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Five Key Questions for Managing Impact – And How to Apply Them in Your Business
Hundreds of investors, entrepreneurs, social scientists and evaluators from around the world recently joined together to devise an easier way to manage and comprehend business impact. They came up with five dimensions for assessing a business’ impact on people and the planet, whether for good or ill – in a way that others can understand, both within and outside of the company. Amanda Feldman of the Bridges Impact+ team explores how businesses – from startups to multinational corporations – can go about assessing their true impact.
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment
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Here’s How to Play Matchmaker to Social + Business Metrics ‘Power Couples’
For many businesses and organizations, the idea of measuring their impact can be scary, elusive or just plain boring. But pairing social and business metrics "power couples" can give organizations unique insights to solve key business challenges. In a new report, the William Davidson Institute shares the results of its work with three organizations to demystify data collection of their social impacts. Rebecca Baylor of WDI writes that the team's work proves impact measurement doesn't have to be as hard as it may seem.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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The Teacher-Researcher Divide: How Can Educators in Emerging Markets Make Better Use of Data?
Despite an explosion of high-quality research into K-12 learning outcomes in emerging markets, the data from those studies can be hard to interpret, leading educators to defer to their own experience and/or that of their peers instead. As a result, the best evidence on methods and strategies often goes unused by teachers. Sean Geraghty of the private school operator Bridge International Academies considers a recent partnership with the Liberian government and asks: How can educators truly incorporate the latest research into their lessons?
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- Education, Impact Assessment
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Better Neighborhood, Better Life: What Research Shows About Investments in Equitable Development
Research shows that a child's neighborhood impacts professional outcomes and earnings, and that environment plays a role in exacerbating racial inequality. That's why JPMorgan Chase is working with lenders across the U.S. on a new approach to community development – one focused on neighborhood revitalization. Colleen Briggs discusses Partnerships for Raising Opportunity in Neighborhoods, a $125 million, five-year capital commitment to help communities fuel economic growth.
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- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Tackling Poverty Close to Home: Why Acumen is Boosting Financial Health in the U.S.
More than 40 million Americans live below the poverty line, and a majority live paycheck to paycheck. That's why, after nearly two decades and over $110 million of impact investments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Acumen has expanded its focus to include the United States. Amon Anderson and Sarah Willis discuss how Acumen America, through its financial inclusion portfolio supported by MetLife Foundation, aims to build a future where low-income Americans enjoy stability, protection and prosperity.
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- Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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We’re Undervaluing Value Addition: How Ag Processing Will Fortify Food Security, Incomes and Development
The world's cocoa farmers get only 3 percent of the value of a chocolate bar, and Africa, home to 60 percent of the world’s arable land, is a net importer of food that could be processed at lower cost on the continent. The problem is that agriculture producers in emerging markets grow the crops only to watch as others grab the profits. The solution, says Donna Rosa, is to improve the solid food processing industries in developing countries.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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On Pioneering Capital, Mentorship and Accelerators: It Turns Out You Can Do (A Lot) More With Less
Less than 3 percent of impact investment funds made their way to early-stage ventures in 2017. Sachi Shenoy and Nathan Byrd of Upaya Social Ventures believe the impact investing sector must do better. After several years of investing pioneer capital in social enterprises, they offer several solutions that take advantage of a "less is more" philosophy.
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- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Sick of Fundraising? This Tool Makes it Easier for Social Entrepreneurs to Find Opportunities
Fundraising. Just about every social entrepreneur loathes it. The drudgery of seeking out the right partner, in the right sector, at just the right time is a key reason why. Sweta Govani details the Global Innovation Exchange, a new type of technology platform that's being launched this week to help social entrepreneurs cut down on the grunt work and fundraise more effectively.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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