Americorps/VISTA, Community First Fund, Lancaster (Posted March 31)

Build Communities in Central PA!

Community First Fund provides personalized and comprehensive financing and assistance. We are revitalizing downtown business districts and neighborhoods and bringing prosperity into our communities.
Community First Fund accomplishes its mission of lasting economic growth through its offering of loan products for entrepreneurs, community organizations and affordable housing developers.
Community First Fund’s experienced lenders help assess business and project readiness; our Women’s Business Center provides business development training to emerging entrepreneurs.
Community First Fund’s five offices serve 13 counties in central Pennsylvania. The offices are located in the region’s core cities of Lancaster, Harrisburg, Reading, York and Exton. Our clients represent people from varied economic and cultural backgrounds with a focus on women and Persons of Color. In our 16-year history, we have provided more than $23 million in loans to clients.
As an AmeriCorps VISTA member at Community First Fund, you’ll get hands-on experience in the world of community development, nonprofit operations, fundraising and marketing, microfinance and business lending. We have a variety of VISTA positions available for a summer start date at Community First Fund and at several other local economic development agencies in our service area.
Responsibilities vary per position, but possible tasks include: assisting Business Lenders and Counselors in providing outreach and marketing to low income communities regarding education, counseling services and loan products available; assisting with new loan application processing and underwriting; establishing standards, policies and procedures for community development and affordable housing lending; updating and improving loan operations using an industry specific database, developing tracking and tickler system to ensure each file contains needed documents and renewals as applicable; providing support in the development of financial management and oversight processes to increase department efficiencies; providing support in developing and marketing new entrepreneurial training curriculum for current and potential borrowers; assisting with researching new opportunities for operational funding; helping to develop new initiatives in e-marketing and Web site content; assisting with newsletters and annual report development, media and public relations, and event planning; Fundraising and membership development of state microenterprise coalition.

Visit www.commfirstfund.org and www.americorps.gov for further information.