NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Seven out of 10 high-net-worth (HNW) Americans have more confidence in the private sector to solve social and environmental problems than the public or nonprofit sector. Another six in 10 believe that private capital invested in social and public programs can produce superior outcomes, all while ownership and interest in impact investing climb.

Understanding how and why individuals make impact investments is an increasingly important component of nonprofit management, according to Jackie VanderBrug, managing director of U.S. Trust, a subsidiary of Bank of America.

“I think that nonprofit executives that look at impact investing as a trend to be welcomed and embraced are going to be the ones ahead of the curve,” she said. “Impact investing is not going away. It’s fundamentally changing how investments are being made by individuals and fund managers. Understanding that and what it means to your donor base, constituency and board members is an important part of a nonprofit executive’s job.”