User:Robinhood88

The SEEP Network
Company type	Non-profit organization
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Washington, DC, USA
Number of employees	~ 30 (2010)
Website	www.seepnetwork.org www.seepcommunity.com

The SEEP Network (The Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network) is a non-profit organization that acts as a network for practitioners working in microenterprise development and microfinance fields. Founded in 1985 by Elaine Edgcomb and Candace Nelson and sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation^[1], Citi Foundation^[2], USAID, and Omidyar Network^[3], The SEEP Network since then has developed into a global learning community of 124 member organizations.

Initiatives

Global Learning Exchange

SEEP documents and gathers the experience of practitioners in an inclusive, neutral space for sharing and developing knowledge. Working Groups, made-up of self-selected individuals, serve as the main vehicle for SEEP member engagement in participatory research and applied learning, through which the network generates learning and crafts its products. Some of the working groups include: Poverty Outreach Working Group, Social Performance Working Group, Consumer Protection Working Group, and Market Facilitation Initiative. The research is disseminated through various publications, training tools, as well as SEEP Communities of Practice. Each Community of Practice provides practitioners an opportunity to collaborate on particular areas of shared interest while ensuring cross-collaboration between Communities where priorities or programs overlap and align. Currently there are three overlapping Communities of Practice: Financial Services, Enterprise Development, and Associations along with many cross-cutting initiatives.^[4]

Network Development Exchange

Microfinance associations play a powerful role in advancing the industry. The SEEP Network provides strategic framework for strengthening the microfinance sector through association leadership by implementing institutional strengthening activities and developing practical tools and resources in four areas: Organizational Effectiveness, Membership Services, Standards and Indicators, and Global Community. The SEEP Network currently has 38 network member organizations.^[5]

Value Initiative

The Value Initiative advances urban value-chain development to help millions of people work their way out of poverty. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Value Initiative is in the third of four years of learning with urban value-chain development program partners in India, Kenya, Jamaica, and Indonesia. The project includes:

an on-line community, Enterprise Development Exchange, where practitioners can post their profile, opportunities and documents, and participate in on-line conferences;
the “Global Enterprise Development Network,” which is an open, online platform on the Enterprise Development Exchange to bring together different stakeholders to advance sustainable enterprise development; and
two Practitioner Learning Programs (PLP) on “urban Value Chain Development (uVCD)” and “Business Planning for Sustainability and Scale-up.”

The Value Initiative and partner ACCESS Development Services of India produced a 2009 video baseline survey of the initial stages of the ACCESS JJADE project, which supports artisans and microenterprises from the Jaipur jewelry industry with training and services to improve their income and quality of life.

SEEPCommunity

SEEPCommunity is the latest initiative of The SEEP Network that aims to foster online dialogue among microenterprise practitioners by leveraging social networking technology. As of right now there are over 1000 members on SEEPCommunity representing SEEP member organizations as well as various independent stakeholders in microenterprise and microfinance industries. An integral part of SEEPCommunity is online collaboration between the Working Groups that features online discussions, podcasts, and webinars.

The SEEP Annual Conference

The SEEP Annual Conference provides a forum in which practitioners can connect with each other; it is through the exchange of experiences and the interactive learning that conference participants strengthen their collective efforts to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people. The Annual Conference attracts a broad cross-section of key players in microenterprise and microfinance industries including NGOs, private sector firms, foundations, investment funds, and bilateral agencies. In 2009, more than 500 people representing 225 organizations and 56 countries participated. The SEEP Annual Conference consists not only of traditional plenary sessions, but also of workshops, two-days skill-building trainings, and Global Network Summit.^[6]^[7]^[8]