Raising Capital for Your CDFI? Don’t Miss OFN’s March 19 Virtual Forum

OFN’s free, half-day virtual forum on March 19 will focus on capital raising strategies for CDFIs and other community-based mission lenders. Register today!

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Over the past year, CDFIs and other mission-driven lenders have encountered tightening capital markets as a result of inflation, rising interest rates, and continued economic challenges. On March 19, join industry peers from across the country to discuss CDFI capitalization in today’s environment during OFN’s free, virtual 2024 CONNECT+ Forum. 

The forum will feature a half day of plenaries and breakout sessions that dive deeper into strategies, opportunities, and innovations that can help your organization more effectively achieve its mission.   

To extend opportunities for deeper learning, we’re also offering a virtual, half-day training the day before the CONNECT+ Forum, on March 18.”

CONNECT+ Forum Details

During the forum, we’ll consider ways CDFIs and other mission-driven financial institutions can optimize the nuts and bolts of capitalization to enhance efficiency; navigate the current capital landscape of public, private, and philanthropic sources; and forge new partnerships. 

Sessions

• The Decision Dilemma: Tools to Navigate Small Business Lending Program Participation  
• The CDFI Financial Manager’s Guide to a Resilient Balance Sheet  
• Forging New Partnerships: Blending Capital to Effectively Meet Your Mission 
• Unlocking Impact Capital: Trends and Opportunities in CDFI Note Programs
• From Main Street to Capitol Hill: Bridging Capital Gaps Through Policy Advocacy
• Cultivating Commitments: Strategies for Investor & Funder Relationship Management 

The forum will also feature plenaries such as “Capitalizing Community: CDFIs and the Art of Equitable Finance.” See the event registration site for the latest agenda. 

Thank you to our forum sponsors, Citi Foundation and JPMorgan Chase, for helping to make this event possible and free of charge. 

Haven’t attended OFN’s CONNECT+ Forum before? Check out recordings from previous years here. 

Capitalization 101 Training Details  

How are CDFIs capitalized? Why is capitalization so important to the CDFI business model? What are some of the common challenges CDFIs encounter when building and implementing a capitalization strategy? Get answers to these questions and more on March 18 at this half-day, 101-level workshop designed to provide a foundational overview of capitalization in the context of CDFIs! 

• Date: Monday, March 18
• Time: 2-5pm ET 
• Location: Virtual 
• Cost: $75 OFN Members; $125 General/Non-Members

You can add-on the training when registering for the forum.

See the registration site for more details about the forum and training. 

Mark Your Calendar for More OFN Events and Training 

In 2024, OFN is hosting three regional meetings, the CONNECT+ Forum, Small Business Finance Forum, 40^th annual OFN Conference, and more than 35 in-person and virtual trainings. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for further details about registration, agendas, speakers, and more for upcoming events and training! 

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Tags: CDFI Leadership, Connect+, Impact Investing