OFN Training
Overview
OFN’s growing course catalog of industry-specific training aims to help CDFI practitioners and partners enhance the knowledge and skills they need to make a greater impact in the communities they serve. OFN currently offers a range of virtual and in-person training opportunities featuring interactive learning and skill-building, including workshops on topics ranging from CDFI 101 to financial management, capitalization, specific lending sectors and more! Browse our training offerings in the course catalogue below.
2025 Training Calendar
OFN offers training both as standalone opportunities and in conjunction with our in-person events, including regional meetings, the Small Business Finance Forum, and the annual OFN Conference. Explore our training calendar below to discover upcoming sessions and find the format and location that best suits your needs!
Monday, January 13
Virtual Climate Lending 101 (Member-Only)
SOLD OUT!
Course Catalog
This 101-level workshop is designed to provide an efficient, foundational overview of capitalization in the context of CDFIs. We’ll delve into the various types of capital available to CDFIs – what they are, why they matter, and use cases – as well as sources for different types of capital. If you’re new to the world of CDFI capitalization, or just looking to refresh your knowledge on the capitalization landscape, this workshop is for you!
Virtual Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
In-Person Fees: $150 per person for OFN Members; $285 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: In-Person, Virtual
Training dates in 2025: January – Virtual; April- Detroit, MI; May – Springfield, MA; June 11 – Austin, TX at OFN Small Business Finance Forum; October 21 – Washington, D.C. at OFN41; November – Minneapolis, MN; December – San Diego, CA. See the calendar above to learn more.
This 101-level workshop is designed to provide an efficient, foundational overview of capitalization in the context of CDFIs. We’ll delve into the various types of capital available to CDFIs – what they are, why they matter, and use cases – as well as sources for different types of capital. If you’re new to the world of CDFI capitalization, or just looking to refresh your knowledge on the capitalization landscape, this workshop is for you!
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: February, August. See the calendar above to learn more.
Why is capitalization so important to the CDFI loan fund business model? How can you align sources and uses to create an effective capitalization strategy? Building on the concepts of Capitalization 101, we’ll explore answers to these questions and more! Through case studies and interactive exercises, you’ll learn how capitalization supports CDFI operations, financing, and growth while gaining insights into the common challenges CDFIs encounter in building and implementing a capitalization strategy.
For practitioners new to CDFI capitalization, we strongly recommend taking Capitalization 101: Sources & Uses prior to this workshop.
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: February, August. See the calendar above to learn more.
This interactive, full-day workshop is geared towards CDFI practitioners and mission-driven lenders seeking to strengthen and refine their capital raising approach. The workshop will primarily focus on assisting attendees with developing and/or honing a compelling value proposition for various types of investors.
Attendees will receive templates, tips, and real-time support to help them build a pitch deck and/or narrative that effectively conveys their organization’s work. Through interactive exercises, attendees will have opportunities to practice their pitch amidst peers and receive actionable feedback.
The workshop will also cover what to expect when raising capital—from building a data room to the typical components of underwriting and due diligence processes—and include guidance on investor outreach and relationship management. Attendees will leave equipped with new skills and insights to maximize opportunities to successfully raise capital for their respective organizations.
Please note that this training is only open to practitioners at OFN members, as well as other mission-driven lenders.
For practitioners new to CDFI capitalization, we strongly recommend taking Capitalization 101: Sources & Uses prior to this workshop.
Fees: $385 per person for OFN Members; $600 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: In-Person
Training dates in 2025: April – Springfield, MA; November – Minneapolis, MN. See the calendar above to learn more.
Description Coming Soon!
Fees: TBA
Type: In-Person, Virtual
Training dates in 2025: March 12 – Washington, D.C. See the calendar above to learn more.
Description Coming Soon!
Fees: TBA
Type: In-Person, Virtual
Training dates in 2025: March 12 – Washington, D.C. See the calendar above to learn more.
Interested in CDFI-specific training for your board members? Starting in 2025, OFN will offer tailored, customized executive training for CDFI board members to help build a deeper understanding of the CDFI industry, challenges and opportunities facing CDFI leaders, and leading practices for board governance, including fiduciary responsibilities and strategic planning in the context of a CDFI.
