Confronting the 4 Myths of Impact Investing

It is no secret, I’m a firm believer that impact investing is a movement that is taking off and here to stay. In the U.S. and around the world we’ve seen segments of the market start to move from informed, to educated, to activated. We’ve seen private capital unleashed with a focus on impact across sectors, geographies and asset classes. As an investor and a philanthropist, I’m encouraged by the good news I’ve seen, highlighting growth in the number of successful social enterprises. But even as we celebrate the major milestones we’ve achieved in impact investing, it’s important to remember that these are still the early days of impact investing and we have to pay attention to the critiques from skeptics.

In a recent post on Medium, as part of a blog series in the run up to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit kicking off today, I reviewed some of the myths and skeptical perceptions that we’re hearing, which may be posing barriers to taking impact investing to the next level. You can read more about the 4 Myths of Impact Investing here.

35 Millennial Influencers to Follow on Twitter

Next week hundreds of bright, passionate changemakers from all across the country will come to DC for MCON, the Millennial Engagement Conference, to learn from each other and over 35 distinguished speakers how to better engage the next generation. (Learn more about the Case Foundation’s work on the Millennial Impact Project.)

The amazing lineup of speakers assembled for MCON represents some of the country’s premiere Millennial influencers. Whether you are one of the hundreds headed to MCON in person, or one of the tens of thousands planning to watch it online, the Twitter list of speakers we’ve curated below will help you better engage in the online conversations happening around MCON next week.

Follow along with us at @CaseFoundation and @JeanCase. Be sure you’re a part of the conversation by using #MCON. And remember, you can access every Twitter handle on this list with one easy click through our Twitter list.

Jean Case
@JeanCase
CEO of the Case Foundation, Chairman of the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees
Gary Knell
@garyknell
President and CEO, National Geographic Society
Brad Jenkins
@bradjenkins
Executive Producer / Managing Director of Funny or Die DC, Former White House Assoc Director of Public Engagement. Father of Sadie and Oscar.
David Litt
@davidlitt
Former speechwriter for @POTUS. Current head writer/producer for DC office of @funnyordie. Also writing a book and hoping to win my Top Chef fantasy league.
Mayor Bowser
@MayorBowser
Official Twitter Account of the Mayor of Washington, DC
Gina Bianchini
@ginab
Passionate about community building. Mightybell, Ning. Occasional Athlete, Pop Culture Connoisseur and California Native.
Ettore Rossetti
@EttoreRossetti
Philanthropist. Sr Dir Social & Innovation @SavetheChildren. @GWR tennis title holder. UConn’92. Gamer epic moustache man Twin. Father.
Erin Spencer
@etspencer
@natgeo Young Explorer & @OurOcean Digital Coordinator. Ocean lover, travel addict, #WomeninStem advocate, invasive species nerd.
Sylvia Earle
@SylviaEarle
Oceanographer, National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence, Founder of @MissionBlue and 2009 TED Prize Winner. Saving and restoring the blue heart of the planet!
Minka Kelly
@Minkakelly
Actress and Philanthropist.
Miki Agrawal
@twinmiki
Author of bestseller DO COOL SH*T, CEO & Co-Founder of THINX, Icon, Tushy & Wild. Dreamer. Seeker.
Chris Temple
@Christemple8
Director+Co-Founder @LivingonOne | 2015 Top 100 Visionary Leaders (@Real_Leaders Magazine) | Speaker
David B Smith
@mobilizer
Social Entrepreneur, MD of @PresidioInst, Former ED of @NCoC, Founder of @mob_org.
Jo-Ann Tan
@somethingfierce
Jo-Ann is leads +Acumen – a learning community for social change-makers.
Laurindo Garcia
@laurindogarcia
Trying to make action speak louder than words. http://www.b-change.org
Christopher Punongbayan
@cpunongbayan
Executive Director, Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus. Civil rights advocate & tennis enthusiast.
Ayesha Barenblat
@abarenblat
Founder, Remake, @remakeourworld
DeRay McKesson
@deray
Activist. Organizer. Educator. Bowdoin. TFA. Baltimore.
Derrick Feldmann
@derrickfeldmann
President of Achieve (@achieve_consult) | Researcher | Author of Social Movements for Good
Vivien Labaton
@vivienlab
Co-Founder & Co-Director of Make It Work.
Eric Asche
@easche
Chief Little Bet Maker for Truth Initiative. Fighting for market share – one person at a time.
Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis Lamontagne
@KatherineSophie
Sister-Owners of GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE, Stars of TLC’s DC CUPCAKES, and Best-Selling Authors of THE CUPCAKE DIARIES and SWEET CELEBRATIONS
Karla Monterroso
@karlitaliliana
VP of Programs for @CODE2040, Board Member for @1Deg
Chef José Andrés
@chefjoseandres
Internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, television personality, humanitarian and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup.
Jay Newton-Small
@JNSmall
TIME magazine correspondent | Author of Broad Influence: How Women Are Changing the Way America Works
Kevin Cleary
@KevinClearyCEO
CEO @ClifBar, dad of three, eater of all things organic, bike commuter, Ninja Warrior & Little League Coach
Ryan Scott
@ryan_scott
CEO of @Causecast. Social Entrepreneur/Investor pioneering Employee Engagement in CSR, Corporate Philanthropy, Volunteerism and Community Impact.
Melissa Lake
@MelissaLLake
Co-founder of Honeycomb, Executive Director of ONEHOPE
Lansie Sylvia
@FancyLansie
Madeline Kahn meets the J. Peterman Company Catalogue. Dir. of Engagement for @HMCTwit. Founder of @PhillyGiveGet and @nsdemocracy.
Heidi Nel
@HeidiNel
Entrepreneur. Artist. @Picture_Motion President + @TrumanProject Partner. Passionate about social impact, film, ice cream + soul cycle.
Ryan Leslie
@ryanleslie
Disruptive Multimedia. Grammy-nominated recording artist, multi-platinum producer and avid technologist.
Matt Bellassai
@MattBellassai
Internet drunk. Writer. Actual People’s Choice Award Winner. I write about boys & butts & Beyoncé. Formerly @BuzzFeed. Now ~solo~
Reena Ninan
@reenaninan
@CBSNews Weekend News Anchor. Watch Saturday 630pm on @CBS & weekday afternoons on @cbsnlive at 1pm.
Case Foundation
@CaseFoundation
We invest in people and ideas that change the world. Founded by Steve and Jean Case in 1997. Take risks. Be Bold. Fail forward. Be Fearless.
MCON
@MCONideas
#MCON is a 3-day event for leaders, activists, social entrepreneurs, and students who want to change the world – for good. Let’s turn your interest into action.

