To: Opportunity Finance Network Members

To: Opportunity Finance Network Members

From: Don Bowen, Governance Committee Chair & Trinita Logue, Board Chair

Date: June 18, 2014

Re: Call for Board Nominees

In 2013, the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) Board of Directors implemented a new Board Elections process designed to better engage the OFN Membership in order to expand diversity on the Board, especially among minority-led and smaller asset-size CDFIs. The OFN Board was pleased that more Members than ever participated in nominating candidates, in seeking election, and—most important—in voting!

This year, the OFN Board Elections will build on the 2013 process.

The elections season kicked off in May and culminates in October, when OFN Members vote at the OFN Annual Membership meeting during OFN Connect at the Annual Conference in Denver, CO.

From now until the end of October, OFN will communicate with Members about the elections through Staying Connecting Calls, emails, E-news, social media, and a Board Elections Central web page (ofn.org/ofn-2014-board-elections).

2014 Board Vacancies

The Membership will elect two (2) Board members at the Annual Meeting on October 16 during OFN’s Annual Conference in Denver, CO. The Board members whose terms are expiring are:

• Alan Branson, Hope Enterprise Corporation
• Mary Rogier, Northern California Community Loan Fund

Alan Branson and Mary Rogier have completed their second three (3) year term and are not eligible to run for re-election due to OFN’s Board Term Limits.

The Governance Committee is charged with presenting at least two (2) more candidates than seats available (i.e., at least four (4) candidates for two (2) seats in 2014), and must report the qualifications of all qualifying candidates to the Membership prior to the vote. Elected directors must come from the Membership (see Nomination Criteria below).

The Nominations Phase

This memo kicks off the Nominations Phase of the 2014 Board Elections.

In accordance with the Bylaws of OFN, the OFN Board Governance Committee (see page 5) invites nominees representing OFN Member CDFIs for two (2) seats on OFN’s Board of Directors.

The OFN Board plays a more visible and challenging national leadership role than ever before. OFN Board Members are strategic leaders and OFN ambassadors. Board service requires dedication to the organization’s core purpose and mission, commitment to excellence and justice, and a desire to work closely with other industry leaders.

OFN Board Members should bring passion for OFN and our industry, a commitment to OFN’s collaborative strategies, and a broad understanding of the dynamic environment we all work in.

The OFN Governance Committee urges you to look across the Membership and within your organization for staff or Board members who would make strong candidates for the OFN Board. To ensure that the OFN Board represents the diversity of OFN’s Membership, the Board encourages representatives of minority-led and small and emerging CDFIs to consider running.

Nomination Criteria & Expectations of Candidates

The OFN Board Member Candidate Profile 2014 helps define what the OFN Board seeks in future Board members. The priority criteria for candidates are:

• Candidates must be formally affiliated with a Member organization (i.e., staff or Board member). Opportunity Finance Network seeks a Board with ethnic, racial, and gender diversity that reflects the range of types of financing and geographic reach of its Members. Be sure to view the current Board Composition Matrix. OFN’s Board is a strategic board focused on aligning the organization’s work with its mission and core purpose.
• OFN expects Board Members to attend all Board meetings. The Board meets in person four times per year—usually once in Philadelphia; once in Washington, DC; once at a Member’s site; and once—briefly—at the Annual Conference. In addition, the Board meets occasionally by teleconference for time-sensitive decisions. Board members also participate on at least one (1)—and often two (2)—committees. Each committee meets regularly on a schedule it sets.

To learn more about duties and responsibilities, contact a Board member or OFN’s President CEO, Mark Pinsky, 215.320.4304 or .

Nominations Process

To nominate a candidate for the elections, Members must send an email to Jill Lukas at, . The email should contain the name of the candidate and his/her CDFI.

E-mails must arrive no later than 5PM ET on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

OFN will present to the Membership for consideration nominees that receive the endorsement of at least two (2) Members from two (2) different Member organizations and indicate a willingness to serve. In addition, the Governance Committee may propose nominees to fill out the slate, if necessary. (By policy, current members of the Board whose terms are expiring (i.e., are up for re-election) cannot be nominated by the committee and must be nominated by two Opportunity Finance Network Members.) Please feel free to submit names even if a second Member has not endorsed the nominee. It is possible that another Member will submit a nomination for that candidate, or the nomination will trigger the thinking of the committee.

If the Membership nominates fewer than four (4) candidates as of July 22, 2014, the Governance Committee may recruit additional candidates.

As part of the Nominations Phase, OFN will hold two (2) “Staying Connected” calls—June 30, 1PM-2PM ET and July 2, 1 PM-2 PM ET—for Members interested in understanding the election process better and possibly running for the OFN Board.

On July 30, 2014, the OFN Governance Committee will notify all candidates, via email, of the final slate.

The Campaign Phase

Once the slate is set, campaigning begins.

To help Members get better acquainted with the candidates and make an informed voting decision, the committee requires each candidate to submit a headshot and short, written statement about why she/he seeks to serve on the Board. Each candidate must also make a brief statement during OFN Connect (October 16, 2014) at the OFN Annual Conference.

Last year, the committee introduced video statements, offering candidates the opportunity to create a short campaign video to share among the Membership. The optional video provides candidates a fun and unique chance to introduce themselves to voters and share their background and platform in a more personal way.

OFN puts all of the videos on the Election Central site and also runs a loop of the videos during the OFN Conference. Last year, we believe the video statements helped Members get to know the candidates much better than in prior years.

All candidate materials must be submitted to OFN no later than August 20, 2014. On September 2, 2014, OFN will launch a Meet the Candidates web page, which the committee will share with all Members when it announces the slate. Throughout September, OFN will also share information about each candidate (e.g. through a CDFI Connect Q&A with each candidate) to better acquaint Members with the slate.

OFN’s July 30 email announcing the 2014 slate of candidates will include detailed directions for submitting all of the above.

Conclusion: Please Join Us!

As you know, OFN is a membership-supported organization. Board elections and Board service provide significant opportunities for Members to participate in and affect OFN’s governance, policies, and strategic direction. If you have any questions about the process, do not hesitate to contact either one of us or another member of the Board or Governance Committee.

Thank you for your interest and attention. Remember to submit your nominations no later than July 22, 2014 at 5 PM ET.

We look forward to seeing all of you in Denver at our Annual Conference October 14-17, 2014.

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2014 Governance Committee

Board Members / Non-Board Members
Don Bowen, Committee Chair
Urban Empowerment Fund (a subsidiary of National Urban League)
120 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
212.558.5321
/ Ben Williams
Forward Community Investments
2045 Atwood Avenue, Suite 101A
Madison, WI 53704
T: 608.204.8839

Alan Branson
Hope Enterprise Corporation
4 Old River Place, Suite A
Jackson, MS 39202
T: 601.944.1100

/ Staff
Mark Pinsky
Opportunity Finance Network
620 Chestnut Street, Suite 572
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.320.4304

Nancy Banta

Inez Long
Black Business Investment Fund of Central Florida
301 E. Pine Street
Orlando, FL 32801
T: 407.649.4780

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