Community Development Banking List
06-06-2008, 05:18 PM
Original message from: carole@endowmentethics.org
Hello everyone, please see below a Request for Proposal, issued by the
Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC), a national nonprofit that works to
foster social and environmental change and promote corporate reform through
university endowments by educating and empowering a diverse community of
university members and allies. We are seeking an individual who could work
with us in producing a Community Investment Handbook. Please see attached
RFP for details. For more information about REC, please visit our website at
www.endowmentethics.org.
Thank you, and we look forward to your response.
Carole Bernard
Responsible Endowments Coalition
Development and Communications Director
443-459-4143
Introduction
The Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC) works to foster social and
environmental change and promote corporate reform through university
endowments by educating and empowering a diverse community of university
members and allies on over 65 campuses nationwide. Colleges and universities
control over $340 billion in capital and lay claim to strong social
missions, yet few have embraced responsible investment policies. By
introducing students, alumni, faculty and staff to the tools of active
ownership, and providing a national network for collective action, REC fills
a unique niche in the corporate reform movement. By working with their
institutions to invest responsibly and proactively, students and other
university members have the power to support corporate reform in areas such
as human rights, environmental responsibility, and equal opportunity, and to
encourage accountability to the communities in which they live and learn by
supporting community development and participation.
The F.B. Heron Foundation has offered their support for the production of a
Community Investment Handbook that will serve to educate colleges and
universities on opportunities to engage in community investment. We are thus
seeking a consultant with significant experience in the community investment
field, knowledge of higher education, and familiarity with responsible
investment strategies to serve as the lead author and assist in outreach and
training related to the finished product. We would like the work completed
by August 15, 2008 in time for the upcoming academic year.
We invite any interested parties to review the project description below and
submit a proposal answering the questions on page 3 by Friday, June 13th.
Please contact Morgan Simon, Executive Director, at 415.728.4893, or
morgan@endowmentethics.org with any questions.
Project Description
Our goal is to produce a handbook book that will facilitate the
establishment of community investment policies, and catalyze the
implementation of community investment strategies in college and university
endowments. The work should situate the practical tools of community
investment within a philosophical framework of the importance of
institutions of higher education serving as good neighbors and community
members. The primary audience for the handbook is college and university
administrators and trustees who are already working on responsible
investment issues related to the endowment. Twenty-five schools in the U.S.
have Committees on Investor Responsibility, and this handbook will serve as
a technical manual for committee members interested in pursuing a community
investment strategy. Students within the REC network also will use this
handbook as a tool to engage their schools as they work with them to
encourage community investing.
We anticipate the finished product will be roughly 50 pages long (and in any
case as concise as possible), and will cover the following material:
• An introductory overview of:
o the relationship between colleges, universities and their local
communities
o the possible benefits for schools engaging in community investment,
including increased capacity to solicit alumni donations, and learning
opportunity for the college community
o the community investment movement, and the distinction between
supporting community development for local residents vs. gentrification
around colleges and universities
o the established field of community investments that yield market rates
of return
• A survey of market-rate community investment opportunities by asset
class, including discussion of how these would be integrated into a
college's portfolio
• Case studies of community investments undertaken by colleges and
universities already
• Examples of community investment opportunities by region to give
readers a better idea of the possibilities available
• A discussion of how to engage the entire campus in the process; not
just making an investment but using it to form closer relationships across
communities
• A full resource library of sample documents a school would need in
implementing a community investment program; including RFPs for both cash
and bonds, investment evaluation tools, etc.
While we would not include such materials in the handbook itself, we would
also like the consultant to support in creating a proposal for community
investment that would serve as a template for students submitting the
handbook to their administration.
We imagine that in the process of researching case studies and background
materials, the consultant will come in contact with a number of faculty and
administration members of schools that have served as leaders in the
community investment movement. We would expect the consultant to take this
opportunity to educate these constituents about REC's work, and ways that
they will be able to use the completed resource.
Finally, during the week of August 3-8 the consultant will be asked to
provide a phone training on the handbook for REC staff to ensure that
organizers disseminating the handbook are well prepared to discuss and
implement the opportunities discussed within.
Resources available:
The consultant will report directly to the Organizing Director of REC on a
weekly phone call, and have access to all REC staff members as needed for
questions and support. The consultant also will work with REC's
Communications Director and the designer of her choosing on layout and
format. Additional staff and board members will provide feedback as
appropriate and with the discretion of the Organizing Director and
consultant.
The Responsible Endowments Coalition has contracted a student researcher for
the summer who can assist in simple research and writing tasks, such as
writing case studies on CDFIs, compiling research on town-gown
relationships, etc. The consultant will be offered at least 20 hours of such
research support if desired, with specific tasks to be negotiated in
consultation with research staff and the Organizing Director.
REC would like to pay $10,000 for this product, though is open to
alternative proposals. If you are interested in pursuing this contract,
please fill out the form below or contact Carole Bernard at
carole@endowmentethics.org or at 443-459-4143 for a hard copy to be emailed
to you.
Community Investment Handbook
Contractor Proposal
Name: Phone:
Email:
Current Position/Name of Consulting
Firm:
Please answer the following questions in no more than 3 pages.
1. Why are you personally interested in this project? What do you
perceive as its value?
2. Please note any relevant experience in community investment, community
development, working with institutions of higher education, student
organizing, or responsible investment, among any other experience that you
would perceive as relevant to this project.
3. Please provide a draft work plan with specific deadlines for each
phase of the project.
4. How would you use the process of writing the report as a way of
supporting outreach to college communities, in addition to community
investment allies, to educate them about REC?
5. What would you expect to be the most challenging aspect of this
project, and how would you address it?
Please attach a CV with references and writing sample of 10 pages or less,
then send all materials to morgan@endowmentethics.org. Thank you!
