Finance and Investment Affinity Group: Values-Based Investing: Opportunities and Challenges

CNJG’s Finance and Investment Affinity Group exists to keep foundation executives informed as they manage the investment of their corpus. Growth of foundation assets and the active exchange of sound investment strategies is the focus of each program.

As stewards of your organization’s assets, you’ve likely had discussions at the Board level regarding the merits of incorporating Values-Based Investing (“VBI”) approaches into the investment program. As the industry has evolved, VBI incorporates Socially Responsible Investing, Environmental Social & Governance (“ESG”), and Impact Investing. While the opportunity and investment thesis for capturing VBI attributes are well articulated across the industry, a cautious and thoughtful approach is warranted. VBI should not be “one size fits all”; rather, a customized opportunity exists to reflect your organization’s values across the investment portfolio. Further, given the meteoric rise of VBI across the investment industry, there are a plethora of products that claim to incorporate responsible principles; however, a closer examination may raise doubts about the value-add being provided, especially on a net of fees basis. Lastly, certain VBI arenas such as ESG have unfortunately become a hot-button political issue, with both ends of the spectrum equating ESG investing with other political agendas. When considering the appropriateness of VBI for your organization, we believe it is important for the Board to have a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges involved.

Agenda
8:30 a.m. - Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - Program begins
10:00 a.m. - Meeting concludes

Cost: $35 for CNJG Members; $70 for Non Member Grantmakers (includes full breakfast)