Impact Investing with Harvard's David Wood

On February 10, amidst a huge crowd of business, investment and nonprofit leaders, Dallas Social Venture Partners (DSVP) kicked off their 2012 Social Innovation Luncheon Series with a focus on Impact Investing. Hosting one of the field's leading voices on the subject, David Wood, Director of the Initiative for Responsible Investments at Harvard University, provided the attendees with an inside look at why impact investing is so appealing and where this "transformative philanthropy" is heading.





There's nothing like sitting in an audience and getting goose bumps listening to someone paint a picture for what, at one time, seemed beyond possible for investors with a social conscience - the ability to generate a financial return AND a sustainable positive social outcome from investments (click here for photos). As an organization that serves professionals and social entrepreneurs, the venue provided friends and Partners of DSVP with leading-edge insights for how they can make the most of their charitable contributions and business expertise.

Susan Hoff, board chair, summarizes the role of this Series, “DSVP is thrilled to be able to bring a distinguished group of speakers, including David Wood, to our community. We hope this Series will challenge our community to ‘think out of the box’ in order to maximize positive community impact through social innovation and cross-sector partnerships. Many thanks to The Dallas Foundation and our other generous sponsors for their interest in helping us share these ideas.”

The luncheon presentation was engaging, exciting and flew by entirely too fast for those that were hungry for every little detail about how to connect with the impact investing field. Being someone who isn't hardwired for "finance-speak", this presentation was surprisingly tasty thanks to David's humorous style of delivering the information instead of what could otherwise have been like eating dry toast.

For those of you that were unable to make the event, here are three key takeaways from the discussion:

1. The Impact Investing field is dynamic and fluid but the opportunities are real. Thanks to advancements in online technology and access over the past few years, investors have more opportunities and flexibility to create products that meet their needs. The field needs room to flourish and thus we shouldn't try to pin it down or set the bar too high for what we are trying to accomplish.

2. There is some skepticism about impact investing because it is challenging conventional wisdom and practice. Skeptics are wary to the newness of the field and have concerns for the amount of hype that is being generated. To ensure future success, the hype needs to be managed.

3. Impact investing holds the promise of attaining philanthropy's Holy Grail - SCALE and SUSTAINABILITY. Microfinance has become a metaphor for impact investing and is a model for what people are looking for in the field. Taking a closer look at Microfinance as an example, you'll find progressive and sustainable benefits, an emergence of a new financial industry sub sector and the best part, the model is delivering returns that are measurable.

There's no doubt that impact investing has become extremely appealing. Investors and philanthropists alike are highly motivated for what's possible - to be what you own, do more with less, deliver creative market-based solutions and leverage other resources to deliver a real impact.

Thank you, DSVP, for convening another great event to benefit our community in North Texas. The up close look at Impact Investing was empowering and definitely ranked high in the category of social innovation at its best. Oh, and the most important takeaway from the discussion - this is helping to make the world a better place for ALL of us.

For those interested in learning more about David's work at Harvard University's Initiative for Responsible Investment and other impact investing resources, please visit:

www.hausercenter.org/iri
http://www.moreformission.org/
http://www.thegiin.org/
http://www.ussif.org/
http://www.unpri.org/

To learn more about attending DSVP's Social Innovation Luncheon Series, please visit DSVP.org.


Valerie Strong Knight is the owner of Sunshine Avenue, a full service multi-media marketing firm dedicated to illuminating the brand, products and efforts of socially responsible businesses and organizations. Formerly a CSR executive for a Fortune 10 company, Valerie now focuses her time and energy on helping socially responsible organizations realize a greater return on their philanthropic investments and partnerships.


Photo Credit: Stephen Masker Photography http://www.stephenmasker.com/.

BREAKING NEWS : bigBANG! Rescheduled to FRIDAY, June 17!

Due to the unforeseen Mavericks Celebration Parade, we at DSVP have determined best to reschedule bigBANG! 2011 by one day, to Friday, June 17. We’ll maintain the exact same schedule as planned. Doors at 8am, with registration starting at 8:15. All the details here: www.bigbangtx.org
After running through multiple scenarios and weighing safety, cost and viability, it is determined that trying to keep the event intact on June 16 when 250,000 Mavericks fans are estimated to arrive on the very block Union Station is located, is foolhardy at best.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/06/everything_you_need_to_know_ab_1.php

We explored keeping the same day with the Mayor’s office, the traffic officers and our key advisors. We also explored a truncated day, alternative locations, and moving the date to another month. After much deliberation, and many phone calls, Friday keeps our momentum, our menu of custom grown food, most of our speakers, volunteers, staff and hopefully YOU, our audience.

Inspired by the spirit of the Dallas Mavericks and their ability to pull out all the stops in the final moments of their game; we too feel motivated to give bigBANG! 2011 our best effort.

So we hope to see you there. We will be there ready to give you the best socially innovative event ever held. Should you have any problems, please come and see us at the “YES” table. It will be right next to registration. This will be helpful should you send someone in your place. No matter what, should you not be able to attend, we will have live streaming all day on Friday: http://bigbangtx.org/this-space-reserved-for-live-web-streaming-on-june-16/

It’s on! FRIDAY!

Your friends at DSVP

bigBANG! 2011 Spices Things Up with The Selection of NOURISH Innovators

DALLAS – April 5, 2011 – Five innovative organizations that focus on different aspects of local food issues have been selected to appear on the NOURISH 2011 Fast Pitch Stage during the June 16th bigBang! forum. The one-day event brings together innovative nonprofit groups, investors, socially conscious businesses, philanthropists, foundations and social entrepreneurs for maximum social impact.

