Investor Readiness
overview
So, you are interested in becoming an impact investor. Where do you begin? What do you need to know? Will you forgo financial returns as an impact investor? Who do you trust? How do you determine if your philanthropic dollars are paying for high interest loans or credit? How do you assess whether your endowment or investment portfolio aligns with your values? How do you invest directly in social ventures or the funds investing in them? What are your investment beliefs? The Impact Finance Center believes that “priming the pump” on the investor side of the impact investment equation is critical to developing an impact investing marketplace more quickly and effectively and has developed an “Investor Readiness Workshop” designed to take a philanthropist or investor through a journey to become an impact investor that addresses the following topics:
TOPICS
- Impact Investing 101
- Board & Family Dynamics
- Investment Beliefs
- Investment Policy Statements
- Investment Portfolio or Endowment Audit
- Grant Audit
- Advice – How to Work with Existing or Choose New Investment Advisor
- Direct Investing – Custom Call for Deals
- Evidenced Based Evaluation
instructors
DR. STEPHANIE GRIPNE – IMPACT FINANCE CENTER FOUNDER
CINDY WILLARD – IMPACT FINANCE CENTER ADVISOR
RESOURCES
Impact Investing 101
- A Short Guide to Impact Investing: A PRIMER ON HOW BUSINESS CAN DRIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
- Answers to the 10 Most Asked Questions about PRIs
- Boosting Philanthropic Impact Through Mission Investments
- Evolution of an Impact Portfolio: From Implementation to Results
- Understanding PRIs and MRIs (sourced through Council on Foundations)
- Investing and Social Impact Practices of Private Foundations
- Impact Investing: A Primer for Family Offices
- Strategies to maximize your philanthropic capital a guide to program related investments
- Impact Investing: A Framework for Decision Making
Investment Beliefs
- Ascent PC values discovery worksheet (may not be able to share this, but use it to inspire another worksheet)
- Institute for Responsible Investment Working Paper: Investment Beliefs Statements
- Investment Beliefs chapter from “Strategic Risk Management : A Practical Guide to Portfolio Risk Management”
- Journal article: “Investment beliefs: every asset manager should have them”
- Bibl.: Slager, Alfred Journal of portfolio management, 03/22/2007, Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Pg: 77
Investment Policy Statements(s)
- Book: How to Write an Investment Policy Statement, 2nd Edition
Family Wealth Management: Seven Imperatives for Successful Investing in the New World Order - Chapters “Drafting the Investment Policy Statement”, “Investment Policy Statement (Example)”
- Investor policy statements: good governance for all
Bibl: Kline, William A, Journal of financial service professionals, ISSN: 1537-1816, 05/01/2012, Volume: 66, Issue: 3, Page: 63
Impact Audit – Endowment / Investment Portfolio – Assess Portfolio
How to Choose Your Impact Investment Advisor
Impact Audit – Assess Grantmaking
DR. STEPHANIE GRIPNE – IMPACT FINANCE CENTER FOUNDER
Dr. Stephanie Gripne is an academic entrepreneur, impact investor, philanthropic advisor, researcher, educator and the creative force behind the Impact Finance Center. Stephanie founded the Impact Finance Center in 2012 and formed the partnership between University of Denver Daniels College of Business and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors – Sustainable Endowment Institute. The Impact Finance Center is a national impact investing think-do tank that produces rigorous and relevant research, educations, and develops transactions in the area impact investing and venture philanthropy. Dr. Gripne and her exceptional research team are currently interviewing over 100 foundations as part of one of the first academic research project on program related investments and mission related investments.
Stephanie has over 20 years of experience working in the intersection of business and natural resources which has included working for the EcoProducts Fund $100 Ecosystem Service private equity fund, the Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service, DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Journal of Wildlife Management, and several universities. Stephanie received her Ph.D. from the Boone and Crockett Wildlife Conservation Program at the University of Montana working with Dr. Jack Ward Thomas. She has a B.S. in Biology & Wildlife Management from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and a M.S. in Ecology from Utah State University. Stephanie is an Aspen Institute Environment Forum Scholar, Environmental Leadership Senior Fellow, Property Environment Research Center Fellow, Ford Foundation Community Forestry Fellow, and Boone and Crockett Professional Member.