3rd MICROFINANCE BEST PRACTICES FORUM: Empowering the Leader in Affecting Social Change

Background

Understanding personal leadership helps us take that big step towards discovering who we are and where we want to go. Like any valuable tool, leadership must be thoroughly understood before it can effectively be engaged. Not only is it important to understand how to lead people, but also to know how to make good choices and how to lead projects.

Leaders of microfinance institutions play a big role in affecting social change. However, MFIs have slowly altered their ways from being socially effective to giving more focus on their financial operation. The essence of social responsibility for the MFIs in improving the lives of its employees, clients and the community is sometimes overlooked. Thus, a commitment to personal leadership will empower the leaders to achieve their social goals.

The Mindanao Microfinance Council will actively promote the development of microfinance in Mindanao through advocacy, information sharing and capacity building during its best practices forum. The 3^rd Microfinance Best Practices Forum aims to bring together microfinance practitioners and industry stakeholders from the government and private sectors to discuss relevant issues, special topics of interests, and successful practices in the implementation of microfinance and poverty alleviation programs in the Philippines.

The 3^rd Microfinance Best Practices Forum (MBPF) shall give emphasis to “Empowering the leader in affecting social change.” The two-day forum will bring together 150 microfinance experts and practitioners from the different microfinance institutions in the Philippines to share lessons and insights on effective leadership, people management, strategic market segmentation and going back to MFIs social dimension side. MFI support service providers will also be given a chance to present their products and services to generate new clients and for the MFIs to expand their networks.

Thus, the 3^rd MBPF generally aims to strengthen the MFI industry in Mindanao thru its leaders in being agents of social change.

Objectives

The learning objectives of the 3^rd Microfinance Best Practices Forum are:

1. To empower the microfinance leaders and stakeholders in affecting social change thru personal leadership
2. To highlight the importance of personal leadership in microfinance institutions thru sharing of best practices
3. To emphasize the need to understand how microfinance institutions can purposely affect the lives of microfinance clients
4. To identify and point out the future challenges and opportunities arising from the areas of financing and investment, technology and social development;
5. To understand the current situation of the MFIs in Mindanao and see how they could more effective in achieving institutional goals
6. To identify the channels, tools, and services that MFIs can utilize in achieving their social goals
7. To encourage partnership and cooperation in the Philippines among microfinance service providers, financiers and regulators in order to increase peer learning in microfinance.

THE 3RD MICROFINANCE BEST PRACTICES FORUM

WATERFRONT INSULAR HOTEL - DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES

MARCH 25 - 26, 2010