Sustainable Grace

The Vatican gave Catholic fiduciaries a valuable new resource for aligning their institutions' investments with their Catholic faith. "Mensuram Bonam'' provides guidelines for those beginning their alignment process and those seeking to refine their approaches. This webinar, part of our Principles in Focus Series, explores Mensuram Bonam's role and scope and dispels underperformance myths about Catholic-aligned portfolios through a dialogue between true pioneers in this area: Paul Schott Stevens, Trustee of Catholic Investment Services; Scott Malpass, CIS Co-Founder, and Board Chair; and Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, President of the Board of the Vatican Bank.

Highlights

• What is Mensuram Bonam?
• The trajectory of faith-based investment measures
• How Catholic social teaching is implemented at the University of Notre Dame
• Development of a new kind of competence in the investment world
• ROI Squared: Return of investment + integral development
• Practical guidance on implementation and developing your IPS
• What are the other tools of impact investing, dialog and engagement, enhancing issuer relationships
• The economic model for private markets investing
• Catholic social teaching: environmental, social, and governance
• Do Catholic-aligned investment portfolios underperform?
• Governance structures in Venture Capital

Episode Resources

• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/

In this dynamic educational session, members will gain valuable ideas for securing the future of their Catholic institutions by improving board and committee governance structures and applying best-practice investment principles. This discussion will feature a religious leader from the RCRI community, a board member, and an investment consultant who specializes in women's religious investing. Together, we will explore how religious orders can align their investment approach with their Catholic beliefs and unique missions.

Highlights

• Who are the guests for today?
• The importance and role of governance and its integration with investment committees
• Importance of having an investment committee
• What to expect from investment committees
• Reviewing and updating the investment policy statements
• Different forms of investment partnership
• How committees should utilize investment partners
• Why consultants are essential
• Conflicts of interest in investment committees
• Common challenges to run into and how to avoid them
• Best practices in an investment committee Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/

Today's session is part of our Principles in Focus webinar series, which explores the role that impact-focused investment solutions play in the strategies of Catholic institutions. It was enlightening to hear the views of true pioneers in this arena: Tim Connors, Founder of Pivot North; Michael Kim, Founder of Cendana Capital; and Miguel Luina, Managing Director at Hamilton Lane.

Highlights

• Who are the guests for today?
• What is Venture Capital?
• The opportunity for Catholic Institutions through venture capital
• How to identify amazing founders
• The importance of pivoting in the venture capital space
• Cendana Capital's business model and how fund of funds help this kind of setup
• Different ways to approach venture investment strategies
• Mission Alignment, Impact, and how Catholic Institutions can move the needle
• Impact of technology, disruption, and ventures on consumer banking and traditional industries
• The future of business with AI and Machine Learning
• Church-related venture technologies
• Impact of recession on venture investments
• The future of venture capital Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• Connect with Tim Connors, Michael Kim, and Miguel Luina
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyjconnors
• https://www.cendanacapital.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kim-cendana-capital
• https://www.hamiltonlane.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-luina

With the dangers of inflation affecting real estate, businesses, and investments, many are looking at the macroeconomic indicators to improve the fiscal year.

The problem is that macroeconomic indicators can be tricky to follow, but today's episode has covered you.

Tom welcomes Jack Brennan and Ted Disabato to talk about the challenging period of time in the markets as well as the two key issues that committees and staff are dealing with. They share what the value of diversification is and diversification as a secular matter. Additionally, Jack and Ted describe how optimizing your exposure to the equity market works and how you can start using treasury today.

Highlights

• The guests for today's episode
• What challenges are they hearing and seeing through this challenging period of time in the markets?
• The two key issues that committees and staff are dealing with
• The value of diversification
• Diversification as a secular matter
• The three ways of using treasury today
• Why are private equities better when making investments
• How optimizing your exposure to the equity market works Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• Connect with the Guests
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPJ7SF7eRY8

With the different problems and difficulties that the world is facing now, it is important to have organizations, like NGOs, that can make the planet a better place to live.

