Give Smart, Invest Smart: Evaluating Impact Investment Opportunities
Give Smart, Invest Smart: Evaluating Impact Investment Opportunities
You've heard a lot about impact investing, but how do you know if it's right for you? How can you be set up to capture both financial and social returns on your investment and help our Denver community?
Join members of the SVP Denver team and the Colorado Impact Investment Network (COIIN) to learn how impact investing works from local experts. You'll learn whether impact investing fits your goals, and you'll learn how to size up a specific chance to invest. Through short panels from experts, group activities with real examples, and Q&A, you'll explore:
- How do you know if impact investing makes sense for you or your work?
- How do you judge a specific opportunity against your goals, its impact, its risks, and its potential returns?
- How do local funders and experts do this work?
Come as you are! Whether you're a seasoned investor, a donor exploring new ideas, a new SVP Denver Partner, or just curious about the future of community finance, this is a chance to learn best practices and put them to use right away. This workshop is fast, fun, and hands-on.
Agenda
4:00 to 4:30 Arrive and mingle.
4:30 to 4:50 Panel: Is impact investing right for you or your group? Led by local impact investors.
4:50 to 5:10 Panel: How do you judge an impact investment opportunity presented to you? A talk on mission fit and how to assess the information really matters.
5:10 to 5:50 Workshop: a look at real examples from SVP Denver’s COIIN process. Gather with others to evaluate opportunities and share your take. Would you invest in these groups? Do you have what you need? What's missing that matters to you?
5:50 to 6:10 Q&A: What advice and insights can help you give smart and invest smart? Led by impact investing program officers and consultants.
6:10 to 7:00 Drinks and community building.
This workshop is part of SVP Denver's impact investor education series. We created the series to open easy paths into impact investing for passionate community members. Together, we help mission-driven organizations get the money they need to grow and investors do more with their giving. Want to learn the basics first? Join us on August 4th for a virtual lunch & learn on Impact Investing 101.
About COIIN
The Colorado Impact Investment Network (COIIN) brings SVP Denver Partners and community investors together to pool their money and offer low-interest loans to nonprofits and social enterprises. Through investor training, shared research, and group decision-making, COIIN moves more money into local organizations addressing health, economic, and racial inequities across in the Denver area. In 2025, SVP Denver COIIN Investment Partners made a $120,000 pooled low-interest loan to a growing nonprofit. Join us to learn what's next and how you can join the COIIN 2026 investment cycle.
Please Note: This event is designed for investors. If you're looking for funding for your organization, please visit our website to learn about our upcoming Impact Investment Accelerator or contact allie@svpdenver.org