Imp-Act, a UK-based consortium of nine organizations focused on the social performance management (SPM) of microfinance institutions (MFIs), and MicroSave, a for-profit technical assistance, training and resource center in India, recently introduced two new “guidance notes” in English, French and Spanish, titled “Strategic Planning: Integrating SPM into Microfinance Capacity Building” and “Governance: Integrating SPM into Microfinance Capacity Building”. According to the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), an initiative of CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), social performance includes operating “in line with accepted social values that relate to serving larger numbers of poor and excluded people.”
The first guidance note highlights three common challenges MFIs face in translating their social aspirations into strategy: “clarifying long-term social goals, specifying short-term social objectives, and underpinning its social intentions with appropriate measurement systems”. The second guidance note discusses the role of the board of directors in ensuring good governance.
The Guidance Notes can be accessed at:
http://spmresourcecentre.net/index.cfm/resource-annex/practical-resources1/
By Ashim Kar, Research Associate
About Imp-Act Consortium:
Established in 2006 and housed at the Institute of Development Studies at the UK’s University of Sussex, the Imp-Act Consortium was formed as a collaboration of seven organizations working to improve social performance management (SPM) at microfinance institutions. As of 2011, the consortium consists of nine members and is supported by donor funding from organizations that include the Ford Foundation, Concern Worldwide, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and MicroNed. According to the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), an initiative of CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), social performance includes operating “in line with accepted social values that relate to serving larger numbers of poor and excluded people”.
About MicroSave:
Established in Uganda with United Nations funding in 1998, MicroSave is a for-profit technical assistance, training and resource center. MicroSave’s headquarters was relocated to Lucknow, India, in 2006 with support from ICICI Bank. In 2008, MicroSave was transformed into a consulting company, which has since completed projects in Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Sources and Additional Resources:
MicroCapital.org story, March 14, 2011: “MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Imp-Act Consortium Announces Release of Social Performance Management (SPM) Guidance Notes”, https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-imp-act-consortium-announces-release-of-social-performance-management-spm-guidance-notes/
MicroCapital.org story, June 23, 2008: “NEWS WIRE: France: Proceedings of the International Task Force on Social Performance Available at Imp-Act”,
https://www.microcapital.org/news-wire-france-proceedings-of-the-internat…
MicroCapital Universe Profile: Imp-Act Consortium,
https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Imp-Act+Consortium
MicroCapital Universe Profile: MicroSave,
https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=MicroSave
Browse the MicroCapital Universe and add your entry to the wiki at: https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/
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