The Impact Investing Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Rehana Nathoo joined the Case Foundation in 2016 as part of the Social Innovation team. She serves as Vice President of Social Innovation, focusing specifically on the Foundation’s efforts around Impact Investing.

A self-identifying New Yorker, Rehana previously worked at the Bank of New York Mellon to help design the firm’s Social Finance program. specifically working closely with the Wealth Management business to build internal expertise around Social Finance, and creating a prototype for the firm’s first Impact Investment Fund.

Most recently, an Adjunct Professor of CSR and Social Finance at NYU Wagner School of Public Service, and also worked and honed her skills a program associate at The Rockefeller Foundation, helping to manage the thought leadership efforts around Impact Investing and Innovative Finance.

Rehana and I have a wide ranging conversation, but dig in deep on the Case Foundations newest project, the Impact Investing Network Mapp. Fueled with publically available data, it's the first attempt to put all of the data around impact deals into one visual tool.  It's a bold new project, currently in the final leg of its open feedback period, after you listen to the podcast, make sure you go check out the map. Play with it, dive into it. What do you love about it, what's missing, and what potential do you see?  For me, I'm excited to see where impact deals are happening outside placed like the Valley and New York. Maybe we'll find some unlikely hotspots of impact. I'm also excited to see the definition of an "impact deal" continue to evolve and be solidified. I'm of the firm belief that there are far more "impact" companies out there that "non-impact" - and this map will be a tool to help increase and expand the public awareness of the space. 

Show notes and resources

• Rehana Nathoo LinkedIn | Twitter | Medium
• The Case Foundation
• Case Foundation - Impact Investing Network Explanation 
• The Impact Investing Network Map | Demo
• Rehana Nathoo at the Wharton Social Impact Conference 2017
• The Impact Investor
• Rockefeller Foundation
• Rockefeller Foundation - Impact Investing

 

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For the past several years, John has been Director of Impact Capital at Santa Clara’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and has also been a mentor to social entrepreneurs at the Global Social Benefit Accelerator.  In 2011 he authored a report on impact investing entitled Coordinating Impact Capital: a New Approach to Investing in Small and Growing Businesses and recently co-authored a chapter on equity investing in New Frontiers of Philanthropy (Oxford Press-2014).  He is now pioneering a new investment vehicle – the Demand Dividend - that presents investors with a ‘structured exit’ alternative to equity.  In addition, he is co-founder and Director of Toniic, a syndication network of impact investors.

John manages investments through Redleaf Venture Management, a venture capital operating company founded in 1993.  John's earlier background includes twenty years of executive level positions at Hewlett Packard, Silicon Graphics, Convergent Technologies and Unisys.  He was one of the founding executives at Netscape Communications. He led investments at AdRelevance (JMXI), Mosaic Communications (TWX), NetGravity (DCLK), RedCreek Communications (SNWL), and Wireless Online.  John serves as a board member at PACT, an NGO based in Washington D.C.  He received his bachelor’s degree concentrating in international economics from UCLA and completed executive programs at Wharton and Stanford business schools. Over the last 15 years, he was a managing member of the UCLA Venture Capital Fund and still serves on the UCLA Sciences Board of Visitors. Other recent advisory committees include the World Economic Forum, and HUB Ventures. 

John has a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to financing early stage companies, and he is now applying his skill set to helping social entrepreneurs build investment ready companies at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University. It's not often you get to have discussions with someone who launched the first micro VS firm back in 1993, and is now applying lessons learned from tech investing in Silicon Valley to the companies and entrepreneurs who are trying to build businesses addressing climate resilience, bottom of the pyramid customers, and is financing them through innovative means. Rather than always taking equity, there are alternative ways to fund social enterprise startups that align long term goals of both the investor and the company, and create a more sustainable model, and John is at the forefront of these methods.

 Show Notes and Resources:

• Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
• Impact Capital
• Redleaf Venture Management 
• Climate Resilience
• Toniic
• Demand Dividend 1 | 2 | 3
• Investors Circle
• GIIN
• Arabella Advisors

 

 

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This Podcast is sponsored by Maine Startup and Create Week. This years conference is June 20th to 26th in Portland, ME and is going to be amazing! This year’s conference is focused on design and innovation. They’re bringing in some of the best minds to discuss and teach how entrepreneurs can use the skills that accompany great design and design thinking to help build better companies, products and solutions to the world's most pressing problems? Panels will cover topics ranging from a mixture of Biotech, Agricultural tech and innovation and environmental technology to health-care, disruption of the insurance industry, industrial 3D design and lessons from failed startups.

