ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses what social investment is, both from a practitioner viewpoint and from an academic standpoint. It discusses what charities and social enterprises want from this tool, what investors want from it and how to bring the two together, including what the authors see as positive forces and barriers. In essence, social investment is an easy concept to grab hold of but hard to define. It uses more commercial-style investment tools to create a social as well as financial return to fund charities and social purpose organisations. Social investments have the intent and motivation of generating a social or environmental impact as well as financial return on investment. Social investments have the intent and motivation of generating a social or environmental impact as well as financial return on investment. The chapter also aims to measure both the social and financial value they create and be held accountable for this.
