Christmas, Trust, and the Capital We Choose to Deploy
Why impact crowdfunding is less about sacrifice—and more about belief, intention, and hope
Programming Note: In observance of Christmas, we won’t share a post tomorrow. Because there are so few new offerings during this time of year, we won’t be sharing Devin’s Impact Pick of the Week this week or next. Superpowers for Good should not be considered investment advice. You should seek appropriate counsel before making investment decisions. When you purchase an item, launch a campaign or create an investment account after clicking a link here, we may earn a fee. Engage to support our work.
Last Saturday, I played Santa at our Church Christmas party—and yes, growing out my beard was largely a strategic decision for moments like that. Sitting in the Santa chair, watching kids and parents light up, I was reminded of something I think we sometimes miss: the best parts of Christmas aren’t about “stuff.” They’re about trust.
Tomorrow morning, a lot of us will do a familiar thing: we’ll give a gift.
Some will be small. Some will be extravagant. Some will be last-minute. Some will be handmade and perfect in a way money can’t touch. But almost every meaningful gift has something in common: it’s an act of trust.
You buy a book you think someone will love. You pick out the sweater in the right color. You ship a package a little late and hope it arrives anyway. You plan a surprise, write a note, wrap it carefully. And then you hand it over—without any guarantee of how it will be received or what it will mean a week from now.
That’s not charity. That’s faith-infused optimism.
And that’s why I can’t help thinking about impact crowdfunding on Christmas Eve.
Because when people hear “impact,” they often assume we’re talking about sacrifice. They assume the impact investor is “giving something up”—accepting lower returns, taking extra risk, settling for less, doing the financial equivalent of eating their vegetables.
Sometimes there’s a kernel of truth in that. Markets don’t always price social and environmental value appropriately. There are real gaps. There are real frictions. There are real cases where a values-driven investor will accept a different risk/return profile to participate in a better outcome.
But if that’s the primary story we tell—“impact investing is a form of gift”—we accidentally diminish what’s actually happening.
A better story is this:
Impact crowdfunding isn’t about giving up returns. It’s about choosing which returns matter.
And Christmas—at its best—teaches the same lesson.
Think about what a gift really is.
It’s not just an object. It’s a message: I see you.
It’s an expression of belief: I know you.
It’s a commitment to relationship: You matter to me.
We’re not optimizing. We’re not maximizing. We’re not running a spreadsheet to prove that our gift selection outperformed the market. We’re acting with intention.
That’s the parallel I can’t shake.
Impact crowdfunding, when done thoughtfully, is a form of intentional capital. It’s disciplined. It’s practical. It’s often quite rational. But it’s also relational. It’s personal. It’s hopeful.
When you invest through impact crowdfunding, you’re not merely moving money. You’re aligning yourself with an outcome. You’re saying, “I believe this founder, this team, this product, this service, this mission deserves to exist—and deserves to grow.”
That is not a donation. It’s a vote of confidence.
In fact, the deeper parallel to Christmas isn’t the idea of sacrifice at all. It’s the idea of potential.
Christmas celebrates possibility before it’s obvious. It celebrates a promise before it’s fulfilled. It honors a future that, in the moment, looks fragile and ordinary—yet carries extraordinary consequence.
Impact crowdfunding is built on the same posture.
We back entrepreneurs and community builders early—before the headlines, before the scale, before the certainty. Sometimes we’re investing in solutions the world desperately needs, and sometimes we’re investing in people the world has overlooked. Either way, we’re making a choice that says: Hope is not naïve. Hope is a strategy.
That’s why I’ve always believed impact crowdfunding is more than a financial tool. It’s a way of participating in the kind of world we want to live in.
And it shares three Christmas values I love:
First: Intention matters more than optimization.
The “best” gift isn’t always the most expensive. It’s the one that fits. The one that communicates care. In impact crowdfunding, the “best” investment isn’t always the one with the flashiest projection. It’s the one where you can see the founder’s clarity, the customer’s need, the pathway to sustainability—and the measurable good that comes with growth.
Second: Relationship comes before transaction.
A gift is relational by definition. Impact crowdfunding is too. In this model, investors aren’t anonymous. Founders aren’t faceless. Communities aren’t abstract. We get to know the stories. We ask better questions. We participate in momentum, not just returns.
Third: Hope is a rational strategy.
Christmas reminds us that what matters most can’t always be quantified in the moment. Impact investors understand this. We invest in solutions before they’re obvious. We accept uncertainty in exchange for transformation. We act early—not late—because early is when capital can actually change the story.
So if you’re reading this on Christmas Eve, here’s the thought I’ll leave you with:
The most important investments are often made before the results are visible.
That’s true when you give a gift. And it’s true when you back a founder building something that makes the world better.
May your Christmas be full of light, peace, and connection. And may the way you deploy your capital—whether it’s $50 or $5,000—be one more expression of the values you carry into the world.
Because impact crowdfunding, at its best, is not about what you give up.
It’s about what you help bring to life.
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Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar
If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.
SuperGreen Live, January 22–24, 2026, livestreaming globally. Organized by Green2Gold and The Super Crowd, Inc., this three-day event will spotlight the intersection of impact crowdfunding, sustainable innovation, and climate solutions. Featuring expert-led panels, interactive workshops, and live pitch sessions, SuperGreen Live brings together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and activists to explore how capital and climate action can work hand in hand. With global livestreaming, VIP networking opportunities, and exclusive content, this event will empower participants to turn bold ideas into real impact. Don’t miss your chance to join tens of thousands of changemakers at the largest virtual sustainability event of the year. Learn more about sponsoring the event here. Interested in speaking? Apply here. Support our work with a tax-deductible donation here.
Demo Day at SuperGreen Live. Apply now to present at the SuperGreen Live Demo Day session on January 22! The application window is closing soon; apply today at 4sc.fun/sgdemo. The Demo Day session is open to innovators in the field of climate solutions and sustainability who are NOT currently raising under Regulation Crowdfunding.
Live Pitch at SuperGreen Live. Apply now to pitch at the SuperGreen Live—Live Pitch on January 23! The application window closes January 5th; apply today at s4g.biz/sgapply. The Live Pitch is open to innovators in the field of climate solutions and sustainability who ARE currently raising under Regulation Crowdfunding.
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