New data from CDFI Friendly America highlights a critical challenge facing Georgia: it remains one of just nine U.S. states labeled a “CDFI Desert,” reflecting a severe shortage of community development financial institution (CDFI) investment. While significant progress has been made, large portions of Georgia – especially areas beyond Atlanta – continue to be underserved, limiting opportunities for economic growth and financial…
Nearly 30 years ago, Atlanta captured the world’s attention as the city played host to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Last week Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) – one of the country’s leading impact investing networks – announced that Atlanta will host its 2026 biennial conference…
Greetings – I’m thrilled to be writing this as Georgia Social Impact Collaborative’s new Executive Director! It’s been an exciting and busy first few months. For many of you, I’m a new name and face in your impact investing ecosystem.…
The Georgia Shared Ownership Convening, co-hosted by the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative, Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute, and Georgia Social Innovation Collaborative, brought together 50+ stakeholders to discuss the future of shared ownership models in our state. From ESOPs to cooperatives, these models are vital tools for promoting economic resilience and racial equity…
The Georgia Social Impact Collaborative (GSIC) is pleased to announce that Sydney England will serve as the new Executive Director. Sydney joins GSIC having spent the past decade working in various capacities in the field of impact investing.
Impact investing is often perceived as more burdensome than traditional investing due to the added complexity of addressing social and environmental issues alongside financial returns. This perception is supported by a 2009 Monitor Institute white paper and recent observations by London School of Economics academics, who highlight the challenges and perceived risks associated with impact investing. However, a survey conducted by Katherine Klein and the Impact Finance Research Consortium, involving over 200 impact fund managers, reveals that market-rate-seeking impact investors generally do not find their work more difficult than traditional investing, contrary to those targeting below-market returns who report higher levels of difficulty.
The survey’s counterintuitive results suggest that market-rate-seeking impact investors might simplify their work by integrating impact with financial performance, viewing them as intertwined. This belief allows them to gauge impact through financial metrics, reducing the perceived difficulty. In contrast, below-market-rate impact investors often emphasize rigorous impact assessment due to their mission-driven focus. The findings raise questions about whether impact investing is living up to its promise of additionality and distinctiveness compared to traditional investing, especially in addressing neglected social and environmental challenges.
For the full article, click here.
The Latin American Association (LAA) and the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia have partnered to support Latina entrepreneurs through a $100,000 investment from the Foundation’s Impact Investment Fund. This funding will enhance LAA’s Avanzando Juntas initiative, providing loans of up to $10,000 to help Latinas establish women-owned businesses. DePriest Waddy, CEO of the Community Foundation, stated that the goal is to empower Latina entrepreneurs and drive meaningful community change.
For over a decade, LAA has supported small business owners with micro loans, and this new funding aims to further economic development in underserved areas. Santiago Marquez, CEO of LAA, emphasized the partnership’s commitment to fostering economic growth and supporting aspiring entrepreneurs. This collaboration moves LAA closer to becoming a certified Community Development Financial Institution, reinforcing its role in economic development for underserved communities.
To read the full article, click here.
The Georgia Social Impact Collaborative (GSIC) partnered with the GoATL Fund to host a Catalytic Capital Wine Night sponsored by BNY Mellon at El Vinedo Local, a minority-owned restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. The event brought together impact investors, philanthropic foundations, and family offices to celebrate the growth of the social impact investing ecosystem in Georgia and explore new opportunities for collaboration.
By: Lavonya Jones, Director
The Catalytic Capital Wine Night showcased the power of partnership and collaboration in driving social change. The event offered attendees an opportunity to learn more about the work being done by GSIC, GoATL Fund, and BNY Mellon, and to explore ways to get involved. From impact investing discussions to sharing best practices, the night was filled with purposeful networking and idea exchange.
El Vinedo Local, renowned for its South American food and wine, provided the perfect setting for this networking event. The restaurant’s inviting atmosphere and flavorful cuisine served as a backdrop for meaningful conversations and connections among attendees. Attendees included Invest Atlanta, B Local Georgia, Village Micro Fund, Valor Ventures, Accion Opportunity Fund, Center for Civic Innovation, Habitat for Humanity, Mission Hope, Bank of America, Low Income Investment Fund, the Georgia Power Foundation, Yack Shack, and Helping Empower Youth, among others.
