Philanthropy – individual, collective or institutional – is a complex blending of mission, money and governance. For the past 38 years, Philanthropy Northwest has primarily focused on the “mission” aspect of philanthropy.

In 2015, we are offering learning opportunities that reflect a more holistic approach to the lives of those who work in philanthropy. To that end, last week we co-hosted Investing with Impact: A Technical Webinar for Foundation Finance Officers and Staff to discuss how mission investing is treated from a tax and accounting perspective, and on February 11, we will host Social Impact Bonds (SIBs): Outcome-Oriented Investment to discuss the basics of SIBs with particular focus on the role of, and impact, on philanthropy.
 
In that spirit, we’re pleased to invite you to join us for an intimate conversation on Feb. 19 about governance and investment with Alan Biller, founder of Alan Biller and Associates.
 
In an environment where historically low interest rates are expected to be “the new normal,” philanthropic fiduciaries, especially for small and mid-sized philanthropy, face new challenges to managing capital. This confluence places exceptional pressure on foundation fiduciaries as they grapple with risk in considering how best to ensure “perpetuity."
 
Alan Biller will share his observations about today’s market environment and lessons learned about ways to think about portfolio design that can be expected to produce relatively stable returns in a wide variety of economic and market scenarios. Since 1982, Alan Biller and Associates has earned a national reputation for providing the highest level of institutional fiduciary investment consulting services advising clients with over $80 billion in tax-exempt assets.
 
This is a unique opportunity for CEOs, trustees and investment officers to reflect on governance and investment strategy. We look forward to seeing you.
 

Please Note

If you can't join us in person, teleconference options are available. Please contact Jake Hite, membership associate, if you would like this option.

Members of Mission Investors Exchange are also welcome to join us at no cost. Please contact Jake Hite, membership associate, to register if you are a current MIE member.
 

About Alan Biller

In 1982, Mr. Biller founded the firm to provide strategy and investment consulting services to institutional clients. Today he serves as senior lead consultant for the firm’s largest plans.

Mr. Biller has advised major pension plans since 1975, when he led the Wells Fargo team which developed the first (and only) pension plan stochastic optimization model. Since 1986 he has been fiduciary adviser to the largest multi-employer pension plan in the world. He periodically serves as an expert witness in Federal Court on fiduciary responsibility, investment policy and portfolio management, and is the court appointed sole trustee of a corporate ESOP. He is frequently quoted in the press, published in industry journals, and a speaker at industry conferences.

Mr. Biller earned a B.A. as Scholar of the House with distinction, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa at Yale, an M. Phil. in the History and Philosophy of Religion at the University of London, a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Columbia University, and an M.B.A. in Finance at Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. He was awarded a Younger Humanist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He started his career as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Pomona College.