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During a short discussion at the end of the Native convening last week, we received suggestions on new content for Our Native Circle.  We wanted to share this list here and ask you to keep sending ideas and materials to improve this site.

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In a recent work session with a start up Native CDFI one of the new board members was reading a Peter Drucker book and this summary chapter (click below) on the "double bottom line-ness" of the work of the nonprofit struck home right at an important point in the discussion.  What I like about this summary is the fact that he shows clearly how even the social bottom line can be quantified like the financial bottom line.   Sometimes we forget to do that in our very important work as Native nonprofits and Native CDFIs and it is nice to be reminded of it now and then.

The new study (click here to see news article for more details) on payday lending from the Center for Reponsible Lending is more proof of the importance of providing financial education and Native financial institution development for our communities.  These payday lenders are taking money from those who may not even have enough to begin with.  Please spread the word with your community members wherever you are and let's fight against the spread of these institutions!

We have spent multiple days going through another training session for our organizational software, TEA, from Common Goals Software and I thought it worth mentioning to the organizations out there how postitive this experience has been.  Depending on needs, budgets and so forth, there are a lot of directions you can go in deciding these kinds of softwares but the continuous improvement with TEA and our experience has been great.  This is definitely a good software for the Native CDFIs and like organizations who need to monitor clients, investors, grants, loans, etc. - even more so for local lending and TA organizations in Native communities.  If you want to talk about it, send along a reply to the blog or send an email and go take a look at their website:  http://www.commongoals.com - our trainer, Paul Hodgert, was great.  Other software recommendations are definitely welcome...

We have been showing this video over the last couple of months and now the producers have created a link so that you can view yourself and pass on to others.  This is a short (6 min) video describing the work of Four Bands Community Fund on the Cheyenne River Lakota Indian Reservation in SD in partnership with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  It is a testament to the work of both of these organizations and the Native CDFI, entrepreneurship and asset building movements in Native Communities.