Can women microentrepreneurs be social entrepreneurs?

by Erica Dorn, Contributor

Starting this week, this space will focus on microfinance sector and the changing role of women  in the industry. To kick off our microfinance series, we feature a post from Erica Dorn, Manager of Kiva and Volunteer Partnerships at ACCION USA. Don't forget to check out Loans for Growth tomorrow, NYWSE’s microfinance panel featuring industry leaders and innovators!

 

While most female microentrepreneurs do not intentionally incite a wake of social change, my experiences in the microfinance sector have strengthened my belief in their ability to transform communities.

I recently met Maria, a NYC Green Cart vendor who had just given birth to her third child. She had been approved for a microloan to purchase inventory for her fresh produce cart in the South Bronx. In addition to the motherly glow in her eyes, Maria was ecstatic about the success of her new business venture. Her efforts and business acumen have made fruits and vegetables accessible to a low-income community that once lacked options for fresh produce.

Maria would not consider herself a social entrepreneur, but she closely fits the description as her family’s breadwinner, role model to her children and go-to woman for juicy mangoes or crisps carrots!

 

In 2006, Erica began a community project based in Brooklyn that fundraised for redevelopment in New Orleans; it was through this that she found her passion for localized development initiatives. Following her interest in Domestic Microfinance she served as Kiva’s first U.S. based fellow at ACCION USA in New York City before assuming her current position at ACCION USA. Find her on twitter @eldorn.

Celebrating the Everyday with Rubina Design



As we wrap up our series on market solutions for community development, we speak with Kari Litzmann, founder of Rubina Design. A design company focused on “celebrating the everyday” through its lifestyle products, Rubina Design gives back a portion of its time, talent, and profits to help women entrepreneurs around the world. Read on to learn more about Kari’s inspiration and her hopes for Rubina Design!

What inspired you to start Rubina Design?

As a graphic designer, I have always been passionate about tapping into the power of design to create strategic solutions to help others. In 2005, when I was completing my Masters in Design Management at Pratt Institute, I was involved in a group thesis project that focused on how design and business practices could be utilized within microenterprises in impoverished communities to help alleviate poverty. Together, my team interviewed three organizations in three different countries: a microfinance organization in Honduras, an artisan-focused nonprofit in Mozambique, and a church in Pakistan, who were all working to build economic development initiatives within impoverished communities.

During the project’s research phase, my teammate and I traveled to the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan to interview the Church of Pakistan’s participants. As an institution serving a religious minority in a predominantly Muslim country, the church managed various initiatives to help local women build economically viable livelihoods. During my visit to the church’s sewing workshop in Nowshera, I met Rubina, a trainee eager to start her own business using the sewing skills she had recently acquired.

My meeting with Rubina was both poignant and inspiring. While I was struck by her determination, she faced numerous financial, cultural and logistical obstacles in achieving her dream. Over the next few years, I often thought about the lack of options for women like Rubina to overcome those barriers to build better lives for their families, and if there was any way to leverage my experience and resources to turn their lives around.

Last year, I established Rubina Design, a design company that incorporates entrepreneurial artisans like Rubina into my business model and supply chain as producers. To begin laying the groundwork of our mission as we build up resources and partners, we donate our time and design skills to nonprofit champions of women’s causes and a portion of our income directly to women entrepreneurs in developing countries through kiva.org. This first year has been about testing our market and understanding our customers’ needs to help us develop a sustainable model for working with Rubinas around the world.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for Rubina Design?

I am working with Pauline, one of my thesis collaborators and a designer at Macys, to create our first artisan collection for Rubina Design. Our goal is to create an array of urban lifestyle products that reflect the inspiration behind our company. The Rubina look will maintain the vibrancy and urban style of our very first line of goods, while adding the cultural essence and story of the women that crafted them.

Our next phase is to incorporate women artisans from developing countries into our supply chain as artists and producers, and help them develop sustainable businesses. Over the next few months our small team will to travel to several impoverished communities to meet with community leaders, learn their needs, understand their goals, and build partnerships to help them achieve those goals through design.

