Elyse Sainty works at the intersection of social impact and finance, which is the sweet-spot of this show. But all too often I think we get caught up in the financial wizardry and the lure of bigger returns. Elyse is director of Impact Investing at Social Ventures Australia where she designs and manages Social Impact Bonds, and her take on this was really refreshing, from her perspective, It’s not really about investors… instead, it’s seeing capital as an enabler, it’s the means to an end.
And really, when you look at the central goal, it’s not about making money, it’s about making money make a difference.
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On this episode…
…Elyse explained the often-confusing concept of Social Impact Bonds, and the fact that they’re actually not really bonds at all. They’re an innovative method of deploying government funds, to do the best work, in the most efficient way. They’re a central driver of the move towards ‘outcomes based commissioning’ that is getting many in the social sector very excited.
My key takeaway this week…
… “It’s not all about investors.” Money is just a tool, we need to stay focussed on the beneficiaries needs, rather than getting distracted by higher returns.
Good Future’s Good Books
By Yuval Noah Harari
It’s very thought provoking for a member of the human species. The theme that made me ponder the most, that progress may be good for the species as a whole but it might not necessarily work out well for all the members at an individual level. That really resonated for me and we need to be careful what we wish for.
We need to watch out for perverse incentives just like in SIBs.
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