Позитивные изменения. Том 1, №1 (2021). Positive changes. Volume 1, Issue 1 (2021) - Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»

Finally, a scenario is possible where impact investing will close to venture financing, which is much more understandable to traditional business. "I believe in the potential of venture capitalists, who are not indifferent people deep inside, and on weekends they often do volunteering in helping elderly and rescuing dogs. In business, they also often make decisions based on the common human values. Simply put, the idea has not been formed yet, nor «digitised» by them" says Ksenia Frank. Perhaps, it is not necessary to turn non-profit organizations in the direction of repayable financing, instead, direct more traditional investors and founders to where there is the impact… "I am sure that many of the founders of companies on a human level have a desire to make a positive contribution to the society, they do not understand yet that it can be beneficial for them as well," — she remarks.

Elena Feoktistova

MY FAVORITE IMPACT CASE

Elena Feoktistova: Roman Aranin and Observer. Let's give a very classic example. A person began with solving his own problems (the company that creates modern wheelchairs and an accessible environment in the regions today began with a wheelchair repair shop after its founder suffered a spinal injury — ed.), but solved the problem not only of his own, but also of hundreds of people around. He managed to ensure stability in solving that problem, which was original, and very significantly expanded the original idea and project. This is a very good example of how things work.

THE "THREE SECTORS MODEL" NO LONGER WORKS

Most experts agree that a public discussion about the impact approach is needed to conduct. "In my opinion, now it is important to talk, write, and build knowledge," Jioulnar Asfari says. — It is important to conduct public discussions. In our country, there is quite a strong division: charity is separately, corporations are separately, investment communities are separately, and we have a lot of self-regulation within individual communities." The result of this approach is the low negotiability of market participants, the expert notes. To form a systematic approach to the impact, it would be useful to create platforms where representatives of various communities can conduct discussions, and form a cross-regulation. "Then there will be a movement from disparate private investment, which cannot be copied and repeated as an experience, because it is always individual, towards some institutional, collective forms," Jioulnar Asfari sums up.

MY FAVORITE IMPACT CASE

Vladimir Smirnov: School of Positive Habits at the Lifestyle Foundation. How can we raise people who will be socially responsible? We can only starting from a young age. School of Positive Habits is developed for 1–4 forms, a case of 9 lessons, where children discuss the topics of mercy, compassion, helping their neighbor, helping the environment, and animals. The program also intended for high school students, 9-10 forms, who then conduct the same lessons in their school. Such a synergy turns out. Part of this program is also designed for preschoolers, when children 5–6 years old are told what is good and what is bad. These are just values common to humanity. It would be great to have these in every country, in every region, in every school. Tens of thousands of children have already complete the program training, in two or three regions there are centers organized at pedagogical institutes of higher education that train future teachers, seminars are held, there a methodological center operates. I have a dream that this will be in every school in the country.

Smirnov also speaks about the problems that hinder to build a dialogue today: "The social and charitable community itself has often bad, ‘unprofessional’ attitude to business. People who save other people seem to be somewhere near angels and cherubs. The social block, the social sphere does not work loyally enough with business and potentially involved people."

But for all that, according to business representatives, this distance can be covered. "I perceive the commercial and social elements as two components of a single whole, like Yin-Yang, which should always be a whole," Alexey Ryzhkov says. — And today we see when companies or projects do not combine these two components they suffer without each other. When these two components are combined with each other, there is that integrated whole that should be."

Alexey Ryzhkov

INEVITABLE IMPACT

Perhaps the only thing on which all stakeholders are unanimous is that the "transition to the side of good" for business and society as a whole is inevitable. "You’re somewhere in America, come to a decent party and say "I’m doing business." "What kind of social activity do you do?" — «None» — "Okay. Are you doing something interesting? Maybe you’re saving nature or doing something to make it different?" — "I do nothing." You will be invited to business meetings, but not to good society. It should be by itself. It was once fashionable, today it has become mandatory. At least this «fashion» should appear in our country, so that it is inconvenient to do nothing," Vladimir Smirnov says, founder of the Blagosfera Center for the Development of Social and Cultural Projects and Charity.

Alexey Ryzhkov is, also confident in the inevitability of a paradigm shift. "We are experiencing a civilizational crisis. And in order to emerge victorious from it, we need to review all our activities regarding impact, the impact we have on the world as a whole. We shall formulate these criteria of impact, to understand that we cannot address important issues using local approach. We cannot build our local well-being or our local happiness without solving common problems. I believe that in this logic and in the logic of ‘victory’ over the challenges and threats that we face, we must move