Charity SRI website launched to boost charity ethical investment
EIRIS Foundation/UKSIF | Foundation
| Date | Sep 26, 2007 |
| Contact | Sam Collin |
| Telephone | 020 7840 5738 |
| sam.collin@eiris.org | |
| Website Link | www.charitysri.org |
Press Release
Charitysri.org - launched to boost the number of charities investing ethically in the UK - is now live.
http://www.charitysri.org has been developed by the EIRIS Foundation and the UK Social Investment Forum (UKSIF) as a free online resource to address the disparity which exists between those charities who express an interest in investing their money ethically and those actually doing it.
The website provides clear, accessible and comprehensive information on why and how to invest ethically – providing simple step-by-step guidance on the approaches, issues and options available, including:
• how to adopt ethical or socially responsible investment (SRI)
• social, environmental and ethical issues
• the kinds of investments available
• the legal context
• financial performance
• information on responsible investment products and services
Charitysri.org also includes a section for service providers to explain the benefits of providing SRI products and services for charities to encourage more of them to do so. It also has tips and guidance for financial advisers to help them offer ethical investment advice to charities.
The website also includes a section for charity supporters to help them learn more about ethical investment and encourage the charity they support to adopt SRI.
Alastair Hanton, Chair of the EIRIS Foundation, said: “Recent research by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Charities Aid Foundation highlights that interest in ethical investment is growing within the charity sector. But a lack of awareness and understanding means that many charities are failing to ensure that their investments complement rather than counter their work. In addressing these barriers we hope that Charitysri.org will get many more charities to incorporate ethical issues within their financial planning.”
“Charitysri.org is an exciting new online resource - packed full of useful tools, information and practical advice to help charities of all sizes understand how to incorporate charitable concerns within investments” said Penny Shepherd MBE, UKSIF Chief Executive. “The website will provide charities with all they need to better understand how socially responsible investment can help to further their work and positively influence corporate behaviour” she continued.
Graham Collins, Sustainable Funding Project Manager at NCVO, said “Charitysri.org is just what the sector has been waiting for. I welcome the launch of this new tool which enables charities and their trustees to find appropriate and relevant guidance on ethical investment. I believe this will help trustees to strengthen their organisations. This can only help strengthen the role of the voluntary and community sector in building a fairer society.”
Press contacts:
Sam Collin, EIRIS/UKSIF Charity Project, 020 7840 5738
Mark Robertson, EIRIS, 020 7840 5741, 07950 931313
Notes to editors:
1. Charitysri.org (http://www.charitysri.org) has been developed by the EIRIS/UKSIF Charity Project. The project was created in 2004 to promote awareness of Responsible Investment within the charity sector and to provide assistance to charities who are considering adopting a Responsible Investment approach. It is a joint initiative between the EIRIS Foundation and UKSIF. An UKSIF-led advisory group meets quarterly to provide strategic direction to the project.
2. The EIRIS Foundation is a charity set up in 1983. Ethical Investment Research Services (EIRIS) Ltd, a subsidiary company of the Foundation, provides the independent research into corporate social, environmental and ethical performance that is needed by investors to make informed and responsible investment decisions as well as by charities wishing to screen their donors or suppliers. http://www.eiris.org
3. The UK Social Investment Forum (UKSIF) is the membership network for sustainable and responsible financial services. It promotes responsible investment and other forms of finance that support sustainable economic development, enhance quality of life and safeguard the environment. It also seeks to ensure that individual and institutional investors can reflect their values in their investments. UKSIF was launched in 1991 to bring together the different strands of sustainable and responsible financial services within the UK and to act as a focus and voice for the industry. Its 200+ members and affiliates include charities and charitable foundations, pension funds, investment consultants, financial advisers, investment institutions, banks and building societies and socially responsible investment (SRI) research providers. http://www.uksif.org
4. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has a growing membership of over 5,400 voluntary organisations, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer bureaux, and development agencies working at a local level.