Intentional Investing

Published by Association of Charitable Foundations. May 2015, UK. 42 pages.

Authors: Richard Jenkins and Kate Rogers.

Only trustees can decide whether and how to reflect their charity’s mission and values in its investment strategy. Put simplistically, while charities are driven solely by their charitable aims, the performance of the stock market is fundamentally driven by financial objectives. For some charity investors this creates tensions. The law requires that trustees in all circumstances manage their assets with the sole purpose of furthering their charitable aims. However, as our case studies illustrate, what is right for one charity is not going to be the case for another. Therefore, rather than telling trustees what to do when investing their money, this report aims to help them identify what is right in their context. The fold-out section at the back of this report distills our key research findings to help trustees find the right approach for their charity.