Mariel Vincent Rapisura, Author at Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc.

SEDPI Completes SBC Engagement

On June 28, 2014, SEDPI completed the capacity building program to three microfinance institutions (MFIs) under the Department of Trade and Industry’s Rural Micro-Entrepreneur Promotion Program (RuMEPP). RuMEPP was launched in 2007 with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as its lead implementing agency. RuMEPP is a seven-year project of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) based in Rome, Italy. The specific objectives of the program are (1) to increase the volume of finance available to micro enterprises; and (2) provide efficient, cost-effective and demand-responsive business development services to rural micro enterprises.

The Small Business Corporation (SBC) provides loans and capacity-building services to microfinance institutions (MFI) operating in the provinces included in the project under one of three RuMEPP components – Microfinance Credit and Support. The other two components are Microenterprise Promotion and Development and Program Management and Policy Coordination.

SBC awarded three contracts to SEDPI starting April 23, 2013 to build the capacity of three MFIs that are not yet eligible for loans but are operating in the 19 priority provinces of RuMEPP. These MFIs are Fatima Multipurpose Cooperative, Bibak Multipurpose Cooperative and Basak Layog Multipurpose Cooperative. The cooperatives are located in Leyte and Kalinga.

SEDPI provided the organizational appraisal, trainings and technical and mentoring assistance to the MFIs. Organizational appraisal refers to the diagnosis of an organization’s financial performance, human resource management, information systems, financial performance, products and services, governance structure, marketing, and general operations. This phase aims to determine the capability-building intervention needs of the institution and to provide an expert analysis on each interventions. The technical and mentoring assistance is delivered on a mentor-learner approach as SEDPI closely supervises and monitors an institution’s progress towards sustainability. The trainings delivered to the MFIs covered character and capacity-based lending; delinquency management training; strategic planning; and disaster management.

1,383 Students Trained on Financial Literacy

Now on its third year, SEDPI trained students of Sisters of Mary Schools (SMS) Boystown and Girlstown. The trainings were held in the campuses of SMS on June 20, 2014. There were 456 male students and 927 female students who attended the financial literacy trainings.

To date, almost 4,000 SMS have already been trained on the importance of personal finance, savings, managing expenditures, setting financial goals, budgeting and insurance. At the end of the training, students showed their appreciation to the trainers. The evaluation of the trainings gave a rating of 4.93 out of possible score of 5.00. This shows that the students enjoyed and learned a lot from the training event.

The Sisters of Mary School is a non-stock, non-profit, non-paying, live-in secondary institution for the marginalized poor of our country. The school is maintained and supported mainly by donations, gifts and bequests coming from noble, selfless and well meaning persons and entities, local and foreign.[1]

The financial literacy trainings are held in partnership with the Philippine Transmarine Carriers – Carlos Salinas Jr. Foundation (PTC-CSJ). PTC-CSJ is the corporate social responsibility arm of Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC). It provides support for students through financial literacy and feeding programs among others.

[1] http://www.thesistersofmaryschools.edu.ph/sms_history.php

MMC Mounts Microfinance Management Conference

Mindanao Microfinance Council held its Mindanao Microfinance Management Conference in Davao City on March 28, 2014. The conference theme was “Understanding the State of Microfinance Industry in Mindanao.” The topics in the conference were the initiatives of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on microfinance; assessment of the microfinance industry in Mindandao; the state of market saturation and inclusion in the Philippines; microfinance and livelihood restoration for disaster affected regions among others. The speakers came from various organizations such as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, People’s Credit and Finance Corporation, Microfinance Council of the Philippines, and PinoyME.

SEDPI was an event partner of Mindanao Microfinance Council for the event.

SEDPI Conducts Financial Literacy Training to Palaweños

SEDPI trained a total of 696 residents of San Vicente, Palawan on Financial Literacy (FL), December 12-15, 2013. The training is part of SEDPI’s partnership with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) in a project to create eco-towns or ecologically sustainable and economically stable communities. Those who benefitted from this project were mainly entrepreneurial mothers and most were also beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4 Ps).

The FL Training aims to change the conservative mindset of its participants about money by providing basic financial dos and don’ts to more comprehensive advice on livelihood and income management. It is a crucial first step of the project where after being financially trained, the participants may qualify for loans and venture to economically and ecologically sound livelihood. The participants, coming from baranggays Poblacion, Alumanguan, Sto. Niño, and New Agutaya, had to sit through the 6 parts of the FL training—Importance of Personal Finance, Managing Expenditures, Setting Financial Goals, Savings and Creating Savings Plans, Insurance, and Debt Management—where they also get to interact and share their financial situations with SEDPI trainers.

The success of the trainings is evident with the feedback SEDPI received from the participants. A participant from Poblacion commented, “Masaya po kami sa pagtuturo namin at marami kaming natutunan lalo na sa aming pag-iipon at pagsavings.” (We’re happy in the training and we learned a lot especially in saving) A Sto. Niño participant expressed, “Thanks po sa pagpunta sa amin at sa pagpapaliwanag kung ano ang dapat naming gawin at marami po talaga akong nalaman.” (Thank you for visiting us for explaining what we should do. We really learned a lot.

SEDPI is positive that the FL training will build a solid foundation to make San Vicente an eco-town. More importantly, SEDPI looks forward to the concrete results with more economically empowered and disaster-resilient families of San Vicente.

Strategic Planning for Social Enterprises

The course addresses the issues of strategic and operational planning that are vital to the successful development of social enterprises. The right to left planning approach will be used as the framework for the strategic planning process. A vision questing workshop is the highlight of the course enabling social entrepreneurs to set ambitious but realistic plans. The course presents common strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that will aid social entrepreneurs in generating strategic options. The strategic planning course will aid social enterprises in clarifying their niche and differentiation in the competitive industry they are in. One of the most awaited portion of the course is on how to creatively generate resources to fund the operations and growth of social enterprises.

Social Performance Management for Social Enterprises

The starting point for many social enterprises has been their mission and commitment to providing access to the poor and helping them improve their social and economic conditions. Due to the magnitude of social enterprise models, there are a number of emerging ways on how to measure social performance and impact. The course will present various methods in measuring social performance such as Social Return on Investment, Development Indexing, and Balanced Score Card among others. The course aims to provide tools to social enterprises in developing relevant social performance measures and installing a system on monitoring these.

Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship involves the promotion and building of enterprises or organizations that create wealth, with the intention of benefiting not just a person, family or clan but a defined constituency, sector or community usually involving the public at large or the marginalized sectors of society. The course aims to inspire participants to establish or participate in social enterprises. Topics to be discussed include definitions of social entrepreneurship, case studies on existing social enterprises, crafting a social enterprise concept, identifying sources of funding, and creating action plans for delivering social enterprise products and services. Modules integrate the use of management practices (human resource, marketing, operations and finance) with sustainable development. The course emphasizes that social enterprises, like business enterprises, are also concerned with financial sustainability. However, social enterprises go beyond profits, setting bottomlines that not only contribute to financial sustainability, but also towards development objectives.

How to Start a Social Enterprise

Social enterprise is experiencing a meteoric rise in interest and relevance in the Philippines and the rest of the world. It is an entirely new way of working, a way of creating a new sort of wealth and most of all, a way of changing people and the world. It is not an easy route and the conflicts between social goals and business, values and democratic working call for innovative approaches to planning, governing, selling and managing. The training aims to equip budding social entrepreneurs with information on getting started on their social enterprise venture by providing tips on business strategies and planning, marketing and communications including using new media in establishing networks plus raising finance.