How Single-Family Offices Translate Impact Intentions to Desired Outcomes in Portfolio Companies

Single-family offices are increasingly important actors in impact investing, yet little is known about how they translate impact intentions into desired outcomes after investing. Drawing on the socioemotional wealth perspective, we conduct an abductive qualitative study based on a dual perspective of nine single-family offices and eight portfolio companies. We identify four impact intention translation strategies, three barriers, and two enabling mechanisms. Building on these findings, we develop a typology of four impact translation logics—hands-on controllers, embedded stewards, relational investors, and formalized partners—that explains heterogeneity in how family-based priorities and intentions shape impact translation.