You've heard of socially responsible investing but did you know you can align your values with your investments to advance women?

Thanks to everyone who joined us for a first of its kind educational event with national leaders of the Gender Lens Investing movement. We hope you learned new strategies for using a gender lens to create impact with your philanthropic and investment dollars.

Be inspired

As you learn all the ways you can position assets to promote workplace equity and women’s access to capital

Make a commitment

To drive assets to companies with women on their boards and management teams; to women-owned businesses; to foundations that use a gender lens for their investments

Get excited

About shareholder advocacy and purchasing power as tools to achieve gender balance

Convince

The wealth management industry that investing in women
is good business

Advocate

For a more equitable world!

SPEAKERS

plus

Joe Keefe

PAX World Funds

plus

Jackie VanderBrug

U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management

plus

Donna Evans

Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce

plus

Kathleen McQuiggan

PAX World Fund

plus

Dr. Stephanie Gripne

Impact Finance Center

plus

Patricia Foley Hinnen

Capital Sisters International

plus

Jo Lynne Whiting

Beyond Our Borders

plus

Brook Eddy

Bhakti Chai

plus

Lauren Y. Casteel

The Women's Foundation of Colorado

plus

Jennifer Pryce

Calvert Foundation

plus

Justin Conway

Calvert Foundation

plus

Patricia Farrar-Rivas

Veris Wealth Partners

plus

Marilyn Manila

Community Development Group

plus

Debbie Huttner

Colorado Capital Management

plus

Praful Shah

Angel Investor

plus

Jacki Zehner

The Jacquelyn and Gregory Zehner Foundation

plus

Dan Osusky

B Lab

plus

Kate Lyda

The Denver Foundation

plus

Kaylene Alvarez

Athena Global Alliance

plus

Nicole Casanova

Casanova Ventures

PROGRAM

Registration

30 Minutes

Denver Country Club

About

Registration will begin promptly at 8:30am. Please plan to arrive no later than 8:45am to help us ensure an on time start to the day.

Jackie Vanderbrug

Gender Lens Investing 101 – Mapping the Landscape with Jackie Vanderbrug

60 Minutes

Denver Country Club

About Jackie Vanderbrug

Jackie VanderBrug is a senior vice president within Global Portfolio Solutions & Institutional Investments at U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management.

Gender Lens Investing Table Topics

  • Shareholder Advocacy
    • Kathleen McQuiggan, SVP @ PAX World Funds
    • Claudine Schneider, President @ Claudine, Inc.
  • Research & Policy Supporting Gender Equity
    • Frankki Bevans, Associates Principal @ McKinsey & Company
  • Millennial Woman Entrepreneurs
    • Lizelle Van Vuuren, Founder @ Women Who Startup
    • Kelly Purdy, Philanthropic Services Director @ The Denver Foundation
  • Landscape of Gender Lens Investing Players
    • Akasha Absher, Consultant @ Syntrinsic
    • Patricia Farrar-Rivas, CEO @ Veris Wealth Management
  • International Frameworks for Women's Empowerment
    • Kaylene Alvarez, CEO @ Athena Global Alliance
    • Betsy McKinney, Founder @ It's Time
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • George Deriso, University of Colorado Leeds School of Business
    • Caroline Turner, Principal @ Difference Works
  • Grassroots Web-based Initiatives
    • Amy-Willard Cross, Co-Founder @ Buy Up
    • Patricia Rogers, Attorney @ Moye White

45 Minutes

Denver Country Club

About

Select 1 Table Topic

Panelists

Lunch Keynote by Joseph Keefe with Panel of Women Pioneers

This lunch time session will inspire everyone with the story about how a group of really visionary people created a movement, and remind each of us about why we are part of the solution. It is a privilege to welcome and celebrate the Pioneers who were instrumental in building the field of Gender Lens Investing. The definition of Pioneer is “one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress” and every one of our speakers fits that definition. You will hear the real story of how they built the foundation of this movement, including their ‘ah ha!’ moment. What were they thinking?! You will learn about their joys and challenges along the way, and get a glimpse of the future (and the afternoon sessions!). These leaders will invite you to help build the movement as they inspire you to invest in women and girls for a better world.

1 Hour 15 Minutes

Denver Country Club

About Panelists

Jackie Vanderbrug, US Trust
Jennifer Pryce, Calvert Foundation
Jacki Zehner, The Jacquelyn and Gregory Zehner Foundation

Afternoon Workshops

Afternoon Workshops

See Afternoon Workshops tab above (at the top of the program section) for more information.

2 hours

Denver Country Club

About Afternoon Workshops

Please select the two workshops you'd like to attend on your registration form, 45 min each

Networking Reception (optional)

60 Minutes

Denver Country Club

About

Everyone is invited to stay and mingle with the other participants, speakers and sponsors.

Adjourn

45 Minutes

Denver Country Club

About

Thanks for joining us!

