Wow! The 15th edition of the Impact Days was amazing, thanks to an incredible group of private wealth holders, NextGen family investors, family offices, impact entrepreneurs, and investment professionals coming together and sharing their experiences.

We've asked artist Guy de Hoop to make a live summary of the event and collected four attendees' takeaways to give you an idea of what happened on 6 & 7 April in Amsterdam.

Olivia | NextGen family investor

This year’s PYM Impact Days marked an important milestone: the 15th annual Impact Days. The conference looked at impact investing from a 360-degree perspective: rather than zooming in on a theme within impact, PYM focused on the processes an impact investor goes through. We started the conference by diving into people’s ‘Awakenings’. What was the moment they decided to allocate some capital to impact? What was their ‘aha moment’? After being inspired, experienced investors shared the lessons they had learned throughout their impact investing journey. We ended the days by reflecting on what future direction people intended to go into and activating them to do so. 

Here are my three key takeaways from the 2025 PYM Impact Days

• Impact starts from within.

  Throughout the conference, many people shared that the largest impact they could make at this stage was influencing the people around them. Not all families or family offices are already convinced that their wealth should be allocated towards impact. For those already convinced, change starts by getting more people on board. Similarly, people in banking shared that often it is still lone advocates of impact investing who drive the change within. There is still much to do to convince such organisations of the merit and success of impact investing, and once more people see this, their collective impact will increase.
  
  

• Creating a positive impact takes courage.

  During the conference, Liet van Beuningen asked the audience ‘Are you really risking your wealth?’. This question turned out to be central to my own experience at the conference and that of many others. Because indeed, to truly make an impact, we cannot stay in the safe lane. During one of the World Café's, someone at my table shared courageously about a failed impact investing experience - failed from a financial perspective, at least. He had invested in the fashion recycling industry, and while the investment had not been returned, he acknowledged he still made a return; it was just an impact return rather than a financial one.  
  
  
• Additionality and intentionality are key.
  

  
  During one of the breakout sessions we dived into fund selection, where some fund (of funds) managers highlighted the importance of additionality and intentionality. When selecting a fund to invest in, it is critical to ensure that the fund is seeking impact that is additional, meaning that the impact would not have occurred without the investments of the fund. Similarly, finding fund managers who are intentional about this is key. One fund of funds manager shared that a good way of understanding who a fund manager is and what motivates them is to get them out of the board room or office, for instance, by going out in nature or visiting a museum together.  

  Lastly, we reflected on the fact that language matters, and the words we use matter. Lisette Schuitemaker pointed out during the conference that wealth in Dutch means ‘vermogen’. But ‘vermogen’ also means capability. Investors should see their wealth as a capability to create meaningful impact. 

  Eszter | Investment Manager at a bank

  It was an energizing gathering of change agents at PYM - the Conscious Investors' Community's Impact Days, pledging their resources to do good for society and nature, locally and globally. Taking (steward) ownership to help early-stage innovations grow, addressing social cohesion, energy transition, circularity, and systemic shifts.

  Some key takeaways:
  

  • A new narrative of steward ownership for the future of nature and societies is emerging. This connects purpose with actionable gaps and investment opportunities. The Next Gen participants and speakers held a mirror up to all present and called for bolder decisions. 
    
    
  • Measure what matters: In addition to investment returns, consider impact returns, including scale, depth, and duration of impact. The return of inspiration is a nascent dimension, yet it has significant scaling potential. 
    
    
  • Every actor in the ecosystem has a key enabling role. Banks can help guide their clients through their impact
    journey to investable opportunities.

Renée | NextGen and Major Donor Fundraiser

Here are my favourite insights from PYM Impact Days - two days packed with inspiration, hope, and new perspectives.: 

• Kees Klomp emphasized that the economy doesn’t exist in isolation. We’re all deeply interconnected with each other and the environments around us. To me, this also means paying attention to the polarization in our discourse, fueled by disinformation and anti-democratic forces.
  
  
• Wouter Bakker from the School of Change offered that wealth holders can take action to counter these developments by investing in initiatives that build a safer, more just world. Having access to wealth means having the capacity to take risks and support positive change. Like that, we can create 'islands of sanity' in a chaotic world.
  
  
• Beth Thoren from Patagonia shared that purpose fuels innovation. Organisations that have a goal beyond profit are more likely to be able to meet challenges and last. 

Narina | Investment Manager at an impact fund

I had the privilege of joining an inspiring group of conscious investors, changemakers, and pioneers at the PYM - the Conscious Investors' Community Impact Days in Amsterdam.

What stood out most?
This is not just another conference—this is a community of people actually investing, allocating capital, and building solutions.

Highlights & Takeaways

• Liet van Beuningen reminded us: “Put the spotlight on the positive. Support amazing people. Take risks with your capital.”
  
  
• Brian Garret shared his post-exit reflections: Steward ownership: organize for purpose, cap returns, and design for long-term value.
  
  
• Wouter Bakker (School of Change) challenged us to:
  • Embrace uncertainty
  • Change the narrative
  • Resist the whirlpool of good intentions
    
    
• Impact Investing in Practice
  • Measure what matters — Track depth, scale, and duration of impact alongside financial returns.
  • Look beyond the pitch — Get to know the people behind the funds and their intrinsic motivation.
  • Assess coherence — Team, strategy, and market must align with the mission.
  • Stay rooted in purpose — Is decarbonization or social impact truly embedded, or just marketing?

A final word:
Changing systems is hard, but this community shows that it’s possible to do it one step at a time. With boldness, care, and integrity, we can shift capital toward the world we want to live in.