Events

Livable Future Investing (2° Information session )

The Francesco Collaborative

29/06/2022 Remote

Faith Invest, Laudato Si´Action Platform, Living the Economy of Francesco

Livable Future Investing

In light of Laudato Si’

“Because your most important work can’t wait”

A Leadership Workshop for Asset Stewards

Facilitated by Elizabeth Garlow, Nana Francois, Paul Mitchell, Felipe Witchger

Learn more about this workshop at our Q&A / Info Sessions

June 23, at 10am EST (RSVP here)
June 29, at 10:30am U.S. Eastern Time. (RSVP here)
Application Deadline: August 1, 2022 (Apply here)

“A mind-blowing, visionary experience.”

~ Jeff Rauenhorst, Board Member, Better Way Foundation

“Exceptionally informative, thought provoking.”

~ Mike Wolohan, President, Wolohan Family Foundation

“Marvelous concrete ideas and frameworks”

“Such a gift for anyone looking to embark on impact investing.”

– Sr. Sue Ernster, Treasurer & CFO, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

“Invaluable… even though I have years of experience in investment management.”

~ Tom Marthaler, Retired, Neuberger Berman

A Moment of Opportunity

A growing number of asset holders, especially those with a faith background, are reckoning with the injustices perpetrated by our dominant investment paradigms. Yet we lack dialogue around how the limited options afforded by conventional finance constrain our ability to adequately respond.

We have chosen to come together out of a shared sense that the time is ripe to imagine a new way to support our shared flourishing. We seek to draw upon something old (the wisdom embodied in Catholic Social Thought) in order to create something new. A new kind of “disruption” of “finance as usual” that helps restore reciprocity and solidarity in the realm of business and finance.

It’s important to note: this initiative is not a Catholics-only effort nor is it denominational. We believe the principles of Catholic Social Teaching offer a universal framework to help guide our efforts to build the solidarity economy, and ultimately a livable future for people and planet.

This workshop will introduce and apply frameworks rooted in Catholic Social Teaching (CST) to multiple asset classes–from public equities to alternatives. We also introduce some of the leading edges of CST-embodied investing — from non-extractive finance to cooperatives, catalytic capital to lasting ESG impact. Our goal is to create space for learning and collaboratively embarking on what many of us know is our most important work.

“Access to many talented professionals who are sincerely interested in collaboration and moving forward with the integration of Catholic Social Teaching into investment decision making.” ~Tom Marthaler, Investment Committee, Francsican Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

About the Workshop

Themes

See: Our role as capital stewards in moving toward a livable future.

Reflect on the structural problems of the global economy and the role of capital markets
Consider how Catholic Social Teaching and Laudato Si’ principles provide guidance for our investment praxis
Reflect on the experiences that have most shaped us as protagonists of transformation and our invitation to a role as catalytic investors

Discern: Culture change in your portfolio/organization

Review investment case studies on the frontier of the solidarity economy
Discern the integrity of the investment landscape (across public and private markets) in light of CST and Laudato Si’ principles
Discover tools and frameworks to help us translate faith values into policies, and policies into action
Identify research services and trusted partners for finding high-integrity strategies

Act: Journeying Together – Synodality in investing

Learn techniques to help us work together to build a movement at scale toward investing in an economy that safeguards humanity and the planet.
Discover ways (information-sharing and shared practices in deal-sourcing, diligence and decision-making) to dismantle barriers in our organizations and the broader ecosystem to build the future Laudato Si’ calls us into.
Find meaningful markers on the journey toward CST and Laudato Si’-embodied investment practices

“The materials, connections and sharing are invaluable. I learned a vast amount in several areas of impact investing, especially cooperatives. The workshop is an excellent platform… and is tipping the needle in changing the way investing in our economy happens.” – Sr. Sue Ernster, Vice President, Treasurer & CFO, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

“I found ‘Livable Future Investing’ was of the highest quality in terms of its organization, rich content, meaningful group interactions, and exciting outcomes… The group really gelled. I’m delighted that multiple investor circles are forming to keep the momentum going” – John O’Shaughnessy, CFO/CIO, Franciscan Sisters of Mary

What Participants Will Gain

Tools and frameworks to support your individual / organizational journey toward CST-embodiment such as organization and portfolio scorecards, and diligence questionnaires
An overview of investments/products that we will review together as case studies.
Awareness of / relationships with potential intermediaries, consultants, and advisors that can support more individualized work
Trusted cohort of peers for continued collaboration, mutual learning and support around topics such as deal-sourcing, investment-decision making and engaging outside advisors

