琼·凯斯(Jean Case)对此有一个答案：从事影响力投资。凯斯是AOL的一位高管，她目前负责“凯斯基金会”(Case Foundation)的工作，该基金会旨在促进推动社会变革的投资的影响力。凯斯介绍了如何开始进行影响力投资 ―― 在你赚钱的同时也改变世界。
 

什么是影响力投资？其重要性何在？
除资金回报之外，影响力投资还能对社会或环境产生影响。我们长期以来一直认为，企业家和市场可以显著提高创造力以解决世界上一些最迫切的挑战。

你是怎样涉足影响力投资领域的？
在我们建立AOL业务的初期，我和我丈夫史蒂夫(Steve)就认识到企业家在建设一个美好世界过程中的作用。我们带着这一理念进行投资。因此，我们很自然地就被改善社会和解决重大问题的潜在投资机会所吸引。

是什么使影响力投资成为一个有吸引力的选择？
影响力投资让人们去支持那些与其价值观一致的公司。它让我们能以慈善捐助以外的方式来产生社会影响。而且我们也越来越多地看到这是有利可图的。有越来越多的研究显示，影响力投资的回报并不一定低于市场水平。有一项研究发现，影响力投资的绩效在同一时期与传统投资持平甚至更好。

你认为哪些领域拥有最大的影响力投资潜力？
从清洁能源到金融服务，影响力投资在所有地区和行业都在不断增长。我们在全球范围内看到一些令人鼓舞的新公司正在寻找新的方法来解决一些老问题。例如革新食品（Revolution Foods），这家公司为全美1000所学校的学生提供健康的用本地食材烹制的午餐。还有迪光公司(d.light)，该公司为亚洲、非洲和拉丁美洲那些缺乏能源网服务的客户提供服务。一般来说，这些公司都为那些在创新发展的进程中被边缘化的社区提供服务。

在进行影响力投资时，人们应该注重一个公司的哪些方面？
并没有一个对影响力公司的完美定义。但总体来说，投资者应该注意三个主要特点：意图、衡量标准和透明度。你投资的公司或基金应该有一个除资金回报之外还要产生社会影响的明确意图。它应该致力于对这种影响进行衡量。而且它在能否实现社会影响和财务目标方面应该是透明的。

那些成功的公司都具有一个能够清楚地表明凡对企业有利也对产生社会影响有利的架构。以布里奇国际研究院(Bridge International Academies)为例，它为那些每天生活费用不到两美元的非洲家庭提供每月花费约5美元的高品质教育。每一个成为布里奇国际研究院客户的家庭都给研究院增加收入，同时也增加其社会影响。还有那些“买一送一”的公司，如TOMS或瓦尔比派克眼镜公司(Warby Parker)，当它们每销售一个产品时就会产生更大的社会影响。

谁能成为影响力投资者？
任何人都可以。大多数人印象中的影响力投资者都是如高盛(Goldman Sachs)之类的大公司，这些公司在过去几年里已开始进行影响力投资。但对那些普通投资者来说也有机会。这些投资机会的范围从承担社会责任的共同基金到Kiva贷款平台，该平台让投资者们能以25美元来开始投资。就像任何形式的投资一样，一开始应该了解市场，并依赖于切实可行的建议和数据。这就是为什么我们最近发布了“影响力投资简明指南”( Short Guide to Impact Investing)。

You have some money and want to make more. Right?  Sure you do.  But you also care about the world around you and want to make a difference.  What to do?

Jean Case has an answer: impact investing. Case was an executive at AOL and today she leads the Case Foundation, which promotes the power of investing to drive social change.  Case explains how you can start impact investing — and change the world while you make money.

What is impact investing, and why is it important?
Impact investments generate a social or environmental impact in addition to a financial return. We have long believed that entrepreneurs and markets can dramatically increase the innovation needed to tackle some of our world’s most pressing challenges.

How did you get into impact investing?
From our earliest days in business, building AOL, my husband Steve and I recognized the role entrepreneurs can play in making our world a better place. We brought that philosophy with us when we became investors. So we were naturally attracted to investment opportunities that showed the potential to improve society and tackle big problems.

What makes impact investing an attractive option?
Impact investing lets people support companies that align with their values. It lets us drive social impact through more than our philanthropic dollars. And we’re increasingly seeing that it can be profitable. There’s a growing pool of research that shows impact investments don’t have to deliver below-market returns. One study found that impact investments performed on par or better than conventional investments over the same period.

Where do you see the biggest potential for impact investing?
Impact investments are increasing in number, in all regions and industries, from clean energy to financial services. We see exciting new companies across the globe that are finding new ways to solve old problems. Companies like Revolution Foods, which provides healthy, local lunches to students in 1,000 schools in the U.S. Or d.light, which serves customers in Asia, Africa and Latin America who lack access to the energy grid. These companies are reaching communities typically left on the sidelines as innovation rolls forward.

What should impact investors seek in a company?
There’s no perfect definition of an impact company. But generally, an investor should look for three key characteristics: intent, measurement and transparency. The company or fund you invest in should have a clear intent to create social impact in addition to financial return. It should commit to measure that impact. And it should be transparent about whether impact and financial goals are met.

Winning companies will also have a structure that makes clear that what is good for business is also good for impact. Take, for example, Bridge International Academies. It provides a high-quality education for about $5 a month to families in Africa who live on less than $2 a day. Every new family that becomes a customer of Bridge Academies represents both additional revenue and increased social impact. Or “buy one, give one” companies such asTOMS or Warby Parker that enable more impact with each product sold.

Who can be an impact investor?
Anyone. When most people think of impact investors, they think of big firms like Goldman Sachs that have started impact-investing practices over the past few years. But there are also opportunities for everyday investors. They run the gamut from socially responsible mutual funds to Kiva’s lending platform, which lets investors start with as little as $25. Like any form of investing, it starts with getting to know the market and relying on practical advice and data. That’s why we recently introduced the Short Guide to Impact Investing.