The course is structured in two parts to make it accessible to both early stage and experienced unregulated, non-profit, CDFIs. The first part, two hours, covers CDFI Financial Statements, for early stage organizations and CDFI personnel less familiar with these financials. This session reviews basic financial statements, terminology and targets how they differ from those of for-profit organizations. This training is supplemented by National Community Capital s technical publication, The CDFI Financial Statements Primer which describes key elements of non-profit CDFI financial statements, and includes a glossary of terms and explanation of some basic financial ratios relevant to CDFIs. By using the model to do calculations, the training is able to focus on developing and testing appropriate input assumptions.
Participants practice using projections as a management tool for planning and change.
All participants receive a copy of the model and user guide and a period of assistance via a National Community Capital phone-in Help Desk. If you are involved in making financial projections for your CDFI and are comfortable with using Excel and want to be able to make five year projections more easily and more flexibly, this course is for you. The Market Analysis course instructs CDFI participants on conducting a market analysis to help them understand their market and design appropriate products and services to serve their market. Case studies and example market studies enrich the course. This introductory section acquaints beginners with the notion of a market study, present the relevance to the CDFI industry, and highlight the benefits and expected outcomes of conducting this type of study.