Hi AEA! We are Courtney Bolinson, Morgan Buras-Finlay, Heather Esper and Lala Kasimova and we are members of the Social Impact Measurement TIG. This year at the AEA conference, we brought together Indianpolis’ impact investing and social enterprise community and AEA evaluators for a conversation about creating and telling the story of community-level change. This event was open to the public, not limited to AEA members, and we had a spectacular turnout!
Through the event, we heard from Katina Washington of She.Event Indy, John McDonald of Next Studios, Sibeko Jywanza of 16 Tech and Kendrea J. Williams of Pitchfeast, all moderated by Lauren Sparkman of Sparkland studios.
The panelists shared many insights and raised important questions. There is much room for entrepreneurship growth in Indianapolis, which left the audience energized. The panelists discussed ways in which they and others can work together to accelerate this growth, including via collective economics (i.e. pooling resources across businesses for shared needs).
There was a great deal of discussion about the systems within the impact investing space, and a recognition that these new mechanisms for change often leave out communities of color and women entrepreneurs. The speakers raised provocative questions about how impact investing can be a lever for change not only through fund distribution, but also as a mechanism for financial and economic inclusion.
The event underscored the SIM TIG’s conviction that evaluative approaches, methods, experiences, and ways of thinking can offer valuable insights and tools for impact investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in the social finance space. These tools can foster inclusivity and generate lasting, positive and equitable social impact.
The American Evaluation Association is hosting Social Impact Measurement TIG Week with our colleagues in the Social Impact Measurement Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our SIM TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.