Invest for Better is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gives women the confidence, skills, and encouragement they need to take control of their assets and use them to influence things they care about. We inspire women to harness the power of our wealth around a different approach to investing—an approach that is in alignment with who we are as women.
Invest for Better (IFB) women are emboldened to take action with our money because we participate in peer-led investing circles, are part of a trusted investing community, and learn a practical values-aligned investing curriculum that fosters confidence and growth.
The IFB community is driving a movement that brings women together as a powerful collective force that has the courage to do things differently. Together, we are finding joy and getting great returns while investing in a better world.
We invite you to partner with us as we build and grow this platform for action.
At Invest for Better we are inviting women to be part of a movement that is helping to demystify investing so we can take control of our capital and mobilize our money for good. Watch this video to get the whole story.
How you can get involved
Meet the Team
Janine Firpo
Co-Founder
About Janine
Janine Firpo is a values-aligned investor, angel investor, and social innovator. In 2017 she left her 35-year career in technology and international development to focus on how women can create a more just and equitable society through their financial investments. In 2018 Janine launched a club to help women invest all their assets – from cash to public equities to private investments – in ways that align with their values. She is the author of Activate Your Money.
Ellen Remmer
Co-Founder
About Ellen
Ellen Remmer is Co-Founder of Invest for Better and a champion for impact investing, philanthropy and social change. She launched Invest for Better with Co-Founder Janine Firpo in 2021, after incubating it at The Philanthropic Initiative, where she is a Senior Partner and served as President & CEO from 2006-2011. Ellen is also the President of the Remmer Family Foundation, on the Board of Prosperity Catalyst and the Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and a member of the Oxfam Leadership Council.
Jasmine Tanguay
Program Manager
About Jasmine
Jasmine joined Invest for Better in early 2020 and currently serves as Program Manager. She has led pioneering initiatives at nonprofits and social enterprises for more than 20 years. Previously she was Managing Director at CLF Ventures, innovating at the intersection of markets, communities and the environment. She has a passion for engaging individuals, families, and organizations to align their present impact and future legacy with their core values. Jasmine believes that through values-aligned decisions at all stages of life, women can lead the way toward a vibrant future for our loved ones, our communities, and our planet.
Noemi Sealana
Operations Assistant
About Noemi
Noemi Sealana graduated Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the Holy Cross of Davao College in Davao City, Philippines. She is also an undergraduate of Juris Doctor – Non-thesis program (Bachelor of Laws) at Jose Maria College in the same city. She believes in women’s empowerment, leadership, and gender equality. She’s passionate about keeping things organized and making a significant change through taking small, repeated actions every single day. It is her goal to grow with Invest for Better as an organization and a community.
Steering Committee
Melanie Audette
Senior Vice President
Mission Investors Exchange
About Melanie
Melanie Audette is the Senior Vice President at Mission Investors Exchange, a national membership network for foundations building and growing their impact investing programs. She works with members to identify and drive additional resources towards innovative impact investing opportunities, facilitates partnerships across the sector, and represents the impact investing network. Melanie began her career as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service and subsequently managed family offices and a private foundation. She has deep experience in the nonprofit sector, having been in leadership roles in four membership associations and nine nonprofit organizations. She is based in Seattle, WA.
Emily Fan
Deputy General Counsel
The Packard Foundation
About Emily
Emily Fan serves as Deputy General Counsel to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation where she supports the mission investing program. Emily has spent her career in the social impact space, advising organizations focused on global poverty alleviation. She also serves on the board for EverFree which supports women to achieve economic security and freedom and volunteers with a local gardening group.
Phillip Wm. Fisher
Founder
Mission Throttle
About Phillip
Founder of Mission Throttle, Phillip Wm. Fisher is leading culture change to accelerate the evolution of philanthropy through innovation. As a capitalist and philanthropist, he is leading sustainable strategies to connect, collaborate and deploy effective market-driven solutions to accelerate social capital, human resources, and community impact.
Phillip serves as Board Chairman of The Fisher Group, Board and Executive Committee member for the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, board member of Starfish Family Services, and Steering Committee member of Invest for Better amongst others. He is Chair Emeritus of the Fisher Foundation and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Sarah Gelfand
Managing Director
BlueMark
About Sarah
Sarah Gelfand is one of the impact investing market’s early pioneers. She was a founding Director at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), where she led development of the industry’s leading system for measuring and managing impact (IRIS+). Currently, as Managing Director of BlueMark – a provider of impact verification services – Sarah co-leads business strategy, business and product development, and supports the firm’s engagement with various market-building and standard-setting initiatives. Sarah also previously served as Vice President of Social Impact Programs at Fidelity Charitable, where she launched several new impact investing offerings for retail clients and led a grant-making initiative for the Board of Trustees.
