ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
Accion is a global nonprofit dedicated to building a financially inclusive world with economic opportunity for all, by giving people the financial tools they need to improve their lives. We are building the next generation of top-tier microfinance institutions, and over the last 50 years have helped create 64 such institutions in 32 countries on four continents that today reach millions of clients. Our impact investing initiatives are pushing beyond microfinance to catalyze more than 20 innovative start-ups dedicated to improving the efficiency, reach and scope of financial services for the poor. And our Center for Financial Inclusion is helping to build a stronger industry with high standards. Currently, our work spans nearly two dozen countries, including the U.S., where we are the nation’s largest nonprofit microfinance network.
ABOUT THE JOB:
The Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion has launched a new fellowship program, the Africa Board Fellowship Program (ABF), that connects board members and CEOs through peer learning and exchange to strengthen the governance of financial institutions serving low-income clients in sub-Saharan Africa. This regional fellowship focuses on strengthening governance, improving risk management practices, and building strategic leadership abilities.
The fellowship provides board members and CEOs with an opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other through peer learning seminars, ongoing virtual engagement, and personalized advising. Fellowship activities, structure, and content are designed to create an open atmosphere that allows for frank and open discussion among peers. Fellows identify their objectives for the program and then work with a program advisor toward achieving those goals. Additionally, fellows will have access throughout the program to a participant-led virtual community forum with tools, resources, content, and access to subject-matter experts. At the conclusion of the program, fellows stay connected as alumni, providing a network of leaders confronting similar challenges.
The Africa Board Fellowship Volunteer/Unpaid Intern will support the coordination of the upcoming in-person seminars which will take place in November 2015. He/she will work on the monitoring and evaluation (MEL) data collection and analysis of our online platform. In addition he/she will work on improving our online/virtual engagement strategy.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Support event planning and management;
- Support the web platform, its content, and promote the tool through page backstopping, event facilitation, and data monitoring;
- Monitor and track page traffic, RSS feed, discussion forums, and status updates to identify trending topics and new content; as well as track and respond to questions, queries and comments;
- Assist in scoping, planning and publicizing events (e.g. webinars) in coordination with the Program Coordinator and technical support team (TCB).
- Support all IT issues related to webinars, file sharing and document management, etc.;
- Organize database and contact (salesforce) management;
- Support data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting;
- Other duties as assigned.
- Bachelor’s Degree or minimum of 1-3 years of office experience required;
- Demonstrated event planning and project management skills;
- Proficient in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PPT and Outlook);
- Experience with learning and management systems (Blackboard, etc.);
- Experience with web platforms strongly preferred;
- Proven attention to detail;
- Proven ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. Proven ability to multitask and prioritize as needed;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Demonstrated knowledge in the area of financial inclusion, investment vehicles and funds, governance, and risk preferred;
- Ability to work in a constantly changing environment;
- Excellent at multi-tasking with a positive, can-do attitude;
- Interested in our mission and working globally;
- Willingness to embody our values of excellence, respect and passion for social change;
- Excellence: Accion staff should always put forth their best effort in all activities, strive for high quality of collective and individual performance; and demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times while in the workplace and while working on behalf of the organization;
- Respect: Accion staff should value one another’s roles and responsibilities as much as their own, be encouraging, and value the diverse and unique perspectives of colleagues. They should honor obligations and commitments to each other and to external partners;
- Passion for Social Change: Accion staff should be committed to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, value the greater good of the organization over personal gain, and promote a productive workplace by acknowledging the accomplishments of others.
HOW TO APPLY:
