Charity investments are increasingly under scrutiny. Tim Smedley asks whether it is ok to take risks if the financial return is greater
Charities have become hyper-sensitive about how they invest their money of late. Scandals involving Comic Relief and the Church Commissioners prompted equal measures of soul-searching and public flagellation. The chair of Acevo’s Commission on Ethical and Responsible Investments judged last year that “we have a natural tendency to think that those who manage our charitable assets do so with some diligence” and we are “rightly outraged when those we have trusted in this way fall some way short.”
However, in times when many charities are struggling to survive, is there anything wrong in investing for financial return (even if that means in tobacco and arms firms)?
Related: Ethical investment: can you ever get it completely right?
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Related: Five things charities need to know about ethical investment
Related: Why don’t all charities bank ethically?
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SOURCE: Investment funds | The Guardian – Read entire story here.