Keynote speakers so far for this year include Mike Perlis (president and CEO of Forbes Media), Heather Stephenson (Head of Brand Strategy at Super) and Peter Roper (Head of Mobile Brand Strategy at Google).

Last years conference drew over 4000 attendees and had 215 volunteers contributing over 10,000 hours.  Check out Mainestartupandcreateweek.com for more information. If you want to volunteer, attend or think you know a good speaker for the topics at this years conference, let them know.

 

Enter Benjamin Stone:

Ben started his career in 2004 as a corporate litigator at a big international law firm in NYC, until 2008 when he and his college buddy (also an attorney) decided to start and scale Indego Africa, a social enterprise and lifestyle brand now partnering with more than 1000 women entrepreneurs in Rwanda and Ghana. Ben then spent some time at American Express leading programs to help small business owners in the U.S. prosper. He now serves as Managing Director & general counsel of the impact investing firm MCE Social Capital, which was just honored as an ImpactAssets top 50 firm for the fourth year in a row.

In his free time, Ben serves as vice chairman of Indego Africa and is a term member on the Council on Foreign Relations, where he often guest writes for the Development Channel, their blog on international economic development. Last year he co-founded Dollar a Day, a web platform that makes it easy for people to discover and support amazing nonprofits. Ben is also a regular speaker on a social innovation, careers, leadership, law, and entrepreneurship.

MCE Social Capital  is powered by its innovative Guarantor model, and with a special commitment to empowering women, MCE Social Capital (MCE) makes loans to organizations helping people living in poverty improve their lives.

MCE is a nonprofit impact investing firm that recruits trail-blazing individuals, foundations, and other entities to back loans to MCE from institutional lenders. MCE uses its Guarantor Model to fund loans to qualified Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and other financial providers that serve a high percentage of women, operate in rural communities, and offer health, education, or business training programs in the developing world. Since MCE commenced operations in 2006, it has issued over USD $100 million in loans to more than 50 organizations reaching hundreds of thousands of people in over 30 countries across four continents.

 

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MCE Social Capital

http://www.mcesocap.org/

MCE Social Capital Guarantor Model

http://www.mcesocap.org/take-action/become-a-guarantor/

Indego Africa HBS Case Study

https://hbr.org/product/The-Indego-Africa-Project/an/911011-PDF-ENG

Ben Stone

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminstone1

Indego Africa

https://indegoafrica.org/

 

Ben’s talks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-vwwoZ1V3M

Dollar a Day

https://dollaraday.co/

Sponsored by Maine Startup and Create Week

This Podcast is sponsored by Maine Startup and Create Week. This years conference is June 20th to 26th in Portand, ME and is going to be amazing! This year’s conference is focused on design and innovation. They’re bringing in some of the best minds to discuss and teach how entrepreneurs can use the skills that accompany great design and design thinking to help build better companies, products and solutions to the world's most pressing problems? Panels will cover topics ranging from a mixture of Biotech, Agricultural tech and innovation and environmental technology to health-care, disruption of the insurance industry, industrial 3D design and lessons from failed startups.

Keynote speakers so far for this year include Mike Perlis (president and CEO of Forbes Media), Heather Stephenson (Head of Brand Strategy at Super) and Peter Roper (Head of Mobile Brand Strategy at Google).

Last years conference drew over 4000 attendees and had 215 volunteers contributing over 10,000 hours.  Check out Mainestartupandcreateweek.com for more information. If you want to volunteer, attend or think you know a good speaker for the topics at this years conference, let them know.

Enter Bryan and Wunder Capital

Helping folks understand what Wunder Capital is up to and how it can help is what Bryan Birsic thinks about more than anything.

Bryan is the CEO of Wunder Capital and brings extensive finance and capital raising expertise to Wunder. From private equity investing at Bain & Company to financing online commercial lending companies at Village Ventures. Notably, Bryan's firm led early investments into commercial lending market leader OnDeck Capital. Along with his finance background, Bryan has built and led several companies that bring software approaches to new markets, most notably and recently SimpleReach, where Bryan was President and which has raised more than $15mm.

