Job Opportunities

Women's Initiative Microenterprise/Microfinance Fellowship Program

Apply for a Fellowship in Microenterprise in San Francisco, Oakland, Concord, Novato or San Jose

Join the nation’s largest microenterprise training organization for an intensive fellowship. Fellows will be accepted as part of a cohort that will help respond to the national crisis and economic downturn by helping low income women start their own businesses and build their own financial security. Be part of the real change movement!

Our Organization
Women’s Initiative for Self Employment is a dynamic nonprofit organization where dreams become thriving businesses! Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, our mission is to build the entrepreneurial capacity of women to overcome social and economic barriers and achieve self-sufficiency. We are guided by the vision that:

• Every woman will know that she has the power to build assets, be safe and achieve prosperity.
• No woman in the United States will face economic insecurity.

Women’s Initiative links English and Spanish-speaking women with the skills, information and financing they need to establish or expand small businesses that reflect their personal and financial goals. Our programs encourage women to create quality jobs for themselves and others – jobs that offer the flexibility to better blend work and personal responsibilities. Women’s Initiative has served over 20,000 women in the past 21 years and increased the number of women served by over 50% last year alone!

The Opportunity
Women’s Initiative is pleased to offer the Microenterprise Fellows Program. This is a unique opportunity for recent college graduates and seasoned professionals alike to develop leadership skills in microenterprise development, microfinance, nonprofit management, evaluation techniques and social equality with the nation’s largest microenterprise organization.

Microenterprise Fellows dedicate 10 weeks of service to Women’s Initiative.
The Fall 2010 program begins on September 27.  Depending on interest and experience, fellows will contribute their skills in the following areas:

• Development – craft compelling arguments for funding, write grants and reports, and conduct due diligence on new funding prospects
• Finance & microlending – help administer Women's Initiative’s revolving microloan fund
• Marketing – write client success stories, conduct media outreach, develop website and newsletter, provide graphic design support and assist with special events
• Program development – grow new partnerships, develop new content and web learning, and implement entrepreneurial readiness sessions
• Research & public policy – learn and contribute to our outcome evaluation research and continuous program improvements, conduct background research and data analysis, and develop white papers on timely and relevant issues
• Strategic planning – support strategic growth and expansion efforts

Fellows will be placed at one of Women's Initiative’s business training centers in San Francisco, Oakland, Concord, Novato or San Jose and will be mentored by a manager in their area of expertise.

Benefits

• Comprehensive cohort training program on topics such as:
• Microenterprise in the U.S.A.: comprehensive analysis of the variations in implementation
• Mission – Vision – Values: What they are, how they were developed and how we live them
• Microfinance
• Nonprofit finance
• Nonprofit board development and how to develop the best board members possible
• Marketing and brand development: creating a buzz to build a nonprofit or other organization
• Public speaking and pitching your cause
• High growth nonprofits: overview of strategies
• Fundraising
• Leadership
• What to do in a crisis: domestic violence and suicide
• Access to renowned experts and leaders in microenterprise and microfinance
• Individual training and orientation
• Mentorship by a seasoned manager
• Opportunity to develop professional experience in the nonprofit sector with a leading microenterprise organization
  Note: Microenterprise Fellowships are unpaid

Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must have at least one year of work experience plus a BS/BA or equivalent experience. Applicants must be sincerely interested in microenterprise and microfinance, with a desire to contribute to the field and learn from seasoned colleagues. Applicants must be able to commit to 20-40 hours of service per week for a minimum of 10 weeks beginning September 27, 2010. The deadline for submitting the application is August 27th. Please note that training takes place on Mondays, so to be eligible you must be available on these days.

To Apply or for Further Information
Submit a Fellows Application and send in your resume by August 27th to Elizabeth Russell, Volunteer Coordinator, at vcoord@womensinitiative.org or to Katie Taylor at ktaylor@womensinitiative.org.

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