This list is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Inclusion on this list does not include endorsement by the Foundation.

The Roger Enrico I Knew: Extraordinary Leader, Intrepid Explorer, Mentor and Friend

It is not often that you come across someone who is so genuine of spirit that they leave a deep and lasting impression on how you see the world. Roger Enrico was one of those rare individuals. Upon hearing of his passing this week, amid the outpouring of sadness and tributes, I couldn’t help but be moved to share how much of an influence Roger was in my life and in the lives of countless others.

Roger was perhaps best known for his long tenure as CEO of PepsiCo Inc. and his visionary leadership as Chairman of DreamWorks Animation SKG. But ask anyone who worked closely with him or for him and they would also describe a man who championed others—often through providing opportunities to women, people of color and those with limited means. To many who worked for him, he was a lifetime mentor and friend. In so many ways Roger demonstrated just how deeply he cared for humanity.

In his later years as CEO at Pepsi, he gave up his salary and took just $1 a year so that he could dedicate the remainder of his generous salary to creating scholarships for the kids of employees of Pepsi who earned less than $60K a year—people he described as “unsung heroes.”

Roger, an advocate for inclusivity, was known for focusing on diversity in the Pepsi bottling divisions. There he helped many people of color find opportunity and wealth through this commitment. In his board service, he put an emphasis on attracting diverse, world-class talent.

It was Roger’s work with former Chair and CEO of National Geographic, John Fahey, that led to my own board service with National Geographic, where I serve as Chairman today. Several years ago, while Roger was serving as the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee, he reached out and asked me to join the board.

Through the years, I grew to truly love and appreciate Roger for his remarkable contributions to National Geographic. I had the great honor of first succeeding him as Chair of Nominating and Governance, and then the privilege of co-chairing the Search Committee with him that brought Gary Knell in as the new CEO when John Fahey retired from the role.

Being in the boardroom with Roger was fun, interesting and always a learning experience, but it was my experiences out in the field with him that I will hold most dear in my heart. In 2014, before Cuba opened up, National Geographic Explorer in Residence Enric Sala led a small cohort of National Geographic Trustees on a one-week exploration of the pristine seas area known as Jardines de la Reina off the coast of Cuba. It was an intense week of diving in which we accompanied Enric and the team for 3 dives a day to document and explore the health of aquatic life in this rarely-accessed reef area of our oceans. For our small cohort of Trustees, we lived together on the boat with the broader dive team, sharing meals, sharing stories and reflecting on the importance of conservation of our oceans. With each successive dive, 70-year-old Roger was often the first one suited up and ready to go.

