[Dialogue] [Oe List ...] Closing the Pioneer Gap -- wow, does this bring back memories!!

[Sherwood Shankland]

Great stuff.Just a couple of quick notes: 1) You have probably heard the
term Social Entrepreneurs - organizations run to be economically viable, not
grant dependent operations (although some use grants as start-up investment
capital) some of which actually do put the social cause/un-met need first,
ahead of quarterly profits. 2) The next wave beyond micro-finance is
micro-enterprise  which only works with some degree of business savvy and
may only fit 5% of those who get started on micro-finance schemes. This is
more like grassroots entrepreneur incubation and growth - also can be
profitable for investors, or can accumulate cash in a reserve for future
business start-ups.both micro-finance and micro-enterprise have huge market
in emerging economies. 

/ Sherwood

 

From: oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net
[mailto:oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of R Williams
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 6:52 AM
To: Order Ecumenical Community; Judy Wiegel; Colleague Dialogue
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Closing the Pioneer Gap -- wow, does this bring
back memories!!

 

Jim,

 

I found this to be a very interesting and informative paper.  I think of
myself as fairly in touch, but I had not heard this approach to business
social responsibility called "impact investing."

 

My mind went back to Bill Norris who founded Control Data Corporation, along
with City Ventures and Rural Ventures, two subsidiary companies he formed
which Pat Moriarity, Gary Forbes and I, among other of our colleagues, had
some involvement in back in the early 80s.  In addition to these, Norris
also launched Starco, an enterprise to encourage minority owned businesses,
and the Minnesota Seed Capital Fund to deal to a degree with some of the
issues raised in the paper.  Norris' business philosophy was, "addressing
society's unmet needs as business opportunities,"  which meant that these
ventures were supposed to be profitable and socially impactful at the same
time.  In reflection, I am hard put to say if he personally made the
transition to put social impact as the first priority over the financial
bottom line.  He may have, but some of his lieutenants who ran the
businesses clearly never did.

 

A key paragraph in the paper for me was the third from the last where
Dichter suggests that the major barriers are an outdated ideology and a lack
of imagination, and he has an insight earlier in the paper, that what's
needed is a major shift in mindset.  Should that happen I think what we
would see would be investors becoming systems thinkers and seeing that what
is good for society in general, i.e. the common good, is in the long-run
good for business as well.  The key word there may be "long-run."  Business
is even yet not very good at thinking beyond the current quarter.

 

The paper does indeed bring back memories, but it addresses some very
current needs.  I have to believe that if Muhammad Yunus was able to make
microfinance a credible social impact tool as well as financially viable
venture through Gameen Bank, then someone will be able to do something
similar with impact investment as the next generation after microfinance.

 

Randy 

 

"Whatever the problem, community is the answer.  There is no power greater
than a community discovering what it cares about."  Margaret Wheatley

 

From: James Wiegel <jfwiegel at yahoo.com>
To: Judy Wiegel <judithwiegel at yahoo.com>; Colleague Dialogue
<dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net>; Order Ecumenical Community
<oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> 
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 7:16 PM
Subject: [Oe List ...] Closing the Pioneer Gap -- wow, does this bring back
memories!!



The Pioneer Gap


One of the most striking findings of our research is that few impact
investors are willing to invest in companies targeting the poor, and even
fewer are willing to invest at the early stages of the creation of these
businesses, a problem that we call the Pioneer Gap. 

http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/closing_the_pioneer_gap

Jim Wiegel

"Life has got a habit of not standing hitched.  You got to ride it like you
find it..  You got to change with it."  Woody Guthrie


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