To help promulgate impact investing, those surveyed said governments can help grease the skids by providing technical assistance, tax credits, guarantees, better regulation, co-investment opportunities and procurements.

Metrics and standards are also important to fuel industry growth. Seventy percent of those surveyed believe standardized investment metrics are key to the development of the impact investing industry. 

As more traditional investors consider impact investments ("many" investors, especially among high-net-worth people and family offices, are starting to consider the impact investment market, according to the survey), standards and risk measurements will become increasingly important.

The overall takeaway from the survey is that impact investing has moved past the "fad" stage and is maturing into a more fully realized segment of the financial services industry. With Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and others launching more robust impact investment programs, and with operators such as TriLinc Global advancing in the independent financial advisor market, mainstream funds and program offerings are sure to follow. 

That means even more growth in the coming years.