RGB: Investing in the World

Develop a balanced portfolio of causes, using the RGB color coding system!RGB is an acronym for red, green and blue. It's a simple way to color code causes, where red = health, green = environment, and blue = community. The RGB approach recognizes how the issues the world faces are interconnected, between health and the environment and our communities.One of the big questions with investing in the world is impact - how much impact are we really having? The book explores individual...
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Develop a balanced portfolio of causes, using the RGB color coding system!RGB is an acronym for red, green and blue. It's a simple way to color code causes, where red = health, green = environment, and blue = community. The RGB approach recognizes how the issues the world faces are interconnected, between health and the environment and our communities.One of the big questions with investing in the world is impact - how much impact are we really having? The book explores individual impact and community impact, highlighting the potential for holistic investing to fill gaps and shortfalls in funding, as people adopt "balanced portfolios".Readers are introduced to several existing and emerging tools for creating a balanced portfolio of causes, including discussion of traditional giving, and emerging "impact investing", which leverages for-profit markets to raise capital for social impact. Several learning experiences are suggested for readers to try, taking concrete steps to explore and grow their involvement and impact. Finally, a vision for a non-profit stock exchange is presented, and readers are invited to participate directly in its formation.---CHAPTER OVERVIEWPART I: SUSTAINABLE GIVINGRationales and approaches for sustainable giving.CH1 The RGB Approach: RGB is a method of color-coding causes, to help people think holistically about investment. Red (health), Green (environment) and Blue (community) are the "primary" colors. General discussion of health, environment, and the importance of community.CH2 Portfolio-based Giving: In the same way that mutual funds or stock portfolios can maximize personal return on investment, a portfolio-based approach to giving can maximize social impact, through helping to provide continuity of funding across various areas of need.CH3 Incremental Giving: The idea of starting with a small investment and growing it over time, as an alternative to typical donor fatigue: getting overwhelmed, and becoming paralyzed.CH4 For-profit Investment: Introduction to some tools that leverage for-profit structures to benefit non-profit outcomes, including social impact bonds and social benefit corporations; microgiving sites such as kiva.orgPART II: GETTING STARTEDLearning experiments and tools one can use to try sustainable givingCH5 Experiment: Change the World: Gather spare change over time, take to the bank, donate. A learning experience for adults or kids, based on the principle of incremental givingCH6 Open Up Your Eyes: Approaches for learning about opportunities around the corner and around the worldCH7 Online Discovery Tools: Methods and sites for discovering and reviewing causes, including ratings agencies such as Guidestar and Charity Navigator.CH8 MYOP: Make Your Own Portfolio: Some simple ways to make your own portfolio.PART III: THE FUTUREConversation Starters - Wall Street and Its Alternatives.CH9 NPOEx/RGB Exchange: A vision for developing a non-profit stock exchange, to draw more capital into play and help allocate it where it could be most effectively used. Suggested approach: issue virtual shares, with integrated impact ratings.CH10 All Money is Funny: The Case for Barter: Discussion of the limitations of the present world economy in easy to understand language, making fun of the limitations of currency, in order to show a vision of barter currency, as a fundamental alternative.CH11 Shaping the World While Shopping: A vision of several practical tools for empowering people to change the world, one transaction at a time. Including: gift cards with directible points, and the RGB Debit Card, a radical option that would allow the user to make a donation every time they bought something.CH12 Declaration of Interdependence: summary of the spirit of the book, recognizing our common humanity. Includes the idea of "New Distributism", a simple principle/philosophy for those that like to think deeper.