2018 Finance Course Review

The first offering of the CPIA Finance Impact course was a success! The week-long course, running August 13-17, was hosted on Queen’s University’s main campus in Kingston, Ontario. Under the guidance of facilitators Bahman Kashi and Jerrod Mason, seventeen course participants continued along the path to becoming Certified Professional Impact Analysts.

The Finance Impact course was designed to introduce participants to the opportunities and challenges that arise when moving from grant-based to results-based financing. Throughout the week, participants engaged in lectures, in-class discussions, and completed a case study where they assessed the financial and social feasibility of a development project.

The course brought together individuals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, representing such organizations as Nutrition International and various offices of World Vision including, World Vision International, World Vision Canada, World Vision US, World Vision Zimbabwe, and World Vision Australia.

The course received highly positive reviews from all of our participants. We also received constructive feedback that will allow us to continue to improve our offerings.

“This course opened my eyes to new ways of bringing investment and impact to the field. If we are able to use the teachings from this course in our daily work, I am certain that we will find innovative ways to reach the most vulnerable people” - Monique Strassburger, Data Analyst, World Vision Canada

We hope to see alumni of Discover Impact and Finance Impact next year for the final course in the CPIA series: Measure Impact, offered August 12-16, 2019. Participants that successfully complete all three courses and a qualifying exam will be eligible for the designation of Certified Professional Impact Analyst!

- August 23, 2018