In 2016, at the OFN Conference in Atlanta, Vicky Stein, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Community Reinvestment Fund, USA, and Megan Teare, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Community Lending and Investment, held the first meeting of what would become the CDFI Women’s Network, an independent, volunteer organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the CDFI industry. The concept was simple—women in our industry are looking for ways to connect, share, and learn from each other. The response was overwhelming and exciting.
Since this first gathering, momentum for formalizing a network of women in the CDFI industry has grown. The CDFI Women's Network (CWN) officially launched its partnership with OFN to build an online community presence on CDFI Connect at our 2017 Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
But women want to meet in person as well. They have answered the call to action—holding happy hours and informal networking events in cities and states across the country. This spontaneous outpouring is inspiring. We want to support efforts to plan more networking events and reach as many women as possible.
If you would like assistance with an upcoming CWN event, meeting, or gathering, please use the promotion request form below. We at OFN are happy to use our resources and expertise to help you get the word out to women in your area who might wish to attend an event via all our marketing channels.
Please give us a minimum of 4 weeks of notice to prepare and plan marketing activities for your CWN event.