Developing a policy
Charities may need help and support to develop a Responsible Investment policy and agree on the best way forward. The steps outlined below will highlight some of the issues that will help you guide charity clients through this process. You should bear in mind that the level of detail and sophistication required of the policy may well depend upon the size and nature of the charity and its investments.
Click on the links below to learn more about each stage of the process:
1. Gather information
The charity initially needs to understand its starting point by gathering information on
- Responsible Investment
- its current investments
2. Agree to move forward
Many charities need help and advice when Responsible Investment is discussed at trustee level in order to agree whether and why to adopt a policy.
3. Develop a policy
Many charities need advice when deciding on how to reflect their mission in their investments and agreeing on:
- social, environmental and ethical criteria
- approach to positive and negative screening, engagement and voting
4. Implement Responsible Investment
Charities may need help to:
- clarify roles of staff, trustees, advisers and fund managers
- communicate and understand the policy effectively
- select the right fund/fund manager
5. Report and review
Charities may need guidance with:
- reporting on investments
- reviewing the investment policy
- evaluating and monitoring the performance of investments (financial and other)