These NOURISH innovators are at various stages of organizational development. An appearance on the bigBang! Fast Pitch stage will help the NOURISH innovators share their ideas with impact investors and donors from North Texas who are keen on funding new and different ways of doing good.

The newly selected NOURISH Innovators are:

Cafe Momentum – A seed stage idea that would create a restaurant connected to local farmers, producers and chefs. Cafe Momentum will employ those who seek a second chance in life. By learning all aspects of the food industry and apprenticing under local chefs and restaurateurs, Cafe Momentum will help drive economic development, provide pathways out of poverty and create market demand for fresh local foods.

The Movement – A for-profit business model, The Movement approaches health in a holistic way that drives a triple bottom line business. The entry level offering of The Movement is a fitness club, but clients find a much different experience that involves a more community focused approach to health that educates them about the importance of nutrition and quality fresh food. By creating a demand through co-op services and ready-made meals, The Movement is creating a regional market demand for farm fresh foods.

Dallas Farmers Market Trust – A group that is attempting to privatize the Dallas Farmers Market to preserve value and heritage of this cultural asset while ensuring that that a thriving Farmers Market continues to operate near downtown Dallas. Through a proposed private/public partnership that involves city, for-profit development and nonprofit programming, these leaders see an opportunity to revitalize a space around food, community and farmers.

Paul Quinn College – Food for Good Farm – The food needs of the college’s surrounding food community, officially classified as an “Urban Food Dessert,” led to the decision for Paul Quinn College to plow up the football field and turn it into a farm. This move transformed an existing underutilized resource and into something with new value of the community. Through its curriculum of sustainable agriculture and social entrepreneurship, this innovator is creating systemic change with a new generation of college students!

Sustainable Food Center – This Austin, Texas Innovator features a statewide vision for “Food Security”. Focused on seed-to-table education to help Texans grow their own food, access farmers and create healthy kitchens, they envision a way to connect quality fresh food to our families who have the least access. By replicating their programming throughout the state, they have a potential to grow a base of constituents that can help influence policy and ensure a bigger Texas vision for our food system.

The NOURISH Cause Track is chaired by Bob Wright, the founder of Dallas Social Venture Partners. DSVP is a charter member of Social Venture Partners International, a network of twenty-six social venture partnerships around the globe. Mr. Wright is also founding board member of SVPI and served as its president for three years, and continues as past president. He also serves on the board of the OneStar Foundation, co-authored a book, “The Little Green Book of Venture Philanthropy” and is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he teaches Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector. Bob is also an attorney in the software space.

The official Endorser of the NOURISH Cause Track is Slow Money Texas, an alliance that promotes investment in environmentally, socially and culturally sustainable food systems throughout the State of Texas.

Along with NOURISH, the bigBang! 2011 Pitch Stage will feature yet-to-be-selected Innovators from three additional Cause Tracks. EMPOWER (issues affecting women and girls), TEACH (initiatives impacting our citizens and their opportunity to learn), NOURISH (a mix of nonprofit and for profit ventures with an emphasis on local food) and SERVE (featuring North Texas’ most impactful Corporate Social Responsibility programs).

All of the innovators will receive expert coaching and will employ tactics from the world of venture capital fundraising to make sure their “ask” is on target and well-delivered so that it hits home with an audience that is ready to help them put their plans into motion.

Details:

bigBang! 2011

When: Thursday, June 16, 2011 9am – 5pm

Where: Union Station, 400 S. Houston St., Dallas, TX 75202

Who: Innovative nonprofit groups and socially conscious businesses, investors, philanthropists, foundations and social entrepreneurs

Why: 4 Causes + 20 Social Innovators x 1 Pitch Stage = Maximum Social Impact. bigBang! 2011 will offer a marketplace for individuals, foundations and businesses to window-shop and bump into the most innovative nonprofits and social entrepreneurs in our region creating an optimum environment for doing good in North Texas.

How to Attend: Visit http://www.bigbangtx.org/ to register and get more information.

About bigBANG!
bigBANG! is a forum hosted by Dallas Social Venture Partners that brings together innovative nonprofit groups, investors, socially conscious businesses, philanthropists, foundations and social entrepreneurs. bigBang! strives to create positive impact in the Dallas-area and beyond through networking and the sharing of ideas and experiences.

About DSVP
DSVP is a partnership of professionals, social entrepreneurs and foundations who are committed to strengthening our community through the thoughtful application of collective dollars and business expertise. DSVP is comprised of 123 partners and works with a current portfolio of nine nonprofit investments to create positive social impact. For additional information, please call (214) 855-5520 or visit http://www.dsvp.org/.

bigBANG! June 10, 2010 - Mark it!

If social innovation and North Texas are a passion of yours, then you won't want to miss this experience! Dallas Social Venture Partners and The Dallas Foundation present the bigBANG! An event that will "spark social innovation" and create a lasting effect in our community.

Participants will experience high energy activities alongside thoughtful programs that will expose some of the most exciting innovations in North Texas. We seek to convene the community of impact investors: donors, foundation leaders, corporate philanthropists, and social entrepreneurs. Join us for the bigBANG!

A sampling of activities include:

-Social Innovation Fast Pitch - a venture capital "pitch" format featuring nonprofits and for profits creating a social and environmental value (learn more by listening to a podcast, or reviewing a past post)

-Spark Lounge - experience the latest in web-based tools for "good"

-Socially Conscious Marketplace - a gathering of products and services that measure more than just profits

-Speed Networking - a way to learn "who's who of who-ville"

Our event will be held in the Grand Hall of Union Station. We plan to grow the food for the event (more on that in a future blog post!) We hope to attract funders and practitioners alike to explore what is working, what is not, and what are the really BIG ideas for improving our world and community.

Sponsorships are Available.
Contact scaldwell@dsvp.org