Grameen Foundation

SUMMARY Bankers without Borders and the Social Performance Management Center are putting together a reserve corps of volunteers to conduct on-the- ground certifications of organizations using the Progress out of Poverty IndexTM (PPI™). This team will undergo specialized training to learn about Social Performance Management and the PPI, how to certify the use of the PPI, and how to interact with organizations in the field. BACKGROUND The Progress out of Poverty IndexTM (PPI™) is a simple and accurate tool that measures poverty levels of groups and individuals. Using the PPI, microfinance institutions can identify poverty levels of clients to better determine their needs, which programs are most effective, and how quickly clients leave poverty. As more microfinance institutions and other pro-poor organizations begin to use the PPI, there will be increasing demand for standards of use to certify the manner in which organizations use the PPI and the accuracy of their outcomes. Users already have begun requesting standards of use to ensure they are correctly administering the PPI and appropriately analyzing results. Grameen Foundation is creating standards of use and developed a process to assess whether PPI users are fulfilling those standards. We plan to use skilled volunteers from our Bankers without Borders initiative to visit organizations using the PPI and certify their use of the tool and outcomes. For additional background on the PPI, visit: www.progressoutofpoverty.org VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILITIES AND TIMELINE To ensure that field visits are conducted in a consistent and quality manner, members of this volunteer reserve corps will be expected to complete an online course in preparation for this project. Volunteer will be mentored by another volunteer who have completed a PPI Certification in the field. Once all training is completed, the volunteer will be equipped with the knowledge to carry out an assessment on the ground. Upon completion of the training, the volunteer will: • Understand the concept of microfinance and the nuances of working in the field; • Conceptualize the basic principles of social performance management; • Comprehend the fundamentals and specifics on the PPI; and • Understand the process of certifying PPI users. The on-the-ground validation will take up to one week and will require direct interaction with the senior leadership, middle management, and field staff of select microfinance institutions. The volunteer will be expected to: • Contact MFIs prior to the departure and arrange meetings with the appropriate employees; • Communicate with MFIs prior to arrival to ensure all information and data is available during their visit; • Travel to the MFI and shadow loan officers in the field as they conduct a PPI assessment; • Supply MFIs with additional materials related to SPM and the PPI if requested; • Record information in the validation survey/ tool; • Conduct interviews to identify if the PPI user standards are being met adequately; • Take detailed notes of the experience to document lessons learned and share best practices; and • Mentor fellow reserve corps members once the certification process is completed. Specific deliverables include: • A written report explaining the findings of the certification; • A debrief meeting with the SPMC team to deliver findings; • Feedback on the project training; and • Blog post on the overall experience. Actual assignments will be scheduled in advance based on the MFI and volunteer’s mutual availability. The first field visits will take place in early fall 2010. Field visits will be assigned to selected member of the reserve corps on an ongoing basis thereafter. Volunteers will be responsible for sponsoring their own travel expenses. REQUIRED SKILLS – EXPERIENCE • Strong observation skills are required due to the nature of the content and due diligence nature of the project. • An ability and resources to travel internationally for the duration of the assessment (one week). • English fluency is required. Some assignments will also require other language proficiency including, but not limited to, Spanish, French, Hindi, and Tagalong. • Project management experience • Strong communication skills (experience in interviewing and delivering complex messages in a simple direct manner) • Experience with research and a basic understanding of statistics • Attention to detail • Analytical ability • Knowledge of performance management (if only financial performance it is okay) • Experience with data collection and processing • Excel knowledge required Opportunities for multiple postings or trips per volunteer is possible and preference may be given to volunteers willing to commit to multiple deployments.