Make it stand out
*Notes from the meeting
Aiming to accelerate sustainable social impact investing.
Creating a platform facilitating and connecting investors to sustainable growth.
Business angle
Identify problem.
What is the landscape? Others doing this?
Take something thats working there, and take it here.
Connect locally
Audience?
Why is this different from others?
market
Triangulation between the 3 sources above:
Similiarities and how the three sources build up on each other:
By analysing the three sources, here are the important and similar themes they share. The first one relates to the importance of long-term sustainability, the second one highlights the need to build capacity and the importance to invest in the organizations and encourage initiatives rather than only the funding part. The third one relates to the importance of tailoring social investment to specific communities. The fourth and last one highlights the importance of evaluation and measurement which are keys to success. The combined sources build on each other through a process called triangulation. My first source, the e-mail from Martijn van Norden from “Vereniging NOV”, is more institutional, identifies the real-world problems and highlights the gaps in the system. The Theory of Change’ source is more theoretical, providing theories on how change can occur, and how to evaluate it. The third one, our meeting with Chris was more entrepreneurial, showing us how to turn the insights we’ve gathered into practical and innovative solutions through community engagement. All these sources combined offer the full picture of the challenges, strategies and actions needed to generate changes through social investment.
Instructions on how to correctly create a cold email:
Make sure you have the right person and the correct contact details
Double check the spelling of his/her name, organisation and email address
Know how to pronounce his/her name in case you need to do a follow-up call
In the text of the email, you should :
-make a connection with the person right away - “I got your name from…” “We both attended the…” “I heard you give a talk at…”
-make your short pitch or story about what you are doing. For advice on this see Module 4(c)
-make a clear request for help, or ask clear questions that have a clear answer you can use
-anticipate questions the person might have - brainstorm what these could be before you call and have answers
-request some follow-up: a meeting, a call?
-leave your contact information
-say thank you at the end
-spell and grammar check your work have someone else proofread it
-keep it short - if the email is too long, you increase the chances that the contact will not react
-use an appropriate closing: Sincerely... Best regards...
-include a full signature, with your name, email address and phone number, as well as the name of your organisation and / or school
-send a copy bcc: (blind copy) to yourself to help keep a record of the
communication
Add the person’s name, contact information, and any information you got from the call to your Networking spreadsheet. See Module 4(d) for advice.
Email 1:
Dear Goldman Sachs,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Goldman Sachs could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to add ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”).
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 2:
Dear Citi Bank,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Citi Bank could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 3:
Dear Natwest,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Natwest could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Icluded information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e-mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 4:
Dear HSBC,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether HSBC could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
The message is clear and written in a polite way.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”).
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 5:
Dear Toronto Dominican Bank,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether TD could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
Missing information:
Importance to customize the name of adressee
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 6:
Dear Tridos,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Tridos could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
Missing information:
Importance to customize the name of adressee
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
To pay attention to spelling issue “Tridos” instead of “Triodos” per pdf guidance
Email 7:
Dear Vital Capital,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Vital Capital could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
Well targeted to investing firm
Missing information:
Importance to customize the name of adressee
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
mail 8:
Dear Reinvestment,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Reinvestment could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
Missing information:
Importance to customize the name of adressee and check that name “Reinvestment” is used correctly and is the short for Reinvestment Fund I should clarify what Reinvestment is for unfamiliar readers.
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 9:
Dear BlueOrchard,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether BlueOrchard could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured.
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
Addressee is well targeted as BlueOrchard is a key impact investor
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 10:
Dear Barclays,
We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Barclays could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project?
If I have contacted the wrong department, could you please guide me to the right department?
We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured and professionally worded
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact
Email 11:
Dear Elisabeth Strouven Fonds, We are a group of students passionate about impact investment and finance. We attend the United World College in Maastricht. For our "Youth Mayor's" project, we are developing a resource to make impact investments more ideal and widespread for both companies and individuals. We are in the early stages of developing this, and we are looking into how the impact investment gap may affect society. We are in the research stage, wondering whether Elisabeth Strouven Fonds could answer some of our questions. With your help, we can make a significant positive impact, not just in the sustainable world but also in the financial world. Would it be possible to make an appointment so that our group can ask you some questions regarding impact investments for the development of our project? We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Thank you, and we hope you have a great day.
Sincerely,
Matt Höfler
Included information:
The e mail is well structured with a good tone and context
It includes a clear purpose and request.
There is a good attention to detail.
It is very well targeted as this foundation is local to Maastricht
Missing information:
The connection hook is missing: need to had ‘from who we got the contact from’’
It could benefit from a connection statement like “we are based in Maastricht as well…”
The contact information beyond the name in the signature is missing (email/phone/school signature) and could include “United World College Maastricht – Youth Mayor Project”)
Own e mail in BCC is missing
The content of email could be shorter to increase the impact