Application Deadline: August 31st 2017
We are thrilled to announce that our partners Vital Voices Global Partnership is currently accepting applications for the 2018 VV GROW Fellowship!
The VV GROW Fellowship is a highly competitive one-year accelerator program for women owners of small and medium businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. The program includes customized business skills training, technical assistance, leadership development, and access to networks to grow their businesses and increase their leadership impact. Through global and regional online and in-person interventions, fellows focus on strategy and long-term business value paired with action-oriented plans. They amplify their role as leaders in their businesses and their communities to create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth and produce wider social benefits.
The one-year program includes:
- Global Virtual Learning: Over 4 months, fellows complete a series of weekly webinars, assignments, online courses, assessments, and one-on-one calls with peers, Vital Voices staff, and trainers. Fellows begin to build their knowledge about marketing, networking, business planning, financial management and leadership, the core topics of the program. Fellows assess the current state of their business and leadership in order to determine where they are; analyze their business and the external environment to identify opportunities for growth; and define specific business growth goals to identify where they want to go.
- Regional In-Person Training: Each year, fellows from each region gather in one country in their region to participate in a four-day, in-person training workshop that will guide them in creating an action plan outlining how they will accomplish their business growth goals. Fellows also get the opportunity to meet, network with, and learn from other fellows from their region, Vital Voices staff and trainers.
- Growth Services and Support: Following the in-person training, fellows implement and revise their action plans, while evaluating their progress toward their business growth goals. Throughout the last 6 months of the fellowship, Vital Voices staff connects fellows to individualized growth services and support based on the goals and action items in their action plan.
Requirements:
Women business owners from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, who:
- Own a business that…
- Has been in operation for at least 3 years
- Employs at least 3 full time staff
- Generates at least USD $40,000 in annual sales
- Reside in the same country as your business for at least 7 months out of the year
- Are proficient in spoken and written English
As an interested applicant, you:
- Are motivated to build the skills and make the changes needed to grow your business
- Have the authority to make critical decisions within your business
- Have demonstrated leadership within your community
- Are enthusiastic about participating in a one-year business accelerator program
- Are willing to have Vital Voices track your business growth for 1 year during the Fellowship, and up to 5 years afterwards and are committed to participate in data collection methods including online surveys and phone calls
Benefits
- Strengthened knowledge, skills, and confidence in 5 core areas: business planning, leadership, financial management, networking, and marketing
- Access to highly qualified staff and business consultants
- Access to 12 online business management and leadership courses through Harvard Business School Publishing’s online platform, Harvard ManageMentor (HMM) for one year
- Interactive webinars led by expert trainers from across the globe
- A 4-day in-person, regional training workshop
- Joining a network of women business leaders from across the globe
- Referral(s) to business support services tailored to your needs
- A certificate of program completion
- Entry into the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network upon graduation
What do I commit to as a fellow?
- Active participation throughout the program
- 4-7 hours per week dedicated to webinars, assignments and calls during the global virtual learning stage (January-May 2018)
- Attending the entirety of the 4-day regional in person training workshop in May-June 2018
- 2-3 hours per week during the growth services and support stage of the program (June-December 2018)
- Collaborating with Vital Voices on tracking your business growth during the fellowship and for up to five years afterwards via completion of brief, periodic online surveys, and phone calls
What happens after I apply?
Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted for a 1-hour Skype interview. All applicants, whether or not selected for an interview, will be notified about final decision by December 15, 2017.