Masterclass in Sustainable Investing
In brief
Details
| Dates | 29 April - 13 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3x sessions of 90 minutes |
| Location | Online |
| Fees | Free |
| Contact | P3SA@smithschool.ox.ac.uk |
Overview
This masterclass delves into sustainable and impact investing products tailored for not for profit organisations and guides participants through developing and implementing financial-first and mission-aligned investment strategies within the retail markets. Participants will learn how to align portfolio construction with their organisation's values and mission, meet impact mandates, and balance financial returns. They will also gain skills to translate organisational impact goals into actionable investment targets.
Each session integrates aspects of financial analysis, strategic planning, social and environmental impact, and the regulatory and policy context relevant to not for profits. Designed to address the specific needs and challenges faced by not for profit organisations, this masterclass provides a comprehensive overview of financial products and impact frameworks, emphasising actionable insights. Guest interviews, podcasts, and real-world case studies from the not for profit sector to enrich the learning experience.
The course is designed for decision-makers, including not for profit executives, financial officers, program directors, and trustees, who oversee or influence investment strategies within their organisations. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Set parameters for evaluating sustainable and impact investment opportunities that align with their organisation’s mission and financial objectives.
- Track and assess how asset managers implement sustainable and impact strategies, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s goals.
- Develop mission-aligned investment strategies tailored to not for profit objectives.
- Lead or contribute to investor-corporate dialogues on sustainability and ESG, ensuring investments reflect the not for profit’s mission and ethical stance.
- Analyse key concepts such as impact investing, thematic investing, and responsible investing from a not for profit perspective, with practical applications at the portfolio and project levels.
Lectures are designed to empower not for profit professionals to integrate sustainable finance practices into their organisations and take on leadership roles in advancing impact investing initiatives.
Dates
- Session 1: Foundations of Sustainable and Impact Investing - Tuesday 29 April 2025, 12.00-13.30 BST
- Session 2: Regulatory Frameworks and Risk Management - Tuesday 6th May, 12.00-13.30 BST
- Session 3: Defining Impact - Tuesday 13 May 2025, 12.00-13.30 BST
Objectives
By the end of this Masterclass, participants will be able to:
Discuss and comment on the range of sustainable products and services available to investors.
Understand how to use an impact investing approach to grow your organisation’s mission and increase access to funding.
Break down key concepts like impact investing, responsible investing, and the theory of change to apply them in a third sector context.
Learn how to turn your organisation’s goals into clear, actionable targets for investment strategies.
Discover how to assess sustainable and impact funds based on your organisation’s mission, risk tolerance, and financial expectations.
Understand how financial regulators assess risks and opportunities and how this applies to your organisation’s impact and valuation.
Describe some of the frameworks and tools commonly used to measure and report impacts, and identify key organisations and approaches involved
Syllabus
Focus: History, Key Concepts, and Introduction to Not for Profit Applications.
Historical Context and Evolution
● Origins and growth of sustainable and impact investing
● Key milestones in responsible investing globally and in the not for profit sector
Core Concepts
● Theory of Change
● Key investment strategies: impact investing, thematic investing, responsible investing.
● Understanding financial-first vs. mission-aligned approaches
Not for Profit Investment Challenges and Opportunities
● Unique financial sustainability needs of not for profits
● Importance of aligning investments with mission and values
Focus: Policies, Regulations, and Risk Assessment for Not for Profit
Regulatory and Policy Landscape
● Key regulatory bodies (e.g., SASB, SDR, TCFD, CSRD, TNFD, MiFD, EU Taxonomy) and their relevance to not for profits
● Emerging standards for impact disclosure and reporting (GRI, Impact Frontiers)
● Understanding fiduciary responsibility in sustainable investing
● UK Trustees Act 2000 and Charities Act 2011
Identifying and Managing ESG Risks
● Financial risks associated with environmental and social issues
● Evaluating risks and opportunities through sustainability frameworks
Impact Investing in Practice
● Overview of sustainable and impact investment products for not for profits
● Tools to evaluate mission alignment, risk, and return
● Identifying greenwashing risks
Focus: Standards, Metrics, and Stakeholder Communication
Measuring and Tracking Impact
● Key metrics and methodologies for impact measurement (e.g., IRIS+, SDGs alignment)
● Tools to translate impact goals into actionable targets
Reporting on Financial and Mission Impact
● How to communicate impact to stakeholders, donors, and boards
● Integrating financial performance and mission-aligned outcomes in reports
Advancing the Not for Profit Agenda Through Investment
● Strategies for advocating mission-aligned investing to leadership
● Leading investor-corporate dialogues on sustainability and ESG
Course Director
John Ditchfield
Chairman and Co-Founder, Impact Lens
John is a prominent advisor in environmental investment funds with a 25-year track record in financial planning. As the Owner and Managing Director of various research and investment businesses, he has provided counsel to notable charitable trusts and organisations including WWF-UK, Greenpeace, Vivienne Westwood Ltd, Carbon Tracker, and Client Earth. John has held key positions such as Chair of the Ethical Investment Association (EIA), Director of UKSIF, and Head of Responsible Investment at Helm Godfrey.
Applications
No prior experience in sustainable or impact investing is required. This masterclass is designed for third sector professionals seeking to enhance their organisation’s impact through sustainable finance.
Places on this course are strictly limited to those who have primary employment in:
- central or local government
- regulatory agencies
- supervisory authorities
- central banks
- multilateral institutions
- non-profit civil society organisations
- registered charities
- philanthropic organisations
Evidence of this may be requested and required.
To apply please complete the application form, for both individual and group bookings. We aim to respond within 14 working days of receipt of the application.
Subscribe
Application form – collection notice
Information collected in the Application Form above will only be used for the purpose of evaluating your application to the Masterclass in Sustainable Investing at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (SSEE), School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE), University of Oxford, and will not be made available to third-parties. Information provided will only be kept for as long as is necessary to fulfil this purpose. Information is handled, stored and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. By supplying this information you are consenting to the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, SoGE holding and using it for the purposes for which it was provided. For more information, please see the SoGE's Privacy Policy.
In brief
Details
| Dates | 29 April - 13 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3x sessions of 90 minutes |
| Location | Online |
| Fees | Free |
| Contact | P3SA@smithschool.ox.ac.uk |