Sonali Kothari
CEO
Kothari Leadership Enterprise
About Sonali
Sonali is the Chief Engagement Officer of Kothari Leadership Enterprises Inc,. an executive advisory firm that partners with leaders and companies to grow through their EQ+Execution™ approach. Sonali was COO of JFFLabs, a nonprofit innovation lab for education and workforce, growing it to a budget of $5.5 M and 14 FTE with 5 business lines including corporate advising, startup acceleration and investment. She spent 7 years with Kiva.org, including as COO & CPO as the online crowdfunding platform hit $1 Billion in loans worldwide during her tenure. Her cross-sector technology experience includes Say Media, Google, Accenture, Americorps and Autobytel combined with 10 years and Board Chair with the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. Sonali’s favorite colors are UC Berkeley’s Blue and Gold, and she completed her MBA at UCLA Anderson.
Leslie Lee
VP of Brand & Customer Engagement
Atlassian
About Leslie
Leslie is the VP of Brand & Customer Engagement at Atlassian, leading a team of 65+ across Global Events & Field Marketing, Community, Brand, Creative and Editorial. Leslie has 20+ years of B2B and B2C marketing experience in Enterprise Software and Financial Services, with experience at early stage start-ups through IPO and then at scale with several thousand employees.
Gillian Marcelle, PhD
CEO and Founder
Resilience Capital Ventures
About Gillian
Gillian Marcelle, PhD leads Resilience Capital Ventures LLC, a boutique capital advisory practice specializing in blended finance. She has a proven track record in attracting investment and focuses on telecoms, fintech, renewable energy and regenerative agriculture. Her specialty is the design and implementation of blended finance strategies that often involve partnerships, ecosystem strengthening and designing architectures for transformational change. Dr Marcelle developed the Triple B Framework to improve flows and allocation of capital in its multiple forms; this provides a platform for engaging in the finance and investment world, where her contributions and perspectives on diversity, inclusion, accountability and alignment with the SDGs are becoming influential. Her international public service includes appointments with the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, Global Future Council on SynBio.
Kathleen McQuiggan
Women & Wealth Advisor
Artemis Financial Advisors
About Kathleen
Kathleen McQuiggan is a passionate invest in women advocate and Partner at Artemis Financial Advisors. For over three decades, she has worked in Financial Services industry advising investors and helping clients at Goldman Sachs, Pax World Management, Alex. Brown, and her own consulting practice, Catalina Leadership. Kathleen currently serves as Vice-Chair and Fund Development Chair for Forte Foundation and is also co-chair of Women Working for Oceans. She also serves on the investment committee of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the investment advisory council of The Association for the Relief of Aged Women of New Bedford, and the advisory council of Invest For Better.
Rehana Nathoo
Founder and CEO
Spectrum Impact
About Rehana
Rehana is the Founder and CEO of Spectrum Impact, a strategy consulting firm that supports a range of organizations looking to expand their impact investing footprint.
Previously, Rehana led the Impact Investing program at the Case Foundation, helped design the Bank of New York Mellon’s Social Finance program and pilot impact investment fund, helped lead the Rockefeller Foundation’s impact investing grantmaking program, and supported partnerships at the UN Capital Development Fund.
Rehana serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor within Georgetown University’s Global Human Development Program, teaching on Impact Investing and Social Finance in emerging markets.
Jennifer Oertel
Expert in Resident
Council of Michigan Foundations
About Jennifer
Jennifer Oertel provides strategic business advice and practical legal guidance to a broad range of clients, from social enterprises and tax-exempt organizations to donors and impact investors. Leveraging her background in corporate and securities law, nonprofit management, and social work, she offers a unique perspective to her clients. A recognized authority on tax-exempt organizations law, Jennifer is the Co-Chair of the Nonprofit Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan which reviews and updates the state law that governs nonprofit corporations. She is also the first-ever Expert in Residence for Impact Investing for the Council of Michigan Foundations, working to further build and support Michigan’s impact investing ecosystem. Jennifer is frequently asked to write articles and to speak on impact investing and philanthropy, as well as to judge social enterprise business plan competitions. She is the mother of 4 children and serves on the boards of several philanthropic organizations in her personal time.
Our Supporters
Companies and Organizations
Yagan Family Founation
Individuals
Geeta Aiyer
Melanie Audette
Amy Brakeman
Susan Clare
Fine Fund
Janine Firpo
Deb Fischer
Betsy Fleming
Eileen Freiburger
Maria Jobin-Leeds
Pam Kohlberg
Kathleen McQuiggan
Andrea Turner Moffitt
Alison Pyott
Ellen Remmer
Lisa Renstrom
Dune Thorne
Our Partners
Donate to support the movement
We invite you to make a 100% tax-deductible contribution to build the Invest for Better movement and help give all women, regardless of financial status, the tools and knowledge they need to take control of their money and invest in a better world. We keep our membership fees extremely low to ensure that we are accessible to all and rely on donations for scholarships and other support.
