2009 Pacific Northwest Microfinance Conference / May 8-9 / SPU

Materials Presented at the Conference

Video Presentations

Videos of selected presentations are available at iTunesU.

Plenary Session Presentations

Friday Evening Keynote Address
Matt Flannery, CEO and Co-Founder, Kiva, Matt_Flannery_Kiva.pdf

Saturday Morning Plenary Address
Tamara Cook, Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Tamara_Cook_Gates_Foundation.pdf

Morning Session Presentations

Investing in Microfinance: Anyone Can Do It
Jason Henning, Director of Development, Global Partnerships, Investing_in_Microcredit_09.pdf

Globally Connected: Technology in Microfinance
Peter Bladin, Executive Vice-President, Grameen Foundation, Technology.pdf

Afternoon Session Presentations

Microfinance in the Midst of Economic Crisis
          Atul Tandon, Sr. Vice President, World Vision, Microfinance_and_the_Economic_Crisis.pdf

Get in the Action: 10 (or More) Ways You Can Help
          Jeff Keenan, Global Poverty Activist & author, Our_Day_to_End_Poverty.pdf
          Kate Cochran, VP External Relations, Unitus, Unitus_SPU_Microfinance_Conference_09.pdf

Plenary Sessions

Friday Evening Keynote: Matt Flannery, CEO and Co-Founder, Kiva

Saturday Morning: Tamara Cook, Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Saturday Afternoon: Skip Li, Founder, Agros International

Breakout Session One (10:15 - 11:45 a.m.)

Globally Connected: Technology in Microfinance (Upper Gwinn Commons, Queen Anne Room)

The goal of delivering quality financial services to the poor at fair and affordable prices presents many challenges. Many transactions are small in size, and clients can live in remote, rural areas, making transactions inefficient and costly. This session will present several technological innovations that hold the promise of addressing some of these challenges, so that institutions can operate more efficiently, and thereby, increase their impact on clients and communities.

Panelists: Peter Bladin, Executive Vice-President, Grameen Foundation and Executive Director, Grameen Technology Center

The Role of Faith/ Spirituality in Microfinance (Upper Gwinn Commons. Cascade Room)

Many organizations involved in development work and microfinance (including several represented at this conference) are Christian/ “faith-based,” and see their work in terms of “holistic transformation.” In a recent London Times article entitled, “As an Atheist, I Truly Believe Africa Needs God,” Matthew Parris made the provocative assertion that faith is beneficial to the goals of development. Is he right? This session will examine the tensions and differences (both positive and negative) that faith might make in the work of these organizations and in the lives of their clients.

Presenter: Brad Stave, Marketing and Communications Manager, VisionFund International/ World Vision

Investing in Microfinance: Anyone Can Do It (Demaray Hall 258)

While opportunities to donate money to development efforts have been around for a long time, the concept of investing in such efforts is a relatively new concept. This session will present responsible ways to invest (amounts ranging from as little as $25 to large denominations) in microfinance and tools to ensure financial accountability. The session will also trace the flow of funds from investor to clients, show the impact of invested funds, and examine the ethical question of earning interest from the poor.

Moderator: Jeff Van Duzer, Dean, Seattle Pacific University School of Business and Economics
Presenters: Jason Henning, Director of Development, Global Partnerships; David Mesenbring, Board Member, Oikocredit

Teaching Others About Global Poverty and the Role of Microfinance (Demaray Hall 358)

Much of the world lives under conditions of poverty, yet this reality is far from the comfortable lifestyles we enjoy in wealthy, developed countries. Making a significant dent in poverty requires that many of us join the fight. How, we do connect others to suffering, so they too will be moved to act? And, how can we introduce the tools of microfinance as part of a solution to poverty? This session will examine teaching strategies, curricular examples, and available resources to empower others to become more knowledgeable and responsible actors on poverty through microfinance. The knowledge gained in this session can be applied to educational settings (university or high school classes) and to civic and church groups.

Presenters: Kenman Wong, Seattle Pacific University; Leah Klug, Quest Church; Jeff Huebner, Professor, Ambrose University College, Calgary, Canada

Breakout Session Two (1:00 - 2:30 p.m.)

Microfinance in the Midst of Economic Crisis (Upper Gwinn Commons, Queen Anne Room)

Expanding the reach and full promise of microfinance depends, in part, on the availability of funds through grants, loans, donations, and increasingly, private investment capital. Yet, the current global economic crisis is simultaneously tightening the flow of funds and threatening to severely undermine efforts to help the world’s poor. This session will address how this crisis is impacting impoverished clients and communities around the world and what microfinance (and other global development) organizations are doing in response.

Presenter: Atul Tandon, Sr. Vice President, World Vision

Beyond Credit: The Integration of Financial and Non-Financial Services Within the Community
(Upper Gwinn Commons, Cascade Room)

While the extension of “credit” (via small loans) has become a widely known and recognized tool in the fight against poverty, the field of microfinance actually offers much more. This session will explore how organizations are making a holistic impact on communities by providing a broad range of financial services (including savings and insurance), along with non-financial services such as health care and education.

Moderator: Kathleen Braden, Professor of Geography at Seattle Pacific University
Panelists: Laurie Werner, Director of Programs, Agros International;
Judith Anderson, Executive Director, HEAL Africa

Get in the Action: 10 (or More) Ways You Can Help (Demaray Hall 258)

Intrigued by the potential of microfinance and want to get involved? This session will examine effective and practical ways you can help produce lasting change, with ideas to fit all schedules, budgets, and levels of commitment, ranging from the one-time to lifetime.

Presenters: Jeff Keenan, Global Poverty Activist & co-author (with Shannon Daley-Harris) of Our Day to End Poverty, 24 Ways You can Make a Difference, Kate Cochran, VP External Relations, Unitus; Bob Dickerson, Volunteer, RESULTS

Campus Chapters and Clubs (Demaray Hall 358)

Campus chapters and clubs have been a highly effective way of engaging and mobilizing students around social issues, such as AID’s, child trafficking, and environmental activism. While still in a relatively newer stage of development, microfinance clubs (or adding microfinance components to an existing club) holds similar promise. The session is intended for students, advisors, and NGO representatives and will address topics such as: How to start a club/ chapter in a wide-range of campus contexts; How to add a microfinance component to an existing club; what works and doesn’t work; and available resources.

Presenters: Chris Horst, Development Representative, Hope International; Matthew Koenig, Associate Director of Student Ministries, Seattle Pacific University

Microfinance in the United States: Domestic Microfinance 101
(Library Seminar Room, 2nd floor)

The fact that microfinance alleviates poverty around the globe is well known, but how does it work here in Seattle (and other U.S. cities)? This session will explore the applicability and challenges of applying microfinance as a tool to fight poverty in domestic contexts.

Presenter: Cheryl Sesnon, Executive Director, Washington CASH (Community Alliance for Self-Help)

Images above are courtesy of VisionFund / World Vision.