Summary

This course guides participants through a step-by-step process for developing a business plan and financial projections for a microfinance institution using Microfin 4.0, the sophisticated financial projections software that was developed by the facilitator of this training course, Chuck Waterfield, with financial support from CGAP, Women’s World Banking, and Sida.

Microfin has long been the microfinance "industry standard" for planning and budgeting.  Microfin allows you to develop detailed five-year financial projections and budgets for your institution, and to simulate the impact of key decisions on your institution. Microfin 4.0 includes 200 major enhancements over Microfin 3.0, including an expanded range of financial products, improved guidance and error-checking features, versatile graphing, and much more.

This fast-paced course is designed to be highly participatory, with a large amount of hands-on time working in groups at the computer, applying the software to a detailed case study.  In addition to the course manual, at the conclusion of the course, participants will receive a CD-ROM containing

Microfin and the User’s Handbook.

By the end of the workshop you will have a better understanding of:

• how to use Microfin to develop financial projections for your own institution

• practical approaches to planning

• the most important financial ratios to monitor, and how to interpret them

• critical operational issues such as designing products to meet client needs, pricing your products, and focusing on loan officers to leverage institutional productivity

• how to develop long-term, diversified financing strategies

This workshop is facilitated by the two developers of Microfin, and is based on the CGAP Handbook they authored, Business Planning and Financial Modeling for Microfinance Institutions. They have taught this course in 20 countries around the world, and it is one of the most recognized and attended courses in all of microfinance.

Note: Register early!  The October 2009 course in Cape Town was fully subscribed two months before the course date!