CommonGood is a financial services firm aligning capital to facilitate returns, human flourishing, and meaning.
Financial Advisors
Create deeper, more meaningful intergenerational relationships with your clients.
Individuals, Families and Foundations
Create alignment with your capital and the local and global opportunities you care about.
Impact Fund Sponsors
Your source for advice and implementation of your impact investment opportunities.
Donor Advised Fund Providers
Bring Impact Investing to your donors from strategy to implementation.
Investment Banking
Capital Market services with a mind towards profits and the common good.
asset managers advised
funds on platform
Million capital committed
Billion DAF Consulting / Due Diligence
Companies Advised
Private REIT created
More Than an Investment
Investments can produce potential returns for your needs and dreams, but they also impact people, communities, and the planet. Your capital has the power to not only change your life, but also those around you- it’s more than just an investment.
CommonGood brings our expertise, experience, and passion for impact investing across real assets, private credit, and private equity. Within those asset classes we have several areas of focus.
Areas of Focus
- Housing
- Environmental
- Small / medium business
- Africa
- Formerly incarcerated
Our world is hurting…
Capital has the power to change the world…
Capital is a tool and is used for good and for bad. The difference is the goal and the motives behind the capital. Imagine what would happen if we filled the gap between purely profit and purely charity. It would create another vision of success and undoubtedly unleash untapped creativity and innovation.
It’s the New Exchange
Historically, investing has been dominated by one major concept: risk and reward. However, in a 2017 survey, 75% of respondents said they were interested in investments that focus on achieving both financial returns and have a social or environmental impact. Impact investing is this New Exchange.
Trade fear and greed for joy and freedom
It is said that the markets run on fear and greed which are two natural emotions we have to deal with. But how do you move from fear and greed to joy and freedom? The key is to look beyond yourself. Align your capital with investment themes you have a passion for or care about. Let your capital work for you and for others.
CommonGood brings together a team of financial professionals with unique career paths and shared values to positively impact today’s transforming investment landscape and worldview.
Our Mission
To provide access and advisory services to Impact Investments that enhance both the financial goals and values of investors while creating meaningful impact in communities around the world.
Shelly Shafer on the joy found in Impact
Why Impact?
What is Impact Investing?
Investing in private investments with the intention of generating both financial returns and non-financial returns such as social, environmental, and spiritual.
Why impact investing?
Increasingly, investors are recognizing the power of capital and challenging the long-held views that investments should exclusively focus on financial returns with little regard for social and environmental issues. In addition, many recognize the shortfall that both non-profits and governments have to meet the ever-increasing needs and opportunities. In turn, it’s clear that business, done well, has the ability to impact people, planet, and profits for the common good.
It’s time for people to be connected to their investment capital. Every investor has their own risk, reward, and goals. With its unique and innovative approach to money management, Impact Investing allows investors to include their values and passions in their investment decisions.
Different types of Impact Investors
- Individuals
- Families
- Institutions
- Foundations and Endowments
- Governments
- Government Agencies
What are the elements of Impact Investing?
The key elements of Impact Investing are best described in an Impact Framework. This framework is important because it’s the working together of the four different pillars to enable the best possible long-term financial and non-financial outcomes.
- Financial Returns – Each investment needs to define the expectation of returns- from market rate to concessionary.
- Intentionality of Impact – Each investment needs stated objectives of positive social, environmental, or spiritual goals in addition to financial returns.
- Measurement/Reporting – Each investment must allocate time and resources to measure both financial and non-financial goals along with a transparent communication of the actual performance data.
- Sustainability – Each investment should evaluate their model and ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
How do impact investments perform financially?
Where do I start?
The best place to start is to consider what Impact themes match your passions and values, then ask questions of your financial advisor, or feel free to contact us.
Some common Impact themes include…
- Affordable Housing
- Agriculture
- Communication Technology
- Education
- Energy
- Environment
- Financial Inclusion
- Green Real Estate
- Health
- Small & Medium Enterprises
- Sustainable Consumer Products
- Transportation
- Wast Management / Recycling
- Water & Sanitation
Latest News
Capital Has Power through the Hands that Steward It
Growing up, my dad would always tell me, “What makes you good can also make you bad.” I never gave much thought beyond his gentle reminder, but as the years have rolled by, I now know what he was referring to. At the time, I was an overly-driven teenager working...
Donald A. Hahn Joins CommonGood as Vice President of Capital Markets
CommonGood Capital is proud to welcome Donald A. Hahn as Vice President of Capital Markets. He will be covering the Western region of the U.S. while continuing to develop relationships with RIA’s, Multi-Family Offices, Family Offices, etc. Donald is excited to provide...
Bridging the Disconnect
One of the central missions of CommonGood Capital is to bridge the disconnect between the growing number of investors wanting to see their investments making a positive impact in the world and wealth managers struggling to incorporate these relatively new ideas into...
Podcast:
A New Lens
#53 – Marion Chebet on Integrating Impact
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Marion Chebet, Senior Portfolio Manager and Director of Impact Investing at JFG Wealth, on growing up poor in Kenya, her collegiate running career in the US, the process of integrating Impact...
#52 – Ron Nikkel on Compassionate Criminal Justice
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Ron Nikkel, President Emeritus of Prison Fellowship International and author of Hope in the Ruins, on his transition from running a successful business to working with troubled kids, how visiting a prison in Chile...
#51 – Sam Adams on Inspiring Positive Change
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Sam Adams, CEO of Vert Asset Management and co-author of Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing, on his experience helping advisors in traditional finance transition from commission to fee-based business, how...