Roger had a passion for our planet, and particularly for our oceans. At National Geographic he was beloved not just for his board service, but for his passion for the mission of National Geographic. He was truly an intrepid explorer and I had the privilege of being in the field, and in the oceans, on the front lines of exploration with him around the world.

So while the world knows Roger best for his executive role under fluorescent lights, to those of us who had the privilege of working with him at National Geographic, we would say his leadership, his generosity and his passion for exploration in the field leaves behind a legacy that will endure for many years to come.

It was an honor and privilege to call him a mentor, leader, friend, and he will be greatly missed.

June: Turning Interest Into Action

Awareness raising. Relationship building. Network development. Experimentation. Tipping point. Sustained action. That is the anatomy of a movement. At the Case Foundation, we aim to be movement catalyzers around social innovation. Right now we are focused on driving two major movements—impact investing and inclusive entrepreneurship. And we are intent on bringing a Be Fearless approach tipping the scales from good intention to meaningful action that can change the world. Over the next several months, we are going to highlight the key phases of movement catalyzing and our associated work in those areas. This month we are highlighting the importance of turning interest into action and recognizing the need to be intentional about doing so in our own programs.

Over the next few weeks, Jean and Steve Case and members of the team will be traveling from coast to coast and participating in various events that demonstrate the power and potential of turning interest into action. In some cases, we will be the ones encouraging and educating others in service of catalyzing our core movement areas, while in other cases we will be the ones learning and open to taking action ourselves.

Here are some of the action-oriented events we are participating in this month:

National Geographic Explorers Week, June 13-17
National Geographic was one of America’s earliest social enterprises, established in 1888 with the mission to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge. During this year’s National Geographic Explorers Week, we’ll have the opportunity to hear some of the world’s leading scientists, conservationists and explorers as they come together to connect and share the ways they are disrupting the status quo and using storytelling as a vehicle for turning interest into action that changes, maybe even saves, the world as we know it.

Forward Cities, June 14-17
Entrepreneurs, at their core, are problem solvers. And we believe that the most powerful entrepreneurs work to solve problems they’re personally connected to. That’s just one of the reasons we need a diverse set of voices and entrepreneurs at the table if we want to solve today’s most pressing social challenges. We’ll be on the ground in Cleveland, OH, at the final city convening of Forward Cities, hearing directly from local entrepreneurs who are helping to revitalize their city—one startup at a time. In so doing, they are part of a four-city cohort that aims to identify innovative solutions and share them as part of a larger effort to develop local leadership and foster a network of inclusive entrepreneurship.

MCON/The Millennial Impact Project, June 21-23
Over the past six years, our investment in the Millennial Impact Project has resulted in one of the largest bodies of research on the Millennial generation to date and one of the nation’s leading convenings on next gen engagement called MCON (also known as the Millennial Engagement Conference). Each year, the report and convening have revealed powerful insights into how this generation gives, gets engaged and connects with social causes. Later this month, we’ll be releasing preliminary findings from this year’s research and hosting MCON in our own backyard at the National Geographic campus in Washington, DC. Speakers including Chef José Andrés, DeRay Mckesson, Jay Newton-Small and our very own Jean Case will take the stage with a focus on turning that interest into action and finding creative solutions for social issues. There’s still time to get your ticket and join us!

Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2016, June 22-24
At the Case Foundation, we believe in the power of entrepreneurship to tackle global challenges. For this reason, we are so excited to take part in GES 2016, a convening of the world’s most inspiring entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers who are putting their belief that business and innovation will drive economic growth and social well-being into action. Our CEO Jean Case and our Chairman Steve Case will both take the stage, celebrating the role that entrepreneurs around the globe (and the investors who believe in them) play in creating real, transformative impact, in driving innovation and in solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Aspen Ideas Festival, June 23-July 2
From innovations in science and technology to new models in early childhood education, many great ideas have been hatched and grown at the Aspen Ideas Festival throughout the years. This year, we’re excited to have our CEO Jean Case take part in a session on courageous philanthropy. She’ll be joined by Carrie Penner of the Walton Foundation and Ann Limberg of Bank of America, sharing opportunities to apply the Be Fearless principles to move interest in risk-taking, experimentation and making big bets to action in the philanthropic sector.

In addition to sharing highlights from these events, throughout the month of June we’ll be showcasing organizations and leaders who exemplify the ideals of turning interest into action for our community. We see this as a great learning opportunity and hope you will share your own experiences or best practices around the conversion of interest into action. Join us in person at one of these events, or share your thoughts with us via social media using @CaseFoundation and #Interest2Action on Twitter.

