In AVPN’s 2016 annual report, we reported that the total financial capital deployed by AVPN members across all sectors and markets totaled USD2.17 billion. That financial capital was distributed across a range of funding vehicles including grants, equity and debt. This diversity is a reflection of the profiles of AVPN members, as well as the types of social purpose organisations (SPO) these members engage with and is the motivation behind the launch of AVPN’s Deal Share Platform (DSP).
The DSP is a curated platform for members to showcase projects that they have supported which are looking for additional resources to continue their growth. Members have access to a pool of quality projects, and are able to explore co-investment opportunities with trusted members. The platform looks to facilitate a better pipeline of resources flowing to SPOs across their development stages.
Take AgriSocio for instance, which promotes sustainable agriculture in Indonesia improving farmers’ livelihood and their village development. The social enterprise received early-stage seed funding by the Singapore International Foundation and was later incubated by UnLtd Indonesia in its accelerator programme. Through the exchange at the 2015 AVPN investment showcase, Singapore International Foundation and UnLtd Indonesia later got together to organise the first ASEAN SE Conference on Social Entrepreneurship in 2016 to foster greater collaboration in the region.
There is immense potential for resource providers and SPOs to work more closely together to deliver social impact. The Deal Share Live (rebranded from the investment showcase of past conferences) is another avenue to showcase projects in Asia that are supported by AVPN members to the wider community which include grantmakers, impact investors, corporates and government agencies. At this year’s AVPN Conference held in Bangkok from 7 to 9 June, 30 social purpose organisations will join us in sharing impactful and inspiring work.
The 30 teams are creating social impact ranging from empowerment through education and capacity building training, responsible production and purchases, inclusive healthcare, wastewater treatment to bio-diversity conservation. For a sneak peek at these innovative organisations:
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Bamboo Toothbrush was developed by Dr Noah Park, a dentist who has volunteered for dental care with relief organisations in the bottom of pyramid areas, realising that job creation using local resources is a more self-reliant and sustainable way of helping the under-privileged communities in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. |
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In the online space, Our Better World believes in creating stories for impact, because stories are powerful narratives that can inspire change for anyone to be involved in social good. In 2016, 65% of the community took action after seeing a story. This translates to 4.1 million actions and counting. |
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In Thailand, Socialgiver addresses the gap in social projects’ dependence on unreliable charitable donations by connecting People, Businesses and Social Projects through a three-party transaction. Working with prominent lifestyle brands, Socialgiver provides consumers access to quality products at better prices, and expenditure goes to funding a cause for the local communities. |
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The Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore seeks to address wastewater pollution in rural areas by providing a simple wastewater system, Wastewater Treatment Garden for every household. However, a seemingly simple product is made possible only with the collaboration of leading manufacturers, research teams from the universities and funders. |
These 30 organisations are endorsed by a diverse group of resource providers including Apnic Foundation, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Nippon Foundation, Impact Hub, Thai Young Philanthropist Network and World Vision International who will be convening at the conference to share more on why the SPOs deserve further validation and support, be it financial or non-financial capital.
For more information on the Deal Share Platform, please contact us at [email protected].
