Chapter Leader Impact Investing Engagement Hub

Welcome, Impacters.

Impact Investing Chapter Engagement Hub

Start Here: Our Purpose & Goals 

Impact Investing. As a Net Impact Chapter Leader, you might be taking a class about this topic, reading about it in your sustainability circles, or at the very least, have heard the term before. There are lots of Net Impact Chapter Leaders and members who are excited about impact investing - with some community members who are well-versed in the topic and others who are just learning about it. 

In 2023, Net Impact Central will launch the Sustainable Cities Impact Investing Challenge, and we want to make participation as easy as possible. 

Towards this end, the goal of this hub and attached guide is to empower you to demystify and engage your community about all things "impact investing." After all, this is what Net Impact Chapters do best: foster discussion, embrace curiosity, and create space for meaningful engagements to make the world more just and sustainable. 

If this is a totally new subject for you, don't worry! Whether you are an aspiring impact investor, an “enthusiastic observer,” or a total novice, this guide is here to empower you to engage your Chapter on impact investing.

Designed exclusively for Net Impact Chapter Leadership Teams, this hub aims to do three things:

  1. Demystify impact investing by making it easy for you to present the "Impact Investing 101" Deck.
  2. Invite engagement through a flexible menu of engagement options that you can choose from based on what works best for your audience, your team's capacity, and available technical capabilities. You know your community's needs best, so this guide was designed with that in mind.
  3. Promote the Sustainable Cities Impact Investing Challenge & report your engagement results by June 15, 2023 via the resources in Step 3.
Sustainable Cities

 

Let's Do This! How Do We Begin? 

Follow these 3 steps.

STEP 1: Acquaint Yourself with the "Impact Investing 101" Deck Below

This deck is designed to be an "Impact Investing 101" educational presentation. You can use it for your understanding of impact investing, as a presentation deck for your community, or "slice, dice, and remix" parts of the deck to make your own unique engagement. We've included some ideas to get your creative ideas flowing in Step 2!

The deck has six learning outcomes that aim to provide an educational base for understanding impact investing. They are:

  1. Understand the core characteristics of impact investing and how it differs from traditional investing methods
  2. Identify who the key players are in impact investing
  3. Debunk the most common myths around impact investing
  4. Learn the most common types of asset classes
  5. Recognize how impact investors are using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for performance measurement
  6. Understand why impact measurement and management (IMM) and impact investing go hand-in-hand

 

Things to note:

  • If you need it, there is an example script in the "Speaker Notes" box for you to use.
  • See the "Additional Resources" for links to podcasts, articles, and organizations that you might find valuable to further your learning about impact investing.
  • No matter what engagement you're leading, always include the Call-to-Action to submit the interest form for the upcoming Sustainable Cities Impact Investing Challenge!
  • Download the deck as a Powerpoint file so you can pick and choose which slides you'd like to use. Download the PPT version here. 

 

STEP 2: Decide your Engagement Format

Step 2 is to consider your engagement formats. In the context of our goals above, how does your Chapter want to engage your members and broader community about impact investing? Here are some example engagement formats below.

HOST AN ENGAGEMENT

Event times are flexible (30 mins-1 hour)

  • Share & Discuss: Share a Ted Talk, YouTube video, article, or podcast and offer prompts to spur discussion and reflection during one of your upcoming Chapter meetings. (See the "Additional Resources" section in the Demystifying Impact Investment deck below.)
  • Panel or Fireside Chat: Invite an alumni, professor, or industry expert to talk to your Chapter about impact investing
  • Convene: Organize a networking event for alumni and aspiring Chapter members interested in impact investing
  • Get Social: Organize an educational social media campaign to teach the fundamentals of impact investing. (See below for ideas!)
  • Create Your Own! You know your community best. Invent your own engagement that will suit your audience best!

SHARE YOUR UPCOMING ENGAGEMENT

Planning an upcoming engagement? Share your plans on the Chapter Leader Slack on the #events-programming channel! Be sure to include whether your event is virtual and open to other community members to attend. This is a great way to increase your event turnout and build cross-chapter relationships.

STEP 3: Promote the Sustainable Cities Impact Investing Challenge and Submit your Engagement Results

There are two parts to Step 3: 

  • First, promote Net Impact’s inaugural Sustainable Cities Impact Investing Challenge using the Chapters Marketing Toolkit. This includes sample emails, social media, and graphics you can use to promote the Challenge to your Chapter.
  • Second, be sure to submit your Engagement Results Form by June 15, 2023 from any events or meetings you host about impact investing. Whether your engagements are a casual Chapter meeting or an official event, we want to hear what you did and how many people you engaged! All Chapters that submit the Engagement Form will earn 100 Gold Status Points towards being a Gold Status Chapter and will be entered into a raffle to earn $250 for their chapter.**
     

**Please note that the raffle is limited to US citizens & permanent residents and those in certain countries. Please see raffle rules.

Engage on Social! 

Share the premade social media content to educate your community about impact investing! 

 

This program is supported by

Nuveen