Putting your money
where your values are

What does it mean to invest responsibly? According to the Social Investment Forum, socially responsible investing integrates personal values and societal concerns with investment decisions. It considers both the investor's financial needs and an investment’s impact on society. And it includes the belief (often proven to be true) that responsible companies perform better and create higher returns for investors.

Socially responsibility may include these and many other aspects:

• A screening process—Including or excluding corporate securities in investment portfolios based on social or environmental criteria. That may involve so called social venture capital—investing that integrates community and environmental concerns into professionally managed venture capital portfolios.
• Shareholder advocacy—Shareholder campaigns that seek broad-based support for critical social, labor, and environmental issues through shareholder resolutions, dialogue, and investor letter-writing campaigns.
• Community Investment—Investing that supports development initiatives in low-income communities both in the United States and in developing countries. Community investment provides affordable housing, creates jobs, and helps responsible businesses get started.
  

Resources:

• CERES—A U.S. coalition of businesses, environmental, investor, and advocacy groups that have committed to continuous environmental improvement by endorsing a ten-point code of environmental conduct.
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)
• Social Investment Forum
• Shareholder Action Network

Social investment funds:

• Calvert Social Fund & Index
• Domini Social Investments
• Pax World Funds

Note: Information on this page is should not be contrued as a recommendation to invest by EcoCity Cleveland.

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