Risk-Based Scorecards for Microenterprises: Pilot in Haiti Final Report
Summary — This report details a USAID-funded pilot study in Haiti using a Risk-Based Scorecard (RBS) to improve performance for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and small and micro enterprises (SMEs). The RBS aimed to help MFIs assess SME risks and help SMEs identify crucial risk factors affecting their businesses, but low uptake limited the assessment of its effectiveness.
Key Findings
- Low uptake and completion rates of the RBS among SMEs limited the assessment of its effectiveness.
- External risk factors, such as weather and political unrest, were commonly reported by SMEs.
- Sogesol was able to continue operations during Hurricane Matthew.
- Sogesol learned about the risks facing SMEs, and some SME clients used the opportunity to express their appreciation to Sogesol or to communicate their requests and issues related to their relationship with Sogesol.
- Sogesol officials verbally expressed interest in trying an improved version of the RBS in the future, and scaling it up to more branches if proven effective.
Full Description
Social Impact, Inc. developed a Risk-Based Scorecard (RBS) to help both MFIs and SMEs learn collaboratively and adapt their business strategies to improve their performance. With a grant from USAID's Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), SI conducted a pilot study with Société Générale Haïtienne de Solidarité (Sogesol), a regulated MFI serving SMEs in Haiti, to roll out the RBS and test its utility in improving performance, both for Sogesol and among SMEs. The pilot lasted 18 months and was completed in June 2017. The study involved training Sogesol's monitoring officers and conducting a randomized control trial (RCT) with 253 active Sogesol clients in a treatment group and 252 in a control group. However, a low uptake and completion of the RBS among SMEs was observed, therefore, the assessment of the effectiveness of the RBS in improving performance was incomplete.