Understanding New Ways to Think about Capitalization for Nonprofits

Tuesday, June 15, 2:00 EDT/ 11:00 PDT [PASSED]
Clara Miller, President and CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund

Session 3 of the 6-part  2010 Web Conference Series

Description:

While "coping" with poor economic conditions requires real time operating adjustments, "changing" a business requires capital. Clara Miller, President & CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, will help grantmakers help their grantees by describing how and why various kinds of capital are important to both regular operations and change. Among the topics addressed are the basics of capital and capital structure, the risks associated with traditional sustainability strategies, and new ways of thinking about the funder role.

Presenter Bio:
Clara Miller is President and CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), a national leader in nonprofit, philanthropic and social enterprise finance. NFF, which Miller created and has run for over 25 years, serves as a “philanthropic bank” for social sector organizations and their funders. NFF is a federally certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Directly and with others, NFF has leveraged over $1 billion of capital investment into nonprofits, including direct and off balance sheet lending, New Market Tax Credit transactions and various forms of philanthropic equity. NFF also provides a range of financial advisory and training services to funders and social sector managers.
Miller was named to The NonProfit Times “Power and Influence Top 50” in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. She serves on a number of boards, including GuideStar, PopTech, GEO, Enterprise Community Loan Fund, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. She is a member of Kresge Foundation’s Innovative Capital Committee and Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council.

In 1996, Miller was appointed by President Clinton to the U.S. Treasury’s Community Development Advisory Board, initially as a member and later as its Chair. She also chaired the Opportunity Finance Network board for six years.
Miller speaks and writes extensively about nonprofit capitalization and finance, and advocates for sound practices throughout the sector. She has been published recently in The Financial Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Nonprofit Quarterly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Community Wealth Vanguard, and Worth magazine.