What is it? It’s a growing field of financial and social innovation. In short, it is, “investment where specific social objectives are set and measured,” says Sir Ronald Cohen, chairman of the International Social Impact ...
Issue number 5 of Inside|Out focuses on new ways of financing social impact. These new ways – including impact bonds, impact investing, venture philanthropy and others – bring together various stakeholders who invest their money, thought, mediation or time into proven projects that deliver financial and social returns. We call this innovative finance. It’s a […]
The Academic – Dr Stephanie Giampocaro, Research Director and senior lecturer, UCT Graduate School of Business “Innovative finance – which in Africa today mainly takes the form of impact investing and Impact Bonds – is changing traditional ways of conceiving and practicing investment. Through the Bertha Centre’s recently published African Investing for Impact Barometer, we’ve […]
Innovative finance is a new and growing field. It’s also the source of many questions, like how is it defined? How is it practiced, internationally and in South Africa? What are the challenges and points of debate? Who’s doing it? And how can other players get involved? Let’s look it up. Innovative finance is like […]
There is great potential for innovative financing in South Africa. As the country has moved towards middle-income status, donor capital has decreased and the government has become responsible for greater shares of service-delivery spending. Also, citizens are increasingly holding government to account for these services, so provincial and national departments will need to seek out […]
Innovative finance is not limited to a specific society, sector or need. Players from various sectors tell us how they use it in their work. Housing / The Kuyasa Fund A social development organisation that aims to improve the quality of housing in South Africa by providing micro-finance to low-income homeowners who are excluded from […]
If you’re paralysed by the belief that your work is “unmeasurable” or by the fear of not being sufficiently accurate, you will never start the process of understanding your impact. Choosing what to measure Also, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to evaluation. Different development projects require different tactics – which is also true for their […]
1. Include M&E as part of the project plan Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) doesn’t have to be long and intensive. It can be streamlined and built into your programme for more efficiency. 2. Advocate for M&E You have many more chances of achieving your intended impact if you start evaluating on day one. Include it […]
