Catch up on past innovative finance for development webinars and trainings

[Roundtable Discussion] Improving M&E and Impact Assessment Practices in Impact Investing (October 31, 2018): This roundtable brought together NGOs and impact investors from the private sector to discuss their respective approaches to impact assessment. It provided a practical look at how INGOs and for-profit organizations approach impact measurement, with discussion revolving around real examples to provide actionable insights for improving impact measurement. Presenters came from Lutheran World Relief, Mercy Corps, SEAF, and Agora Partnerships.

[Webinar] Innovative Finance in Fragile Contexts (July 25, 2018): This webinar explored current and potential applications of innovative financing mechanisms in fragile contexts. The webinar began with an introduction to innovative finance by innovative finance expert Elina Sarkisova, who provided an overview of what innovative finance mechanisms are and how they work; how they have been or could be applied; and what roles NGOs have played, or could play, in the use of innovative finance mechanisms. Staff from International Rescue Committee, Near East Foundation UK, and Village Capital shared case studies from their respective work, including some of the challenges and lessons learned. Watch the webinar.

[Webinar] Innovative Finance for Agriculture, Food Security, and Climate Resilience (June 25, 2018): This webinar explored current and potential applications of innovative financing mechanisms in agriculture, including concessional loans, quasi-equity investment products, guarantees and other risk mitigation mechanisms (i.e. insurance schemes), results-based financing mechanisms (pay-for-performance, impact bonds), and blended finance investment funds. Participants learned about what these mechanisms are, how they work, how they have been applied, and what has been or could be the role of NGOs. Staff from The Nature Conservancy, Lutheran World Relief, and USAID presented on their work, and shared some of the challenges and lessons learned. Watch the webinar.

[Webinar] Impact Investing for INGOs (April 25, 2018): This webinar introduced participants to a variety of impact investing instruments and how they work, and provided definitions and a framework for thinking about them. Alexis Bonnell, Divsion Chief of Applied Innovation and Acceleration at USAID, discussed how INGOs can engage with USAID on matters related to impact investing. Chris Walker, Social Innovations Director at Mercy Corps, presented on Social Venture Fund, Mercy Corps’ seed-stage impact investment fund. Both Alexis and Chris addressed challenges with impact investing, how to assess impact, and lessons learned for other NGOs exploring similar financing mechanisms. Watch the webinar.

[Webinar] What is results-based financing? (December 7, 2017): This webinar introduced the concept of results-based financing, and explained how different instruments work and how they might be used (with a focus on performance-based contracts and impact bonds). Management Sciences for Health, Village Enterprise, and Global Communities presented practical examples of how they are using results-based financing to improve program delivery and how their transactions are structured. Presenters also discussed challenges, lessons learned, and implications for other organizations exploring these types of mechanisms. Watch the webinar.

[Training] Innovative Finance for Development Training: Learn in context and build real connections (October 24-25, 2017): This two-day training helped to demystify innovative finance for InterAction members as they look to navigate and engage more deeply in this new marketplace. The content was tailored to a broad audience of decision-makers and implementers with different levels of understanding and experience with IF4D. The training addressed issues such as: how NGOs can use IF4D tools to achieve their objectives; understanding the costs and opportunities associated with utilizing IF4D tools; discovering the extent to which peer organizations and competitors are using IF4D to support their strategies; and learning from the challenges other INGOs have faced and how they have responded. Each day included a mixture of short lectures, panel discussions, group work to discuss concepts, and case studies to dig into existing deals, from beginning to end. View slides from Day 1 and Day 2 of the training.

[Conference Session] InterAction Forum 2017: Executives and general Forum attendees alike learned about the latest advances and challenges in innovative finance for development. The Demystify Innovative Finance breakout session presented results from InterAction’s research on the innovative finance activities of InterAction member organizations, and included a moderated discussion between innovative finance implementers and experts. In the CEO Track InterAction member executives were likewise presented with these research results, with the objective of understanding how some NGOs are applying innovative finance. The CEO-only session included a moderated discussion with an INGO and a private sector representative highlighted how they engaged in developing an instrument from ideation to evaluation.

[Training] Innovative Finance for Development Training (May 24-25, 2017): The first of a series of trainings and roundtables, this expertly-facilitated training included short lectures on innovative finance instruments, group work to apply design approaches for IF4D, and case studies to diagnose existing IF4D deals. Leaders from government and the private sector attended sessions on learning from the industry’s track record and understanding the incentives and motivations of investors and stakeholders. View slides from Day 1 and Day 2 of the training.