What lessons can you share from your experiences?

Being a social entrepreneur is a labor of love! It is a humbling experience to be patient, listen, network, seek advice, connect with those who have gone before, and let them help shape my business. Over the past year, I learned that the best-laid plans may not necessarily happen and that I have to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities. 

There has to be balance in the initiative as well. In addition to my full-time job as a graphic designer, I find myself playing the roles of visionary, fundraiser, marketer, designer and idea generator for Rubina Design. Pauline has been a wonderful collaborator, as she constantly reminds me of the Rubina brand and the need to balance passion and pragmatism. 

It is also important to be part of an encouraging network of women, such as NYWSE. I am constantly surprised and delighted by the number of people who are excited about the Rubina mission and are willing to contribute their time, money and effort.

Last but not least, Rubina’s story is the driving force behind my mission and efforts. Whenever I encounter an obstacle, I remind myself of the Rubinas in the world and continue to be inspired by their strength and perserverence.

If you could recommend a good read for aspiring social entrepreneurs such as yourself, which book would it be?

I love Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen, as I have been to Peshawar and can relate to his experiences in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. I am inspired by his humility, his connection to the people and his passion for achieving the extraordinary to improve the lives of others.

To learn more about Kari's product line and support women entrepreneurs in developing countries , visit http://www.rubinadesign.com

You're Invited! NYWSE Presents: Loans for Growth

NYWSE is pleased to present leaders in the microfinance industry who have provided entrepreneurs access to capital, resources to grow their enterprises, and ultimately the opportunity and strength to start a business. Each of these panelists has successfully integrated micro-lending programs within their organizations in different ways and will discuss the impact they've made in supporting women entrepreneurs globally.

Register online: http://loansforgrowth.eventbrite.com

EVENT DETAILS
Date: Thursday, October 28, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Location: 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, Conference Center [Please bring your ID.]

MODERATOR

Mia Feldman, JPMorgan Social Finance Group
Mia works in the Social Finance Group in J.P. Morgan's Investment Bank, the commercial initiative focuses on capital markets and principal investment opportunities within the microfinance and broader social enterprise sectors.  Previously, she worked in domestic microfinance at ACCION New York as both a loan consultant and a lending team leader. She is the founder and former chair of the ACCION USA Microfinance Council, an organization dedicated to promoting this not for profit to young professionals, providing strategic advice and assisting with fundraising activities with the support of the Board of Directors at ACCION. She is currently on the ACCION New York Advisory Board. She is fluent in Spanish and holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Scripps College in Claremont, California.

She is enrolled to begin a Masters in Public Affairs in the fall of 2011 at Woodrow Wilson School. In this year prior to going back to school she will continue to work in the Social Finance group in the Investment Bank at J.P. Morgan.

PANELISTS

Gina Harman, President and CEO, ACCION USA
Gina Harman, named president and CEO of ACCION USA in May 2008, brings 35 years of extensive private sector management and public service experience to the microfinance organization.

Formerly President of Harman International’s $600 Million consumer products division, Ms. Harman managed the company’s 12 consumer brands, strategy, engineering, product development, marketing and sales worldwide. Prior to her senior post at Harman International, Mr. Harman served as Executive Director of the Astoria Local Development Corporation, in the Office of the Mayor as Youth Bureau planner for the borough of Queens, founded and served as Executive Director of the Washington Square Day Care Cooperative and as an advocate in various labor and community organizations.

Ms. Harman has been involved with microfinance for years through service on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of ACCION New York, briefly as its Chief Executive Officer and President before leading the merger with ACCION USA to form the largest microfinance portfolio in the country.  Ms. Harman received the Neighborhood Achievement Award from  Mayor Bloomberg in 2009 in recognition of ACCION’s work with women- and minority owned businesses in NYC.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of the CDFI Coalition, the Consumer Advisory Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of NY, NY State Governor Paterson’s Small Business Task Force and Capital One’s New Market Tax Credit’s Community Advisory Board.

