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Why Aren’t More Social Enterprises Measuring Impact? A New Study in South Africa Raises Questions for the Global Sector
South Africa has arguably the most mature impact ecosystem in Africa, with both seasoned and new social enterprises, incubators, accelerators and funders. And a new study from Impact Amplifier and Genesis Analytics revealed a similarly robust impact assessment sector, with 72 percent of study participants claiming to have an impact measurement practice. But as Tanner Methvin at Impact Amplifier explains, those numbers contrast significantly with what his organization has observed on the ground. He explores that discrepancy and the broader findings in this revealing post.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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Medical Equipment Graveyards: Three Causes of the Problem – And How Blockchain Can Help
Medical equipment is essential for diagnosing and treating patients. Yet due to inefficiencies and a lack of coordination in donations, much of this equipment sits unused in low-income countries — a situation often referred to as equipment graveyards. According to global health consultant Vikas Meka, blockchain could provide a solution. In this post – the first in a series – he explores three common problems with the current medical equipment donation system, and how a blockchain-driven platform could help.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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Adapt or Die: Accelerating Growth Amid a Rapidly Changing Energy Landscape
The clean cooking sector has made incredible strides in the past decade, with bilateral organizations and the development community working together to create standardized environmental impact goals. Now the industry is facing a new set of scaling challenges, say Jessica Alderman and Ron Bills of Envirofit International. The two share advice for enterprises seeking to level up, including how to avoid mission creep.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Managing Money in Retirement is Hard – Fintech May Make it Easier
As many as 42 million Americans aged 50 or older struggle with some aspect of their financial lives, according to new research by the Center for Financial Services Innovation. The new report shows how the work-to-retire model of building savings and paying off debt has been replaced with far more complex scenarios and, for many, delayed retirement. Karen Andres, Vice President at CFSI, sees a solution in fintech – she highlights several apps that leverage tools like prize-linked savings, automated transaction monitoring, and innovative ways to create steady income streams.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Tags
- financial health, fintech
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The Power of Messaging: How WhatsApp is Becoming a Not-So-Secret Weapon Among Small Enterprises in Emerging Markets
Doing business in emerging markets requires significant and often remote communication – from managing inventory to keeping track of transactions and employees in the field. But though donor-funded digitization efforts often focus on building payments use cases, some of the most needed advancements are happening via existing communications channels like WhatsApp, says Strategic Impact Advisors VP Hamilton McNutt. He explores the innovative ways companies are using WhatsApp – and how messaging apps could better serve their needs.
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- Technology, Telecommunications
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What the ‘Varsity Blues’ Scandal Says (And Doesn’t Say) About Bill McGlashan, the Rise Fund and Impact Investing
Bill McGlashan’s downfall at Rise, TPG's mammoth impact investing fund, has been making national headlines for the past week – sparking a wave of criticism that's putting the sector on the defensive. According to long-time impact investor Lauren Cochran, managing director at Blue Haven Initiative, the critics have a point - but they're missing an important part of the story. She explores what McGlashan's failings say about the Rise Fund and the broader industry – and what impact investing can learn from the scandal.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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The Winds of Change: Mobilizing Microfinance for Climate Change Resilience
Though the world is slowly taking action on climate change, much of the debate still focuses on mitigation. In fact, adaptation – becoming resilient to the changes to come – is equally important, say Daniel Rozas and Sam Mendelson at e-MFP. They explore how the financial inclusion industry can help vulnerable communities develop resilience to the disruptions of climate change, and to adapt to permanently changed environments. This year’s European Microfinance Award aims to inspire the sector to make this fundamental shift – interested providers can apply for the €100,000 award until April 9, 2019.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance
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Unpacking NextBillion’s Reader Survey: What the Responses Show – And How They’ll Shape Our Coverage
You likely noticed that NextBillion has been conducting a reader survey over the past few months. But you may not have noticed that the survey recently concluded. In the spirit of transparency – and because we find the results interesting – we’ve compiled some highlights from the 500+ responses. We also share our initial reactions to this reader feedback, and discuss how this survey data might impact new editorial directions on the site.
- Categories
- Finance, Social Enterprise, Technology
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