Investing with a consciousness of what your money is doing pushes us to ask a few questions. Where does money most commonly get invested? What is the structure of the relationship between invested money and other things I care about? If I don’t like the conventional investing options, what are my alternatives? If I believe […]
If conventional investing is “returns-first” then what does “mission-first” or mission driven look like? What are the strategies we might use to help transition our money? Distinct from conventional impact investing, I try to help us push into the leading edge of impact-first investing. The kind of asset stewardship that might lead toward a regenerative […]
Impact entrepreneurs could achieve a lot more — in terms of systems change — if investors did more thinking about power and the world they most want themselves and their grand children. My thesis: capital reciprocity can help investors achieve their impact goals. Without a shift from capital supremacy to capital reciprocity, the conventional power […]
Emilio Travieso, SJ begins and ends with an image of an altar from his time with Mayan communities (Tseltal) in Chiapas, Mexico. As part of his dissertation research, Emilio was studying their cooperative business — Yomol A’tel — that’s grown to $2 million in revenue — as part of a larger Comparte network across Latin […]
Later today, I give a presentation to a group of Cooperative Business leaders (3 largest U.S. co-op banks (NCB, CoBank and CFC), 5 co-op capital entrepreneurs, 6 co-op loan fund/CDFIs, 2 mutual insurance cos., and 6 associations). My question is: Can we imagine and build together — across credit unions, electric co-ops and emerging co-op […]
In the next few weeks, Elizabeth Garlow and I will be releasing our first report under our new Francesco Collaborative banner. The report distills the insights from our Livable Future Investing workshop we facilitated a few months ago with 25 leading Catholic asset holders. For me, the release of this report marks the beginning of […]
I know this is a daunting question. I’m going to try to make it practical with 3 steps and 3 concrete invitations. Weds, April 7, 7pm ET: “Exploring how congregations might re-imagine their assets when long term sustainability is no longer an option.” with Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams – click here to RSVP and/or join) […]
My dream: Investing in co-ops and employee owned businesses becomes the “gold standard” in impact investing
The US Cooperative & Shared Ownership Landscape Watch 2.5-min video narration & explanation of this map. With the deleterious impacts of shareholder supremacy increasingly apparent, cooperatives offer a stakeholder-owned firm model. Co-ops have achieved meaningful market penetration in a few areas: multi-family housing (25% are co-ops), credit unions (hold 10% of household savings), rural electric […]
Impact investing needs more catalytic capital. Exciting research forthcoming. Reciprocity essential to restructuring our investments.