In year 2001, a number of CARD’s micro-entrepreneur clients expressed a need for marketing assistance. In response, CARD took its first and modest steps by pilot-testing a small marketing assistance program designed to help members identify buyers of their products, open up new markets, and reduce the cost of middlemen, a display center for clients products in CARD Head Office was in placed.
The next demand raised by CARD clients was additional technical, financial and management skills in running their enterprises, to be able to response on this CARD coordinate with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to conduct a series of Livelihood Training Program (LTP) . In year 2005 with the assistance of CORDAID (Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid), based in Netherlands, CARD conducted and extensive study of its clients. The study looked at the demand of CARD clients for business services. It was found that the most needed service was bulk sourcing purchasing of inputs-materials clients need to produce products. Aside from bulk sourcing, clients need for product development, enterprise management, and marketing such as an interest in linking with other producers, which each contributing a step toward a total final product in a value chain. After the study, what started as a “marketing assistance” continued to evolve as the 5th member of the CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institution (CARD MRI), the CARD-Business Development Service Foundation Inc. In February 18, 2008, CARD BDSFI was officially and legally registered as CARD-Business Development Service Foundation Inc at Securities and Exchange Commission.