focus on building credit.
Measuring Our Impact: A Funder Conversation
Tuesday, October 5th 10am-11am PST
Download Power Point Presentation
Steven Lee, Director of Income Security and Single Stop, discussed the evolution of the Robin Hood Foundation's metrics to better measure the benefits of their anti-poverty grantmaking.
This was an invite only/ funder only webinar.
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A Penny Saved is Mobility Earned: Advancing Economic Mobility Through Savings
Wed, August 18th 10am-11am PST
Download Power Point Presentation
Erin Currier, Project Manager of the Economic Mobility Project (EMP) an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts, presented on EMP findings.
As the saying goes, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” But does that penny saved translate into greater upward economic mobility?
Pew’s Economic Mobility Project generates original research and conducts public communications and policymaker outreach to spark an informed and nonpartisan discussion about the health and status of the American Dream.
In partnership with the New America Foundation, the project investigated the connection between savings and mobility, both within an individual’s lifetime and across generations. The results suggest that savings is a powerful indicator of economic mobility, especially for those at the bottom of the income ladder.
Check out Economic Mobility Project reports mentioned in presentation:
- Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America
- Neighborhoods and the Black-White Mobility Gap
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Success Measures - NeighborWorks America
Download Power Point Presentation
Debby Visser: Senior Program Manager, Success Measures, NeighborWorks America
Melody Tulier: Training Associate, Success Measures, NeighborWorks America
Jessica Anders: Program Manager, Success Measures, NeighborWorks America
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Initiative Updates: Cities for Financial Empowerment and Social Innovation Fund
March 18th, 2010
Download Power Point Presentation
Cathie Mahon, Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs and Executive Director of the Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE), focused her presentation on two initiatives that highlight the unique role and opportunities that municipal governments have in promoting asset building and other financial empowerment initiatives. The webinar was moderated by Rick Williams, AFN Coordinator.
The Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE), a coalition of 10 American cities, provides a platform for municipal governments to advance innovative financial empowerment initiatives both locally and nationally, leveraging resources in the service of at-risk communities. CFE members have a unique role in the field of Financial Empowerment by utilizing cities’ access to residents through multiple touch points and ability to employ municipal tools like zoning, licensing, and local regulation to implement effective programs and policies. The Coalition has effectively leveraged partnerships and resources from funders and members of the public, private, and non-profit sectors to support joint initiatives and advance research and policy work across the membership.
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a new program from the Corporation for National and Community Service, is designed to promote public and private investment in effective and potentially transformative portfolios of nonprofit community organizations, identify more effective approaches to addressing critical social, and develop the grant-making infrastructure necessary to support the work of social innovation in communities across the country. The webinar will overview a multi-city proposal to the SIF that seeks to broadly expand innovative work force development, youth development, asset building and poverty elimination strategies that have been tested in New York City.
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Assets and Educational Success: Research for Action
February 17, 2010
Download Power Point Presentation
Saving for education is more important than ever. Aid for college has declined. Saving can increase access, and a growing body of evidence indicates that saving is associated with student performance.
The Center for Social Development (CSD) conducts research on savings and educational attainment, including the relationship of savings and assets with educational aspirations, performance, and post-secondary access and completion. CSD works closely with the New America Foundation, our partner in the College Saving Initiative.
CSD's savings and education work includes:
Assessing existing knowledge
Conducting new empirical research
Studying policy innovations
Using results to inform federal and state policy
Racial disparities in college access and completion are a key focus of CSD research and policy initiatives. Recent CSD research reports address key topics, including the "wilt" of expected college enrollment by race and savings, and the relationship between financial assets and later college completion.
Presenters:
Michael Sherraden, Director of Center for Social Development (CSD), Washington University in St. Louis
Margaret Clancy and Gena Gunn: Policy Directors, CSD
Kristen Wagner: Project Manager, CSD
CSD presenters reviewed recent research and discussed policy and practice implications.
Research referenced in webinar:
Elliott, W., & Beverly, S. (2010). The role of savings and wealth in reducing "wilt" between expectations and college attendance .
CSD Working Paper: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/WP10-01.pdf
CSD Research Brief: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/RB10-04.pdf
Lassar, T., Clancy, M., & McClure, S. (2010). Toward more inclusive College Savings Plans: Sample state legislation.
Policy Brief: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/PB10-03.pdf
Policy Report: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/PR10-02.pdf
Sherraden, M. (2009). Saving and educational attainment: The potential of College Savings Plans to increase educational success .
CSD Research & Policy Brief: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/RPB09-29.pdf
Zhan, M., & Sherraden, M. (2009). Assets and liabilities, educational expectations, and children's college degree attainmentÂ
CSD Research Brief: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/RB09-63.pdf
CSD Working Paper: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/WP09-60.pdf
Zhan, M. & Sherraden, M. (2010). Assets and liabilities, race/ethnicity, and childrens college education
Working Paper: http://csd.wustl.edu/Publications/Documents/WP10-08.pdf
Webinar Archive 2009
Tax Time is the Time Save
November 12th, 2009
Download David Marzahl's Presentation Slides
Our experience as a free tax preparation program has taught us that tax time is the time to save. In 2008, 76 million low- and moderate-income workers received tax refunds totaling $140 billion. The tax refund check is largest lump-sum amount of money that many low-income families will see throughout the year. In recent years, the Center and members of the National Community Tax Coalition have partnered with financial institutions and national organizations to offer asset-building opportunities to clients of free tax preparation programs.
