Overview

Philanthropy has long supported women’s funds, childcare centers, girls’ education, access to reproductive health, and women’s safety. In 2009, the field of gender lens, or gender smart, investing began with the question “Can investment capital address gender equity and wellbeing?” The answer has been a resounding “Yes!!”

During this course, participants will have the opportunity to learn about the history and language used in gender lens investing. The sessions will build your confidence and understanding, and show you how to use your assets to support and uplift women and girls. You also will learn about gender smart opportunities across all asset classes. You can use this knowledge to add gender related investments to your portfolio.

The course will offer information and resources from a variety of experts to assist you in establishing action steps that will help you join scores of other women who are advancing gender goals through their investments. You will work independently and in community to explore and define your personal goals. As a participant, you will be provided the framework, resources, and tools you need to put your knowledge to work in investments that help the structural issues that have kept women and girls from reaching their full potential.

Course Structure

The Gender Smart Investing course is a 3-part series that will be supported by monthly pre-work, live facilitation, and discussions in both large and small groups.

Outcomes

By the end of the course, you will have:

• Learned about the history, language, and strategies behind gender lens investing from some of the leaders of the Gender Smart Investing movement
• Been introduced to investment products across asset classes that were designed and developed using a gender lens
• Conducted and shared research on a range of gender smart financial products
• Compared and discussed the pros and cons of different investments, enabling you to make more informed decisions
• Committed to your next steps on your gender lens investing journey

 Prerequisites & Level of Effort 

Completion of IFB’s Core Curriculum or prior experience in values-aligned investing is recommended.

Monthly Commitment: 2 – 3 hours

Monthly meetings will last 1.5 hours, with approximately 0.5 – 1.5 hours of required homework prior to each meeting. The amount of time you spend on the pre-work will depend on the depth of your research. The more effort you put in, the more you will gain.

Course Content

• Meeting 1: An Introduction to Gender Smart Investing

In the first session of this course, you will be introduced to the vocabulary, concepts and history behind gender smart investing. You will learn about six “lenses” that you can use as you consider how your money can be put to use in support of women and girls. In addition, you will be introduced to some of the women who have been leading the way in gender smart investing. During your first meeting, you will have the opportunity to work with your peers to gain clarity around what gender smart investing means to you and how you might start applying it to your portfolio. 

• Meeting 2: Gender Smart Investment Options

The second session of the course builds upon the foundational knowledge developed in the first session. Once again, you will hear directly from some of the women that have been leading the gender smart investing movement. From them, you will learn about investment opportunities in both the public and private markets. And you will be guided to a series of resources that will allow you to explore some of those investments in more detail. During your meeting you will discuss not only the investment opportunities you discovered in the homework, but also any additional information you would require and/or obstacles you would need to overcome before making an investment decision.

• Meeting 3: Gender Smart Investment Reports & Decisions

The final session of the Gender Smart Deep Dive will be a culmination of all the work that has come before. In preparation for your final meeting, you will perform due diligence on one gender smart investment that you identified, and signed up for, in the last meeting. During the meeting, participants will report on the outcome of their research and will indicate whether they think the gender smart product would be a good investment. Participants will discuss the pros and cons of the recommendations. At the conclusion of the session, participants will make a commitment for their next step(s) in their gender smart investing journey. They will choose an accountability buddy to check in with over the course of the next few months. The entire group will reconvene in 3 months to report on out on their achievements and money movements

Course Creator

Alison Pyott is a Partner and Senior Wealth Manager at Veris Wealth Partners. She is both a Certified Financial Planner™ and a Certified Private Wealth Advisor®, which is an advanced professional education and certification program for advisors who serve high-net-worth clients. Alison leads Veris’ client service strategy, manages client portfolios, and oversees the firm’s New Hampshire office. Prior to these roles, she led the Veris’ Women, Wealth and Impact strategy, co-authoring several papers on gender smart investing, including “Gender Lens Investing: Bending the Arc of Finance for Women & Girls,” which you will read in the first session of the course. Alison is an Invest for Better Pathfinder. She also serves as an advisor to the Northern New England Women Investor Network.

Course Facilitator

For the Winter 2023 course, we are thrilled to welcome seasoned IFB Circle leader and superstar “gender avenger” Tuti Scott. Building upon a 30-year career in women’s leadership, Title IX protections, and strategic philanthropy consulting with her firm Changemaker Strategies, Tuti is focused on engaging people in philanthropy and investing to activate their capital with a social justice lens via workshops, coaching, and writing. She is a life-long athlete and point guard. For 15 years, Tuti engaged thousands of activist investors at the Women’s Sports Foundation, Billie Jean King’s charity, where we raised $70 million (1994-2008) to catalyze equal access to all sports for women and girls. After growing up in rural New Hampshire and “jumping class,” Tuti hopes her story and publications inspire women to get in the game of money, influence, and power.

Meeting Dates

4pm to 5:30 pm PT / 7 pm to 8:30 pm ET

• February 22, 2023
• March 29, 2023
• April 19, 2023

Course Enrollment Includes Invest for Better Membership

• Advanced Network Building: Engage with women in our global community through our private IFB networking communications platform. Be supported as you take action moving more of your money into alignment with your values.
• Live Events and Training: We offer several live events for members each month (Activation Series speakers & Ask the Expert sessions). Check out our Events Page for what’s coming up next.
• Partner Services: Obtain discounts to partner-sponsored services, conferences, and events. Benefit from our partner, ValuesAdvisor, when you are ready to search for a values-aligned financial advisor. Receive a 50% discount on membership to the American Sustainable Business Network.
• Activate Your Money: Invest to Grow Your Wealth and Build a Better World by IFB Co-founder Janine Firpo. (Members in the US will receive the hardcover version of the book. International members will receive the e-book version.)
• Deep Dive Courses: Members can participate in 3-month courses (such as this one) that use our signature Circle format to cover advanced topics. New topics are introduced three times per year and Deep Dives are free for the duration of your Membership.

Register

Enrollment is now closed. If you have questions, please contact info@investforbetter.org. If you enrolled and are looking to access the course, click here.