Everyone Can Make An Impact

Effective social and environmental impact requires an effective plan. That’s why we focus on key strategic priorities to help you focus on the most important levers to create change. These high-impact strategies will help you use your precious time and resources in the most effective way.

Clients

How We Can Help

An inside look into our services

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foundations & corporations

We help you direct your capital to investment opportunities that tackle social and environmental challenges and promote the advancement of racial equity and inclusion (Women, Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, people of color-led ventures, and rural communities) in alignment with your mission.

  • Education and training on impact investing for board, trustees, and staff
  • Investment Policy Statement development to align assets with mission
  • Due Diligence on the financial and impact aspects of investments across non- and for-profit companies, intermediaries (CDFIs and other impact capital providers), funds, and funds of funds.
  • Sourcing and Selection of impact investments that fit your strategic priorities
Quotation Quotation

The Cogent Team was extremely helpful leading us through a process to find PRI opportunities in our region. They are very knowledgeable about who is doing what in the impact investing field. They gave us the clarity we needed to make to make informed decisions.

- CFO, a top 100 private foundation
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

We seek investment-ready purpose-driven non - and for-profit companies and funds as investment candidates for our clients. If you’re interested in joining our investment database, please contact us here. Every year we accept one or two candidates for “reverse due diligence” where we assess your readiness for impact investing, review and recommend changes to your pitch deck, and develop an investor positioning plan that prioritizes your top prospects. If you would like to be considered for our reverse due diligence services, contact us here.

  • Impact investing feasibility assessment
  • Investor relation strategy including pitch deck and positioning plan for impact investors
  • Growth, financial sustainability, governance, and operations consulting
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PLACE-BASED ECOSYSTEMS

We are a bridge between investors, intermediaries, and entrepreneurs. We bring these disparate communities together to help forge meaningful connections and engage in a way that is efficient, productive, and respectful. Investors need good investments and vice versa. A healthy impact investing ecosystem provides an environment for all to thrive.

  • Ecosystem, mapping, needs assessment, gap analysis & strategy development for deep impact in your target market’s local, cultural context
  • Partnership development support and development for local champions
  • Community engagement tools, techniques, and plan
Quotation Quotation

Susan Hammel and her team brought examples of best practices from across the country and led us in a process of discerning how best to build consensus and advance impact investing across our region.

- Matthew Illian, CFP®, former Executive Director of the Virginia Impact Investing Forum
education & workshops

We offer a variety of coaching, training, and workshops. From everything from impact investing 101 through advanced level content, we will design a session to fit your needs: 90 minutes to ½ day to 2 days retreat customized sessions available on request.

Sessions available:

  • Impact Investing 101, 201, 301.
  • Social Impact Investing in Opportunity Zones
  • Equity and Inclusion Impact Investing
  • Place-based Impact Investing

Or request Susan as a speaker at your next event. She is a lively and engaging presenter and has presented at many national conferences and workshops.

Pro Bono Work

Our pro bono nonprofit partner is Impact Hub MSP, a social entrepreneur co-working space in Minneapolis and part of the international Impact Hub movement. We are 100% aligned with Impact Hub MSP’s mission to create a more inclusive, sustainable world. Every year we provide pro bono facilitation leadership of the Hub’s Impact Investing and Impact Reporting Communities of Practice. The value of this service is $12,000 on an annual basis. In addition, Cogent team members informally advise and mentor a diverse group of entrepreneurs as a service to the Twin Cities ecosystem.

Cogent team members also contribute their talents to many nonprofits. Susan Hammel, the CEO and Founder of Cogent Consulting, Is Finance & Audit Committee Chair of the Fresh Energy Board of Directors, an elected member of the Carleton Careers Alumni Board, and the Trillium Family Foundation Board.