GSIC, formed by a group of community leaders, is dedicated to fostering a diverse, connected statewide ecosystem of stakeholders engaged in aligning capital with social outcomes. By bringing together leaders from various sectors, GSIC envisions an energetic and dynamic network of resources that uplifts Georgia’s social impact ecosystem.
The GoATL Fund, Georgia’s first diversified impact debt fund, aims to achieve both social and financial returns. GoATL Evolution, expanded in 2022, now comprises three funds focused on specific needs within metro Atlanta: affordable housing, economic inclusion, and community capacity. Through cost-effective loan capital, the fund addresses the region’s most pressing needs, such as safe housing, new schools, and equitable access to living-wage careers.
BNY Mellon, the event sponsor, has long demonstrated a strong commitment to community impact. As a leading global bank, BNY Mellon is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves through philanthropy, employee volunteerism, and innovative financing solutions. Their sponsorship of the Catalytic Capital Wine Night is yet another example of their dedication to supporting initiatives that drive positive change and create lasting impact.
As the evening concluded, it was clear that the connections formed at the Catalytic Capital Wine Night would serve as a catalyst for future collaborations and growth within Georgia’s impact investing ecosystem. The event not only strengthened existing relationships but also forged new ones, paving the way for increased social impact across the state.
We extend our gratitude to BNY Mellon for sponsoring the event and to El Vinedo Local for providing a beautiful venue and exceptional South American food and wine. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future, as we continue to build a robust network of impact investors and stakeholders committed to creating positive change in Georgia.
YoNasDa Lonewolf is a living example of the saying, “No Nation Can Rise Higher Than Its Women.” Being self-driven, she is living her divine calling as an activist and a voice against any injustice that affects people worldwide. GSIC Director Lavonya Jones moderated a conversation with Georgia Tech’s Institute for Leadership and Social Impact about her journey and work collaborating across communities as an Afro-Indigenous woman.
By: Lavonya Jones, Director
In collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Institute for Leadership and Social Impact and the Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain, the Georgia Social Impact Collaborative hosted Lunchtime Impact Talk featuring YoNasDa (Yo-Naja-Ha) LoneWolf, a beloved community organizer, entrepreneur, and writer whom the City of South Fulton named a day after (November 21 is “Queen YoNasDa Appreciation Day.” ).
YoNasDa was born during the American Indian Movement & 1978’s The Longest Walk in Washington, DC. She is Oglala Lakota and African American. Her late mother, an Oglala Lakota (Sioux), Wauneta Lonewolf, was a renowned motivational speaker, substance abuse, gang prevention counselor, and healer. Her father, who is African American, is a fine artist.
Queen YoNasDa is a living example of the saying, “No Nation Can Rise Higher Than Its Women.” Being self-driven, she is living her divine calling from her early beginnings in the entertainment industry as a rap artist and choreographer for BET’S own Teen Summit to her most recent work as an activist and a voice against any injustice that affects people worldwide. She has used entertainment to bring awareness to the condition of oppressed people whether it’s releasing two albums and touring with Wutang Clan or performing at the Annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow and Festival, she walks in many cultural paths. She has also used this influence to organize many events uniting all people together. She has coined “edu-tainement” in all of her organizing efforts.
She is the host and creator of the “Walk In My Mocassins” podcast, and she wrote and published a children’s book called “The Adventures of Star Song.”
YoNasDa has used her influence and business expertise to collaborate with Black and Native American-owned businesses with various products, from clothing to body care. Read more of her bio here. Listen to the full interview here.
Impact is a monthly series of meaningful, free, and open conversations. The main goal of the series is to engage students, faculty, staff, and the broader community on topics that matter through discussions and presentations by leaders and entrepreneurs from all sectors. Past talks are accessible on the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact’s YouTube page.
my Panda helps people get trusted, reliable help from right in their own neighborhood. my Panda has a culture of women helping women. 95% of the Pandas are women, they understand the struggles our members face, and they hire those who are passionate about helping. GSIC caught up with founder Tamara Lucas to learn more about her journey and my Panda’s success with connecting neighbors and local communities.