Ms. Harman holds a bachelor's degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the State University of New York and is a graduate of the Non-Profit Management Institute at Columbia University and the Tenenbaum Institute at the Milano School – Graduate Center of the New School, both in NYC.   She resides in NYC. 

Emily Kerr, Founder and CEO, Liga Masiva

Emily Kerr is the founder of Liga Masiva. Her vision, consulting experience, and deep experience in Dominican communities in the DR and in the US create a strong foundation for the enterprise. A New York native, Emily graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Hamilton College and also studied in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Part of her study included a year-long fellowship to do advanced field study in Organic Food Initiatives in the Dominican Republic. This research was the beginning of her ongoing relationship with organic farmers in the DR. Subsequently, Emily was hired as a consultant to increase sales and usage of a wireless “food stamp” program in NYC and was able to generate a lift of 400% over the previous year’s sales. Most recently, Emily lent her business acumen and skill at building relationships to support First Manhattan Consulting Group on projects in Latin America, overhauling the collections operations of the biggest low-income mortgage provider in Mexico, among other engagements. 

Richa Agarwal, Project Manager, BRAC USA 

Richa Agarwal, a Project Manager with BRAC USA, recently merged her 12 years of experience in the New York fashion industry with her passion for microfinance.  Richa works with BRAC’s largest social enterprise Aarong in Bangladesh, employing 65,000 rural artisans. Richa currently oversees special projects that will increase Aarong’s capacity to provide employment to more Bangladeshi rural artisans. Richa was educated at Boston University, FIT and Pratt Institute. 

Jahaira Guerrero, Director of Microenterprise Development, Brooklyn Cooperative

Jahaira Guerrero is the credit union’s Director of Microenterprise Development and has been with the credit union for one year. Currently, Jahaira is responsible for the majority of high-volume business lending and all aspects of business underwriting and disbursements. In addition to maintaining a healthy loan portfolio and implementing high-quality loan originations, she is also responsible for the credit union’s participation in the SBA Express loan collateralization program, and acts as our main liaison with the SBA team. Jahaira has performed various outreach initiatives with partner organizations with an interest in business lending, such as Acción, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and NYC Business Solutions. Prior to the credit union, Jahaira worked at NYC Business Solutions as a finance account executive and as a senior loan officer at Accion USA. She holds a BA from Lehman College at the City University of New York.

Katherine Rosenberg, Director of Evaluation and Education, Grameen America

Ms. Rosenberg joined Grameen America as Director of Evaluation and Education. Most recently, Ms. Rosenberg was a research coordinator at New York Presbyterian Hospital where she was responsible for project management, patient recruitment, and evaluation activities for multiple projects. Prior to this, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal where she designed and implemented numerous health education efforts, disease prevention programs, and community development initiatives that included the establishment of a village-operated cooperative pharmacy. Ms. Rosenberg holds a B.A. degree from Union College in American Studies and an MPH from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Register online: http://loansforgrowth.eventbrite.com

 

Women do not network—we netweave!

by Oi Yen Lam, Chief Blogger

Oct 4, 2010-- NYWSE successfully launched the first of its “How She Does It” Dinner Series, featuring Amber Chand, co-founder of the Prosperity Candle Company as our guest speaker. A big thank you goes to Smorgas Chef Restaurants for hosting us at the beautiful Crepes du Nord in the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District.

So here we were on a rainy Monday night, a face-off between 18 amazing women changemakers and a tasting menu of sweet and savory crepes.

 

Nothing like sunny-side-up eggs, tucked into warm crepes, to conquer the Monday blues!

 

Amber began the night with an engaging recollection of her journey as a social entrepreneur. Born in East Africa of Indian parentage and expelled from her country during a time of political turmoil in her youth, she developed a profound interest in women’s empowerment, economic security around the world, and the role of business as a transformational agent for social change and peace building.

One of the philosophies behind Amber’s work is her belief in the feminine paradigm of business. Too often, businesses are focused on aggressive, exponential growth with little consideration for long-term sustainability. Amber realized this the hard way at Eziba, a retailer of artisan handicrafts that she co-founded in 1999. At its peak, the company had raised USD40 million in venture financing and earned a solid reputation for rebranding artisan products as sophisticated collectibles.

