Unitus, Inc.’s board of directors has appointed Dave Richards as CEO of Unitus, Inc. Richards will assume responsibility for overseeing strategy and operations for the Unitus, Inc. and Unitus Investment Management (UIM) non-profits reporting to the respective Unitus, Inc. and UIM boards. Richards has been a board member of Unitus, Inc. since 2006 and board… Read more >
Updates
Unitus, Inc. funds loan guarantee for Kenyan microfinance bank
January 31, 2011 – Update
Unitus, Inc. partners with Financial Sector Deepening Kenya to provide guarantee for a $400,000 loan facility to Yehu Microfinance based in Mombasa, Kenya Unitus, Inc. has provided a grant of USD$350,000 to Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSDK) in support of a loan guarantee which FSDK is providing for a new USD$400,000 loan facility extended to Yehu… Read more >
Update to Supporters: Unitus Progress in 2010
December 22, 2010 – Update
Dear Unitus Supporters, This is a follow-up to our July 2 announcement that we would redirect our efforts toward new poverty alleviation strategies and initiate no new microcredit acceleration projects. We want to keep you informed about what we’re doing to fulfill our commitments. This letter serves as a stewardship report from our board to… Read more >
Unitus, Inc. Redirects Efforts
July 2, 2010 – Press Release
Unitus, Inc. Redirects Efforts from Non-Profit Microfinance Acceleration toward a Broader Array of Social Ventures Innovative non-profit helped shape and validate microfinance as a viable commercial activity, increase access to investment capital for working poor; with tens of billions of dollars in commercial capital now available in the microfinance industry, Unitus, Inc. will refocus efforts… Read more >
When Microcredit Isn’t the First Step
June 28, 2010 – Media Exposure
By Sriram Gutta The microfinance movement has had great success in reaching over 150 million poor and low-income households worldwide. Yet, for nearly 1 billion people living under $1/day, microcredit is not the best first step. This group lives in the deepest and most profound levels of poverty and has little reason to believe that their… Read more >
Unitus Arranges $1.5m catalytic debt for Mimo Finance
June 26, 2010 – Media Exposure
Unitus Arranges Rs 7 crore ($1.5 million) Debt for Partner Mimo Finance Unitus arranges Rs 7 crore ($1.5 million) of debt funding from $15 million Unitus, Opic & Citi credit facility that finalized March 2010 From Financial Chronicle, Mimo raises Rs 7 crore debt, by Sanjay Vijay Kumar. “Delhi-based non-banking finance company Mimoza Enterprises Finance (Mimo) has… Read more >
Unitus on Huffington Post
June 17, 2010 – Media Exposure
Unitus Featured on Huffington Post Unitus supporter Suzanne Skees reflects on meeting John “The General”, a microfinance client of Jamii Bora Trust, during a recent trip to Kenya with Unitus. From the post, To End Poverty, Put a Criminal in Charge,by Suzanne Skees: The World Cup: Kenya’s former king of thugs may just play in the next… Read more >
Unitus-Hewitt Microfinance Compensation & Benefits Survey 2010
June 6, 2010 – Update
Successful microfinance institutions are made up of successful individuals, and as Unitus discovered in its 2009 Compensation Benchmarking study, well-designed compensation programs play a significant role in crafting a high-performing staff. As such, Unitus is proud to announce the launch of the second annual Unitus-Hewitt Microfinance Compensation & Benefits Survey. Open to MFIs throughout India, the Survey… Read more >
Two New Partners Join SPMIP
May 26, 2010 – Press Release
Unitus Announces Grama Vidiyal, AMK as Latest Partners in Social Performance Management Implementation Project Indian, Cambodian Institutions Join Effort to Maximize Effectiveness of Microfinance BANGALORE, 26 May 2010 — In keeping with its goal of bringing greater effectiveness to the work of microfinance institutions (MFIs) worldwide, global nonprofit Unitus, Inc. proudly announces today the signing of… Read more >
Unitus Receives Highest Rating by Charity Navigator
May 1, 2010 – Media Exposure
Unitus Awarded Highest Rating by Charity Navigator We are pleased to announce that Unitus has received Charity Navigator’sprestigious 4-star rating. According to Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities, “We are proud to announce Unitus has earned our 4-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Approximately a quarter… Read more >
Equitas Program Empowers the Differently Abled
May 1, 2010 – Update
Believing a physical challenge should not automatically create a financial one, Indian partner Equitas launched a program in late 2008 to encourage participation by the differently abled in local microfinance activities. A year later, after putting aside traditional notions of their role in their communities, a representative sample of differently abled Equitas members in Chennai… Read more >
Partner Spotlight: Paul Luchtenberg of AMK
May 1, 2010 – Update
In 2008, Unitus partnered with Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea (AMK), an MFI working in rural Cambodia to provide financial services to low-income households. Led by CEO Paul Luchtenberg, AMK is widely recognized for their social mission and was one of the first organizations to receive the Social Performance Reporting Award in 2009. Unitus sat down with Paul… Read more >