Wunder Capital develops and manages solar investment funds by leveraging its national partnership network, tested processes, proprietary underwriting framework, and best-in-class online investment portal. Wunder actively manages everything, from the sourcing of commercial solar opportunities, to the underwriting, contracting, and construction of each project. Once a system is live, Wunder manages the ongoing operation and maintenance of the array, bills the energy customer, and distributes proceeds to investors.

Wunder is a financial technology company that is based out of Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 2013, Wunder won the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2014 Sunshot Challenge, as well as COSEIA’s 2015 Summit Award. Wunder also participated in the Techstars technology accelerator program. Although Wunder’s solar funds are capitalized by accredited individuals, trusts, family offices, foundations, hedge funds and pension funds, the parent company and the operator of each of Wunder's solar funds - The Wunder Company - is backed by venture capital

www.wundercapital.com

Twitter @WonderCapital / @birsic

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If you’re involved in building companies or investing in New England - you’ve heard of Charlie Spies. If you’re involved in developing rural communities, you’ve definitely heard of CEI and CEI Capital Management (CCML).

Charlie is CEO of CEI Capital Management LLC, one of the nation’s leading allocatees of federal New Markets Tax Credits and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CEI, Inc. In this position, Charlie oversees the company’s capital sourcing and deployment, project sourcing and investment recommendations, and program compliance. CEI Capital Management has placed nearly $850 million in New Markets capacity in more than 80 projects nationally that help create and preserve jobs and improve quality of life with a focus on rural, low-income communities. This experience has earned Charlie a seat on the board of directors for the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition, a national association of practitioners.

Prior to joining CCML in 2006, Mr. Spies served as COO for the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System. Through creative and strategic management, he successfully led the organization through a 73% cut in federal funding by diversifying revenue sources, and growing an individual membership program, as well as securing direct funding from the State of Maine, including with a $500,000 emergency appropriation. He has also served as CEO for the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and President and CEO of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds. As one example of his capital raising experience, Mr. Spies established and secured funding at FAME for a $150 MM secondary market for student loans. While managing the Small Enterprise Growth Fund at FAME he also raised and invested over $9M in funds for seed-stage venture capital investments from both public and private sources.

Mr. Spies currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition.  He received his B.S. in Forest Utilization and his M.S. in Forest Entomology from the University of Maine, as well as his M.B.A. from Southern New Hampshire University.

CEI:

CEI’s philosophy and mission are rooted in the civil rights movement. Since its inception in 1977, CEI has grown and adapted to changing markets and new possibilities, always focused on helping people, especially those with low incomes, reach their full potential. Targeted sectors have included:

• value-added fisheries, farms and forest projects
• microenterprise development
• targeted job creation
• the creation of supported, rental and privately-owned housing
• assistance to women business owners
• child care facility development and
• support for refugees and new immigrants

…all to achieve social and economic justice within sustainable communities.

CEI lends and invests money and provides business counseling services to companies in Maine and New England. Company sizes vary from one employee to 500, in stages from start-up to mature. CEI also has a robust policy arm, through which it works legislatively and with its partners to meet its goals.

Through its business support and policy activities, CEI employs a holistic approach to address the complex, interwoven issues inherent in poverty alleviation, rural development and environmental sustainability. As a practitioner of sustainable development, CEI demonstrates methods that help businesses, individuals and communities achieve tangible changes that result in enhanced personal or community assets.

CEI impact to date:

• 2,555 businesses financed
• $1.19 Billion financed
• 49,786 people counseled
• 33,103 jobs created

...to see all of CEI’s incredible impact go to http://www.ceimaine.org/about/impact-and-measurement/

 

CCML:

CEI Capital Management LLC (CCML) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CEI that deploys capital under the U.S. Treasury Department’s New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program and the Maine New Markets Capital Investment (NMCI) program. CCML has placed $869.6 million of NMTC/NMCI capacity in 88 projects, triggering total private capital investment of over $2.3 billion in low-income communities. 

The federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program was designed to stimulate investment and economic growth in low-income communities that are typically overlooked by conventional investors. The program attracts investors to low-income areas by offering a 39 percent federal income tax credit over a seven-year investment period. The tax credits are allocated by Community Development Entities (CDEs), like CCML that apply for the authority to select projects and allocate the credits. The U.S. Treasury’s CDFI Fund has granted CEI and CCML a combined allocation of $858 million in NMTC tax credit investment capacity to deploy over the past ten years. CCML works with investors (banks and equity providers) and borrowers (project sponsors) to meet their needs while satisfying the NMTC program requirements and CCML’s own “3-E” investment strategy.

