This year’s AVPN webinar program finished off with three diversified topics ranging from impact investing to designs for social good
On 5 November 2015, AVPN introduced The Impact Investing Benchmark in partnership with Cambridge Associates. Less than a month later, on 26 November 2015, AVPN in collaboration with Autodesk Foundation presented The Power of Designs for Social Good. Our webinar year ended on 17 December 2015 with a presentation by Dasra on Maximizing Social Impact: Grant-making with a Gender Lens.
The Impact Investing Benchmark webinar, provided by Jessica Matthews and David Sternlicht of Cambridge Associates, was the first comprehensive analysis of the “Impact Investing Benchmark” from Cambridge Associates. Cambridge Associates and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) developed and launched the Impact Investing Benchmark, which is the first all-inclusive analysis of the financial performance of market rate private equity and venture capital impact investing funds. In the webinar, attendees learned to deconstruct the common perception that impact investing demands accepting concessionary returns. Cambridge Associates demonstrated through the Impact Investing Benchmark that it is possible to achieve risk-adjusted market rates of return through impact investing. To learn more, click here.
The Power of Designs for Social Good, presented by Autodesk Foundation’s Navin Kumar, promoted the idea that innovative designs can act as the solutions to challenging social issues. In this webinar, Autodesk Foundation introduced its Autodesk Technology Impact Program and Entrepreneur Impact Program. These programs aim to help non-profits and social enterprises create revolutionary solutions to today’s most pressing obstacles. Examples of these solutions include “Soccket”, an energy-harnessing soccer ball and D-Rev, a non-profit that designs low-cost prosthetics for amputees in developing countries.
Our last webinar, Maximizing Social Impact: Grant-making with a Gender Lens, highlighted insights from funders and non-profits on the topic. Dasra’s Smarinita Shetty, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Katherine Hay and Aangan’s Atiya Bose led the conversation as they discussed the importance, practical implications and challanges of incorporating a gender lens in all facets of life, in particular, grant-making. The webinar was inspired thanks to the ideas that emerged from Dasra and USAID’s recently published whitepaper: Insight: why grant making in India needs a Gender Lens. To read the full report, click here.
Watch the webinar recordings here:
- Cambridge Associates: https://avpn.asia/2015/11/05/avpn-nov-webinar-recording-impact-investment-benchmarks/
- Autodesk Foundation: https://avpn.asia/2015/11/27/avpn-november-webinar-recording-the-power-of-designs-for-social-good-autodesk-foundations-approach/
- Dasra: https://avpn.asia/2015/12/18/avpn-december-webinar-recording-maximizing-social-impact-grant-making-with-a-gender-lens/
