ECHO Collective

We want to extend our deepest thanks to Women In Sales & Business for selecting us as their nonprofit partner for the past year. Your incredible support, from resources to guidance and everything in between, has helped us make meaningful strides in our mission. Your alignment with our vision—a future where women can grow and belong both within themselves and within their communities—has been a powerful motivator for us. It’s partnerships like these that truly fuel change and create lasting impact. Thank you for walking this journey with us, and for all the ways you’ve empowered us to grow. Here’s to continuing our shared mission of uplifting women everywhere!

Last week, three of our graduates had the honor of speaking on a small business panel moderated by our Executive Director with the current Leadership Lincoln cohort. ?? Brava to their public speaking prowess, and thank you to our friends at Leadership Lincoln for the invitation! Panelists: Enas Mahdi, Designs by Enas, https://lnkd.in/gYnXTrGD Cinthya Roma?a, Sanación del Alma, https://lnkd.in/gkNsv2Zx Jahena Cervantes, Cervantes Cleaning Company, https://lnkd.in/g82u5FZc

We’re thrilled to announce that Bia Espinoza, the dynamic founder of Susa’s Sweets & Balloons, is launching a community fundraising round for her KIVA loan! This loan will be pivotal in expanding her business, and she’s only $825 away from reaching her goal. As the first KIVA loan applicant from the new Nebraska hub, Bia is breaking new ground for local entrepreneurs, and we couldn’t be more proud to support her. KIVA connects entrepreneurs with individuals who believe in their vision through small, interest-free loans. A loan as little as $25 can make a significant impact on Bia’s journey and will be repaid over time, giving you the opportunity to reinvest in future businesses. Special thanks to our partners at COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce for helping bring this opportunity to Nebraska. Let’s rally as a community and support Bia’s business expansion! ?? https://lnkd.in/gjqfYHwm Photos by @znapzbyz #Entrepreneurship #Microfinance #KivaLoan #SmallBusinessSupport #NebraskaEntrepreneurs #ECHOCollective #CommunityDevelopment

Exciting News! We are beyond proud to announce that Kelly Ross, our Founder and Executive Director, has been selected as one of 100 U.S. leaders to join the prestigious Obama Foundation Leaders Program! ?? Kelly's passion for empowering refugee and immigrant women led her to establish ECHO Collective in 2020. Through business education and mentorship, she has helped over 50 women achieve economic independence and build stronger communities. Now, as part of this incredible six-month leadership program, Kelly will have the opportunity to further scale her work and connect with changemakers from across the globe. ?? We are so excited to see how this program will enhance Kelly’s leadership journey and help her continue making a lasting impact here in Lincoln and beyond! ?? Congratulations, Kelly! ? Learn more about the Obama Foundation Leaders Program: obama.org/leaders @ObamaFoundation #obamaleaders #echocollectivene #empoweringcommunities #leadership #WomenWhoLead

We are honored to announce that ECHO is the recipient of Spreetail Foundation's $60,000 grant to work in partnership with the Design Studio at UNL's Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. We are in the process of building a talented team of UNL students who will take our dream of an online e-learning platform and bring it to life. Our team managers have already been announced: Ellenna Divingnzzo and Emma Wagner. ?? We will also be relying on the expertise and insight of our Board of Director's Secretary, Whitney Fritzinger, during this project. Stay tuned for the reveal of our full team next week!

ECHO Collective's Board of Directors pour their hearts into strategizing and planning a better future for the New American entrepreneurs and artisans of Lincoln. Thank you to the Lincoln Airport for hosting us for our annual retreat this month!

Thank you to Lincoln Electric System for hosting a workshop to provide insight on how to be the vendor for Lincoln's premier corporations. ?? A special shoutout to the workshop organizer and presenter, Todd Dlouhy. His insight was invaluable. Thanks, Todd! ?? We are especially thinking of our new friends after the destructive storm last night. We know the Lincoln Electric System has been working nonstop all night to restore power to Lincoln. ??

This summer we are proud to partner with the UNL Engler Entrepreneurship Center to provide a Small Enterprise Development course focused specifically on the interests and growth potential of our entrepreneurs. ?? The six week course is taught by experts in their fields; the second session was led by Dr. Helen Fagan.

Thank you to our friends at JP Morgan Chase for inviting Kelly and Darian to the Leadership Edge INSPIRE program last month! The entire experience was enlightening and empowering.

Congratulations to our inaugural cohort of ECHO Collective's Capital Readiness program! ?? We spent eighteen weeks studying all aspects of small business finance with a little Refinery review sprinkled in. Not pictured: Nyabuoy Chan and Farah Alkahachi Thank you to our program partner, Community Development Resources, for your support and loan access. We also want to shout out our speakers this cohort: Renee Cox, (retired from) Lincoln Literacy; Raul Sarmiento and Brittany Planos, Union Bank & Trust; Jennifer Dougherty, West Gate Bank; Christine Weeks & Team, Eleanor Creative. We love our experts! ?? #finance #smallbusiness #financialliteracy #loanreadiness