Things took a wrong turn six years later, when Eziba ran into financial difficulties from its rapid growth and Amber’s business partner passed away unexpectedly. Deeply affected by her professional and personal losses, Amber retreated into a nine-month period of self reflection. At her darkest hour, she dreamt of several impoverished women weavers whom she had met on a work trips to Bolivia.

“In that dream,” Amber shared, “they looked at me and begged me not to forget them”

Spurred by the humbling vision of the women weavers and her determination, Amber started afresh and established the Women’s Peace Collection, a business focused on handmade items created by women in areas of conflict including Jerusalem and Darfur. Over the next five years, Amber built her company by first creating a strong foundation and centering its growth on a balanced business model.

This, emphasized Amber, is the feminine paradigm of business. As opposed to “testosterone-charged” models that emphasized fast growth and high profits, a sustainable business is one that is built upon relationships, humility, compassion as well as love for our dreams, vision and life. Ultimately, Amber notes, women do not merely network—we netweave.

Today, at Prosperity Candle, Amber’s team invests in women entrepreneurs in areas of conflict by providing them with the resources to build successful candle-making businesses. The for profit social venture designs, imports, markets and sells the women's candles in North America and shares profits with the women entrepreneurs. By focusing on the candle as a symbol of the women’s’ dreams and eventual empowerment as they emerge from darkness, Prosperity Candle hopes to eventually expand from its current entrepreneur base in Iraq to Rwanda and Haiti and develop partnerships with like-minded organizations. To learn more about Prosperity Candle, please visit http://prosperitycandle.com, or check out our earlier interview with Siiri Morley, partner at Prosperity Candle.

Many thanks to Amber, for your generosity in sharing your story, and to Smorgas Chef Restaurants, NYWSE-rs and guests for making our event a success. We have an exciting line-up of NYWSE events, so stay tuned for updates on this blog as well as the NYWSE Twitter and Linkedin sites!

Chocolates for Good

by Oi Yen Lam, Chief Blogger

What comes to mind when you encounter that nutty, fragrant bar of goodness? From its humble beginnings as cacao tree pods, chocolates evoke a variety of emotions as one of the world’s best-loved sweets. 

This week, we speak with Shana Dressler, creator of the high impact grassroots giving campaign 21 Villages. Proceeds from the campaign will benefit Project Hope & Fairness (PH&F), a non-profit that seeks to enhance the sustainability of West African cocoa villages

Scheduled to roll out this fall, the campaign will raise funds to transform 21 cocoa farming villages across Côte d’Ivoire by providing the tools necessary to improve the quality of cocoa production and community life. 21 Villages educates consumers about the realities of the cocoa industry and how they can transform cocoa farming into a sustainable occupation. Finally, the project highlights how more than philanthropy, it’s a chocolate lovers decision to support chocolate brands which source their beans directly from farmers and pay them a living wage, that will make the greatest impact in changing the quality of a farmers’ life.

Read on as Shana shares her journey as a social entrepreneur, her inspiration and hopes for the future.

You have worn many hats as a producer, multimedia artist and photojournalist—what inspired your current journey as a social entrepreneur?

As an artist, I have lived in and traveled to over 40 countries where I have met various personalities who work in the social sector. I realized that many large scale “social impact” projects are designed to ensure that the US-based organization spearheading the initiative stays in business. While that’s an important consideration, I couldn’t help but wonder what came first—the business plan or a conversation around how to best serve people based on their needs?

My “a-ha” moment arrived during the two years I worked at Link TV, the nationwide satellite channel  which broadcasts documentaries about global issues and the people working to resolve them. Numerous viewers told us that they were moved by the films and wanted to contribute to these causes despite their limited financial resources. As my contract came to an end, I pitched a position for myself to become the community liaison and develop ways for people to act on issues that inspired them. Sadly, my proposal was turned down and so I moved on.

During this period, I was collecting material for a multimedia exhibition on Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god worshiped in India for bringing success and removing obstacles. The project gave me a window into the world of international development and business for social change. I traveled to India five times over six years as I transitioned out of my role as a multimedia producer and consultant to a life of service through non-profit and social enterprise initiatives.

