SOCAP22 Recap Part II: A digest from the largest and most diverse impact investing event in the world.
October saw the in-person return of SOCAP, which bills itself as the largest gathering of investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders coming together to accelerate progress against the world’s toughest challenges through market-based solutions. The event, produced by SOCAP Global under the leadership of the Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, drew 4,000+ attendees to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Over the course of a week, participants tackled problems and opportunities to advance justice; reimagine systems; deliver equity and inclusion; and discuss power, capital, and accountability. One trend covered heavily at the event that weaves together all those themes was the evolution of impact measurement in investing.
Key highlights
Last week we shared highlights covering the roots and evolution of impact investing measurement, as well as practical considerations when wading into this realm. In this second of two blog posts, we’ll share a couple final takeaways from various discussions throughout the week.
A big question organizations and funders alike wrestle with is who pays for impact measurement. Just as we state in our previous blog post — What’s the Right Price for Nonprofit Mission? — the costs of impact measurement need to be baked into the cost of the enterprise, or the investing fund in the case of philanthropic or commercial investment.
We are also seeing evolving data-sharing models, from social services organizations adapting care coordinator models from health care, to trade associations helping aggregate and share data in noncompetitive contexts, to early-stage but investment-scale efforts to aggregate IRIS reporting data for investor purposes.
Moving forward
The 2022 SOCAP comeback shows that global momentum is continuing to build at the intersection of money and meaning. Capital is continuing to move into social purpose, and the array of investment vehicles continues to grow while the impact measurement field matures. Whether you identify as an investor, a donor, an entrepreneur, or a nonprofit leader, it is worth investing personal and organizational resources into determining your philosophy and approach to impact measurement.
How we can help
Tune into CLA’s fourth quarter webinar in our Economic, Industry, and Investment Outlook series, during which we will share CLA’s insights on the economy, industry, and financial markets — and how you can use these insights to drive value for your business and yourselves. Register here.
CLA’s Data Analytics and Insights team can help your organization reveal the hidden potential in your data and take steps to develop KPIs, improve management and operations, reduce risk, and apply strategic, forward-looking action for impact. Contact Ben Aase for more information at ben.aase@claconnect.com.
CLA’s Nonprofit Investment Advisory + Consulting Services were developed to help nonprofits fulfill their philanthropic mission and navigate through financial uncertainty by leveraging our experience in nonprofit finance, cash and reserves management, governance, risk management, and investing. Contact Peter Holupchinski for more information at peter.holupchinski@claconnect.com.
Links to prior blogs:
Using Financial and Nonfinancial Data to Calculate Key Ratios
Leveraging Financial and Nonfinancial Information to Improve Program Success
Leveraging Ratios to Better Understand Community Impact and Organizational Success
This content was created by CLA’s Ben Aase, Principal.
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