Upcoming Events and Webinars
BwB Webinar and Debate: Standards of Social Performance Debate
Date: Friday, April 12, 2013
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
Register here
Overview:
Many MFIs face the challenge of effectively reaching their clients while also maintaining a strong social purpose and managing social performance. The Social Performance Task Force defines social performance as the “effective translation of a microfinance organization's mission into practice in line with commonly accepted social values.” Maintaining strong social performance management (SPM) methods enable MFIs to refocus on their clients. However, questions like “is the investment in good SPM worth the added costs these services add to the operational costs of MFIs?” and “is SPM worthwhile for clients or would clients be better off with cheaper products that did not address SPM?” have recently arisen within the field of microfinance. In this webinar, we will feature a debate exploring the universal standards and costs associated with MFIs and SPM. Join BwB for a debate on these questions!
To participate in this debate webinar, participants are requested to take our online “Introduction to Social Performance Management and Poverty Measurement” course and read the Social Performance Task Force’s “Universal Standards for Social Performance Management” beforehand. On the day of the webinar, our presenter will present information about the Standards of Social Performance before opening the floor to debate from all participants. Participants are encouraged to actively engage in the debate.
Our featured presenter is Cara Forster, an independent consultant on the topics of client protection and social performance in microfinance, with clients that include ACCION International, the Social Performance Task Force, and the Grameen Foundation. Before working as an independent consultant, Cara was the Program Manager for Network Development Services at the SEEP Network, the Global Facilitator for the Social Performance Working Group for Networks, and the Program Manager for the Double Line at ACCION International, wherein she helped launch ACCION’s Center for Financial Inclusion and the Smart Campaign. Cara’s work in microfinance primarily focuses on consumer protection and social performance advancement. Her interest in microfinance started 13 years ago when she volunteered in the Peace Corps and coordinated a small loan and savings cooperative for single mothers in Nicaragua. Cara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Harvard College and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from Duke University.
