Fresh perspectives to maximise the impact of your work

Entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions for pressing world challenges often end up being cash-strapped. One of the main reasons is because they fail to meet investors whose expectations are in tune with their level of maturity and the design of their impact business model. This is what is often referred to as the missing middle. In this article, we share some essential tips for investors who want to help create a level playing field and invest in early-stage ventures who seek to contribute to urgent societal goals with innovative solutions.

When referring to the valuation of social or environmental outcomes, eyebrows tend to be raised with circumspection: “Are you trying to put a price tag on things such as well-being, quality relationships, or biodiversity?” The simple answer is: No. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, valuation is not “knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing”.

In this article, we bust important myths and highlight the key benefits of valuing outcomes in order to manage your impact on people and the planet.

We already know that learning and teaching impact skills to the current and future workforce is essential to reach climate targets and address the planet’s most compelling challenges. But, who is responsible for implementing this change and how can we achieve it?

Upskilling workers and employees with green and social skills, otherwise known as impact skills, is an effective means to accelerate the climate transition. Yet, while demand is high for learning these skills and employing workers with such skills, there is a recognisable deficit of accessible, transparent and accredited teaching opportunities. Bridging this gap provides the solution.

Meaningful stakeholder engagement refers to the routine interaction with any relevant stakeholders, including those individuals that are affected by your decisions, with the openness to adjust your services based on their feedback. Yet, currently, stakeholder engagement is used more as a buzzword as opposed to its purpose of tangibly influencing decision making. So how do we turn stakeholder engagement from just a buzzword to a meaningful and practical process?

In mainstream investing, success is measured through financial performance – returns. To align fund managers’ interests, their carry is tied to it. If impact investing promises both financial and impact performance, should we link compensation accordingly?

In order to implement impact measurement and management (IMM) at scale, more tools are required for efficient aggregation of impact data and decision making. So what role does technology play in making real impact management feasible and how should enterprises identify appropriate technological solutions?

To effectively measure and manage social and environmental impact, numerous measurement methodologies mention engaging with stakeholders as a key practice. Although stakeholder engagement seems like a simple process, there is still a lack of adequate implementation. So how can we effectively engage with stakeholders and act upon the outcomes to improve operations while maximising the impact of our work?

Data, a key tool in the world of finance, yet often ignored in the scene of social impact management. But how to manage without measuring? Experts Lina and Pieter explain their views and share their tips on leveraging impact data.