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Small and practical ✅ ✅ I don't know about you, but there seems to be so many breakfast meetings, networking sessions, coffee catch ups, inspirational events, webinars, and round tables. I don't have the time ⏱ I don't have the headspace 🧠 That's why I look out for the small and practical events that are being organised around environmental philanthropy, impactful investing, and responsible business. I can make meaningful connections 🔗 I can see a practical next step 🔜 A great example was last week's 'Intro to Social Investment' breakfast, organised by The Fore and presented by Jem Stein from Daring Capital. There was about 20 of us around the table, and Jem clearly laid out how we might be able to continue our journeys in social investment. He had specific data and relatable case studies, which led to more useful interactions after the presentation. What kind of events do you prefer to attend? #socialinvestment #impactinvesting #venturephilanthropy #events #stakeholdernegagement #presentations

Raising capital isn't easy. But when you do it right, the results can be staggering. Over the last 3 years, I have spearheaded fundraising campaigns that raised over £85 million for a sustainable companies. It wasn't just luck. It was strategy, timing, and a whole lot of grit. Here’s how we did it: Know Your Investor: We dived deep into investor profiles. Understanding their investment thesis and aligning our messaging was key. Craft a Compelling Story: Numbers matter, but so does the narrative. We told a story that resonated with our audience—one of innovation and impact. Leverage Networks: Connections can make or break a fundraising campaign. We tapped into our network, securing high-profile investors and partnerships that added credibility. Here are some actionable tips for founders: #1 Prepare a Killer Pitch: Keep it concise and compelling. Highlight not just what you do, but why it matters. #2 Build Relationships First: Don’t wait until you need money to connect with investors. Start building relationships now. #3 Be Transparent: Investors appreciate honesty. Be upfront about risks and challenges, and how you plan to tackle them. The landscape is changing. Investors are increasingly looking for sustainable opportunities. Current trends in sustainable investment include: #Impact Investing: More investors are prioritising social and environmental impact alongside financial returns. #ESG Criteria: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors are now a key consideration in investment decisions. #Tech-Driven Solutions: There's a growing interest in technology that addresses sustainability challenges, from renewable energy to waste management. The takeaway? Sustainable investing isn’t just a trend. It’s the future. — I help family offices & high-net-worth investors access exclusive sustainable investment opportunities and guide founders in securing capital and scaling their ventures for impactful growth. If you enjoyed reading this post, consider re-sharing ♻️ and follow me, Harvey Knight for more content like this.

🔈Webinar 3: Capital Raising for Impact: Innovative Strategies and Challenges in Funding For-Purpose Organisations 🔈 Join us for the final session in the series, The Great Shift: How Trusts and Foundations are Revolutionising Philanthropy with Responsible and Impact Investing. Learn from experts Tom Dawkins (LendForGood), Mark Daniels (White Box Enterprises), Harry Breidahl (For Purpose Investment Partners), and Brian Wyborn (First Australians Capital ) about the latest approaches to funding impactful initiatives. Discover how peers raise capital for For-Purpose Organisations, including topics like concessional capital, blended finance, and market building. Part 3 is now live! 🎉 Click the link to watch the webinar: https://buff.ly/4e2ahWA This webinar series is powered by the Menzies Foundation and hosted in partnership with Brightlight and OnImpact Media. ______________________________________________________________________ Menzies Foundation glean insights about leadership by identifying leadership challenges and building catalytic initiatives to address these challenges at scale. Every grant that the Foundation makes, aspires to contribute to platforms that ultimately unlock capital at scale. Therefore, it is imperative that we bring the same ambition and rigor that defines our grant making approach, to consideration of the investment of the Foundation’s corpus, and the way that this can support the development of blended capital solutions to build sustainable systemic change platforms. ______________________________________________________________________ #TheGreatShift #ImpactFunding #PhilanthropyCapital #InnovativeInvesting #ImpactCapital #PhilanthropyInnovation #FundingStrategies #PhilanthropyFunding #WebinarSeries #MenziesFoundation #Brightlight #GreaterGood #Purpose #Leadership #Leader #BestPractice

THE IMPACT REVOLUTION This initiative by Sir Ronald Cohen calls for nothing less: https://lnkd.in/ejXMQZzn Such as ECOnGOOD, which GoodCompanies.Zone support, On Impact wants to 🧠 actively shift impact to the center of our consciousness, 📏 measure the actual improvement made to lives and the environment, and ✔ include impact as a key driver for all business and investment decisions. It needs - impact entrepreneurship - impact investing - impact measurement - impact advocacy Where are you active in? Leave a comment!

