VerticalResponse

The Point of Impact

April 2009

The latest trends and developments in impact brought to you by SVT Group.

Greetings!

We are pleased to be sending you our first newsletter, The Point of Impact. Despite the global recession we are seeing social and environmental performance measurement gaining more and more traction locally, nationally and internationally. Our goal here is to keep you up to speed on the fast-evolving world of impact management, and on developments at SVT Group. Please send us any impact-related news that you would like included in our next newsletter!

Yours,

The SVT Group Team
newsletter@svtgroup.net

SVT Group News

SVT Group named one of "America's Most Promising Entrepreneurs!"

This week BusinessWeek announced the 25 finalists of its inaugural “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs” contest, and we are thrilled to have been named. This contest is part of the mainstreaming of social entrepreneurship and an indicator of the field’s rapidly expanding breadth and influence.

Click here to view the finalist profiles.

CAST YOUR VOTE by April 26th!

For the full Business Week article, follow this link.

Global Sustainable Tourism gains Momentum and Scrutiny

Sustainable tourism is certainly on the rise. To address growing demand, The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria Partnership (GSTC) was initiated by the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Foundation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to set the minimum standard that any tourism business should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for poverty alleviation. As a member of the partnership, SVT is working to ensure useful and practical performance indicators are developed to enable tourism operators to meet and surpass the Criteria.

From the Field

Sustainable Investment Nears 10% in Emerging Markets

A Mercer Consulting report commissioned by the International Finance Corporation finds that sustainable and socially responsible investing has grown significantly in the past few years, now representing nearly 10% of investment in emerging markets. This fact underscores the importance of sustainable investment and transparent business practices in light of the recent economic crisis. Further information on social investment.

The Price is Not Right

Thomas Friedman offers insights on the risks of selling products at prices that do not reflect the real costs to the environment and the real risks of disruptive climate change. Friedman asserts that "When the balance sheet of a company does not capture the true costs and risks of its business activities, you end up with them privatizing their gains and socializing their losses." However Friedman is not advocating that we throw out capitalism, but rather focus on fundamentals like accountable lending, prudent savings and reasonable goods. Read more on correcting capitalism's limitations here.

Hard Times Still See Social Responsibility

The Socially Responsive Fund (NBSRX), which selects companies based not only on the strength of their balance sheets but also on their social and environmental impact, is still seeing investor inflows despite the economic downturn. Socially responsible investing continues to rise as more venture investors seek out innovative and entrepreneurial companies with the goal of reaping both social and financial returns. More information on social funds and responsible enterprises here.

In This Issue

Social Entrepreneurship Making an IMPACT

Sustainable Tourism Scrutinized

Capturing REAL Value

SVT Speaks!

Upcoming Events in Your Area

SVT Group Speaks

Taking off the Goggles

The world’s leaders have convened the world’s top economists and financial engineers to come up with a solution to the global economic crisis. Those charged with correcting the economy’s problems are attempting to find the rainbow… but they’re wearing infrared goggles. More on Social Edge...

The World Is Our Classroom

As corporations begin to take real steps toward sustainability, more opportunities exist for those who want to combine business careers with social justice and a net neutral impact on the planet’s ecosystem, but the heart of social entrepreneurship still beats outside of corporate life. And, management lessons relevant to aspiring social entrepreneurs are generally learned outside of the corporate context. So how and where do people learn the professional management skills of the social entrepreneur? Find out here.

Preventing a Carbon Bubble

Carbon and carbon markets are a hot topic today as the climate change reality becomes clearer. But, can we predict activity of the market and possibly avoid disaster? The ability to benefit financially from positive environmental activities can be a great motivator (e.g. advances in clean technology, green building and ecotourism). Indeed, harnessing the profit motive to get people to reduce carbon seems like a win-win. But in commoditization there is also a danger—the danger of losing sight of the real source of value. Learn more.

Check out the SVT blog on Skoll's Social Edge. Sara Olsen and Brett Galimidi bring you the latest trends, approaches, examples and insightful musings on how to manage resources to generate the greatest positive impact possible.

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Upcoming Events!

Trade and the Environment: The Value Proposition of Greening a Business
Monterey, CA
An interdisciplinary conference meant to engage the international business and Monterey Institute for International Studies academic communities in a conversation about international trade and the environment. SVT partner Brett Galimidi will be speaking on investing in green business.
Date: April 17th, 2009
Register: Register here

Investors Circle: Spring Conference and
Venture Fair
San Francisco, CA
Investors' Circle is the oldest and largest national funding group devoted to for profit socially and environmentally responsible business. The Spring Conference offers investment opportunities, speakers, and interactive workshops to help participants navigate a profitable and impactful course as a new era of accountability, transparency, and sustainabilityunfolds.
Date: April 19th - 21st, 2009
Register: Here

Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship
San Francisco, CA
The GSVC Symposium brings together over 300 international leaders and innovators for a day of engaging panels, interactive workshops and networking. SVT Partner Sara Olsen will be leading a workshop on impact measurement, featuring GSVC winner Candace Taylor, who is now greening WalMart.
Date: April 25th, 2009
Register: Register online and save $50

Green Business Camp
South San Francisco, CA
You don't just attend Green Business camp, you participate! In highly interactive small group sessions with local green small business owners and entrepreneurs, participants will get access to dozens of strategies, ideas and resources to help them grow their business. The event will kick off with a powerful welcome address by Paul Hawken - the pioneering environmentalist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, described as "one of the great thinkers of the green movement" by Wired Magazine.
Date: April 30th, 2009
Register: www.greenbusinesscamp.com

Corporate Responsibility Leadership Program: Strategic Innovation for Competitive Advantage
San Francisco, CA
Hosted by UC Berkeley Center for Executive Education and Center for Responsible Business the course will examine how top companies use new management tools to reframe their products, operations, supply chains and strategies, and drive access to new markets, capital sources, and competitive advantages. Sara Olsen will be leading sessions on impact management and how to measure social return on investment (SROI).
Date: May 14-15th, 2009
Register: here or contact Bart Decker at or bsd@haas.berkeley.edu for more information.

Valuing impact: Building an Association of Nonprofit Analysts
London, UK
New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) and Bertelsmann Stiftung will be hosting a conference in London this May to discuss the subject of nonprofit analysis. It is an event for anyone interested in assessing charities and other nonprofits, and looking at their effectiveness. Brett Galimidi and Sara Olsen will offer insights on impact management for non-profits.
Date: May 19th, 2009
Contact: Esther Paterson, 0207 785 6314
or epaterson@philanthropycapital.org.

The Manage To Impact Webinar Series
In the Cloud (Online)
SVT Group and Social Enterprise Group present the Manage to Impact Webinar, a four-part webinar series to help organizations get a solid handle on how to best use the next dollar, and how to make consistent decisions to maximize the social and environmental return on their resources.
Date: TBD
Contact: jillian@svtgroup.net

Social Venture Technology Group advises investors, companies, and mission-driven organizations, enabling them to measure, manage, and communicate their social and environmental impact. Visit our website at www.svtgroup.net

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