I encountered them, the mad ones from our families. Once again, I found that communal mystery that is aware that I am not separate from others. Belonging to a knowledge of the heart that is difficult to express. But then, someone, a mad one in the family, does it, finds a practice that expresses it, and gives purpose to that communal mystery that yearns for better ways of coexistence. 

I met the mad men and women who persuaded the rest of their family members (and likely partners) to invest catalytic capital to tackle social and environmental challenges. Accepting a disproportionate risk in the family portfolio? In everyone’s? Allowing third-party investment seeking to prioritise social or environmental benefits? Imagining water without trash in a living dry river? Collaborating with landowners to regenerate forests, protect their water, biodiversity, and our future? Supporting inclusion and development opportunities for all? With my, our, money? Mad, definitely mad. 

I met Ticiana, Melissa, Beatriz, Antonio, María. We are in Rio de Janeiro and have three days to learn, talk, and share at Impact Minds: Standing Together. There, I encountered the Colombian, Brazilian, and Mexican madness… that madness at the heart of Latimpacto causes. The organization is not just a peer network that fosters a sense of community; it is a movement. Our shared history and common intention connects us, unites us, and drives us toward strategic philanthropy and impact investing. We yearn for an inclusive, empathetic society with opportunities for all, a society that cares for and restores forests, rivers, and biodiversity. 

Madness for our Latin American countries? Perhaps, but they say madness is contagious, so I am infected by these mad family members who believe in patient, flexible, and risk-tolerant investment capital that recognises the value of impact returns. I am part of a movement that narrows the gap in opportunities because it recognises each person’s dignity and that communal mystery of knowing how to be with others while being with the Earth. These deranged and united minds create an impact movement in Latin America. Minds that invest differently because they know that this catalytic capital is the transformative lever of the socio-environmental structures by which we organise ourselves. 

I encountered the mad ones one last time at the closing of the Congress. They were at Río Scenarium, a bar with an eclectic ambiance that achieves harmony in diversity. Clocks and mirrors on the walls, shelves of old apothecaries, musical instruments hanging from the ceiling, drinks and snacks circulating among the people. I encountered the mad ones in motion, dancing, moving to the samba rhythm, laughing, and chatting. They were happy. I could see the serenity, the ease, the joy of the soul of that communal mystery that honors our shared humanity. 

Luz María Garza de Llaguno, Rissa Foundation, México