By: Kayla Jones, Social Impact Fellow
GSIC: Tell us about my Panda, and why you felt it was necessary to start this business.
Tamara: So, it was a problem that I have, right? I am a single mom of two kids. My career before this was working in sales and marketing management in the fine wine field – working as a distributor. I was representing different wineries, and as a single mom with two kids, I was super overwhelmed. It was too much on my plate, as many of us can relate. The idea was born actually when one day, I was talking to a friend of mine who worked as a dog walker. She was like, “Oh, my God, I go into people’s houses, and they need much more than just a dog walker! I go in there and take their dog out, but then their kitchen is a disaster. If they would like throw me $20 bucks, I’d empty the dishwasher and wipe down the kitchen, too!” And I thought to myself, “Holy cow, that’s what I need!”
Founder, Tamara Lucas
So, at that point, I was like, “You know, if someone was driving by my house anyway, they could just stop and spend 30 minutes in my kitchen, and I paid $20? Oh, absolutely!” And then I thought about how many other people there are all around us – primarily working women. We’re the ones that have the brunt of everything put on us. And how many other people are all around us, in our community, have little bits of time, little pockets of time, and would want to help?
That’s where the whole idea came from. I thought, “Hey, if we can just connect these people, that would be great.” So I asked myself, “Well, why don’t we try to build an app?” And I’m non-technical. So I had no idea what was involved in that. Then I began to realize, as I talked about this idea with more and more people, how many people needed it. Basically, everybody I talked to was like, “Oh, my God, I need that! I need someone to help me just get to these everyday things that are just too much.” So then I was like, this is something that can really be a business, and we can grow it. And that was the birth of it. We went ahead and built the app and it has kept growing from there.
GSIC: That’s great. Can you speak more about the decision to make it an app? Or the other possible ways my Panda could’ve come about?
Tamara: Yeah, sure. So we actually launched with a browser-based system because it was really simple to build. People would just log into the website, put in the request, and then the request would be there for us to view. We developed the app because we envisioned people being out and about and realizing, “Oh, my God, I left the laundry in the washing machine, I need someone to go by! And maybe, I’ll just have them take care of the dog, too.”
We wanted people to just go to their phones and put the request in. We saw it as a very simple way to use this tool. Most people carry their phones around them all the time. We wanted it easy for people to hire our Pandas, and Panda stands for “Personal Assistants Next Door App.” We envisioned people thinking, “Oh, I can go get a Panda” and getting one flowed seamlessly into the person’s life. That being said, right now, we are reworking our website. We’re rebranding and everything, and going to have a browser-based capability of putting in requests. We’re building that back in because there are people that might not want to download an app or sometimes getting the app is a barrier for them. We think it can help our marketing because if people can use our services just from the browser instead of downloading the app too, we think that will make a difference.
GSIC: That’s great. Can you speak about some of the favorite moments about doing this work?
Tamara: I’m passionate about helping people. I have a Master’s in social work, which I got from UGA back in the mid-90s. Helping the community and helping people drive me, and that’s what I see my Panda as. It’s helping the people that need help, and it’s also helping Pandas who want to have a flexible job. It’s rewarding work because they get to step in and help people. It isn’t just a gig, you know? I can’t think of an exact moment per se, but when I get emails or text messages from our users, like, “Oh my God, my PANDA just left, and my life has completely changed!” I love that feeling of completely changing someone’s day and, by doing that, changing their life.
Also, many women left the workplace during the pandemic, and it’s been a big issue. So many of our PANDAs are women. And having the job flexibility of making $20 an hour and the opportunity to work within the local community is pretty special. That’s the other unique thing about us – we’re hyperlocal. Our PANDAs only work a few miles from their homes and serve the same people within the local community. They get to support local independent businesses. We have many people who submit shopping requests for the DeKalb Farmers’ Market. So Instacart, for example, doesn’t go there. Some of our PANDAs are skilled and know their way around the market. They can go when the market isn’t too busy, which helps our users that work during the day and can only go during peak hours. It makes my day when I get those stories about how we completely affected somebody’s life.
