My Impact – Fundamentals of Modern Philanthropy was launched in London at Impact Investing – Doing Well by Doing Good. It aims to advise family offices, HNWIs, asset managers and owners, NGOs and intermediaries on a number of key issues in modern attitudes to philanthropy.

In their presentations, Christoph Dreher, Managing Director, CSSP AG Liechtenstein, Dr Andreas Hoepner, Senior Academic Fellow, UNPRI & Professor, Henley Business School, and Jérôme Audran, Investment Manager, Symbiotics SA, spoke about global Microfinance initiatives, impact investing, inclusive finance and philanthropy.    The event also contained a panel debate about “The Two Dimensions of Impact Investing” moderated by Martina Macpherson, Managing Partner, Sustainable Investment Partners. Expert panel speakers included John Pepin, CEO, Philanthropy Impact, and Sarah Forster, Deputy CEO & Director of Development at Big Issue Invest. Note the definitions they give for philanthropy, venture philanthropy, impact investment and responsible investing (http://www.myimpact.li/):

Philanthropy - As humanitarianism – in the broadest sense – philanthropy has constantly evolved over the course of history. Today, philanthropy includes every form of charitable activity, from donating funds and material goods to allocating time and resources.

Venture Philanthropy - ‘Active philanthropy’, also known as ‘venture philanthropy’ in the Anglo-Saxon world, considers philanthropic activities as social investments made in charitable organizations and therefore draws on methods used in business administration and venture capital.

Impact Investing - This investment approach describes investments that strive towards making a positive impact on society and can be measured – while delivering a financial return.

Responsible Investing - Responsible investing describes investments that aim to achieve a positive market based financial return and, in the same time, can have a positive impact on society.