The Quaker Difference
Quaker principles, values and testimonies guide our investment strategies, decisions, and shareholder engagement work.Friends Fiduciary was founded by Quakers to serve Quaker organizations and Friends meetings and churches. We work to embody Quaker values in our investments and our operations. We are guided by long standing and broadly held Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship.
Historically and today, Quakers believe investments should be made in businesses that serve a beneficial purpose to society. The judgment of what is beneficial to society changes over time in both degree of certainty and importance. Friends Fiduciary is guided in meeting this challenge by our Board of Directors, our staff, our existing constituent investors and the broader Quaker community.
Quaker testimonies and values guide our investment process in the following way:
- We are long term investors, seeking long term growth and real value in our investments.
- We avoid highly leveraged and derivative driven investments.
- We actively evaluate (with both positive and negative screens) companies that meet our values driven socially responsible investment criteria.
- We deliberately vote shareholder proxies in a manner that communicates our Quaker values on financial and social issues to corporate management.
- We directly engage in dialogue with companies we own; and when needed file shareholder resolutions to encourage reform.
Friends Fiduciary is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work as expressed in our Diversity Statement.
Friends Fiduciary incorporates Quaker values of equality, integrity, forthrightness and honesty in our interactions with constituent investors, employees, vendors and company management of the companies we own.