Why MCON is THE Must Attend Conference on Millennial Engagement

With just a few weeks left until the sixth annual MCON hits Washington, DC, the Case Foundation and Achieve teams are buzzing with excitement. This year’s gathering is gearing up to be the most impressive yet, uniting nearly 600 cause champions committed to creating change and turning next gen interest into action. With 25 different sessions, more than 45 remarkable speakers, a political town hall, film screenings, parties and a host of networking opportunities over the course of three days, MCON is where social sector leaders unite to mobilize movements. But don’t just take our word for it… here’s a sneak peak at what’s in store and why MCON is the top next gen engagement gathering of the year.

  • A dynamic slate of speakers will take the stage, including our own Jean Case, Gary Knell of National Geographic, Gina Bianchini of Mightybell, Ettore Rossetti of Save the Children, Jeremy Ford of Dell Giving, Ambassador Mark Brzezinski, National Geographci Explorers Erin Spencer and Sylvia Earle, Chris Temple of Living On One, Laurindo Garcia of B-Change, DeRay Mckesson, Kevin Cleary of Clif Bar, Brian Ferguson of the DC Office of Human Rights, Karla Monterroso of CODE2040, Jay Newton-Small of TIME Magazine, restaurateur Jose Andres, Ryan Scott of Causecast, Janine Gianfredi of the U.S. Digital Service, Jesse Moore from the White House, Grammy nominated recording artist Ryan Leslie and many more still to be announced!
  • Enjoy VIP access to National Geographic’s campus in the heart of downtown DC. National Geographic, one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world, has been inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888 through geography, archaeology and natural science and the promotion of environmental and historical conservation. While there, attendees can check out the latest exhibitions, interactive experiences and stunning photography exhibitions featuring the work of National Geographic explorers, photographers and scientists.
  • Laugh out loud with Funny or Die creators David Litt and Brad Jenkins during their Politics and Humor panel.
  • Tune in to the Political Townhall hosted by the Washington Post to hear from Millennials in government. MCON is partnering with The Washington Post to present an interactive panel discussion on issues that affect the Millennial generation, how political engagement is changing, innovation in the public sector and how to increase Millennial voter turnout.
  • We know you will be hungry over the three days so we’ve partnered with some of the best fast-casual restaurants to keep your bellies full and brain on point. Guests will munch on fare from STK, &Pizza, Shake Shack, Taylor Gourmet and many more throughout the three days.
  • Watch the film screening of “Most Likely To Succeed” the new documentary film on the impact that innovation is having on our economy and the consequences for our country if our education system fails to keep pace. WATCH THE TRAILER
  • Check out the late night Bloc Party on Day Three and closing night celebration in the outdoor courtyard of National Geographic featuring local food trucks, drinks and a surprise live act!
  • Pack your running shoes for a run with Kevin Cleary of Clif Bar & Company, a leading maker of nutritious and organic foods and drinks for people on the go. Meet Kevin for a morning run on Day Three, then catch him on stage later that day as he shares how to build a sustainable brand.
  • Experience a taste of Spain on Day Two at an after party hosted by NYLON and Rock the Vote, with a special guest performance, at the SPAIN Arts & Culture Center featuring the most cutting-edge works of international renowned Spanish artists of our time.
  • Watch the private screening of “Salam Neighbor,” an award-winning feature documentary. As the first filmmakers ever allowed by the United Nations to be given a tent and registered inside a refugee camp, they provide viewers with a never seen look into one of the world’s most pressing crisises. WATCH THE TRAILER
  • Take a break in the MCON Lounge on site at National Geographic and network with other cause enthusiasts who will help you take your initiative to the next level.
  • Enjoy one of the many libations keeping you hydrated throughout the festival including drinks from Boxed Water, Owl’s Brew, Denizens, One Hope Wines, Peet’s Coffee, Heritage Distilling, Port City Brewing and Flying Dog Brewery.
  • Step into the opening night party at Renwick Gallery just across the street from the White House, sponsored by the Case Foundation. The Renwick is home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection and has one of the finest and most extensive collections of its kind.
  • Be one of the first to read the 2016  Action Report released on Day One. Learn about how politics may influence next gen engagement with social causes in this exciting new survey.
  • Attend for free! Yes, free. Are you a student, activist or social entrepreneur that could really benefit from a conference like MCON but you can’t seem to fit it in your budget? Apply for an MCON 2016 scholarship while they’re still available HERE.

Can’t make it to MCON this year? Don’t worry. You can check out the livestream throughout all three days and join the conversation online using #MCON. We can’t wait to have you join us!