A Brief History of KINS Innovation Networks

It all started in the late 1970’s in Chicago, where Susan was an influential leader in the male dominated world of high finance. After noticing how women’s voices were excluded from the financial industry, she decided to convene a group of female influencers in a variety of fields to support one another through the strategy of generosity. They co-created “The Chicago Network,” which still thrives today. 

The success of that group inspired Susan to convene one major KINS Network after another to total more than forty networks in the United States, Nigeria, and Ecuador over a span of 45 years.

Susan’s invested months of research to identify the key influencers who embody the highest values of KINS members as part of the development of each network.

The Chicago Network

1979 – present - Empowering female cultural leaders in Chicago and surrounding areas.

The Chicago Finance Exchange

1980-present - Empowering senior women in finance in Chicago and surrounding areas.

THE COMMITTEE OF 200

1982-present - Connecting women business leaders around the world.

FINANCIAL FORUM

1983 – 1995 - Teaching Chicago’s wealthiest women to manage their wealth.

Harris Bank Family Management Office Conference

1985-1990 - Manifesting the family office industry to maximize collaboration among families with wealth of $100 million plus.

THE SOCIAL VENTURE NETWORK

1987-present - SVN is one of the nation’s first and most influential peer organizations dedicated to demonstrating the ‘triple bottom line’ potential of valuing people, planet, and profit. Susan Davis was the first female member of this previously all.

INVESTORS CIRCLE

1991-present
IC was the nation’s first and most active early-stage impact investing network. In 2018, IC merged forces with SVN to become the Social Venture Circle.

CAPITAL CIRCLE

1995-1997 - Women venture capitalists achieving good returns investing in women-led businesses.

Making a Profit While Making a Difference Conference

1996-1999 - Serving the social investment industry by collaborating in social investment analysis, shareholder advocacy, community development financing and social venture capital.

Growing Business Network

1996-2000 - Manifesting micro-enterprise in Nigeria.

Destiny Circle

1998 - Individual members create, fund, and manifest their life missions.

DreamMakers’ Forums

1999-2004 - African-American-owned business forums to maximize investment opportunities. (sponsored by Northern Trust financial services corporation).

VISIONKEEPERS FORUM

2000 – 2002 - Advancing the investment expertise of female CEOs. A program of Northern Trust Financial Services.

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE SIMULATION

2000-2004 – Proving that socially-invested $100 million portfolios match or exceed accepted return benchmarks.

SOLARIA INVESTORS CIRCLE

2000-2005 - Creating a new venture capital model good for all sectors, including the Earth.

SOLAR CIRCLE

2002-present - Making solar happen for the world. Currently hosted through the Green America Center for Sustainability Solutions. See detailed description below.

KINDRED SPIRITS NETWORK

2003-2005 - U.S. Business leaders deepen their life missions while reconnecting with Earth.

TIPPING POINT NETWORK

2006-2009 - Creating a whole-systems approach for sustainability to reach 10% market share – the ‘tipping point’ of success.

KINS 4 PHILANTHROPISTS

2006 – present - Activating a global giving spiral of life affirming capital flows to finance whole system breakthrough initiatives with a New Source Code for Human Enterprise built inside and out.

Reciprocity Vilcabamba (Ayni Vilcabamba)

2007-2009 - Villagers manifesting intercultural ecological projects to create a local living economy good for all life in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.

Destiny Funding Circle

2011 - present - U.S. Sustainability leaders manifesting funding to fulfill their life missions.

Kins 4 All

2012 – 2014 - U.S. social entrepreneurs create, fund, and manifest their life missions.

Ohana Investing Circle

2012-2014 - Integrating higher consciousness principles into all sectors of finance.

The Fountain

2013-present - Restoring a global economy of reciprocity, inspired by Nature and the Sacred.

Non-GMO Working Group

2013-present - Committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices.

Care First KINS

2013-present - Creating a world governed by CARE FIRST.

THE SISTERHOOD

2019 – present - Spiritual support and camaraderie for social and environmental activists.

KINS NETWORKS LED BY Alisa Gravitz

Alisa worked closely with Susan in developing several KINS groups, and in 2007, Alisa took over the management and facilitation of several KINS groups as a division of her non-profit organization Green America. Today, the Center For Sustainability Solutions manages six action-driven networks that were influenced by the KINS Method.

Clean Electronics PRODUCTION NETWORK

2016 – present - Electronics Industry Leaders Advance Toward Zero Exposure to Workers Throughout the Supply Chain. GOAL: Move toward zero exposure of workers to toxic chemicals in the electronics manufacturing process.

SOIL & CLIMATE ALLIANCE

At the beginning of 2021, the Regenerative Supply Working Group and the Carbon Farming Innovation Network formally merged to become the Soil & Climate Alliance. The Alliance brings together representatives of the entire agriculture supply chain to work together over the long term for real impact.

We focus on marketplace strategies to rapidly accelerate agricultural system solutions for soil, climate, water, farm economics and food security.  

REGIONAL REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

We are a group of farmers, small businesses, and consumer brands working together to get 5 million more acres of small grains grown in rotation in the Upper Midwest by 2021.

Climate Safe Lending

Climate Safe Lending (CSL) is a network of diverse bank stakeholders from across North America and Europe who are collaborating to transform the global bank lending system to align with the goal of staying well below 2°C global temperature increase by 2025.

SOIL CARBON INITIATIVE

The Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI)— created by The Carbon Underground, Green America, Danone North America, Ben & Jerry’s, MegaFood, and over 150 other stakeholders—is a verifiable outcomes-based standard that measures improvements in soil health and carbon sequestration.

SCI gives companies third-party verification of climate action and impact. In addition, the Soil Carbon Index gives companies a tool to motivate soil health improvement in their supply chains.

Healthier soil means fewer agrochemicals, improved ecosystem impacts, better weather resilience and better farm economics: all important for mitigating the risks inherent in agricultural supply chains.

Solar Circle

Launched in 2002 and still operating today, Solar Circle has catalyzed the U.S. solar industry from a small, highly fragmented market producing less than 1,000 MW to a powerful industry that’s now forecasted to account for 50% of U.S. production by 2030, 20 years ahead of schedule. Over twenty different constituencies in the solar value chain have come together including manufacturers, installers, designers, consumer advocates, technical experts, and policy leaders.

KINS TRAINING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

From 2012 to 2017, Marilyn Levin joined Susan Davis Moora to develop both in-person and online KINS Method Training Programs to help spread the KINS philosophy and method to the world.

CREATING KINS NETWORK TRAINING PROGRAMS

Marilyn is the Development Director for Play for Peace, a non-profit organization that develops compassionate leaders in areas of conflict and connects people and communities to build lasting peace. She is also an intuitive healer.

With her extensive experience in training and non-profit development, along with her advanced intuitive skills, Marilyn assisted Susan in writing and facilitating a wide variety of live events and online courses to train people in the KINS Method. The programs Marilyn and Susan developed created the foundation for the training programs we offer today.

*INFLUENCE - INNOVATION - IMPACT

Over the years, the acronym for KINS has evolved from Key Influencer Network Strategy, to Key Innovation Network Strategy, to Key Innovator Network Strategy, and back to Key Influencer Network Strategy.

The common theme is we are all kindred spirits who work with universal principles to enhance our innovation, influence, and impact towards social, economic and environmental sustainability.