CSP Newsletter: Winter 2024
Looking back, forging ahead: Happy Holidays from CSP!
Dear friends,
Ten cohorts of Impact Investing for the Next Generation, five more years left to realize the SDGs, so much more work to be done. These are some of the things that are on my mind as we close out this year and look ahead to 2025.
Realizing a safe and sustainable economy is not something we as impact investors, researchers, or financial professionals can do alone, but if our recent work on multicapital has taught me anything, it’s that we all have more resources at our disposal than we think. This is about so much more than money. If we each apply our skills, energize our networks, and refocus our time, even just a bit more than we are now, those global goals might not be as far out of reach.
As it happens, I write to you now from Hong Kong, where I’m mobilizing my own portfolio of skills and resources to catalyze impact in Asia, together with partners and friends. It feels appropriate to be greeting the New Year here, several hours earlier than I would have in Zurich. We all need to be ‘ahead of the times’ if we want to realize a stable, thriving future, and I’ll take all the “extra hours” I can get. ;)
Wishing you a bright and restorative holiday season.
Towards impact,
Celebrating 10 Cohorts of Impact Investing for the Next Generation!
We can hardly believe it ourselves! This year we welcomed the 10th (!) cohort of participants to the Impact Investing for the Next Generation program. With 230+ alumni and up to $32 billion dollars in assets moved towards impact, the effect of this unique program has already been significant. (You’ll find more on this in our 2024 Impact Report.)
We had an amazing time celebrating this milestone with friends, partners, alumni, and team members on the shore of Lake Zurich. It was so special to connect with some of the people that have joined us along the way. Together we reflected on how far we’ve come, and where this all could go.
Want to know more about the program that started it all, or recommend the course to a Next Gen in your life? We’re accepting applications for Cohort 11. Details can be found here, or by reaching out to Marietta directly.
Activating all your assets: a new mindset for impact
When it comes to making a difference, each of us has a wide array of resources we can bring to the table. This goes far beyond money. Realizing that we have more to work with than just financial assets is like going from black and white, to realizing you can paint in color. There is so much more we can use to create impact! This is what our first ever multicapital program was all about. Held at MIT in Boston, MA, USA, it offered opportunities for deep reflection and meaningful connection.
Next year, this program will return to MIT in Boston from November 3rd-5th, 2025. Want to be a part of it? Find details and register here.
Research News
Next Gen Wealth Holders on Overcoming Barriers to Drive Impact
What are some of the key obstacles investors face when seeking to realize impact, and how are Next Gens overcoming them? We had an insightful conversation on this topic as part of a pre-event webinar leading up to the sustainable finance conference Building Bridges. You can find the summary and recording here.
If you’ll be attending Building Bridges next week in Geneva, Switzerland, come say hello! We’ll contribute to the session ‘Transforming Finance: paving the way for impact-driven wealth’ on Tuesday at 11:00 with our partners from the Coalition for Impact and The Impact Office. You’ll also find us on the Solution Stage on Wednesday afternoon (14:00–15:00) talking about Education in Sustainable Finance. There will also be a private Next Gen-only meetup on Tuesday afternoon (for details, reach out to Michelle).
Find details and register for the conference via Building Bridges.
Exploring Systemic Investing, and applying it in practice
On November 11th, we brought together early adopters of systemic investing for a first Swiss community gathering. Together with TransCap Initiative and Kieger Asset Management, we talked about applying a systemic lens to impact investing, heard about a number of pilot projects, and planted the seeds for a local community of practice.
This is just the beginning! With our partners in the Coalition for Impact, we’re also embarking on an ambitious project to apply this systems-level approach to transforming the financial system. With help from the agency Omplexity, we’re going map the financial system and identify strategic leverage points for collective action. If you’d like to be involved, or support this crucial work with a donation, reach out to Falko.
Likewise, if you’re an investor who wants to go deep into these topics and better understand this emerging approach, our ‘Investing for Systems Change’ course is a great place to start. Learn more about the program here.
Wealth Managers: Better understand the needs of your clients
Go beyond just asking about sustainability preferences. To best serve your clients, you need to understand their impact motivations, and all the investing tools available to address those. Our Sustainable Investing in Wealth Management course is a certification for financial professionals driven to better understand sustainable finance by learning from some of the academics and practitioners leading the field.
This three-day training will take place March 17–19th, 2025 in a hybrid format. Register now to save your seat.
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