In March, LEND approved a second microloan for SeeJaneSparkle, the year-old Main Street jewelry boutique. Second microloans typically indicate good business health and growing demand; SJS is LEND’s first-ever repeat client.
In disbursing the loan, LEND has injected over $20,000 in high-impact financing into the Evanston economy over the last 3 years.
New loan approved for therapist
Evanston-based therapist Mary Jackson received LEND's eighth microloan on Friday, April 19. The microloan will help Jackson expand the geographical range of her services, as well as her operating hours.
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To our supporters:
With the new year underway, there are a number of initiatives that are ongoing at LEND. Our newest members have completed their staff training, and will begin working on the frontlines directly with our clients.
Our efforts to formalize our infrastructure are continuing from last year, and nearing completion. We have created online systems and databases that increase accessibility and ease for clients to apply for our services. These systems will also aggregate data and allow us to track metrics to measure LEND's performance.
As we look forward, we continue to build our visibility in the community and seek to make LEND as accessible as possible to entrepreneurs in need of assistance in Evanston. We will continue networking with prominent local organizations but will simultaneously undertake a grassroots outreach campaign.
We have a number of new business training and loan clients in our pipeline, and will continue striving to serve more entrepreneurs and small businesses in Evanston. We realize the impact our services have had in the community thus far, and will focus on growing our presence and reputation as a reliable economic resource in the local community.
Your support for LEND is impacting entrepreneurs everyday and fostering a brighter community. Your donations make an impact that will sustain for years to come and will affect numerous individuals.
As always, please feel free to contact us at lend@u.northwestern.edu -- we would love to hear from you!
With gratitude,
Gaurav
President
Lending for Evanston and Northwestern Development (LEND)
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To our supporters:
As the last traces of summer fade away, the LEND team is excited to usher in a new year. The previous twelve months have seen the onboarding of a new team, the disbursal of $7500 in new loans, recognition from the city of Evanston, and numerous small businesses that have benefited from LEND's services. We have carefully scaled-up LEND's programs while enhancing the program's quality and have fostered close relationships with other organizations throughout the community. All this, in a year.
Widely held as a unique resource within the fabric of the Evanston community, LEND has received unprecedented interest for our services. We have been fielding referrals and inquiries throughout the summer months, and entrepreneurs are eagerly anticipating the resumption of our lending and business training programs.
However, we realize our work is nowhere near done. The stagnant economy has tightened credit and has continued to put small businesses at risk of shutting down. Entrepreneurs face daunting barriers to entry and have few allies to help them. LEND pledges to continue building our organization both internally and externally to ensure that we are here to serve local entrepreneurs for years to come. However, as the demand for microloans increases, our capital needs also grow. That is when we look to you -- our supporters.
You have probably heard it a thousand times: small businesses are the growth engine of our economy. Your contributions are helping small businesses survive the recession and are consequently building a more verdant community. As we venture into a new year, please consider reaffirming your support for LEND by making a donation. We are thrilled that you are with us as we continue to invest in local entrepreneurs.
Please feel free to contact us at lend@u.northwestern.edu -- we would love to hear from you!
Thank you, as always, and best regards,
Gaurav Kikani
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