For today's episode, the Catholic Investment Services podcast and Dan Coyne welcome Sister Mary Louise Stubbs and Kathleen Bissa of the Daughters of Charity International Project Services to talk more about what their organization is, what their goals and missions are, and the projects that they have. They also share what the impact of the organizations have and why it is different from other NGOs. Sister Mary Louise and Kathleen give a run-through of how the process is: Starting from receiving the donations, planning and implementing, and choosing which project to use the funds for, and how you can be a part of the solution to make a difference in someone's life.

Highlights

• Who the guests for today are
• Who are the Daughters of Charity International Project Services?
• What the International Project Services or IPS is
• What the history and mission of IPS are and how they've developed
• What the impact that IPS has: What are the different programs that they have
• How the Daughters of Charity is different from other organizations
• Where does the funding come from
• What the process of donation distribution is
• How does the organization prioritize which country and what project to work on
• How the sister works with the local governments and collaborators
• What they want people to remember about IPS
• The different sustainable enterprises, transformed from the donations to achieving break-even or profit for the organization
• If a project is turned down, where does it go from there? Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• Connect with the guests
• https://www.daughtersips.org/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-bissa-56a82b58

November's release of the USCCB's revised socially responsible investing guidelines has Catholic fiduciaries wondering: What's changed? And, how should we adapt to this new guidance? Exploring these questions is the focus of the second webinar in our new series, which emphasizes principles of mission-aligned investment programs for Catholic institutions. The webinar brings forth ideas for implementing the USCCB guidelines in institutional portfolios, and dispelling certain performance myths about Catholic-aligned portfolios. This webinar features: Scott Malpass, CIS Co-Founder & Board Chair and retired CIO of the University of Notre Dame; Steve Schott, Principal and Senior Director, Institutional Religious Retirement and Foundation Services, CapTrust; and Bernard Brenninkmeijer, Executive Director of Constanter Philanthropic Services, Chairman of Porticus North America Foundation and Board member of FADICA.

Highlights

• The guests for today's show: Who are they?
• The newest guidelines when it comes to gathering data and implementation
• How the guests are allocating the assets as a Catholic fiduciary
• The difference between the US and European guidelines
• What the IOR or the Vatican bank is and their policies
• What has changed with the newly revised USCCB guidelines
• Practitioner's approach in starting investing
• What giving up on returns mean and how it can impact investing
• Advice to investors who want to invest in climate change related projects
• The rate of return on projects from non-profit organizations
• Is it better to be a shareholder and influence the actions of an organization rather than not owning a stock? Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/

Few institutions are as distinctive in their history and objectives as the Custody of the Holy Land. For over 800 years, the Franciscan Friars of the Custody have been entrusted by the Holy See with the preservation of the great shrines of the Latin church in the Middle East, serving both pilgrims to the Holy Land and local Christian communities. Their mission, as various Popes have emphasized, is to ensure that the places of Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension remain centers of spirituality that hand on the evangelical message and nurture the piety of the faithful. This webinar features Father David Grenier, OFM, and Father David Wathen, OFM, joining in dialogue with Paul Schott Stevens, Trustee, Catholic Investment Services, to explore the work of the Custody today and the unique challenges it faces in the Middle East.

Highlights

• Introduction: Who the guests of the show are
• The three reasons why the pope are welcoming pilgrims
• The custody of the Holy Land is divided into 11 countries
• Helping make the economy run and founding a center to help the kids, regardless of their religion
• Describing the Pilgrim experience
• Who is Father Godfrey Schilling?
• The campaigns to promote their mission and the Holy Land.
• What moved them to pursue their pilgrim journey through life to the Lord
• The current challenges that the custody is facing
• The Garden Guild and the Beekeepers
• Is it safe to go on a Pilgrimage amidst the pandemic? Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• Connect with the Guests
• Home - Catholic Investment Services
• CIS Institute - Catholic Investment Services
• Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America

When deciding for the school or committee board of members, who's an ideal board member?

