A change for the better
RSF Fall Quarterly
In this latest RSF Quarterly, we introduce RSF Social Finance’s new branding—a change to our look and language that provides us with greater capacity to celebrate our clients and to better communicate the benefits of our integrated capital approach. One story in this newsletter that excellently conveys this evolving approach profiles San Francisco-based Veritable Vegetable, a social enterprise that’s received loans, grants, and non-financial capital from RSF to support its distribution of low-cost, healthful produce.
Slow Money Journal
A conversation with Don Shaffer & Woody Tasch
Does financial language obfuscate our understanding of money? Can one be “return agnostic”? Do numbers suppress empathy? These are a just few of the questions examined in a recent interview between Woody Tasch, Slow Money founder, and Don Shaffer, RSF president & CEO.
A look inside our Integrated Capital approach
November 8 | 12:00 – 1:00pm Pacific Time
To build a thriving social enterprise sector, we need to rethink the purpose of capital and take a holistic approach to funding social entrepreneurs. This is a model RSF calls integrated capital: the coordinated use of different forms of financial capital and non-financial resources to support an enterprise that’s working to solve complex social and environmental problems. Tune in for this webinar to learn more.
How to make your assets work for (not against) mission
Impact investing for nonprofits | by Alex Haber
“Would you like your foundation or nonprofit investments to actively support your mission? It’s hard to imagine anyone saying no. But the follow-up question—Can you make that happen?—tends to inspire responses somewhere between a shrug and a vigorous “no way.” In fact, a recent Council on Foundations study asking 186 public and private foundations about their socially responsible investment practices found that just 16 percent of respondents had investment policies that permit or refer to direct mission-related investing.”
Read more on Huffington Post >
Blended capital helps small-scale farmers in Arkansas
“The funding world used to be fairly straightforward: there was philanthropy for nonprofits, venture capital for startups and bank loans for existing businesses. But in the age of social enterprise and impact investing, those lines are blurring. As more businesses combine a social mission with a for-profit business model, finance is adapting, giving rise to the notion of integrated or blended capital.”
Read more on Locavesting.com >
Now Hiring!
Junior Data Analyst & Credit Officer
As part of the Information Systems team, the Junior Data Analyst is primarily responsible for helping to maintain the data quality of RSF’s client database. This position also produces and updates system documentation; provides systems refresher trainings to staff; supports internal and external users with tier 1 systems, desktop, and webinar needs; and aids with monthly and quarterly client statement processing.
The Credit Officer is a newly established position on RSF’s Social Enterprise Lending team. The primary focus of the role is to support RSF and its clients when loans are in default or materially impaired. RSF’s approach in these situations is to achieve a “work through” that protects RSF and its investors while supporting a borrower path to viability wherever possible.