Take Action! Boston

September 15-17, 2010

Early Bird Registration Opens April 19, 2010.

We are delighted to announce that Take Action! is going national! Due to the resounding success of our last event and the conference series, a number of our past participants invited us to Boston to further catalyze investors on the East Coast.

It is our first East Coast event and our fourth consecutive year of events focusing exclusively on investments that generate premium- or market-rate investments while creating social and environmental value.

Join industry leaders and trustees, CFOs and investment staff of foundations, family offices, pension funds and corporations for intimate and proactive peer conversations.  Leading practitioners and global financial experts share their candid experiences, and engage in pointed conversations about the unresolved and debated issues and potential evolution of impact investing.

Over the past three years, the Take Action! Impact Investing Conference Series has established itself as the premier venue in the United States for intimate and proactive peer conversations with professional decision-makers and institutional asset managers on impact investing. Impact investments seek to generate financial returns while also creating social and environmental value across all asset classes.  This conference series is the only one in the United States that focuses on premium and market-rate returns.

Now in our fourth year, we have accepted a warm invitation to expand nationally to Boston. This by-invitation-only gathering brings together global financial experts, industry leaders and decision-makers – both experienced practitioners and those newly entering the impact investing arena. We engage in pointed discussions about the unresolved and debated issues and potential evolution of impact investing. These conversations are geared for trustees, CEOs, CFOs and investment staff of foundations, family offices, major pension funds and corporations, who manage a minimum of $10M in assets. Last year, participants represented $2.4 trillion of investment capital.

Far from a “kumbayah” conference, participants are expected to bring their hard questions and candid experiences. Our goal is to enable constructive, intensely useful dialogues about opportunities and challenges as this field evolves.

We are honored to host a sneak peek of Harmony, A Movie inspired and narrated by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The film captures The Prince of Wales’ view that people have lost the understanding of how to live in harmony with the natural world and with each other. It features business and environmental leaders working for a better balance. While The Prince of Wales is one of the most recognized individuals in the world, many are unaware of his work as an environmentalist, including urging the P8 – the largest pension funds in the world – to make sustainable investments.

Harmony is produced and directed by Julie Bergman Sender and Stuart Sender, award winning filmmakers with Academy Award and Directors Guild nominations, respectively, to their credit. We are delighted that the Senders will be present to introduce the film clip and that they are creating a customized clip for the Take Action! community. You may also click here for the public film clip and here for more information.

For the better part of three decades, The Prince of Wales has worked side by side with a surprising and dynamic array of environmental activists, business leaders, artists, architects and government leaders on organic farming, sustainable building and corporate social responsibility.

Time recently included the Prince of Wales as and leader and visionary on their list of “Heroes of the Environment.” Vanity Fair’s environmental issue named him “The Example” for his work on climate change. Harmony will be aired in November 2010, as part of NBC Universal's fourth annual week of programming promoting green lifestyles.

Take Action! Boston aims to provide the following to participants:

• An overview of current financial trends;
• Strategies for allocating sensibly to impact investing;
• Current best thinking of measurement of social and environmental impact;
• A sample of premium investment opportunities across asset classes; and,
• Most importantly, a chance for participants to name their next steps and Take Action!

For the full Agenda, please click here.

As a brief overview,

Dinner on Wednesday, September 15 is the opportunity for the Take Action! community to meet each other, explore what has happened during the past year – both individually and as a global community – and, explore each participant’s goals for attending the Conference.

Thursday, September 16 presents big ideas and case studies by leading practitioners.

Friday, September 17 is a day for participants to Take Action!

Topics include:
• Natural Resources - The Root of the Global Economy
• Articulating Mission & Values and Creating Investment Themes
• Defining Impact & Developing an Impact Policy Statement
• Achieving Buy-In
• Metrics & Measurement
• Maximizing Impact: Combining Market-Rate Investments with Program Related Investments and Grants
• Unintended Consequences of Impact Investments
• Environment/Climate Change: Two Portfolios
• Poverty Alleviation: Two Portfolios

What Do You Want To Talk About?

What answers do you need to move forward?

Take Action! aims to provide the most relevant content for impact investors seeking premium- and market-rate returns. From our past 3 years of experience, the most appropriate content comes at the suggestion of current practitioners and potential participants. Please click here to share your ideas for Take Action! Boston topics and speakers. Your input is valued!