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Sell Benefits, Not Features: Why Social Enterprises’ Marketing Shouldn’t Focus on Their Impact
Social enterprises tend to put their positive impact at the center of their marketing efforts – after all, that's the passion behind their business. But according to storytelling strategist Menno Moffitt de Block, there's a problem with that approach: Many people may care about this impact, but few care enough to change their purchasing decisions because of it. He explains why these businesses should focus primarily on their benefits to the customer – not their social impact.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Uncategorized
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Finding the Right Asset Manager for Sustainable Investing: A Guide for Due Diligence
More than a quarter of assets under management worldwide are invested in sustainable strategies, prompting asset managers to expand their sustainability-related services. But though this growth is encouraging, analysts at the Investment Integration Project caution that it remains hard to determine which asset managers are providing the best sustainable investment services, and which approach is the most effective. They share insights from a new report that aims to answer those questions.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing
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Saving Your Coffee and Avocado Toast: How Strategic Partnerships Can Build Smallholders’ Resilience to Climate Change
The climate crisis has spawned a new internet trend, as headlines like “America’s Favorite Fruit Could Go Extinct” spark panic in readers. And it’s true that the warming climate could affect the future supply of produce and other foods – but it's creating even more drastic problems for smallholder farmers. Camila Kauer Garcia at Fintrac explores initiatives that are helping farmers become more resilient to climate change, allowing consumers to confidently enjoy their favorite foods.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Expanding Impact and Emerging Risks in Off-Grid Energy: 10 Customer Insights – And Five Calls to Action
Social impact measurement is often a balancing act between generating rich, meaningful insights – and getting lost in the details. 60 Decibels aims to strike that balance with its first impact performance report, “Why Off Grid Energy Matters,” based on over 35,000 interviews with customers of 49 off-grid energy companies in 17 countries. Kat Harrison and Sasha Dichter explore some highlights, ranging from hyper-specific insights on customer impact, to sector-wide risks and gaps.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment
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Sizing the ‘Grey Economy’: Using Geospatial Data to Uncover the True Extent of the MSME Sector in Emerging Markets
The micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector is a major employer in many emerging economies – but exactly how big? And how many jobs is it producing? According to Obert Maposa at FinMark Trust, those are hard questions to answer – but advancements in technology and geospatial data modeling are improving our understanding of the sector. He explores how FinMark Trust has leveraged these tools in Malawi, and why the model holds promise for other countries.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- business development, data, MSMEs, research
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Bottom-up Solutions to the Climate Emergency: Three Innovative, Eco-Inclusive Enterprises Take a Local Approach
We just reached the end of the hottest decade on record, and local communities – particularly in the Global South – are bearing the brunt of the impact. As climate change disrupts development efforts and worsens global food crises, population displacement and water scarcity, there's a growing need for more resilient communities. The SEED Awards highlight eco-inclusive enterprises that are addressing this challenge – authors at SEED discuss some promising examples.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Social Enterprise
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Waiting Game: Where is All the Investment in Solar-Powered Productive Use Appliances?
The solar industry has helped over 360 million people in off-grid communities gain access to basic electricity – and the sector is moving beyond just lighting. Many companies now offer household appliances and, increasingly, “productive-use” appliances that support income-generating activities. However, investment in companies deploying these technologies remains minimal. Leslie Labruto at Acumen and Jeff Stottlemyer at CLASP explore the problem, and some potential solutions.
- Categories
- Energy
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Out of the Shadows: Providing Employment and Empowerment to India’s Transgender Community
India’s transgender women community, or Hijra, has a recorded history of over 4,000 years, and once held a respected position in the country's political and spiritual life. But today, violence, hate crimes and discrimination against the Hijra are common, and dignified employment is scarce. Manish Jain co-founded Kineer Services to address these issues - he discusses the ways Kineer creates job opportunities and supports the mental and physical health of the Hijra, and other sexual minorities and neglected communities.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- employment, human rights
