Social impact refers to the positive and negative effects that businesses have on people and society through their operations as well as supply chains and through the products and services they provide. It isn’t just a feel-good issue – it shows up in your financial metrics.

Right now, corporate social impact strategies vary tremendously and the value they create for business and for society is poorly understood. There is no standard typology of social impact strategies or the financing solutions that make sense. And mainstream financial leaders in the corporate and the investment communities have, for the most part, yet to engage. As a result, in many companies, financing for social impact can be hard to find.

Under the leadership and support of JPMorgan Chase & Co., this publication brings together insights from interviews and conversations with WBCSD members from across sustainability, finance and investor relations functions on how they are tackling this challenge. The findings indicate that CFOs provide a critical link between social impact strategy and action.

The report shares four ways CFOs can help their companies capture the potential:

• Shape their companies’ social impact strategies
• Integrate social impact into investment decision-making
• Explore “blended finance”
• Communicate and collaborate with peers, investors, and market-shaping organizations  

For further information contact Kitrhona Cerri, Director, Social Impact: cerri@wbcsd.org