A Year in Review

December 22, 2017: Silicon Valley CA

Friends & Colleagues,

We hope this finds you very well!

In a world that at times seems to be accelerating toward its own demise, we are inspired that our work enabling organizations to understand and proactively manage their social and environmental impact and value is gaining strength and power. 

2017 has been both a busy and productive year for us at SVT Group, working toward a world where "it pays to do good" through impact management. We're proud of what we've accomplished together with our clients and partners, and would love to share it with you - and hear your thoughts!

Here's a rundown:

We've generated significant potential for scale in our capacity building efforts:

• Devised a strategy in collaboration with SVI to bring a training capacity in impact management and analysis online that can directly train 10,000-20,000 people globally per year, through SVI's national networks and their consulting members
• Launched the pilot of our "DIY with Expert Coaching" impact management training course specifically for impact entrepreneurs in emerging economies, in collaboration with SOCAP and its SOCAP Entrepreneurs Scholarship Program, and are preparing to scale this
• Taught two graduate level courses in impact assessment and management, one of which was our first "hybrid" (mix of live and asynchronous online instruction) that simultaneously reached 67 students in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas

We've done A LOT of field-building work, recognizing 2017 as one of the most momentous years in the impact management movement: 

• Co-founded the US chapter of Social Value International (SVI), Social Value US
• Wrote a chapter on the Measurement Challenge in the just-published Impact Assets Handbook for Impact Investors
• Co-created with Social Value US and AEA a Rosetta stone-type Glossary of Terms that are Often Confusing in Impact Management with funding from The Impact Management Project
• Participated in and partnered with The Impact Management Project, which has defined the first set of conventions around impact management for the impact investing profession
• Co-convened a dialog for advanced impact management professionals at SOCAP and AEA in collaboration with with Social Value US, Social Performance Task Force, the Global Impact Investors Network, the World Economic Forum and others, and laid groundwork for this to be a recurring, self-organizing platform - check out the discussion notes here
• Co-authored papers on Impact Management produced by the World Economic Forum on Stakeholder Engagement which will be presented at this year's WEF in Davos, and by SVI on the Relationship Between Social Value Principles and the Natural Capital Protocol 
• Keynoted an event in Berlin convened by the development finance institution of this year's G8 chair, Germany, on Impact Investing, Impact Management and the Sustainable Development Goals
• Co-authored and continued to pilot a framework and certificate program in skilled impact analysis targeting investors, funding decision-makers with colleagues from Social Value International's US and Canada chapters
• Established a dialog with TPG, which has launched the largest private equity impact investment fund to date ($2Bn), TPG Rise (of which Bono is a co-founder) 

And, we've served some really stellar and inspiring clients:

• Conducted an impact audit of a private Liberian girls' primary school that is poised for growth 
• Defined the impact thesis for We Are Family Foundation - the operating foundation of acclaimed musician/producer Nile Rodgers (who wrote "We Are Family") and his wife Nancy Hunt - and developed the impact management plan for its flagship program Three Dot Dash
• Are building a simulation tool for use by state Medicaid directors to define the business case for investing in obesity prevention, with our previous Nemours and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation support
• Are laying plans with Mesofilter, a company with a breakthrough - and biodegradable - filtration technology to achieve its goal of removing lead and arsenic from the world's drinking water

We also:

• Celebrated our first anniversary with the super-talented Aislinn Betancourt, our COO and Consultant
• Were honored as a B Corp "Best for the World - Customers" and "Best for the Long Term" recipient for creating the most positive impact for customers and through our governance practices
• Published our radically transparent 15th anniversary impact report to serve as an enduring model of what impact reporting should be

We'd love to catch up with you soon about all of this, the wonderful impact and value you are bringing to the world, and all that is to come! 

Until then, may your season be merry and bright.

Warmly,

Sara & the team