Investment Products Panel

Investment Products Panel

So you’d like to invest with a gender lens but how do you get started? What are the available investment products and strategies that are currently being implemented? Learn about customized portfolios (equities and debt), equity funds (e.g. Pax Ellevate) and debt instruments. You’ll see that companies with women in leadership (management and board level) and strong workplace equity can generate competitive returns on investment to dispel the myth that investors whose portfolios are constructed with a gender lens are going to sacrifice performance and returns.  

45mins

Denver Country Club

About Investment Products Panel

Panel Details

Moderator: Debbie Huttner, Colorado Capital Management
Panelist: Jackie Vanderbrug, US Trust
Panelist: Kathleen McQuiggan, PAX World Investments
Panelist: Patricia Farrar-Rivas, CEO Veris Wealth Management

Workplace Equity

Workplace Equity

How can your investing encourage companies to build momentum for equality of women in executive ranks, on Board of Directors, in the supply chain and in family friendly policies—and produce attractive financial returns?  Come learn how the Thirty Percent Coalition is working to have 30% women on boards of directors and where Colorado stands compared to that goal. Learn about the criteria B Corporations use for screening companies doing a good job including women.

45mins

Denver Country Club

About Workplace Equity

Panel Details

Moderator: Jo Lynne Whiting, Chair of Beyond Our Borders
Panelist: Joseph Keefe, Member of the Thirty Percent Coalition, CEO of PAX World Investments
Panelist: Donna Evans, President and CEO of Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Panelist: Dan Osusky, Standards Development Manager at B Labs

Access to Venture Capital

Access to Venture Capital

While about half of small businesses in the world are founded by women, only a fraction of VC-backed startups are run by - or funded by - women. How can women entrepreneurs earn and invest their fair share of venture capital? Learn from a successful venture capitalist who invests in women as well as men. Learn about a woman entrepreneur who has benefitted from venture capital, and a woman who has been on both sides of the table. Healthy financial performance and positive social change are inherently connected.

45mins

Denver Country Club

About Access to Venture Capital

Panel Details

Moderator: Nicole Casanova, CEO Casanova Ventures
Panelist: Praful Shah, Investor
Panelist: Brook Eddy, CEO of Bhakti Chai
Panelist: Kaylene Alvarez, CEO, Athena Global Alliance

Access to Capital for the Financially Excluded

Access to Capital for the Financially Excluded

Would you like to help women make a living in the developing world where a majority live on less than $2 per day? Or help underserved U.S. individuals or organizations tap Debt Markets? Learn about Impact Bonds and Community Development Notes where you earn a fixed financial return while also generating measurable social returns on your investments. Learn about your options in supporting nonprofits, micro finance institutions, social enterprises, and loan funds that benefit communities in the U.S. and around the world.  Whether you seek to have a "social" return or both a social and financial return, there are a variety of options available. Hear about investment opportunities and success stories.  

45mins

Denver Country Club

About Access to Capital for the Financially Excluded

Panel Details

Moderator: Justin Conway, Calvert Foundation
Panelist: Jennifer Pryce, CEO Calvert Foundation
Panelist: Patricia Foley Hinnen, CEO Capital Sisters International
Panelist: Marilyn Manila, The Center for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Philippines

Foundations

Foundations

Foundations in Colorado, and philanthropic advisors, are leaders in innovation when it comes to impact investing. Learn how foundations can vastly multiply their impact if their endowment assets are put to use to further their vision. What role can donors, the financial sector, and all of us play, to encourage philanthropy’s progress in this area? And how can gender lens investment enhance both progress for women and the endowment bottom line.  

45mins

Denver Country Club

About Foundations

Panel Details

Moderator: Lauren Casteel, President & CEO Women's Foundation
Panelist: Jacki Zehner, President Women Moving Millions
Panelist: Dr. Stephanie Gripne, Impact Finance Center
Panelist: Kate Lyda, TheDenver Foundation

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Patricia Cooper, Patricia Foley Hinnen, Helen Gair, Rhondda Grant, Laurie Hirschfield Zeller, Alexis Newton and Jo Lynne Whiting