Hello everyone, please see below a Request for Proposal, issued by the
Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC), a national nonprofit that works to
foster social and environmental change and promote corporate reform through
university endowments by educating and empowering a diverse community of
university members and allies. We are seeking an individual who could work
with us in producing a Community Investment Handbook. Please see attached
RFP for details. For more information about REC, please visit our website at
www.endowmentethics.org.
Thank you, and we look forward to your response.
Carole Bernard
Responsible Endowments Coalition
Development and Communications Director
443-459-4143
Introduction
The Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC) works to foster social and
environmental change and promote corporate reform through university
endowments by educating and empowering a diverse community of university
members and allies on over 65 campuses nationwide. Colleges and universities
control over $340 billion in capital and lay claim to strong social
missions, yet few have embraced responsible investment policies. By
introducing students, alumni, faculty and staff to the tools of active
ownership, and providing a national network for collective action, REC fills
a unique niche in the corporate reform movement. By working with their
institutions to invest responsibly and proactively, students and other
university members have the power to support corporate reform in areas such
as human rights, environmental responsibility, and equal opportunity, and to
encourage accountability to the communities in which they live and learn by
supporting community development and participation.
The F.B. Heron Foundation has offered their support for the production of a
Community Investment Handbook that will serve to educate colleges and
universities on opportunities to engage in community investment. We are thus
seeking a consultant with significant experience in the community investment
field, knowledge of higher education, and familiarity with responsible
investment strategies to serve as the lead author and assist in outreach and
training related to the finished product. We would like the work completed
by August 15, 2008 in time for the upcoming academic year.
We invite any interested parties to review the project description below and
submit a proposal answering the questions on page 3 by Friday, June 13th.
Please contact Morgan Simon, Executive Director, at 415.728.4893, or
morgan@endowmentethics.org with any questions.
Project Description
Our goal is to produce a handbook book that will facilitate the
establishment of community investment policies, and catalyze the
implementation of community investment strategies in college and university
endowments. The work should situate the practical tools of community
investment within a philosophical framework of the importance of
institutions of higher education serving as good neighbors and community
members. The primary audience for the handbook is college and university
administrators and trustees who are already working on responsible
investment issues related to the endowment. Twenty-five schools in the U.S.
have Committees on Investor Responsibility, and this handbook will serve as
a technical manual for committee members interested in pursuing a community
investment strategy. Students within the REC network also will use this
handbook as a tool to engage their schools as they work with them to
encourage community investing.
We anticipate the finished product will be roughly 50 pages long (and in any
case as concise as possible), and will cover the following material:
• An introductory overview of:
o the relationship between colleges, universities and their local
communities
o the possible benefits for schools engaging in community investment,
including increased capacity to solicit alumni donations, and learning
opportunity for the college community
o the community investment movement, and the distinction between
supporting community development for local residents vs. gentrification
around colleges and universities
o the established field of community investments that yield market rates
of return
• A survey of market-rate community investment opportunities by asset
class, including discussion of how these would be integrated into a
college's portfolio
• Case studies of community investments undertaken by colleges and
universities already
• Examples of community investment opportunities by region to give
readers a better idea of the possibilities available
• A discussion of how to engage the entire campus in the process; not
just making an investment but using it to form closer relationships across
communities
• A full resource library of sample documents a school would need in
implementing a community investment program; including RFPs for both cash
and bonds, investment evaluation tools, etc.
While we would not include such materials in the handbook itself, we would
also like the consultant to support in creating a proposal for community
investment that would serve as a template for students submitting the
handbook to their administration.
We imagine that in the process of researching case studies and background
materials, the consultant will come in contact with a number of faculty and
administration members of schools that have served as leaders in the
community investment movement. We would expect the consultant to take this
opportunity to educate these constituents about REC's work, and ways that
they will be able to use the completed resource.
Finally, during the week of August 3-8 the consultant will be asked to
provide a phone training on the handbook for REC staff to ensure that
organizers disseminating the handbook are well prepared to discuss and
implement the opportunities discussed within.
Resources available:
The consultant will report directly to the Organizing Director of REC on a
weekly phone call, and have access to all REC staff members as needed for
questions and support. The consultant also will work with REC's
Communications Director and the designer of her choosing on layout and
format. Additional staff and board members will provide feedback as
appropriate and with the discretion of the Organizing Director and
consultant.
The Responsible Endowments Coalition has contracted a student researcher for
the summer who can assist in simple research and writing tasks, such as
writing case studies on CDFIs, compiling research on town-gown
relationships, etc. The consultant will be offered at least 20 hours of such
research support if desired, with specific tasks to be negotiated in
consultation with research staff and the Organizing Director.
REC would like to pay $10,000 for this product, though is open to
alternative proposals. If you are interested in pursuing this contract,
please fill out the form below or contact Carole Bernard at
carole@endowmentethics.org or at 443-459-4143 for a hard copy to be emailed
to you.
Community Investment Handbook
Contractor Proposal
Name: Phone:
Email:
Current Position/Name of Consulting
Firm:
Please answer the following questions in no more than 3 pages.
1. Why are you personally interested in this project? What do you
perceive as its value?
2. Please note any relevant experience in community investment, community
development, working with institutions of higher education, student
organizing, or responsible investment, among any other experience that you
would perceive as relevant to this project.
3. Please provide a draft work plan with specific deadlines for each
phase of the project.
4. How would you use the process of writing the report as a way of
supporting outreach to college communities, in addition to community
investment allies, to educate them about REC?
5. What would you expect to be the most challenging aspect of this
project, and how would you address it?
Please attach a CV with references and writing sample of 10 pages or less,
then send all materials to morgan@endowmentethics.org. Thank you!