After Link TV, I spent the next two years learning everything I could about philanthropy, the non-profit world, and social enterprise. In February 2009, I launched the Global Giving Circle, a grassroots fundraising initiative where people could contribute to small-scale philanthropic initiatives that create significant, tangible solutions to poverty. Over the next 18 months, we produced five events that raised money and awareness for 18 non-profits and social enterprises.

What is the inspiration behind the 21 Villages Campaign?

The initiative started out as a Valentine’s Day chocolate tasting fundraiser hosted by the Global Giving Circle in 2009. Our goal was simple—we wanted to capture the meaning of Valentine’s Day as a day to express love, not only romance. By the end of the tasting, we had raised $5,500 from $25 donations for Project Hope & Fairness, a nonprofit that has been working in Côte d’Ivoire for the last 8 years.

After four similar events where we chose a cause and then found a non-profit doing incredible work in that particular area, I learned that when you’re charging $25 a ticket for events which attract around 200 people, event-based fundraising is unsustainable. It is very challenging to raise your fundraising target, pay for hard costs not covered by in-kind donations and pay yourself for the time and energy that goes into organizing and promoting the event. I’ am sure that is why most non-profits do not organize more than one big gala a year where tables are sold for $5,000 - $10,000 to corporate sponsors and wealthy individuals. If I want to achieve tangible results in the area of grassroots philanthropy and pay my rent, I would have to find another model – something that could be replicated over and over again. My response was to create the 21 Villages campaign under the umbrella of Project Hope & Fairness.

The 21 Villages campaign is a high impact grassroots giving campaign that gives individuals the opportunity, resources and knowledge to organize successful fundraisers, such as chocolate tastings, in their local networks.  We use the proceeds to provide equipment to the cocoa farmers after carefully assessing their needs.  When the farmers’ economic situation improves, we will encourage village ownership by having the farmers purchase equipment at prices made affordable by subsidies from the campaign.

Our goal is to improve the farmers’ earnings by improving the quality of their cocoa beans. The project is also designed to have wide-ranging benefits that address health, education and women empowerment. As we did in our pilot, we will be building wells and donating weighing scales to the cocoa farmers, so that they can weigh their cocoa onsite and bypass middlemen who usually skim a portion of the farmers’ earnings.  With the wells, the village women will no longer have to undertake the time-consuming task of fetching water. Instead, they will be able to use their extra time to form cooperatives to grow rice and cassava, and sell their crops at the market with help from the weighing scales. As their earnings grow, they will be able to invest in their family’s healthcare and their children’s education. We have a two short You Tube videos about the well and scale donations from the pilot project: www.globalcocoaproject.org/multimedia.

What are the challenges and opportunities that you have encountered?

No matter where you go, when you’re working outside of your own culture, I think the biggest challenge is taking the time to really understand the culture and traditions of the people who you will be ultimately serving. There’s a lot to know and learn. Moving beyond ones own cultural lens isn’t easy, but it’s imperative. Achieving long-term impact is possible only if you explicitly design your initiative as a partnership of equals.

From the demand side, we need to build a market for the farmers’ cocoa by raising awareness and educating consumers about the incredible impact they can create by purchasing ethically traded products.

What advice do you have for others interested in pursuing similar opportunities in social enterprise?

I recommend that people invest time in understanding their passions. Ask yourself the most difficult questions about your true motives. If you are motivated by doing something to look good or soothe a sense of guilt, then you’re allowing your ego to drive you. When you come from a self-ish as opposed to a self-less space, you will encounter more challenges and make more mistakes.

There is always plenty to learn from others. Try working for people who have experience in the areas that interest you. You can observe and volunteer for social entrepreneurs whom you admire. I believe that there are so many paths to serving others — the goal is to understand what you love, where your talents lie and how this aligns with your vision of a life of service and your deepest purpose.

If your life were a box of chocolates, what would it be inside?  

Definitely a combination of chocolates with chilies, spices and nuts!