Our experience as a free tax preparation program has taught us that tax time is the time to save. In 2008, 76 million low- and moderate-income workers received tax refunds totaling $140 billion. The tax refund check is largest lump-sum amount of money that many low-income families will see throughout the year. In recent years, the Center and members of the National Community Tax Coalition have partnered with financial institutions and national organizations to offer asset-building opportunities to clients of free tax preparation programs.
On November 12, 2009 David Marzahl, Executive Director of the Center for Economic Progress, discussed how community-based tax and financial services organizations are leveraging tax time to create savings and asset-building opportunities for low-income workers and their families in the webinar, Tax Time is the Time to Save. Rick Williams, AFN Coordinator, moderated the webinar.
Presenter
David Marzahl: Executive Director of the Center for Economic Progress
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REAL Solutions for Asset Building Through Credit Unions
October 21, 2009
Download Steve Delfin and Lois Kitsch (NCUF) Presentation Slides
Credit unions play a vital role in increasing financial self-sufficiency of working Americans. With a long history of providing underserved and emerging markets with affordable financial products and services and a strong commitment to promoting thrift, low- and moderate-income consumers across the country are putting their trust and money in credit unions.
As the philanthropic and social responsibility leader of America's credit unions, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) makes grants, manages programs and provides training empowering credit unions to provide greater access to affordable financial services.
NCUF's primary initiative is REAL Solutions. REAL Solutions currently works with 34 credit union leagues (state organizations), and nearly 800 credit unions representing 20 percent of the total net assets of the credit union movement to provide more affordable auto loans, innovative saving programs, affordable payday lending alternatives, and creative outreach programs. These affordable financial services and products are designed to help working families and emerging markets achieve financial stability and success.
The webinar was held on October 21st from 10am-11am PST. REAL Solutions National Program Director, Lois Kitsch, and NCUF Executive Director, Steve Delfin, detailed how the REAL Solutions program has evolved, which initiatives have gained the most traction with credit unions and why, and what the National Credit Union Foundation seeks to achieve by partnering with community groups and foundations. The webinar was moderated by Rick Williams, Coordinator of Asset Funders Network.
Presenters
Stephen Delfin: Executive Director, Nation Credit Union Foundation
Lois Kitsch: Program Director, REAL Solutions National Program Director
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Asset-Building & Aging: New Strategies for a New Economy
September 16, 2009
Download Vivian Vasallo's (AARP) Presentation Here
Older adults are a vital part of community life. They are committed members of families, are mentors to children, volunteer often, and are the "eyes on the street" to help ensure community safety. As a recent AARP survey discovered, most policymakers see older adults as community assets, not as a drain on public resources. Nevertheless, many American communities are not prepared for the rapid graying of their population.
As we (the philanthropic community) look to the future, supporting the financial security of individuals across the lifespan can ensure that the dramatic demographic shifts coming our way are adequately addressed by adding an aging lens when evaluating the range of community needs.
The webinar took place on Wednesday, September 16th from 10am-11am PST/ 1pm-2pm EST Vivan Vasallo, senior director of Financial Innovations & Target Communities for the AARP Foundation, offered examples from her work at AARP and insights from her experience working with asset-building in an aging society. Rick Williams, AFN Coordinator, moderated the webinar.
Presenter
Vivian Vasallo: Senior Director of Financial Innovations & Target Communities for the AARP Foundation
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Update on Children's Development Account Initiatives and State Policy Opportunities
August 27, 2009
Download Bob Friedman (CFED) and Carl Rist's (CFED)Presentation Here
Some of the most respected leaders of the asset-building field like Michael Sherraden, Ray Boshara and Lisa Mensah believe that Child Development Accounts (CDAs) are the "marquee idea" of the asset-building field.
The first harvest of results and lessons from CDA demonstration efforts include the Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) Initiative - made possible by several members of the Asset Funders Network and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. Moreover, interest in and activity around CDAs are growing palpably at the federal, state and local levels. The opportunities in front of us are huge.
The webinar took place on Thursday, August 27th from 10am-11am PST with Carl Rist and Bob Friedman of CFED providing an update and frame for discussion on some key CDA lessons as well as local, state and federal initiatives and opportunities in the offing. Rick Williams, AFN Coordinator moderated the webinar.
Presenters
Bob Friedman: General Counsel, Founder and Chair of CFED's Board, CFED
Carl Rist: Director of SEED Policy and Practice Initiative, CFED
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Financial Coaching:A New Approach to Building Prosperity for Low Income Workers
July 22, 2009
Download Ben Mangan's (EARN) Presentation
There is a growing national conversation about the promise of financial coaching as a tool that can help low income workers build wealth. The webinar held on July 22nd from 10am-11am PST focused on the financial coaching model developed by EARN, a California nonprofit that is one of the pioneers in the burgeoning coaching field. The presentation helped distinguish the difference between financial coaching, and other tools like financial education and financial counseling, as well as how these tools can all work together successfully.
Check out presentations below to learn about some of the leading thinking behind financial coaching, and how this methodology is being implemented on the ground. Rick Williams, AFN Coordinator moderated the webinar.
Presenter: Ben Mangan, EARN President, CEO + Co-Founder
Webinar Archive 2008
AFN Webinar Slides - December 11, 2008
AFN Webinar Slides - November 5, 2008