For Good Measure: Performance of the U.S. Microenterprise Industry
This report from MicroTest is the first of a series of publications that analyze performance data of a large number of U.S. microenterprise programs.
MicroTest was initiated in 1997 by and for microenterprise development practitioners interested in documenting and improving performance levels in the microenterprise field. Its mission is to improve microenterprise service quality and organizational stability by promoting use of common measures to assess performance. MicroTest data collection efforts are largely voluntary, with members providing performance data. It focuses on output categories such as:
- Reaching Target Groups;
- Achieving Program Scale;
- Credit Program Effectiveness;
- Training Program Effectiveness;
- Program Efficiency and Sustainability Measures.
The current composition of MicroTest programs reflects a mix of programs that range from seasoned to new, large to small, urban to rural, as well as training and credit programs. The report presents the following achievements of these microenterprise programs:
- Improved outreach to women, minority communities and low-income populations;
- Growth in program scale, especially among credit-led programs;
- Low loan loss rates;
- Strong progress in program sustainability measures.
