Impact Investing

Editor’s Note: Impact Investing Today

Melissa Bradley, Tides
By no means new to philanthropy, the recent deluge of interest in impact investing is triggered by the changing needs of donors who desire a financial return in light of the overall declining economy. Also fueling the fury are the shifting organizational structures of entities interested in doing good no longer being relegated to a c3 IRS ruling. For-profit companies and hybrids are stepping up to support social causes with a more profit-oriented business model, with profits supporting the underlying social-good and long-term sustainability of the enterprise.

Weather Insurance Builds Resilience for Farmers

David Satterthwaite, Oxfam America
Selas Samson Biru is a farmer in Ethiopia’s rugged northern region of Tigray. She knows how hard it is to coax a crop from rocky soil, how tenuous a family’s security can be when it relies only on rain to feed the fields, and how drought can strike with devastating consequences.
So when she heard about the drought and food crisis that had ensnared more than 13 million people across East Africa last year, she asked a simple question—one that reveals the deep value of a basic financial tool that, until now, has been largely out of reach of the world’s poorest farmers. “Have they bought insurance?” Biru asked.

Creating a Connection to Communities Worldwide

Lisa Hall, Calvert Foundation
Jane Skeeter has been creating customized, state-of-the-art architectural glass for clients in hospitality, healthcare and retail for nearly 40 years. Yet life hasn’t always been easy for this innovative and creative entrepreneur. In 1991, an arson fire in the building adjacent to her company’s burned her workspace to the ground, leaving nothing but the kiln. Just three short years later, an earthquake left the building, and the kiln, in ruins.

Expanding the Pie: How Impact Investing can be Beneficial, Additive, and Complementary

Amit Bouri, Global Impact Investing Network

Though the practice of impact investing has a long history, the industry surrounding it is quite young. There’s been a lot of recent enthusiasm about the impact investment market, which has attracted a number of large institutions, but has also raised some concerns that reality won’t match the hype. Some believe that impact investing is fated to replace philanthropy, adding profit motivations to a sector that had been defined by its sole focus on supporting social benefit.

The Future of Impact Investing

Antony Bugg-Levine, Nonprofit Finance Fund
Too many impact investing conversations are ahistorical, and too many impact investors are attracted to simple answers and the notion they can go it alone.  This limits many impact investors to focus on funding charismatic entrepreneurs delivering niche products rather than tackling fundamental challenges.  By following four simple principles, impact investors can overcome these limitations and make a real contribution to social justice:

In Conversation with Ron Cordes

Ron Cordes, Genworth Financial Wealth Management

We asked Ron Cordes seven simple questions about Impact Investing.

Investing in Refugees

Jo Sullivan, USA for UNHCR

As Americans, it’s almost beyond our capacity to comprehend.

We have all seen images on TV of refugees standing in line for food or blankets.  But those images don’t begin to convey the horrors people have endured simply to get to the camp—or the thousands who never make it.

Here’s one story . . .

Investing Simplified

Tides
A visual overview of the investing field and the relationship of impact investing to other types of investment.