When TIIP began, there were very few resources or frameworks to help investors successfully implement system-level investing strategies. In the last nearly eight years, our consulting work and deep research revealed a lot about what it takes to design and implement successful system-level investing strategies, which was outlined in 21st Century Investing: Redirecting Financial Strategies to Drive Systems Change.
While more resources are available today, there are still not enough tools that illustrate how to implement system-level investing strategies, which is why the TIIP team was excited to partner with Tideline, a leading impact investing consultant, to discuss what system-level investing looks like in practice. TIIP’s William Burckart and Monique Aiken were joined by representatives from two of TIIP’s clients, Carole Laible of Domini Impact Investments (Domini) and Brian Minns of University Pension Plan (UPP), on a webinar hosted by Tideline’s Ben Thornley.
Carole shared how she and her team at Domini have been committed to system-level investing for years now. They used the steps from 21st Century Investing to choose forestry as a system-level priority, design approaches to invest in this system, and catalyze other investors and actors to invest in this system as well.
Brian talked through his work with TIIP and Jon Lukomnuk (Sinclair Capital) to create a “Statement of Investment Beliefs” that served as UPP’s launchpad into system-level investing. UPP selected climate change as their initial system-level issue, and created a climate action plan to meet their system-level goals.
Learn more about what system-level investing looks like in practice by watching the webinar today.
Need support on your system-level investing journey?
The principals at TIIP have advised pension funds, investment management firms, private foundations and endowments, and major industry associations to establish and implement approaches to tackle system-level issues and build on existing sustainable and impact investing practices. These services include developing strategies for system-level investing programs; working with boards to establish policies like a Statement of Investment Beliefs (SIBs) that reinforce an institutions’ commitment to solving system-level challenges; designing and conducting searches for qualified investment advisors; and customizing frameworks to determine progress achieved.
In addition, TIIP announced earlier this year an initiative to help investors deliberately address systemic risks like climate change and income inequality and seize opportunities inherent in increased social justice and resilient ecosystems. Central to the initiative is TIIP’s Systems Aware Investing Launchpad (SAIL), an all-encompassing investment planning, evaluation and training platform for investors seeking to better address social and environmental risks and achieve greater impact.
Check out features on SAIL in Barron’s PENTA and in Forbes.
Investors can access the SAIL platform directly or via investor groups like the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN), who are partnering with TIIP to equip investors with the knowledge and tools to integrate system-level investing into RFPs, investment and engagement activities, manager due diligence, and impact measurement.
If you want to learn more, please contact TIIP at [email protected].
