Communities, small businesses and social enterprises are thriving because of the impact of community development finance institutions – Responsible Finance members. Yet there more we can do to build partnerships and scale up our work.
Our 2023 Member Day is for members, partners, stakeholders and supporters of community and social purpose finance, It’s a day to learn, share best practice, and find new ways to boost access to finance for people, businesses and social enterprises.
Weds 22 November 2023, IET Birmingham: Austin Court
For CEOs, senior management teams, chairs and board members, and colleagues at every level and across operational areas: this day is designed to support your organisational and professional development.
The Member Day includes practical workshops, networking and peer-to-peer support to learn from and with others tackling similar issues.
It has been designed based on members’ needs and direct input. Your staff and board will leave the day inspired, informed, supported and empowered, with new tools to develop your organisation.
We are grateful to Lloyds Bank, Triodos Bank, Unity Trust Bank, BrightOffice, HAWQ, Hope Macy, Maximus, Singlify and Soar for their support of the member day.
BOOKING FOR THE MEMBER DAY IS NOW CLOSED
Agenda
• 9:30 – 10:00 Registration and refreshments, catch up with colleagues in other CDFIs
• 10:00 – 10:30 Opening address: Theodora Hadjimichael, CEO, Responsible Finance
• 10:30 – 11:25 Workshops Round 1:
1A Pitching investors: how to use data and decks to make the most powerful case
1B Net Zero: how to measure the right data and use it effectively
1C Levering technology to optimise back-end systems for enterprise and social enterprise lenders
1D Moving from an effective to a compelling impact story for personal lending
Read more about the workshops here.
• 11:25 – 11:50 Refreshments, catch up with colleagues in other CDFIs
• 11:50 – 12:45 Workshops Round 2:
2A Expanding investment into CDFIs: lessons from innovative approaches
2B How to get your MP to become your biggest champion
2C Improving customer journeys in personal lending with new technology
2D Moving from an effective to a compelling impact story for enterprise and social enterprise lending
Read more about the workshops here.
• 12:45 – 13:45 Lunch break, catch up with colleagues in other CDFIs
• 13:45 – 14:40 Workshops Round 3:
3A How to acquire, retain and even wave goodbye to relevant customers for personal lending
3B Improving bank referrals for enterprise lenders
3C Developing fruitful partnerships and collaborations in social enterprise lending
3D What to expect in the year ahead and how to prepare so your CDFI can thrive
Read more about the workshops here.
• 14:40 – 15:10 Refreshments, catch up with colleagues in other CDFIs
• 15:10 – 15:55 Plenary: The Future of the CDFI Sector – Theodora Hadjimichael, Responsible Finance CEO, and Faisel Rahman (Fair Finance), Sheridan Sulskis (CWRT), Matt Smith (Key Fund)
• 15:55 Closing address from Responsible Finance chair, Peter Udale
• 16:00 Reception
Delegate fees are £149+VAT for a single delegate ticket, and £99+VAT for each additional ticket for your organisation. We have negotiated a special group rate at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham, nearby – please email for more details or with any other questions about the Member Day.
BOOKING FOR THE MEMBER DAY IS NOW CLOSED
Our thanks to our sponsors for their support of the member day:
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank is committed to supporting British business. Our ambition is to be a partner in the regeneration of the UK’s regions, stimulating increased investment to generate economic growth, working with business leaders and local and regional government to help create thriving communities.
We want to unlock lending to local communities via CDFIs, helping to support businesses through inclusive funding as well as enabling the CDFI sector to scale.
Triodos Bank
Triodos Bank UK provides specialist, sustainable finance for businesses and organisations.
We believe banking can be a catalyst for making greater social and environmental impact and we can help support more organisations to make positive change.
Triodos has a strong track record of supporting accredited CDFIs.
Unity Trust Bank
Unity Trust Bank is an award-winning commercial bank that uses banking to improve the lives of UK communities.
For nearly 40 years, we have helped businesses and organisations to prosper and address social, economic and environmental needs.
We offer day-to-day banking services and aim to become the bank of choice for all socially-minded organisations.
BrightOffice (ClearCourse Business Services Ltd T/A BrightOffice)
BrightOffice provides bespoke cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software for commercial and consumer lenders and commercial finance brokers, integrations with market leading entities and includes embedded payments functionality.
Built by industry experts with a deep understanding of loan case processes, we have the knowledge and experience to create fully custom systems that streamline business processes, boost customer engagement and improve efficiencies.
HAWQ
We help responsible organisations to be responsible employers. We support both individuals and organisations to optimise their physical & mental wellbeing, focusing on five key pillars of health: Body, Mind, Movement, Nutrition & Sleep.
We start by calculating a health score for each individual & making key recommendations for improvement. We then provide coaching, the tools & the strategy to enable everyone to make practical, sustainable changes & to enhance their scores over time together as a community. We help people live better for longer.
Maximus
Maximus is a global provider of critical services to government and the private sector, supporting 75 million customers each year.
Through our innovative CX solutions for the financial sector, we reconcile human intelligence with technology to support customers in financial hardship – helping organisations meet their Consumer Duty obligations.
www.maximusuk.co.uk/cx-consumerduty
Singlify
Singlify provides technology that empowers Inclusive Finance Providers to dramatically change access to financial support for underserved communities. We do this by providing an end-to-end loan management application for Inclusive Finance providers built on the Salesforce platform.
Singlify software has been consistently proven to help CDFIs, MFIs and credit unions improve efficiency, reduce costs, and grow rapidly. We see ourselves as the long-term digital transformation partner for Inclusive Finance Providers. We benefit from an excellent understanding of CDFI, MFI and credit union operations and first-hand experience of how best to introduce new technology to our customers.
Soar
Soar delivers an unparalleled banking and back-office experience with our Soar Banking Platform. Specialising in both consumer and commercial lending, we offer a complete suite of automated loan servicing, accounting, and integrated payment services, including automatic transaction reconciliations. Our platform is your go-to solution for credit underwriting, seamless customer management, and comprehensive financial oversight, all available 24/7. Boasting a raft of 3rd party integrations, our platform features advanced capabilities like digital messaging, embedded payments, credit checks, KYC and open banking. We’re resetting the standard for modern, fair finance.
BOOKING FOR THE MEMBER DAY IS NOW CLOSED