Good Finance Live arrived in Liverpool with a simple but important aim – to help socially-trading organisations (STOs) understand and access social investment. Over the course of the day it became a reminder that good social investment is about much more than finance.
Kindred’s assistant director for operations and engagement, Andrew Beattie, opened the event, talking about an idea that has become increasingly important to Kindred: “Social investment rarely begins with money,” he said. “It begins with people, conversations and trust and someone saying ‘what if we tried this?’”
In the event’s exhibition area, STOs were at the centre of the room as investors, support organisations and funders circulated around them. Whether intentional or not, it felt like the right physical expression of what good social investment should be.
When social investment works well, the focus isn’t the investor. It’s the STOs creating jobs, running community spaces, tackling inequalities, supporting local economies and imagining new futures for their places.
Kindred investees appeared across multiple panels, sharing their own experiences with confidence and generosity. Rather than speaking on behalf of organisations, the event gave organisations the opportunity to speak for themselves.
Several organisations from around the country spoke to the team about wishing a model like Kindred existed in their own region. Local organisations wanted to discuss their ambitions, growth plans and whether social investment might help them take their next step. The atmosphere throughout was optimistic, with people comparing experiences, asking difficult questions, sharing lessons and making introductions.
A reflection from BlaST member Yaw Owusu, who attended the event, captures this particularly well: “Attending Good Finance Live in Liverpool was a proper reminder that social investment is about people and partnership, not just pounds…” he says. “Having recently received social investment myself, it was great to go deeper – hearing directly from investors and from organisations who’ve been on the receiving end and seeing where the realities match up.
“It gave me real insight into the added value investors can bring beyond funding – the guidance, networks and belief that can genuinely shift what’s possible for STOs, especially those led by under-represented leaders.”
As investors, it can be easy to think about money first. Hearing someone describe the value of relationships, guidance and belief reminds us that these are not simply nice additions to investment; they are often part of the investment itself.
Naturally, at an event like Good Finance Live, money is a main topic of conversation – and money matters. But money rarely works in isolation.
“The programming really got into the holistic nature of social investment – how you maximise and sustain social impact on both sides and why that relationship is special when it’s done with care, clarity and shared intent,” adds Yaw.
Good social investment creates confidence – it connects people, opens doors and helps organisations see new possibilities while respecting the expertise they already hold. It is relational before it is transactional.
Andrew reflects on the event: “The day felt so energetic not because funding was available, but because the room was full of people prepared to share knowledge, make introductions, ask better questions and imagine what might be possible together. Those conversations have a habit of travelling far beyond the room.”
Good Finance has a wealth of online resources for organisations exploring repayable finance. You can access them here…