Association Development Community of Practice Advancing Microfinance through Association Leadership

The SEEP Network’s Community of Practice is a framework that allows SEEP members different levels of participation and non- members to easily understand what SEEP does. How We Work Our Structure Communities of Practice All SEEP learning initiatives are organized under three Communities to build a cohesive learning framework and increase cross-fertilization of ideas. Intersecting areas illustrate where learning initiatives may be relevant to multiple Communities.

Community Members Association Development *Not all members have provided this data Outreach data update as of November 30, SEEP MF association members 8 Regional Networks 56 National Networks 89,407,541 Total Clients Served* $28,942,120,060 Outstanding Loan Portfolio* 4,199 Total member MFIs 46% of SEEP’s members are associations

TO A Uniquely Global Experience the deep, practical value of coming together in a practitioner-exclusive community. The SEEP community cultivates partnerships that benefit all parties through the pooling of resources, positions and expertise. By teaming up with a global community, your organization will have a bigger impact on the ground. Learning Exchange Member Benefits Exchange Practitioner

Annual Member of the Year: SEEP awards an organization for outstanding contribution to SEEP learning initiatives and to the industry. Annual Practitioner of the Year: SEEP awards an employee of a member organization who has demonstrated remarkable leadership and technical contributions to important development initiatives. Contributors to resources: Members that contribute to a learning product will be recognized as a contributor within the product and as it is disseminated. A SEEP membership increases credibility with donors, funders, and other microenterprise development stakeholders. Member Benefits Recognition Industry Recognition

Member Benefits Access Access to exclusive resources and tools Most SEEP products are available to the industry at large, but some are exclusively for members. Members have exclusive use of some SEEPCommunity.com functionalities, such featured discussions and closed groups. Member organizations have the option of exhibiting their programs at the MarketPlace during the SEEP Annual Conference. Microfinance association members have exclusive access to the Member Feedback Tool (MFT), a survey tool that gauges satisfaction and needs among an association’s member microfinance institutions.

SEEP offers all members reduced prices in all SEEP’s fee- based products and services, including discounted access to SEEP Annual Conference, the Global Network Summit, and regional events. Members can also apply for scholarships, per funding availability. Member Benefits Discounts

Ability to shape SEEP’s learning agenda SEEP is a neutral, global learning community that allows its members to set the agenda based on the challenges and opportunities they face in the field. Members can drive the agenda in four ways: Members impact SEEP governance through member- only events where they provide feedback on SEEP strategy and vote for the board of directors. Members create and lead SEEP working groups, while SEEP provides facilitation through online workspaces and expert leadership. Members influence the development of knowledge-based products within the working groups. Members can submit workshop proposals for the SEEP Annual Conference to highlight the successful, innovative work they are doing in the field. Member Benefits Influence

Association Development 2012 Learning Agenda Consumer Protection Learning Objective: To advance the practical application of the Client Protection Principles as a means of promoting responsible finance. Risk Management Learning Objective: To help associations define their role in national and regional risk mitigation strategies. Savings Promotion Learning Objective: To help associations to define their role in promoting access to savings, to spur the process of innovation and to advocate for the adoption of business models that expand savings services. Transparent Business Environments Learning Objective: To promote financial and social performance reporting and monitoring as a key service line for MFAs

Association Development 2012 Initiatives Association Development Community SEEP is co-organizing 5 Regional Network Summits in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. These regional workshops bring together microfinance association professionals from each region to discuss important trends and critical needs for their respective microfinance sector. MENA: Amman, Jordan – June 2- 3 Asia: Shanghai, China – June 28 EECA: Warsaw, Poland – July LAC: Panama City, Panama – September 3- 4 Africa: Kampala, Uganda – September 27 Regional Network Summits Global Network Summit The foremost event for microfinance associations, this event annually convenes representatives from regional and national associations from around the world to discuss current issues, share common solutions, and ultimately to strengthen their institutional capacity through workshops and peer learning GNS: Arlington, VA, 1 day during SEEP Conference week, Nov 5- 9, 2012.

Association Development 2012 Initiatives Association Development Community Brazil Network Strengthening Program SEEP and the Citi Foundation are partnering to implement a 3-year program to support the development of two microfinance associations in Brazil: ABSCM and ABCRED. Based on the highly successful methodology utilized in the Citi Network Strengthening Program, the program will focus on three mutually reinforcing elements (institutional strengthening, technical support in service provision, and high impact peer learning) to build the capacity of the associations to become leaders in the Brazilian microfinance sector. This four-year program, supported by the MasterCard Foundation will provide direct support to eight associations from Sub-Saharan Africa while extending learning to other SEEP association members in Africa and globally. The goal of the program is to promote the responsible development of the microfinance markets through strong local leadership. The program will achieve this by building the organizational capacity of microfinance associations to deliver high quality, demand-driven services, creating a more transparent business environments, promoting consumer protection principles and practices, and developing a strong learning platform to scale and sustain industry development. Responsible Finance through Local Leadership in Sub- Saharan Africa

Market Outlook 2012: Perspectives of Microfinance Association Leaders The top threats identified: Government regulation, interference, and subsidized loans to the sector Over-indebtedness, competition, high portfolio-at-risk (PAR) rates Funding costs and availability MFIs are least prepared to mitigate the risks of: Political interference Competition / Corporate governance Survey with 37 MFA directors to give a field perspective on what direction microfinance is taking in their countries in the next months. Associations’ Priorities and Actions: Increase Sector Sustainability: Capacity Building in risk management, product development and market research Work with governments and the broader community on appropriate legislation and understanding the benefits of the microfinance sector Address over-indebtedness via credit bureaus, client protection, financial education, credit risk management

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