Founder in Residence

Our Founder in Residence (EIR) program is an impact accelerator that helps community leaders and bankers replicate our groundbreaking work in microfinance.

We help experienced professionals use their talents to give back to their communities by becoming founders of independent, nonprofit organizations who share our mission to dismantle poverty, accelerate entrepreneurship, and reinvent microfinance.

The accelerator helps participates with technical support, underwriting and risk management training, fundraising assistance, board of directors guidance, nonprofit registration assistance, mentorship, fellowship, and other support services. After successful completion of the accelerator, alumni are encouraged to start their own organizations. We'll provide post-accelerator support with a network or co-op in order to continue supporting alumni-founded organizations.

The accelerator program is selective, voluntary (no pay), part-time (2 to 5 hours per week), online, and for two months only. After the accelerator, the time commitment will be part-time and up to you.

There's more than a billion people we want to help. Join us to serve, grow, and lead.

Accelerator Date and Time

  • Duration: Two months, meeting once a week.

  • Meeting: Online once a week for an hour.

  • Application deadline: Open and ongoing

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of banking, finance, or wealth management preferred. For example, a Director, Senior Vice President, or C-Level executive.

  • Kindness, empathy, and compassion.

  • Leadership ability.

  • Bachelor’s degree, any field.

  • Location: Open to all countries especially in Africa.

  • Financially established and able to donate and volunteer part-time without pay for at least one year*.

*Applicants should be accomplished professionals who are financially established with steady income. Think of nonprofit work as a side hustle and calling to enrich your life and others. Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, likes to say “Doing good is good business”. In that sense, volunteering may accelerate your career. In the competitive world of business, being exceptional and having meaningful interests in life besides just making money can distinguish you from your peers.

Accelerator Details & FAQs

    • Able to make a long, part- time commitment to nonprofit work.

    • Active with social media with visible, community connections.

    • WiFi connection at home.

    • Computer, laptop, or tablet to work with spreadsheets.

    • As a leader, you should have a vested interest in your future organization. You will be asking others to donate to your cause, so donating personally, even a small amount, demonstrates leadership, commitment, and sincerity.

  • Yes. Most of our accelerator participants are individuals and aspiring nonprofit founders, but we welcome established organizations and businesses including banks who want to include “zero interest” microfinance as part of their services or corporate social responsibility.

    Affordable, non-usury microfinance addresses many important issues including poverty, financial inclusion, usury & corruption, gender equality, unemployment, entrepreneurship, small business growth, leadership, financial literacy, and micro and macro economic development.

  • You may call your nonprofit anything you like. It’s your decision.

    Note: You will be an independent organization, not a Sunday branch or chapter.

  • Yes, we highly recommend that you have co-founders. Having co-founders means you don’t have to do everything by yourself. Co-founders support and complement each other, ease operation burdens, inspire each other with strategy, and push each other to greater heights.

    Your co-founders don’t need to start at same time, but we recommend you find co-founders within your first year of operations.

    We have a large talent pool at Sunday that can serve as co-founders and board directors. We will help you find a good team so you won’t be alone in your journey to make a difference.

  • Our nonprofit work is unique and shouldn’t conflict with outside activity policies for bank employees.

    Sunday does charge interest or fees and our loans are made with an honorary agreement, not a formal promissory note. Technically, we make donations, not loans, but we call them loans for simplicity.

    Some of our own board members at Sunday are currently employed at banks too.