“I decided to return to my home state and make a difference in the communities I love; I am Connecticut through and through”

Originally from New Hartford, CT Cameron attended High School at Kingswood-Oxford in West Hartford, CT before attending Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT where she received her Bachelors Degree in International Business. After working as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Rhode Island, Cameron moved to Connecticut and brought the services provided by Capitol Good Fund along with her. 

Capital Good Fund (CGF) is a nonprofit social change organization that was started in Providence, RI in 2009 by Executive Director, Andy Posner, who at the time was a Brown graduate student. The three main services offered by Capital Good Fund are; micro-loans up to $2000, free tax preparation through the IRS VITA program, and one-on-one financial and health coaching.

Tell us about you professionally, when did you start with CGF? What do you love most about your work?

My degree is in International Business, and I always envisioned myself living abroad- most likely Latin America somewhere. After graduating, I followed that dream and moved to Costa Rica where I lived and worked for a year. While I loved the culture, it became clear to me that the US was and always will be my home. I worked for New York Life Insurance Company as an Insurance Agent the year after I returned, and decided there was not enough community focus, but I really enjoyed the financial aspect. For me CGF has been the perfect intersection between the business and nonprofit worlds; I am able to deliver financial services in a way that focuses on education and economic development, and I know without a doubt that each day my work benefits the lives of others.

How is Capital Good Funding making a difference and effecting change in the community?

For me, I see CGF Connecticut as a main player in bridging the income inequality gap in our state. Connecticut has the 2nd highest income inequality in the country, rivaled only by New York. Our services focus on increasing income, reducing expenses and building assets. We also focus on habit formation and understanding out clients’ motivations for what they do (or don’t do) and working with each individual where they are at and helping them achieve their goals. We plan to make a real, lasting difference in the lives of every client we severe in Connecticut!

How did Capital Good Fund come to Hartford? What are your expectations of opening operations here? How has it been going?

I was finishing up my VISTA year in Rhode Island, and I knew that I did not want to leave CGF but also that I did not want to live in Rhode Island. I pitched the idea of having a Connecticut branch to my Executive and Deputy Director and told them all the reasons they should keep me on to open an office in Hartford. CGF has its sights on becoming a national organization, and we had built a strong connection over my service year, so it was a no-brainer for both side. Thus, CGF Connecticut came into existence in October 2013 and we served our first client in February 2014!

Name at least one professional goal you hope to accomplish in 2014?

There are many things I want to accomplish professionally in 2014, most of them tied to creating a viable, sustainable presence in Hartford and New London counties. I think the most important of these goals is to start building my team in CT. I want to hire at least one full time person by the end of the year; I am excited about being able to create jobs in CT, and also to have someone else as dedicated and excited about CGF Connecticut as I am.

Share some of the skills you can contribute to the coworking community? Are you a graphic designer? Do you make a mean cup of coffee? Master Gardner? We all have special things about us and when they are combined, those things make up a community. What will you bring to this community?

This is a great question! Directly, I can provide my services to the other coworkers: free tax prep and free financial coaching. Especially for the new business owners, a financial coaching session is really valuable. And, who doesn’t like getting their taxes done for free?? Indirectly, I hope I am able to bring a fresh perspective to the community in a way that gets people thinking differently about their day to day activities. Every time a new member is brought into a community, there is a dynamic shift, and I hope the shift I create will be a positive one!

The Capital Good Fund Staff!

When you aren’t working you are..?

When I am not working I am spending time with my cat, Xena, my family, friends and my boyfriend, Peter. My hobbies include vegetarian cooking, hiking, listening to indie rock/reggae, doing freelance graphic design (usually designing my next tattoo) and scrapbooking. I am also forever contemplating how to invent teleportation, because most of what I am doing when I’m not working is driving circles around the tri-state area.

Tell us about CGF’s Immediate Public Opportunity to End Poverty in America campaign.

As a nonprofit, CGF is very dependent on external funds to operate. Some of our services generate revenue, like the interest on our loans, but it is not enough to support both programs and staff. Our Executive Director, Andy, is an excellent fundraiser and has kept us all in jobs for the past 5 years. He was looking for an innovative way to raise funds and increase awareness beyond the traditional grant writing sphere. The IPO is modeled after an effort from the nonprofit Homeward Bound of Marian County, who created an “Immediate Public Opportunity” and sold shares as a way to raise money. Warren Buffet was one of the 1st “shareholders” and the organization was able to raise over $1 million dollars. We are hoping for a similar effect. Our shares are $25 each, and every share allows the shareholder a voting right in our annual election of a board member. It also gives the donor a tangible return for their investment. Our goal is to raise $10,000, which will go towards funding our programs: helping to provide financial coaching to low-income parents in the Providence Public School system, helping us to offer free tax preparation to taxpayers in 3 different locations in 2 states, helping to provide micro-loans to those who are unable to access credit in the traditional financial sphere- and of course, to keep the dedicated CGF staff in jobs so we can keep the mission alive. I am excited for the IPO, which is a unique way to reach out to those who want to make a difference in their communities, this is an opportunity to engage stakeholders on a new level. Our IPO can be accessed here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ipo-to-end-poverty-in-america.