Putting a different lens on education
Education shouldn’t be just about theory – creating impact stems from clarity of understanding that is merged with clarity of intention as well as your own values. Education on impact needs to become more accessible to audiences not necessarily interested in the field.
Seeing the impact world as a spectrum and educating on different needs
Understanding the impact world as a spectrum and educating people about diverse needs is crucial for creating a more inclusive society. By recognising that various issues exist on a continuum and have different scales and priorities, we can promote empathy and informed action. Holistic education should encompass social, environmental, and economic aspects, while emphasising intersectionality and diverse identities.
“With more regulated institutions like insurance and pensions, it gets complicated because they have a lot of social pressure from regulators about being safe with their money. This is reflected in the accounting that goes into the way their money is managed. The more risky investments they have, the more cash they have to have tied up in a safe place. So it becomes comparatively more expensive for them to do risky things. “
- Sean Gilbert / Chief Investor Network Officer at the GIIN
“If I had to focus on one category in particular, it would be the institutional investors. …. how do we force them to force the markets? They're the ones putting the money in, so ultimately, that's the top of the stack. It's your pension fund. If you have a pension in Denmark, it's the school you went to if they have an endowment. If you have an insurance policy, it's the money that they hold for you. These guys are holding trillions and trillions of dollars.”
— Kusi Hornberger / Dalberg
“I think the gap, for the most part, is in two kinds of people. One is the people who say, "There's not enough pipeline." These tend to be relatively conservative investors, development banks, and large institutions that basically want companies that have a track record, revenue, and a customer base…. There are parts of venture capital, like climate tech, for example, that have attracted a lot of money, such as these battery makers that have no product or green hydrogen, people that don't even have the technology that are still able to attract venture capital because people think they'll catch the next Tesla. It's the things in the middle that usually struggle a lot to find investors.”
- Sean Gilbert / Chief Investor Network Officer at the GIIN
“Well, I think that the beauty of impact is its alignment with your fundamental values. It's not just something you do on the side; it's a core part of your business model. The goal of doing business should be to make the world a better place. If your business model is sound, the beauty of impact is that there aren't headwinds, but tailwinds. Governments don't regulate against you; they subsidize you. Customers are excited to use your product. So, I think it's much more about creating a business model that actually works.”
— Justin Stevens / Founder & CEO, Overlap Holdings
“If a civil society organization that normally runs education projects sees the call for proposals and adds something related to food security just to tick the box, we will judge whether it's really core to their expertise and competence and part of their organizational strategy. If it's not, then it may not have the intended impact we're looking for. The same goes for private sectors. We're looking for projects that are catalytic and transformative and that have an anchor in the management and core mission and business of the organization, anchored within the longer-term strategy of the organization “
— Marunn Indreboe / Norec
Insights
Educating the wider (general) public as a way to influence change at the highest level
Educating the wider public to feel empowered to ask for their insurance/pension/etc funds to be used in impact investment instead being put into traditional (like S&P 500) funds.
If the pressure for change comes from “bottom up”, there is incentive to change how things are done and therefore to open the doors for more people to become involved.
Being clear and intentional with your vision
Being very intentional around the problem you wish to solve as well as fostering that clarity to create a business model where impact is a core part of your business (and not an afterthought), creates momentum for impact to happen.
Education through transparency, enables for others to grow with you and to become supporters. When others are clear on your intention and goals, it becomes easier to teach and foster behavioural and systemic change.
Design challenge