See What’s New on CDFI Connect
Explore new features designed to help practitioners learn, connect, and grow.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Across the CDFI industry, practitioners are navigating similar challenges, testing new approaches, and learning in real time. Staying connected to that collective knowledge can unlock new efficiencies, ideas, and impact. CDFI Connect is designed to support that exact kind of ongoing, industry-wide exchange. With recent updates to the platform, practitioners can more easily engage in conversations, discover events, and access curated resources all in one place.
If you are new to the community, we invite you to join over 13,000 active users on this free, online network built for the CDFI industry. Every day, practitioners post questions, share research and ideas, add job opportunities, and more.
If you have been a community member since its launch, we encourage you to visit www.cdficonnect.org to see what’s new.
Highlights of the refreshed platform include:
- A modernized homepage with an activity feed, to more easily keep up with conversations, resources, and events shared in the community.
- Communities organized around topics and functional areas in the industry. All community members are automatically part of the Open Forum, but you can browse and join other dedicated discussion forums based on your interests, from the CDFI Women’s Network to Operations & Technology. Explore all available communities here.
- An industry events calendar, which community members can contribute to by logging in and clicking the “Add Event” button here.
Practitioner Resource Library
CDFI Connect is also home to OFN’s practitioner resource library. There, you can find and download a growing collection of tools, guides, and materials. Resources are curated by practitioner role so you can easily explore content tailored to your needs:
- Development & Investor Relations
- Finance & Accounting
- Impact, Evaluation & Research
- Lending & Credit
- Marketing & Communications
- People & Talent
- Policy & Advocacy
- Portfolio & Risk Management
- Programs & Client Services
- Strategy, Operations & Technology
The library also includes CDFI essentials like the CDFI 101: Orientation to the Industry toolkit and the Business Model of Loan Funds research report—both great starting points for brushing up on industry fundamentals, onboarding new staff, or communicating with partners about the impact of CDFIs.
You can also access past session materials from OFN’s signature events, including the OFN Conference, Small Business Finance Forum, and more.
Help us grow the library! OFN’s resources are developed in collaboration with members, and we are actively seeking content to expand the library.
- Currently, we are sourcing templates and materials around CDFI marketing and communications. If you are interested in potentially contributing, learn more and let us know by completing this form.
- Interested in sharing resources, templates, and content for other practitioner roles? Contact our Development Services team at [email protected].
Benefits for OFN Members
OFN members are encouraged to join CDFI Connect to take advantage of the full range of membership benefits. Check out the dedicated Members-Only Community at www.cdficonnect.org/ofnmembers to join the conversation. This is a private, secure space for members to engage directly with one another, and take advantage of the collective expertise of over 6,000 other mission-driven lending professionals. OFN also shares periodic updates, opportunities, and announcements with members in this space.
Members should also be sure to visit the Members-Only Resource Library to find exclusive resources, including content from OFN policy updates, financial management tools, application materials for OFN programs, and more.
As OFN expands its offerings to support practitioners through the Career Meets Purpose Hub, we will continue leveraging CDFI Connect to help people access programming, relationships, and resources to advance their work. Together, these online resources are designed to create a holistic, go-to platform for professional development support and services, helping you build an impactful career in the community finance industry, whatever your role.
If you have any questions, you can review our FAQ page or reach out to us at any time at our dedicated CDFI Connect inbox, [email protected].
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