CCML impact to date:

CCML has placed $869.6 million of NMTC/NMCI capacity in 88 projects, triggering total private capital investment of over $2.3 billion in low-income communities.

• Created/Preserved: 4,553 permanent full-time jobs
• Created: 3,130 construction jobs
• Developed: 1,593,860 sq. ft. of property
• Protected: 855,596 acres of land placed under protective easements
• Generated: 77 MW of renewable electricity capacity and 1,195,000 GLs/year of alternative fuels
• Capitalized: $8,230,000 of targeted loan funds, $1,000,000 of employee training, and $1,730,000 educational programs
• Developed: 524 units of Affordable Housing

To see more of CCML’s impact go to:

http://www.ceimaine.org/investing/cei-capital-management/

 

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliespies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cei-capital-management-llc

Flory Wilson is the Director, International for GIIRS at B Lab.  She joined B Lab in April 2010, working on the core team that has launched the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS) Ratings & Analytics.  Flory chairs the Emerging Markets Standards Advisory Council that crafted the GIIRS rating methodology, and led a beta-test of the GIIRS assessment in early 2011 that involved over 200 companies and 25 leading impact investing funds in 30 different countries.   Flory also focuses on business development, working with emerging market based mission-driven enterprises, investment vehicles and impact investors who are using GIIRS Ratings & Analytics, and GIIRS’ communications efforts.

Furthermore, as the Director of Analytics at B-Lab - the non-profit behind B-Corps - Flory has oversight of the B Impact Assessment, which is the responsibility of B Lab's Standards Advisory Council, an independent committee of 20-22 members, each respected in the field for their wisdom and with deep industry or stakeholder expertise. The Standards Advisory Council is divided into two subgroups — one to oversee the content and weightings for the version of the B Impact Ratings System that is appropriate for companies and funds in developed markets; the other for the version that is appropriate for companies and funds in emerging markets.

Previously, Flory was a Senior International Economist in the Office of Investment Policy at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Washington, D.C.  At OPIC, she focused on measuring the developmental, social and environmental impacts of private sector-led investment across OPIC’s $12 billion portfolio. Prior to OPIC, Flory established a new protocol for tracking international remittances from the U.S. to developing countries as an economist in the Balance of Payments division at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Department of Commerce. Ms. Wilson holds a M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins Nitze School for Advanced International Standards (SAIS), with a concentration in economics, and graduated cum laude from Colgate University with a B.A. in History and EconomicsShe

 

What is the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS)? GIIRS Ratings are the gold standard for impact measurement in impact investing. GIIRS Ratings are rigorous, comprehensive, and comparable ratings of a company or a fund’s social and environmental impact.

How does GIIRS work?

Find Companies & Funds - GIIRS rated companies and funds are highlighted in the search features of B Analytics as being best in class in terms of measurement practices.

 

Measure & Evaluate - Gain a holistic picture of a company’s or fund’s impact through a GIIRS rating, not just a component of their model or operations.

 

A GIIRS Rating is comprised of a Fund Manager Assessment Rating and two Investment Roll-Up Ratings: an Overall Impact Business Model (IBM) Rating and an Overall Operations Rating. The Investment Roll-Up Ratings are weighted averages of the portfolio companies' impact business model and operations ratings based on the amount invested in each company.

 

Criteria to Get a GIIRS Fund Rating

• Funds in Formation can become GIIRS rated by committing to being rated for the life of the fund. Until 25% of capital is deployed, initial GIIRS Fund Impact Rating Reports will only feature the fund manager's assessment score and each portfolio company will receive an individual company rating (no portfolio aggregation rating is generated).(1)
• Actively Investing Funds can receive a GIIRS Fund Impact Rating once 25% of capital(2) is deployed. A typical fund is required to have at least 75%(3) of their portfolio companies complete the rating process in order to receive a GIIRS fund rating.
• Fully Invested Funds can receive a GIIRS Fund Impact Rating using the standard fund rating methodology, though at least 80% of the total portfolio (in terms of capital deployed) must receive a company rating in order to receive a fund rating.

 

How can you use B-Analytics to research companies?

• Find Companies & Funds - Conduct research on the 1400+ individual companies and funds in B Analytics.

• Follow Trends - Track market trends in the impact investing space.

• Measure - Collect impact data on the companies and funds in your portfolio, platform, supply chain, or association. B Analytics offers you the flexibility to measure what matters to you.

• Benchmark - B Analytics houses the largest database of social and environmental performance data on private companies globally. Use B Analytics to benchmark your portfolio’s impact and easily export data for reporting to stakeholders.

• Improve - Through B Analytics companies can access “do-it-yourself” consulting tools to improve their impact.

 

METHODOLOGY:

GIIRS Ratings are the gold standard for impact measurement in impact investing. They are rigorous, comprehensive, and comparable ratings of a company or a fund’s social and environmental impact. The GIIRS Rating is powered by the B Impact Assessment. It measures the overall impact of a business on all of its stakeholders. The B Impact Assessment has been accessed by over 15,000 users in 57 countries in 176 industries. Learn more about the B Impact Assessment.

B IMPACT ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE:

Impact Business Models: Specific models designed to create social and/or environmental impact through a company’s products or services, target customers, value chain, ownership or operations.

Operations: Impactful practices, policies and achievements related to a company's: Governance structure, Workers, Community, Environmental footprint.

Each company receives an overall score and two ratings; one for its impact models and one for its operations.

Matt Davis is the Founder and Partner of RENEW - an impact investment and advisory firm that manages and serves the Impact Angel Network, which is a global network of investors who seek to make both social impact and financial returns on their investments in Africa. RENEW’s largest office is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

RENEW likes to invest in companies within the “missing middle” space. Companies that are too big for traditional seed stage investing, but too small for bank loans or traditional financing. The company focuses on Individual investments of $100K - $3M for expansion/growth capital in high growth, domestic firms, with a full exit in 3-7 years via a management buyback; target IRR greater than 25%.

RENEW reduces the costs and risks of investing in developing and emerging countries by partnering with the development community, having a dedicated presence on the ground, managing an exceptional local network, using innovative structures and investment instruments, and providing hands-on consulting to their investments.

Matt has extensive experience working with U.S. and African government leaders and facilitating international business investments. He has traveled and lived in Africa and Latin America. As a management consultant he has advised large U.S. corporations, U.S. government leaders, African governments and African businesses. He specializes in strategic planning, and designing and implementing international investment strategies. Prior to founding RENEW LLC, Matt worked as a principal consultant at the Touchstone Consulting Group, a strategy and management consulting firm for the U.S. government. He has advised executives and government leaders on strategies for environmental sustainability, international development, health policy, information technology, and finance.

Matt's story is one of  perseverance, recognizing opportunity and investing in areas that others are overlooking. If you have any dreams or desires of ever starting your own impact investing firm, or making angel investments to develop essential companies in third world countries, this is an episode for you. 

 

Amy Novogratz is a Managing Partner of AquaSpark - the world's first aquaculture-only venture investment fund.  Founded in 2013, AquaSpark invests with a focus on sustainable aquaculture businesses around the world. The small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) they invest in are working toward the production of safe, accessible aquatic life - such as fish, shellfish and plants, as well as innovations in fish feed and technical systems; all which operate in ways that do not harm the planet's oceans. The funds investors value the fact that each investment aims to create triple impact—specifically, each investment is chosen for its potential to generate significant financial returns while also activating positive environmental and social outcomes.

Specifically, Aquaspark chooses SMEs that meet the following three principles of sustainability;

• Economic sustainability—the business generates enough cash to be able to reinvest in its own growth and provide an equitable return to its stakeholders;
• Environmental sustainability—the business sets high standards of environmental management and seeks to maintain or enhance ecosystem services; and
• Social sustainability—the business creates jobs, reduces poverty, empowers the underserved, and helps to strengthen communities*;

Their investments start at $250,000, and the fund purposely does not seek controlling stakes in thier investments. The team at AquaSpark prefers to be a minority investor holding between 20-49%, alongside other investors. Every business they invest in is a reflection of their trust in the entrepreneur to lead their companies’ development and growth in the most effective way.

Prior to AquaSpark, Amy was the Director of the TED prize for 8 years, leading more than twenty global collaborations across a broad spectrum of sectors, including healthcare, education, science, technology, conservation, art, and activism.