COMMITMENTS TO ACTION

  • Speak to my financial planner
  • Make at least one ESG Investment this year
  • Educate myself on companies I support regarding the diversity of their leadership
  • Find out if the companies I hire have women in leadership positions
  • Invest in companies and funds with a gender lens
  • Inform others of the importance of gender lens investing
  • Research with my high school daughter, non profits with youth boards for her to consider joining
  • Invest in Capital Sisters
  • Learn more about gender empowerment frameworks and how they can be incorporated into my work
  • Develop International Collaboration then fund track focused on women with Beyond our Borders
  • Build a platform for female entrepreneurs and help them launch innovative, social impacting companies with the help of EVERYONE!
  • Explore a “Collective impact Fund” to invest in / support the social impact of INPOs / INGOs working in the girls empowerment space
  • Buy PAX world Fund
  • Buy Calvert Win-Win Notes
  • Build out our investment options that include a diversity / gender lens for clients
  • Democratize impact investing, including gender lens
  • Act as the bridge between millennials and older generations to catalyze impact
  • Re-allocate my portfolios!
  • Educate the women in my community
  • Take the steps to become an accredited investor and then invest!
  • Re-evalute all our investments in liquid securities, with an explicit gender lens
  • Collaborate with the 30% coalition and utilize their strategies
  • Review / rebalance our mutual funds with a gender lens
  • Invest in a bond / note for my daughters
  • Vote my proxies with a gender lens
  • Explore with other Organizations how philanthropy $$ can better support gender lens initiatives
  • Review my own investment portfolios
  • Talk to my financial advisor again
  • Invest in gender lens funds
  • Review my current portfolio to understand impact and educate myself on investment products that can influence
  • Educate myself on the investment products my company offers related to impact / gender lens
  • Invest my own money in a micro-finance loan
  • Never stop having the conversation about the importance of investing in women
  • Buy a Calvert Foundation WINWIN note
  • Encourage a business owner I know to consider seeking capital to grow their business
  • Research companies I buy from to ensure they have workforce equity
  • Recruit investors to a coalition to talk to Colorado companies to add women to their Boards
  • Use the Buy Up App
  • Move 10% of my investments into gender lens investing opportunities
  • Convince at least one male investor to invest in a woman-led business
  • Collaborate with fellow women investors
  • Better educate myself and the men in my life about gender lens investing
  • Convince an investor to consider gender lens investing opportunities
  • Speak to my financial advisor about gender lens options
  • Find out how to receive DAF or some foundation $$ into our non-profit and receive $100k by end of January 2016
  • Hold an intro to Finance at Spiritual Center
  • Make my fifth gender lens investment
  • Re-evaluate my investment portfolio and redirect at least 50% within 6 months
  • Review the entire McKinsey Report
  • Join a corporate board
  • Open a banking account for my 3 year old daughter
  • Invest and get involved in a women owned business
  • Be a resource for gender lens grantmaking and investments for donor advised funds
  • Start educating others
  • Look into getting involved in donor circles
  • Dedicate personal investments
  • Contact companies I invest in to get more women on their boards
  • Call my financial advisor about SRI options
  • Educate my clients about ESG investing and find new clients that think like me
  • Evaluate my current investments to assess how they are currently supporting my values
  • Talk to investment manger about different language standards of evaluation for “success” of a company E.G. refining B Corps. Companies
  • Support Beyond Our Borders
  • Continue seeking more and better data sets to incorporate into my research and to share these data sets with others for the sake of collaboration
  • Interview Jackie Vanderbrug and Patricai Ferrar Rivas on impact investing
  • Learn how to leverage my personal philanthropy for greater impact
  • Follow up with Donna Evans
  • Talk to my financial advisor about investing with a gender lens
  • More thoughtfully consider the foods and products I purchase and the company’s reputation for employing women
  • Do more due diligence about companies’ environmental, social and governance standards before investing money or buying a product
  • Continue asking for statistics about women of color and transgender women in corporate leadership positions in order to increase those population in business
  • Continue to invest in women led businesses
  • Speak to my financial manager about ESG investing and ask him to add such a fund to my portfolio
  • More thoughtfully complete share-holder materials I receive
  • Educate myself re companies “walking the talk” on gender lens equity
  • Try to build a consortium of Fortune 500 companies on becoming gender enabled
  • Invest $1M in women entrepreneurs over the next 2 years
  • Explore how donor-advised funds can invest in women’s empowerment (before being donated)
  • Reassess portfolio ESG!
  • Educate men about the value of gender lens management / investment
  • Commit to investing in a women entrepreneur
  • Collaborate on investment due diligence
  • Connect with foundation and impact investors to accelerate growth. Bigger $$ means more direct impact on artisans and global communities
  • Talk with my financial advisor
  • Ask my employer about SRI 401k options
  • Talk to confluence re: social equity in environment and impact investing
  • Talk to my family about incorporating impact investing into our foundation’s work
  • Develop my knowledge base around gender lens investing
  • Move our own capital into impact with a gender lens and create more ways for others to do the same

SPONSORS

EVENT SPONSORS

WORKSHOP SPONSORS

BREAK SPONSORS

SUPPORTER

Breckenridge Capital

EVENT HOSTS

Beyond our Borders is a special interest fund at the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. The Fund is managed by a diverse group of philanthropic women with common values and purpose that fund U.S. based organizations that support international projects benefiting women and girls. Beyond Our Borders mission is to create a world where women have comprehensive human rights, are able to reach their full potential, and are equal partners in creating a world that reflects talents and contributions of all humanity.

Capital Sisters International sells bonds in order to provide destitute women with access to credit for income generating activities so they can take care of their families and live in dignity. Proceeds from the sale of their $1,000 zero-interest “Sister Bonds®” are used to provide interest-free capital to microfinance institutions that make business loans to women in developing countries. These bonds are the only gender lens investment product of their kind, created exclusively to finance women’s micro loans, and marketed to household level investors who want to help solve global poverty – and then get their money back.

EVENT CONTACT

Erin Eidsness
genderlensinvesting@gmail.com