Donor Investment Forum Highlights Returns and Impact

On November 30, 2010, more than 100 donors and financial advisors joined us at our Annual Donor Investment Forum to hear an overview of our investment strategy and performance and a panel of our Investment Committee members discussing “Predictions and Forecasts When All Bets Are Off.”

When The San Francisco Foundation has strong investment returns, that means that your philanthropy, and the philanthropic vision of generations before us have exponentially stronger community impact and life-saving, human implications. $115 million in investment returns this past year translates into hundreds of thousands of meals for the hungry, shelters to prevent families from homelessness, opportunities and stabilizing supports that mean education and futures for the most vulnerable, and innovative, important public policy partnerships and initiatives that strengthen our entire Bay Area.

CEO Sandra R. Hernández, M.D., and Chief Financial Officer Monica Pressley spoke about this meaningful impact our investment returns have on the Bay Area, as well as the esteemed Investment Committee whose diligence, insights, and expertise navigated us through these volatile times. Michael Miller, co-founder and managing director of Colonial Consulting, presented an overview of the returns from the past year. For more details about our investment strategy and performance, download a PDF of our Fiscal Year 2010 Investment Report. Profiles of our investment managers are available in this password-protected PDF; please contact Roberta Schutz at rschutz@sff.org or 415.733.8538 for access.

San Francisco Foundation Investment Committee Chair Stephanie DiMarco, founder and CEO of Advent Software, moderated a lively panel with Edward H. McDermott, managing director at SPO Partners & Co., and Sarah Stein, managing director and co-director of research at Hall Capital Partners, LLC. They provided insights as to how the Investment Committee considers its strategy and allocations in these tumultuous times.

Watch videos of the presentations.

View the photo gallery of the luncheon.