Several members of our team attended the 2018 Social Capital Markets Conference (SOCAP) in San Francisco this fall. SOCAP is the premier conference for organizations using financially innovative models to drive large-scale social impact. This was our first time attending and we were excited for the opportunity to meet leading social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and practitioners from across the impact ecosystem. During the conference we were able to learn from others in the field and share the innovative way we are helping businesses accelerate sustainable solutions to our world's greatest problems. Here are three of our greatest takeaways from our conversations with leaders working at the intersection of innovative finance and social impact.
SOCAP18 at Fort Mason in San Francisco, CA (Photo by Sumit Kohli of sreel Photography for SOCAP)
1. Our model is unique and the impact community easily understands and embraces it.
The conference was filled with individuals and organizations that focus on developing new ways to solve problems. We were encouraged that in every one of our conversations our model was understood quickly and individuals were excited by the unique way in which it creates collective impact.
2. Even within this community of changemakers, our model was perceived as innovative.
When we explained our model in conversations at SOCAP, the most common question we were asked was, “How did you come up with this?” This was very different from the common responses we have received from professionals outside the impact ecosystem. Far too often people have misunderstood our model or have only understood certain elements of it instead of seeing how all the parts work together to create value and synergy for all involved. But the groups we spoke with at SOCAP understood right away that our model creates unique value by mobilizing resources from corporations to scale sustainable solutions to social challenges.
Good Returns President Kyle Lukianuk participating in a round table discussion at SOCAP18. (Photo by Bailey Garrot for SOCAP)
3. Impact organizations are growing in number and they are looking for platforms to share their story and low-cost capital.
We spoke to a number of organizations that are creating positive impact in sustainable ways and asked them what challenges they currently face. Consistent with the conversations we’ve had with impact organization leaders over the past few years, social ventures looking to scale are in need of the two main offerings of Good Returns – low-cost capital and storytelling channels. Leaders of the impact organizations that we spoke with at SOCAP also mentioned that we are the only group they’ve discovered that is offering the exact combination of resources they require to scale their impact.
Want to learn more about how our innovative model can help serve your organization’s impact goals? Contact us.