In today's episode, Tom Lanctot and Paul Stevens are joined by Frank Persico to talk about the board and the board members that compose it. They discuss the big difference between a board and the leaders of the school versus the people who are managing it. They also differentiate the roles of an executive board member and a non-executive one. Frank, Paul, and Tom take a deep dive as to what makes a good committee chair and who the ideal board members are.

Highlights

• What is the big difference between a board and the leaders of the school versus the management
• What the roles of executive and non-executive board members are
• How a charter can make a board successful
• What makes a good committee chair
• As an advancement committee, what are the things that you should do to excite, energize, and keep the people involved who are on our committee
• How is term limit different from a staggered term
• Who the ideal board members are Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• Connect with Frank G. Persico
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-persico-00979391
• https://partnersinmission.com/

This webinar represents the second in a new series that explores the innovations of Catholic nonprofits as they advance their missions around the world.

In this episode, Jennifer Poidatz and James Bond of the Catholic Relief Services join Paul Schott Stevens, CIS trustee & former CEO of the ICI, for a dynamic conversation about their work and how CRS has advanced its mission over 75 years while continuing to express Catholic Social Teaching in the organization's identity.

Highlights

• Who are the guests for today? - 0:52
• How they are personally withdrawn in CRS and its work - 3:27
• CRS's organizational history and evolution: Tracing the historic development over the time that it has been a part of the American Catholic world. - 5:33
• Budget and sources of revenues. - 7:50
• How does CRS build and develop partnerships? - 9:54
• Distinguishing CRS as a relief organization. - 11:40
• Responding to a protracted crisis. - 15:56
• How do you measure impact or success at CRS? - 18:33
• What has changed and what are their reflections about the people they've served? - 19:59
• Describing Catholic's identity that CRS has and how it's communicated. - 25:00
• Supporting the work of CRS and advancing its mission. - 31:18
• Can you elaborate on how CRS is using impact investing initiatives to transform your programs to investments? - 32:56
• How has climate change affected your work? - 34:41
• With the many technologies being developed now, how is CRS using technology creatively to help their clients? - 36:55
• Is CRS aligning their programs to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? - 39:24
• Working with volunteer groups. - 41:06
• What does Jennifer feel about her safety while working in challenging regions like Afghanistan? - 42:13 Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/
• https://catholicinvest.org/cis-institute/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/cis-institute/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/catholic-investment-services/
• Mission Statement

What does the investment industry look like in other countries? Is it safe to start building your portfolio even if there are different adversaries and room for improvement?

For today's episode, the Catholic Investment Services podcast welcomes Evelyn Chen. Evelyn is a strong force when it comes to building and implementing investment strategies in Taiwan. She talks about the story behind her business' investment strategies and how she is still getting great opportunities, even with different adversaries. Evelyn also shares the impact of China and Taiwan in the supply chain in the United States and the hedge funds industry in her country.

Highlights

• Who the guest is for today. - 1:05
• Evelyn's fascinating background. - 3:31
• What prompted her to come to the United States for graduate school? - 5:58
• The short story behind her business' investment strategies. - 9:03
• Is she still getting great opportunities even with different adversaries? - 11:19
• The Taiwanese market. - 13:30
• Coming up with the decision of becoming a "next-based company". - 16:49
• The journey of their capital investment strategies. - 18:44 China and Taiwan's impact on the supply chain in the States. - 21:15
• What are the exposures she has in her industry? - 24:01
• The usual names in her portfolio. - 26:44
• The capacity in her funds and how inflation in the United States affected her business. - 27:14
• Is Taiwan affected by water and electricity shortages, especially in the semiconductor industry? - 29:14
• How crowded is the hedge funds industry in Taiwan? - 29:55 Episode Resources
• Connect with Catholic Investment Services
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/
• https://catholicinvest.org/about-us/#board-of-trustees
• https://catholicinvest.org/contact-us/
• Connect with Evelyn Chen
• https://www.gaamhk.com/