Please reach out to [email protected] for more information.
Fees: Varies; this is a customized offering.
Type: In-Person, Virtual
Description Coming Soon!
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: TBA. See the calendar above to learn more.
Designed for CDFI financial management professionals, this workshop is intended to help practitioners build their CDFI’s organizational resiliency through financial management. This is a two-part training: it starts with a full-day, in-person workshop and includes a 90-min follow-up virtual learning session via Zoom. The registration fee includes both of these components.
During the in-person workshop, attendees will dive into the CAMEL framework, exploring leading practices for monitoring, analyzing, and assessing their CDFIs’ financial health through exercises involving both cases studies and analysis of their own organizations’ financials.
Attendees will also receive access to Excel tools developed by OFN, such as a CAMEL KPI dashboard. The dashboard is an interconnected Excel tool that allows practitioners to leverage the CAMEL framework to identify trends in their CDFI’s financials, make financial projections, and assess performance against key performance indicators. OFN staff facilitators will work with attendees to adapt these concepts, materials, and tools to the needs of their CDFI.
To maximize the workshop experience, participants will need to bring a laptop that can run Microsoft Excel as well as their CDFI’s most recent audited financials from the past three fiscal years. Additional information will be sent one week prior to the in-person workshop.
Approximately six weeks after the in-person workshop, attendees will participate in a 90-min follow-up virtual session to discuss how they’ve adapted the tools and concepts to their CDFI; raise new questions and get support with any challenges they’ve encountered; share feedback on implementation; and engage in peer learning.
Please note that due to demand, this training is only open to practitioners at OFN members and other mission-driven lenders. If you are interested in this workshop but are not a practitioner at a CDFI or mission-driven lender, please reach out to [email protected] to explore our customized training options.
Fees: $450 per person for OFN Members; $800 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Hybrid (In-Person & Virtual)
Training dates in 2025: April – Detroit, MI at Midwest Regional Meeting; December – San Diego, CA at West Regional Meeting. Additional dates coming soon. See the calendar above to learn more.
Discover the core principles and components of CDFI small business lending! Through interactive discussions, case studies, and activities, you’ll deepen your understanding of key concepts and leading practices to develop a foundation on the “why,” “what,” and “how” of small business CDFIs and their work.
We’ll begin by exploring the small business lending landscape, examining the critical role CDFIs play within this ecosystem, and the evolution of their small business lending practices. Next, we’ll delve into CDFI small business lending strategies, reviewing the most common loan products offered and key principles for effective lending and portfolio management within this sector. We’ll then transition to an overview of the types of programming and capacity-building initiatives small business CDFIs typically offer alongside their loans. Finally, we’ll close with an outlook on current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the CDFI small business lending space.
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual & In-Person
Training dates in 2025: March – Virtual; June 11 – Austin, TX at OFN Small Business Finance forum; September – Virtual. See the calendar above to learn more.
Step into the world of CDFI single-family lending with this immersive half-day workshop! You’ll build your knowledge of CDFI single-family lending practices from the ground up through interactive discussions, case studies, and collaborative activities.
We’ll start by exploring the landscape of single-family lending and highlighting the role of CDFIs in expanding homeownership access, focusing on how CDFIs have designed single-family lending programs to address market gaps. From there, we’ll review the most common loan product offerings and key principles for effective lending and portfolio management within this sector. We’ll also examine how CDFIs strengthen borrower and community outcomes through capacity-building services, such as homebuyer counseling. The workshop will conclude with a discussion on market trends, policy shifts, and future opportunities in single-family CDFI lending.
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: May, September. See the calendar above to learn more.
Description coming soon!
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: May, September. See the calendar above to learn more.
Interested in climate financing but unsure of where to start? Attend our free, virtual Climate Lending 101 workshop, offered quarterly exclusively for OFN members.
During this ½ day, three-hour workshop, you’ll receive a primer on climate financing concepts and understand the business case for CDFI climate lending at the intersection of climate finance and environmental justice.
You’ll also build your baseline knowledge of key terms, the purpose of climate lending, and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) program. Through case studies and activities, you’ll also be introduced to the broader landscape of climate financing opportunities, products, and practices.
Please note that this workshop is best suited for practitioners who have not yet developed a climate lending portfolio or are in the early stages of doing so.
Fees: Free. This training is only open to OFN members. There is a limit of two attendees per OFN member organization. Registration is available first-come, first-served until we reach our maximum capacity.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: January 13. Additional dates coming soon. See the calendar above to learn more.
To support enduring change within our communities, CDFIs and other mission lenders must recognize and understand how we unintentionally contribute to upholding systemic racism. More and more CDFIs are taking steps to do exactly that and intentionally translate their missions into practice. This full-day workshop is divided into two parts: first, we’ll start with understanding how power and privilege influence individual and institutional behavior through a museum visit and series of interactive activities and discussions.
During the second half of this workshop, attendees will hear from peers who have engaged in this work for a few years on the various ways in which they’ve built a foundation that has allowed them to authentically advance racial equity in their lending practices. We’ll guide practitioners through examining their loan policies, practices, and products for areas of improvement. Join this workshop for an opportunity to begin or deepen your organization’s ongoing journey and commitment to operationalizing racial equity, inclusion, and accessibility into your lending practices.
Upon completing the workshop, registrants will have access to a new, virtual community of practice that meets quarterly to create space for ongoing learning, sharing, and discussion.
Fees: $385 per person for OFN Members; $700 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: In-Person
Training dates in 2025: March – Washington, D.C. See the calendar above to learn more.
Want to learn about Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) and how your CDFI can best leverage it? This interactive, 101-level training will introduce you to the basics of IMM, what it is and is not, and how to make IMM strategies as useful as possible for your CDFI. We will break down both sides of IMM—measurement and management—to understand how these separate components come together to create a useful framework for data gathering, analysis, and use. Along the way, we’ll explore IMM frameworks and definitions in the CDFI ecosystem, as well as methods for data collection, analysis, and management.
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: February 4, April. See the calendar above to learn more.
Description Coming Soon!
Fees: TBA
Type: In-Person
Training dates in 2025: June 11 – Austin, TX at OFN Small Business Finance Forum. See the calendar above to learn more.
Description Coming Soon!
Fees: $125 per person for OFN Members; $200 per person for General/Non-Members.
Type: Virtual
Training dates in 2025: Summer 2025 – TBA. See the calendar above to learn more.
Description Coming Soon!
Fees: TBA
Type: Virtual & In-Person
Training dates in 2025: November. See the calendar above to learn more.
Interested in Custom Virtual or In-Person Trainings?
If you are seeking to host a customized CDFI 101 Orientation, Financial Management Workshop, or other training and have at least 20 attendees, OFN can provide a custom training virtually or in-person.
- Complete this survey to request a custom seminar.
- Pricing will vary based on type of training (in-person or virtual), number of attendees, type of space required for the training (e.g., whether or not OFN would need to find an event space), and other variables. OFN will share estimated pricing for the training once the survey has been submitted and your request has been reviewed.
- If you have any questions regarding custom training, please reach out to Sindhu Lakshmanan
Toolkit Resources
CDFI 101 Toolkit
OFN's CDFI 101 toolkit aims to help practitioners feel better connected to the CDFI industry and the common goals we all share; understand what it means to be a part of the movement built over the past 50 years; and be inspired by the industry’s roots.
Download
Talent Recruitment, Retention & Management
This toolkit aims to assist CDFIs with finding the right people, with the right skills, at the right time for the organization; supporting equitable hiring, retention, and advancement practices; providing insights into staffing trends; and offering actionable examples that make it easy to implement the leading practices shared.
Download
Operationalizing Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (REIA) into Lending Practices
This toolkit was developed to help CDFIs incorporate an explicit focus on REIA into their lending practices. You'll find a guide structured in four sections, each with suggested actions and activities you can undertake individually or as a group.
Download