RSF Fall Board Retreat: Kicking Off the Next 25 Years
October 19, 2009
By Mark Finser
For the past several years, the RSF Social Finance Board of Trustees has met in late September for a special meeting and retreat with invited guests. This September was distinctive since 2009 marks RSF’s 25th anniversary of social enterprise lending. Due to both this exciting occasion and the exceptional economic times we are in, the Board and staff not only wanted to look back at the past, but more importantly, wanted to meet with friends and colleagues who are also leaders in the space of social finance. We hoped to collectively imagine with them what the world might be like 25 years from now and what is needed between now and then in order to create a world that provides for everyone in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
All told, there were more than 35 of us present, which resulted in many unique contributions and thoughts being shared. I would like to highlight just a couple interesting thoughts that seemed to recur throughout the weekend. One has to do with the theme of food. As one participant said, “if we get food right” then everything else seems to follow. I know there are many other equally valid starting points for discussion, but there is something so tangible about the need for food – and water, I might add – that it really does make sense as a base to build around. There are so many great local food initiatives, and paying attention to the land in this way allows us to easily imagine a new economy establishing itself based on regional and local food systems.
Another participant called for ways to give more support to the local entrepreneurial businesses that naturally spring up after agriculture has been established in a healthy way. This led to the question of how to have more services and training to encourage and support the entrepreneurs leading these businesses so that we can move away from their companies being seen as high risk investments that are paying low risk returns. There is also the issue of today’s business models being such that social entrepreneurs in need of capital very often find themselves funneled into the only current model of success – namely to grow and grow and then be acquired in order to provide liquidity for both the investor and the entrepreneur. This may be perfectly appropriate in some instances in order to have greater impact; however, many of us were in agreement that we need to support other models in order to encourage different forms of sustainable business and to keep social missions intact for the long term.
All of us felt blessed to be part of such a conversation and to learn about each other’s initiatives to support a more just and sustainable world. Whether it was in the sphere of complementary currencies, or developing new, holistic economic and financial models, or creating charters for businesses and communities dedicated to the common good, every project is inspiring and all of the participants are committed to shifting paradigms in our respective fields. RSF is thankful to our guests for having devoted their time and thought to participating in such a dialogue with us, and we are thrilled about the opportunities for collaboration in this ever-growing field of social finance. We look forward to hearing our readers’ thoughts in this dialogue on the future of social finance here on the Reimagine Money blog!
Mark Finser is Chair of the Board of RSF Social Finance.
- Published by Kyle Foley
- Categories: Economy, Food & Agriculture, Investing, Local economies, Money, RSF Board & Staff, Social Finance
Congratulations on the achievements of the first 25 years of social enterprise lending! As a co-founder of a mission-driven enterprise, I certainly see that RSF’s initiatives have contributed greatly to a steadily growing social enterprise movement. I also want to echo the insightful participant’s call to support more local businesses – and to go even a step further, not just local but also sustainable and socially responsible. When we use these businesses as suppliers of goods and services, money that otherwise would go to a traditional business would instead serve to build up the local entrepreneur’s business. We shift resources toward those who can make the most good out of it. An expense item in our vendor chain is transformed into a powerful tool to support social enterprises and move us forward toward our vision of a more just and more equitable society.
I wish RSF all the best in tne next 25 years. I know you will greatly exceed the previous years’ accomplishments!
Comment by Rose Penelope Yee — October 19, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
Hi, I tried to log on to http://www.socialcapitalmarkets.com – which is what you published – however the correct Web sit address is http://www.socialcapitalmarkets.net.
I want to invest, can you help me?
Thank you,
Josie
Comment by Josie Rock — October 20, 2009 @ 9:45 am