"In the book we describe the “bifurcated world” that most people inhabit, in which they assume that the only way to solve social challenges is through government and charity and that the only purpose of business and investing is to make money. Impact investors reject that worldview. We recognize that for-profit investment can be both a morally legitimate and economically effective way to address social and environmental challenges."

-Antony Bugg-Levine

Borrowed from:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rahimkanani/2012/02/23/the-state-and-future-of-impact-investing/#7ea51f24530d