GSIC: That’s really cool. It’s neighbors helping neighbors, and also helping the small businesses that may not show up on other food delivery apps.
Tamara: Exactly. And it’s also keeping the money in the local economy. It’s really important for us to support our local businesses and keep that money locally. When we do that, that money gets amplified so much more. It helps communities instead of going into huge corporations and helping the shareholders.
GSIC: That’s great. So then, on the other hand, what has been some of the more challenging experiences of running it?
Tamara: With running a startup, you’re building the plane while you’re flying it. I don’t have a business background – I have a social work and psychology background and experience in wine sales. So the learning curve was really steep, and then having the resources that you need. Being a first time founder and a female founder, getting access to funding is tough. It’s changing now, for underrepresented founders, though. There’s a lot more funds out there that are specifically targeting us and helping us but, bootstrapping is hard. And accessing cash has been very, very hard. It’s hard when this is your full-time job, and you’re not paying yourself, and you’ve got two kids to raise. So that has been really difficult – accessing resources.
We’re essentially a marketplace business. We’ve got a supply side and a demand side. Making sure that that’s balanced is tough, too. Making sure we have enough Pandas hired so that when requests come in, they’re getting picked up time on time. But then also, we get Pandas hired and don’t have enough jobs coming in, and they quickly lose interest, and they fall off. So as far as the style of business that we are, that is the biggest challenge we have with running the business.
GSIC: That makes a lot of sense because the PANDAS provide on-demand services, right?
Tamara: Yeah, they do. So a person can put in “on-off” requests, and they can be completed within an hour or two. But generally, we don’t get to them that quickly. So you can do same-day services, but we also have subscription services where a person gets partnered with Pandas, our Panda Partner program. So depending on the needs, we find the Panda whose schedule works with the client’s. Then that Panda becomes the “go-to.” Those people schedule the Pandas more regularly, which helps the Pandas have more consistent work. We’re hoping to move to a membership-based model soon to help with some of our scheduling challenges.
GSIC: Thank you for your transparency in talking about the challenges as you operate. So how did you build those connections in the first place and get customers using the platform?
Tamara: The startup and technology ecosystem here in Atlanta is robust. I’ve tapped into that ecosystem to help give me support. As a first-time founder, I really needed help building a strong foundation for the business. I also tapped into ATDC and Emory’s Goizueta Business School, which has the Start:Me program. I went through the City of Atlanta Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative program, LaunchPad 2X, and right now I’m in TechStars Atlanta. Getting into all these programs helped my network to expand.
That was all hard because our app launched in September 2019, right before the pandemic. So, as I was building the business, everything was virtual, and getting to know people was difficult. But a lot of the foundation was laid during that time period, and now that people are getting back out and about, it’s been great to access that network again.
Pretty much all of our growth has been because of word of mouth, we’ve had very little marketing. That’s been great because my Panda is a very personalized, trust-based business. So if you hear about it from your friends, you’re much more likely to use it. Much of our growth has also been from Facebook groups, especially Mom and Neighborhood-based groups. I started it in my neighborhood and then moved to the neighborhoods around us. Facebook has been a huge way that our business has grown.
GSIC: Wow, that’s pretty cool. Using Facebook groups is really really smart. So what do you believe is my Panda’s superpower?
Tamara: Connecting with people and connecting people. My undergraduate degree was in psychology. And when I was going to college, I thought, “What am I gonna do? I thought I might as well get a degree in psychology because all I ever did was help people with their problems.” I might as well get paid for it, you know? (laughs) So, I definitely connect with people and establish relationships with people really well. my Panda is a connector for sure!
GSIC: That’s great. Well, thank you so much for your time! We wish my Panda all the best.
Tamara: Thanks for having me!
Find more information about my Panda here:
Donate Panda hours to New American Pathways to help with Afghan refugee resettlement: https://www.mypandaapp.com/napw
Download the myPanda app”
