Goodbye from John Kingston!

Last week I attended a celebration of CAF Venturesome’s first ten years here in London.  It also became a celebration of my time at Venturesome, as I am about to leave for pastures new.

We’ve come a long way in ten years.  When we started, social investment was a concept, an idea which we dreamed had huge potential to bring new capital into the charity sector.  We knew that social investment could liberate charities to concentrate what they do best, helping to transform society.

Now, some ten years later, CAF Venturesome has proved that the model can work; we’ve offered over £20 million to around 200 different charitable organisations with a default rate of less than five percent.  The Government is getting involved too and has seen the huge potential in social investment, looking to build the market through the Big Society Wholesale bank which will provide the funding to all the intermediaries who have sprang up since we started in 2001.

I couldn’t have steered the Venturesome ship through the first ten years without the brilliant people I’ve had the honour and privilege of working with.  I know that the team I will be leaving behind will continue to drive Venturesome forward and onto new challenges.  This is only the beginning of the journey as far as social investment is concerned, and I know that in ten years time, Venturesome will continue to be at the forefront of innovative thinking, will keep on making impactful investments and will continue to help further the social investment concept.

I’d also like to take this opportunity in thanking the all too many people and organisations who have helped Venturesome become the success it now is.  There are too many to mention but I hope you know who you are.  A special thank you has to go to the Charities Aid Foundation and the Trustees for seeing and believing in our original vision.

And I plan to remain close to the social investment space.  I am chairing the Big Lottery Fund’s Interim Investment Committee and will also continue in my role as chair of the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF).

It’s been a roller-coaster ride - we’ve achieved a lot and there’s even more to be done!

With best wishes,

John.

John and the Venturesome team.