Endowment Management
Organizational success often creates complexity — and complexity requires a custom solution.
Successful institutions face a tall task: stewarding significant assets in an increasingly complex landscape. Our investment counselors are here to help pave the way forward.
Plotting a Roadmap to Long-Term Success, Together
At Clifford Swan, we understand that no two institutions are alike. Our role as investment counselors is to gain deep insight into your organization, including:
- Your institution’s mission, history, and portfolio structure
- Income predictability and spending plans
- Risk tolerance and liquidity needs
- Board and Committee investment experience
Based on these considerations, we design an investment policy statement that serves as a flexible framework for near-term and long-term objectives. Moreover, when customizing your portfolio, we are able to implement values-based investment selection to ensure your individual holdings align with your mission.
Proactive Risk Management to Protect Capital
For endowments, risk isn’t volatility — it’s the potential inability to meet obligations and fulfill your mission. We manage risk by:
- Maintaining adequate reserves to meet distribution needs without selling assets at inopportune times.
- Selecting assets based on rigorous analysis of business strength, capital stability, and management quality.
- Building balanced portfolios that mitigate exposure to any single sector, industry, or issuer.
- Making tactical portfolio changes in response to challenging market conditions or to protect against downside risk.
Let Our Investment Counselors Pave the Way Forward
Full Access
You gain a dedicated investment counselor and team who are committed to intimately understanding your institution and creating a cohesive, custom plan that supports your mission. In addition to a tailored portfolio, this includes short-term cash management strategies to help optimize liquidity and returns.
Multifaceted Support
Our investment counselors are more than a primary point of contact — they’re also portfolio architects, capable of speaking intimately to portfolio details, risks, and opportunities.
Policy Review
In addition to crafting long-term road maps, we also help nonprofit boards and investment committees create or revise policies related to investments, spending, and gifts.
Custom Portfolios & Reports
We construct portfolios based on your institution’s specific needs, accounting for factors such as your time horizon, organizational values, and risk comfort. Moreover, we also deliver custom reports to help your investment committee and financial staff stay informed.
Next Up
Proper Stewardship of Assets is Critical
The first step is to share your organization’s mission.