All my life’s work has led me to this point, to the most meaningful endeavour I’ve taken on to date 🥁🥁🥁: I’ve teamed up with a champion for the impact sector & my long-time friend Christina Chun to launch Impactsheet, an impact funding newsletter that bridges the gap between impact organisations and funders. Every fortnight, we celebrate impact funding wins, aggregate funding stats and unpack actionable insights that help impact organisations access capital.   The impact sector in Australia is poised for explosive growth. 1️⃣ RIAA’s 2023 report showed impact investing doubled to $59 billion and sustainability-themed investing grew by 46% to $235 billion in 2022 2️⃣ Prominent business and political leaders are calling for the doubling of philanthropic contributions by 2030 with a number of initiatives supporting this movement 3️⃣ From personal experience, having worked with thousands of entrepreneurs in a VC/angel investing capacity, I’m seeing at least 50% of new ventures being impact-driven in their mission, innovating and improving outcomes in areas such as sustainability, healthcare or education. But with this exciting growth comes challenges in navigating an increasingly complex and dynamic landscape for all contributors to the ecosystem. Through publishing a community-driven newsletter celebrating sector wins, we hope to make Australian impact funding more visible, interconnected and economically robust. Ultimately, we want to see more capital flow to where it can have the greatest impact: to organisations affecting meaningful, genuine positive change for society and the environment. ⭐️ Subscribe to our newsletter if you’re an impact organisation, a provider of capital, or a potential partner who shares our vision GO HERE: https://lnkd.in/g6CcgrF5 🙏 Linkedin fam, please help us spread the word by tagging your friends in the impact space.

Interested in joining a global community of inclusive business professionals? 💸  Join our virtual Inclusive Business Partners Network Roundtable on “The Impact Investing Imperative”.The IBPN is hosting the next partners-only* Roundtable this March 5th from 10:00 - 11:30 CET. Join the network and the roundtable to get to know other professionals working in the inclusive business space. Discuss relevant challenges, find solutions together, and create valuable connections - to take each organization to the next level!  👉 This Roundtable is only for IBPN partners, join the network here: https://lnkd.in/dX5am3PH This time, our partners at 8+ Ventures will discuss “The Impact Investing Imperative”. 8+ Ventures invests in highly scalable, high-impact businesses that have the potential to transform the way we live on this planet.  👉 More information about 8+ Ventures https://lnkd.in/d46u8f3n #InclusiveBusiness #globalnetwork #SDG2030 #SDG1 #zeropoverty #impactinvesting 

An awesome initiative to bridge the knowledge and access gap in impact investments. This segment of the financial landscape is exploding! Keep up to date using this newsletter. #impactinvesting #financeforgood

Here’s what I’d do if I was raising investment again for the first time👇 Find an amazing community 🫶🏻 When it comes to raising investment (or in fact any aspect of building and scaling a business) your network is everything. The support, knowledge, and connections you build really can make or break your journey. If you're planning on raising investment in the future, here’s my #1 tip: Start building your network now 🙌 I was incredibly fortunate to connect with Emmie Faust early in my investment journey and join her amazing community, Female Founders Rise 💕 This network honestly transformed my path. The support, the education, and the brilliant women who shared their stories of success were game-changers for me. And it wasn’t just about increasing my knowledge, though that was invaluable - it was about building the confidence to keep going, even when things got tough (and they did!). You’ll see in the video how powerful this community is (there are so many supporters in the audience!). If you’re even considering investment in the future, I can’t recommend joining FFR enough. So, if I were starting over today, my first step would be the same: ✨ Find a community that empowers you. ✨ Build your network in the investment space. ✨ Prepare your team for your absence and ensure they can keep the wheels turning for you. Anyone else out there a fan of Female Founders Rise 🙋🏼♀️ and what would you do first if you were starting to raise investment again for the first time?

Conventional approaches to strategy have had to adapt in recent years, with rapid technological change and buffeting from external forces. Companies and nonprofits can make a series of small moves that help them build knowledge of the uncertain world they’re operating in, and slowly add capabilities, assets, and other forms of advantage so they can essentially bootstrap themselves into strategic position, rather than making the wrong type of bold leaps or being frozen in stasis. https://lnkd.in/g_Fmb9qB

🧐 Curious about how systemic philanthropy can reshape the impact economy? 🌍 Impact Entrepreneur's latest article dives into Dr. Jason Jay's insights from a recent Luminarias Series webinar. Dr. Jay, Director of MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, champions a systemic investing model that utilizes multiple forms of capital—financial, intellectual, human, social, and spiritual. This model aims to transform how we finance social good, moving beyond isolated investments to comprehensive, adaptive strategies. Key takeaways include leveraging various types of capital for systemic change and integrating philanthropic and investment capital under one strategic umbrella. Read the full article by Richard Feiner on Impact Entrepreneur: https://lnkd.in/dW2f-kDx How can these ideas change your approach to funding social impact? Share your thoughts! 💬 . . . . #ImpactEntrepreneur #ImpactEconomy #SystemicPhilanthropy #SocialImpact #Sustainability #InnovativeFunding #Philanthropy #ImpactInvesting #FinancialInnovation #CollaborativeLeadership #MITSloan #SocialGood #SustainableDevelopment #ChangeMakers #CapitalForGood #EconomicTransformation #InvestInImpact #AdaptiveStrategies #GlobalImpact #FinancialInclusion