CINNAIRE
AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING SYNDICATOR AND CINNAIRE LENDING CORP., AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES SUBSIDIARY CDFI

“Barbara’s advice was invaluable to Cinnaire’s staff and Board of Directors as we prepared the organization to seek an Aeris rating. The insights she provided during that process were catalytic to our growth as a diversified lending company and informed the build out of a variety of functions including originations and portfolio management. We highly recommend Barbara.”

Jim Peffley, Chief Strategy Officer

WORKING SOLUTIONS
A MICROFINANCE CDFI

“Barbara is a respected expert in community development finance with a deep understanding of operational best practices in the CDFI industry. Barbara started consulting with us to conduct a gap analysis, and she has continued advising on multiple projects to support our growth. Over the past 4 years, Barbara has advised Working Solutions as we have scaled from fewer than 50 loans a year to over 150 loans a year, with our sights set on making 400 loans annually. At each step, Barbara has guided staff members through their functional understanding with an eye to cross-organizational improvements, and she has also supported our management team to analyze greater trends across the broader CDFI industry. Barbara understands the nuts and bolts of running a nonprofit loan fund and what it means to be a mission-minded, diligent, and scalable lender.”

Sara Razavi, CEO, Working Solutions

HIAS
A MICROFINANCE ORGANIZATION AND EMERGING CDFI

“HIAS contracted with Barbara Eckblad of the Eckblad Group in the fall of 2019 to perform a GAP analysis of our emerging loan fund, which is operating in three markets. HIAS works with refugee clients and has for 140 years resettled persecuted people to the U.S. Barbara conducted a thorough analysis and provided a final report with explicit recommendations for HIAS to strengthen its loan operations. The report included an alignment of roles for maximum efficiency and growth; a review of policies and forms to meet CDFI best practice standards; and, a thorough review of our underwriting standards and portfolio management. The product was a great road map for us to follow. What was, however, even more extraordinary was Barbara’s style. She could break down very complex ideas into simple and understandable language so that all staff - from executives to front line staff - could understand the issue and her recommendation. Not only is the work of very high quality but Barbara is an excellent communicator with a style that builds bridges. We will continue to call on Barbara at critical junctures in our growth.”

Alicia Wrenn, Senior Director, Resettlement and Integration

RENAISSANCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
A CDFI

“Barbara Eckblad came to consult Renaissance at a critical moment. Prior to her work with us, while we had become a fairly established NYC small business microlender, we saw a need to expand and grow our services. Barbara consulted with us on developing organizational management efficiency measures and streamlining loan fund operations. Among her recommendations was the need to add staff in order to serve increased client volume. She helped us re-train existing staff, focusing closely on the collections process – in particular our reporting for loan payments and delinquencies – and loan underwriting. Barbara’s tremendous work with Renaissance helped lead directly to a 10-15% growth in organizational lending. We are grateful to Barbara for her hard work with Renaissance and owe much of our current success to her efforts.”

Jessie Lee, Managing Director of Renaissance Economic Development Corp.