Structure and Pedagogy

The are four key components:

(1) Prompts, (2) Writing (3) Reflection and Peer Feedback (4) Large & Learning Group Sessions

Prompts – we will offer prompts with links to theoretical and practical resources. These are meant to help you write about transformations and questions you are living personally and organizationally. (~1-2 hours/week)
Writing – every week, you’ll “ship” a project — a written piece applying concepts to your own personal/institutional context. This is where you’ll advance your most important work. (~2-3 hours/week)
Reflection and Peer Feedback – After you read others’ writing, we ask each participant to write comments to at least 5 other peers. This gives you 5 more opportunities for learning how others are approaching the work. (~2 hours / week)
Learning Group Session – We create spaces for encounter with one another in small group settings, where you’ll be invited into exercises rooted in imagining the possible, witnessing to case studies and stories, reflection and spiritual practices to “seal” the learning. (~3 hours / week)

We ask that between encounters with your peers in group meetings, you take time for contemplative practice each week to allow for the forces greater than human to help guide your work and journey.

Is this workshop for you?

It’s important to know this workshop is designed for leaders working full-time with busy schedules. That said, it’s a commitment. Real change takes time, effort, and a willingness to show up. This time is for you. There are two live Zoom learning group meetings per week and the rest of the week is dedicated to reading, writing, feedback and reflection.

Dates & Synchronous Time

October 1 – 21, 2022
6 Small Peer Group Meetings (for 2 hours each) – there will be multiple options to accommodate different time zones.
The remaining work is done on your own time (asynchronous from the group), reading, writing, giving feedback, and advancing your own most important work.

Q&A Info Sessions:
- June 8 at 9am – See recording here.
- June 15, at 1pm – See recording here.
- June 23, at 10am U.S. Eastern Time. (RSVP here)
- June 29, at 10:30am U.S. Eastern Time. (RSVP here)

Apply

Application Deadline: August 1, 2022 (Apply here – Takes ~15 minutes)

Tuition

We offer a sliding scale fee for this workshop. The workshop tuition is $1,500, which covers the costs of facilitation, coaching, books and materials. We do not want cost to be a barrier to participation. If you are unable to pay the full fee, we invite you to pay what you can at a cost that is reflective of your economic realities and the value you gain from the connections and perspective gained in the workshop.

Please be mindful that if you elect to pay a fee at the low end of the scale when you can truthfully afford a higher fee, you are limiting access to those who truly need the gift of financial flexibility. We seek to build and grow strong and sustainable communities while respecting the work of our teachers and creators. With generous support from past workshop participants and their communities, we are able to provide tuition scholarships for those who experience cost as a barrier.

If you would like to help underwrite the cost of this workshop or make a grant to facilitate participation by others, please reach out: felipe@francescocollaborative.org or elizabeth@francescocollaborative.org

Recent Workshop Alumni:

Ascension Investment Management
Common Spirit
Daughters of Charity
Mercy Investments
Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities
Open Society Foundation
Conrad Hilton Foundation
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Franciscan Sisters of Mary
Catholic Impacting Investing Collaborative
Seventh Generation Interfaith
… and more than 40 others

Workshop participants come from different roles and backgrounds:

staff and family/board members from foundations and family offices,
a CIO from $50 billion investment office,
a CFO of a $10M Catholic non-profit,
Treasurers and CFOs of religious congregations and dioceses,
investment advisors and managers.

“A transformative experience that equips and inspires us to take the bold steps needed to change our investments towards a new economic reality.”

~ Anne Schankin, Director, Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative

About the Francesco Collaborative

The Francesco Collaborative (links to our work) activates leaders at the intersection of finance, spirituality, Catholic Social Thought, cooperatives and the global Economy of Francesco. We are a network of entrepreneurs, capital stewards, scholars and social movement leaders seeking to draw upon the wisdom of our Catholic lineage to transform the economy to support our shared human and planetary flourishing.
Our Origin Story: In February and March 2021, a group of 21 U.S. Catholic asset holders (collectively stewarding $114 billion in assets) gathered on six different occasions to wrestle with the question: What would bold action in impact investing look like if we use Catholic Social Teaching as our starting point?
We offer workshops, immersion experiences, investor circles, and communities of practice in collaboration with leading impact investors, foundations, family offices, and ecosystem partners like FADICA, FaithInvest, Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative, Laudato Si’ Action Platform and others.

“I found spiritual and practical ways to align faith, mission, and purpose with our day to day responsibilities and goals.”

~ Mike Wolohan, President, Wolohan Family Foundation

You can reach us at: