<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px"><a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/path_part1.mp3" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Path to Financing Part 1</a>: Introduction by RSF’s Esther Park, followed by Ahmed Rahim and Chris Mann.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px"><a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/path_part2.mp3" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Path to Financing Part 2</a>: Lee Zimmerman and Thaleon Tremain. Lee and Thaleon used slides for their presentation. If you’d like to view their PowerPoint, you can <a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/path-to-financing.pptx" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">download it here</a>.</p>
<p></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/blog/">http://rsfsocialfinance.org/blog/</a></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/2011/11/power-dynamics/">http://rsfsocialfinance.org/2011/11/power-dynamics/</a></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
RSF has hosted, sponsored, and participated in several discussions about financing social enterprises. </p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Last month RSF and <a href="http://bayarea.the-hub.net/public/" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Hub Bay Area</a> hosted a panel discussion. We handed the stage over to four successful social enterprise leaders and let them tell us their financing experiences from start-up to present day.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Ahmed Rahim from <a href="http://www.numitea.com/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Numi Tea</a>, Chris Mann from <a href="http://guayaki.com/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Guayaki</a>, Lee Zimmerman from <a href="http://www.evergreenlodge.com/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Evergreen Lodge</a>, and Thaleon Tremain from <a href="http://www.pacha.coop/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Pachamama Coffee Cooperative</a> told their financing biographies, candidly sharing the challenges they faced and highlighting the successful steps that got them to where they are today. Each story is unique but the importance of community and steadfast dedication to mission were common themes throughout. </p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(25,25,25);font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:13px;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px">If you’re considering starting a business, have recently embarked on a new venture, or have an affinity for social enterprises, this is definitely worth listening to.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px">The audio recording is split into two parts.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px">
<a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/path_part1.mp3" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Path to Financing Part 1</a>: Introduction by RSF’s Esther Park, followed by Ahmed Rahim and Chris Mann.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px"><a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/path_part2.mp3" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">Path to Financing Part 2</a>: Lee Zimmerman and Thaleon Tremain. Lee and Thaleon used slides for their presentation. If you’d like to view their PowerPoint, you can<a href="http://rsfsocialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/path-to-financing.pptx" target="_blank" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(14,71,112)">download it here</a>.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:15px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px"><em style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px">Melinda Cheel is Senior Associate, Partnerships and Communications at RSF Social Finance</em></p>
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