Member Organization

Though impact investing is still a developing industry, it has attracted a diverse group of investors including large-scale family offices, institutional investors, pension funds, specialized banks, targeted impact funds, and private foundations making program- and mission-related investments. In response to demand from leading impact investors for a global collaboration platform, the GIIN created the Investors' Council to accelerate learning about new investment opportunities, facilitate sharing of lessons learned, highlight and spread best practices, and enable opportunities for collaboration among members.

The Investors' Council is made up of the world's leading active impact investors. The GIIN invites the participation of investors with significant capital already invested or intended for investment with a clear social or environmental impact.

Investors' Council Main Activities

Activities of the Investors' Council include a range of programs targeted to the full membership, as well as to Working Groups that are formed according to members' shared interest in a geographic region, sector, or investment approach.

The GIIN Investors' Council's activities include:

• Convenings The GIIN manages events where Investors' Council members can share experiences, ideas about investment approaches, and techniques for achieving impact. Discussions are designed to be stimulating and relevant to leading practitioners. The Investors' Council is also a forum for capitalized impact investors to share investment opportunities. The GIIN organizes full membership convenings twice annually, and, in addition, hosts smaller events and conference calls built around specific needs and opportunities.

• Targeted Individual Support Currently, it is difficult for impact investors to access industry or geographic expertise. The GIIN provides individual members with tailored information and direct connections to other Investors' Council members and the broader GIIN constituency. Investors' Council members are encouraged to share information regarding relevant NGOs and other service providers who can facilitate more successful investments. Requests from individual members also inform the GIIN's work to develop broader industry-serving tools and projects.

• Field-building As global leaders, Investors' Council members commit to support the development of the impact investing industry as a whole. The Investors' Council informs the education, infrastructure, research, and policy work that the GIIN undertakes for the broader industry. Members are already providing valuable input to initiatives, including the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS) social and environmental performance metrics, and the development of an impact investment fund database. The GIIN also connects members to policy-shaping opportunities, speaking engagements, and other emerging opportunities for cross-sector collaboration.

  The GIIN also promotes successful impact investments made by Investors' Council members as part of its broader effort to demonstrate how for-profit investment can produce targeted social and environmental benefits.

  Working groups

  Presently, the GIIN manages one formal Working Group - Project Terragua - which is focused on investment opportunities in sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Terragua members have shared business models, due diligence processes, and research, and are codifying best practices and considering joint investment opportunities. Terragua investors are committed to catalyzing new capital for sustainable pro-poor investments, and to motivating other investors in Africa to achieve greater positive impact for African farmers and their families.

  The Investors' Council staff evaluates the formation of additional Working Groups based on member interest and alignment with the GIIN's mission.