On top of her work at AquaSpark, Amy is also working alongside Sylvia Earle and her project “Mission Blue.” The project aims to educate the world on the importance of ocean conservation and how much we depend on the marine ecosystems and how important they are to our planet’s survival. As well, the overarching goal of the Mission Blue project is to establish a global network of protected areas in the ocean - Hope Spots – special places that are vital to the health of the ocean – through the creation of a global network of marine protected areas to safeguard 20% of the ocean by 2020.”

As some of you may have figured out by now, I'm wildly bullish on aquaculture. In the past it has been associated with environmental harm rather than doing good, but as our climate changes, our fisheries are subject to the "tragedy of the commons," and our resources decline - aquaculture is becoming a necessary solution and one that can have many positive impacts while limiting the negative. It is projected that we will need to increase our food production by 60% by 2050 to feed a world population of 9.5 Billion people. Current agriculture methods aren't going to - and can't - make it happen. We're going to have to start looking to the ocean. This mean conservation, strict regulation, and innovative ways to grow and harvest aquaculture related products such as kelp, shellfish, sea cucumbers and fin fish.  If you are an early stage investor or interested in investing in food systems or environmentally conscience companies - aquaculture is an area I would look long and hard at.

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www.aqua-apark.nl

A end of the year inbetweenisode where I discuss books that have influenced my thinking this year, trends and areas of impact investing I want to explore in 2016, and some of my views and opinions of the field of #impinv as a whole.  

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Impact beautifully distills the insights and deep wisdom of one of the world’s great social innovators. Etmanski’s book is far more than a practical guide: it’s an invitation to re-imagine possibilities for our lives and for the world we create.”
David Bornstein, author “How To Change The World”

Al Etmanski is a community organizer, social entrepreneur and author. He is a founding partner of Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and BC Partners for Social Impact. Previously he co-founded Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN)with his wife Vickie Cammack and Jack Collins. Al is an Ashoka fellow, and a faculty member of John McKnight’s Asset Based Community Development Institute (ABCD). 

Al Etmanski is helping to alleviate the financial and social challenges commonly faced by peoples living with disabilities by working directly with families. PLAN is a family-led organization founded to secure the future for people with disabilities and helps to develop personal networks and provide advice, assistance and advocacy on government benefits, home ownership, and legal and financial solutions for persons with disabilities. Al successfully initiated the world's first Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) to benefit 500,000 individuals with disabilities, and the organization has mentored over 40 similar organizations worldwide. It is the first and only program of its kind, and is a life changing social financial innovation that is currently running only in Canada.

Al Etmaksi’s new book: Impact6 is about the six different pattern areas you can identify to spread your social idea and change. It’s a blueprint and action plan for innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers looking to have a social impact in their community and country.

Pattern One: Think and Act like a Movement
Pattern Two: Create a Container for Your Content
Pattern Three: Set the Table for Allies, Adversaries and Strangers
Pattern Four: Mobilize Your Economic Power
Pattern Five: Advocate with Empathy
Pattern Six: Who Is as Important as How

Impact6 explores the difference between short term success and lasting impact. It’s for those who have wondered why, despite our best efforts, talent and money we have not made as big a dent in our social and environmental challenges as we’d like.

Impact6 profiles more than 50 Canadians who are achieving lasting social impact, looking past quick wins and surface-level victories, and paying attention to the deeper patterns of change. Al’s hope is that this book will shine a light on the good work Canadians have done, are doing and will do to move the dial, change a paradigm, tip a system and achieve lasting social impact.

The book also explores the three different types of innovators Al says are necessary to create lasting and high impact social change. Receptive Innovators, Bridging Innovators and Disruptive Innovators

As many of you know, I think it is important to not only interview impact investors, but also the entrepreneurs who are doing the kind work that aligns with impact investors goals and values.
Al’s lifetime of work and social contribution comes in a field that is far too often not discussed in the fields of social enterprise and financial innovation –but is in my opinion very important and in a realm very worthy of discussion and highlighting.

This interview is more of a conversation and philosophical exploration than an informational interview. Al takes his time and makes sure to answer thoughtfully and deeply, speaking as though he was talking to an old friend.

 

BONUS: The entire first chapter of Impact is available on Al’s website and is chalk full of resources and bonus material! http://aletmanski.com/books/bookclubs/

www.aletmanski.com

http://www.rdsp.com/

Twitter: @aletmanski

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