Starting a Microfinance Club

Starting a Microfinance Club on campus can be productive way of raising awareness about microfinance while also making an impact though grass-root fundraising, political activism and research. The resources below will help you get started on developing a successful MF Club or to expand a club you have already created.

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Guidelines for Organizing Microfinance Clubs
Published by The International Year Microcredit, this is a great resource for getting a MF Club started and provides strategic steps for creating a club and increasing awareness on campus.

• Find others interested in starting a microfinance club
• Establish a mission, objective, and strategy
• Organize supporting activities such as lectures, fundraisers, events, or campaigns
• Asses resource needs
• Structure: Designate action areas and responsible parties
• Write a business plan
• Get faculty support
• Develop strategic partnerships

The Financial Access Initiative (FAI), championed by professors from NYU, Yale, and Harvard, also developed a Guide to Starting a Club that can be found here.

Lastly, visiting the CLUB OF THE WEEK feature will give you several great examples of what creative projects some of the student microfinance clubs are working on.

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Developing your own club with a unique project or vision may not be right for every school. There are several quality organizations that will help you start one of their campus chapters at your school. Browse the organizations below to figure out which template might be the best fit for your school.

 

	Campus Kiva Campus Kiva brings micro-lending to a whole new level: giving students the opportunity to play a direct role in microfinance by lending through the Kiva platform. Through an international network of university chapters, Campus Kiva provides students with the perfect avenue to channel their desire to make a difference.
	Grameen U Grameen America believes that college and university students can make a great contribution to their cause and help spread microfinance throughout the U.S. In their effort to help alleviate poverty, they work with students from around the world in working towards reaching their goal. Student chapters are currently forming all across the United States.
	RESULTS For more than 25 years, RESULTS has been a leading political advocate for microfinance for the very poor (life on less than $1.25 a day). RESULTS is the leading advocacy group requesting that Congress increase funding for microfinance in our annual appropriations (foreign aid spending) bill. RESULTS is creating student chapters to fight against poverty through political change.
	YAO Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) is a network of passionate, globally-minded young professionals who are dedicated to providing economic opportunities for people living in chronic poverty. Through volunteer-led, regionally based chapters, YAO is raising awareness and funds to build a full-service bank for people living in poverty in Tanzania.