Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community (WWC)
About The OrganizationLocation: Statewide in Maine, operating out of 18 centers and sites. Administrative offices are located in Augusta, ME.
Populations Served: Displaced homemakers, single parents, dislocated workers, unemployed individuals, low-wage workers, and others in transition. 82% of those served are women; 78% are low to moderate income. 58% are in rural communities. We serve over 1600 individuals per year through all program areas including over 700 microenterprise participants.
Mission Statement: The mission of Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community (WWC) is to help women succeed in the Maine economy and achieve economic security for themselves and their families through access to education, jobs that pay a livable wage, self employment, financial literacy and asset development, and civic leadership.
Laurie Ouellette - owner, Sweet Pea Designs, a wedding planning and florist business in Lewiston, ME. She started in 2004 and has grown steadily. She recently got a contract with a local college.
Why Does Microenterprise Matter?
Why does microenterprise development matter in your community?
Maine is characterized by small towns and communities that offer a high quality of life surrounded by a natural environment that is well appreciated and attractive. Small enterprises form the core of the economies in these communities.
Maine is a state of small businesses, with 78.4% of businesses having nine or fewer employees while only 1.6% have 100 or more employees. In 2006, the number of individuals employed by microenterprises in Maine was 177,182 or 21.2% of all employment in the state.
Maine is also a largely rural state, with a strong, if diminishing foundation of traditional natural resource based industries and self-employment in forestry, fishing and farming. Maine residents have cultivated an independent streak over many decades and are well suited to self-employment. Mainers are creative, self-reliant and hard-working.
What are the most pressing needs of entrepreneurs in your community?
When asked, entrepreneurs say they need help with the following things:
- Skills and services in marketing and promotion
- Regulations, financing, and other government programs that are more responsive to the scale of their operations rather than being geared to the few large enterprises in the state
- Access to health care and health insurance that is affordable for owners and employees
- Better infrastructure, such as high speed internet access and roads, rail and other transportation systems
- A coordinated technical assistance, training and support system, with easy access to information
WWC microenterprise trainers are helping entrepreneurs weather the economic storm in a couple of ways:
- Assisting them in focusing on their strategic vision and planning
- Connecting them with peers, helping them expand their networks
- Promoting their businesses through our website, events, and news articles (Example: the Maine legislature holds an auction every year to raise money for a scholarship. This year WWC offered a basket of products made by our entrepreneurs)
- First, we need a strong association that can speak to the value of microenterprise on national and state levels.
- Second, we need to empower microentrepreneurs to speak with their own voice on issues of importance: health care, education, the environment, energy, community.
- Third, we need to ensure that microenterprise organizations receive the support they need to do the work in the field and to do it well and to document what we do.
Jennifer Moore Temple, owner, Buzzie Bee Diapers, a cloth diaper service that emphasizes the environmental and health values of her business. She operates in the Rockland area.
Organization Successes and Challenges
What was your biggest success in 2008?
This is our 30th Anniversary! Sustaining our diverse organization over that time period has to be our biggest success. We have been holding celebrations in regions throughout the state that will culminate in a final event in May. As part of our celebrations, we are honoring 30 “Champions” – individuals who have been our partners, who have supported our mission, who have worked side by side to advance women’s economic opportunities. Those partnerships are part of our greatest success.
We were also successful for the first time in receiving a federal grant to conduct a two-year general program evaluation and demonstration of the effectiveness of our service strategies.
What was your biggest challenge in 2008?
We are always challenged to stay fresh, focused and flexible in a dynamic environment, whether facing changes in funding, personnel or external trends and demands. This year, the general economic conditions merely added depth to those on-going challenges.
What are your goals for 2009?
Our goals for the coming year include:
- Stabilize our core funding
- Focus on delivering and documenting training and technical assistance that best supports our mission and the needs of our participants as identified in the federal grant
- Support rural entrepreneurs in building skills and comfort in using new technologies (web 2.0 tools and resources)
- Continuing to experiment in designing and delivering training using distance education technologies
- Promote policies that increase state support for microenterprise development
Anna Marie Tocci, owner, North Star Cafe, Portland. Her cafe has become a community hub in a resurgent part of downtown. With her business partner, Kim Anderson, they serve teas, coffee, local foods, and support live music, poetry readings.
Organization Statistics
In 2008
Clients Served: 148
Microloans*: 4
Dollars loaned: $4000
Average loan: N/A
Jobs created by microenterprise clients: 1.3 jobs per business started (estimate based on past outcome surveys)
Cumulative (last ten years only)
Clients Served: 2547
Microloans*: 10
Dollars loaned: $8815
Average loan: 880
Jobs created by microenterprise clients: Estimated at 1300 jobs over last ten years
* WWC also works with clients to leverage loans from other public and private lending sources. One third of all WWC-supported FDA savings accounts are for business assets.
Susan Landry, owner of Tranquility Acres in Buckport, a grass-fed Belted Galloway cattle and Bard Rock chicken farm she operates with her husband. They sell natural meat and eggs.
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