Core Services
Avivar assists institutional, public and private clients in the design, development and execution of impact investing strategies and portfolios. The firm supports clients in moving from idea to action on impact investing mandates across risk-return expectations, asset classes and impact issue areas. Applying the analytical rigor of traditional investing enhanced by social and environmental considerations, we assist clients in investing to create more equitable access to opportunity in health, education, social enterprise, innovative housing, food systems, conservation and other sectors needed for inclusive and sustainable economies.
Planning
Design impact investment strategy, set goals and identify metrics for social and financial performance measurement, completing landscape scans to assess markets and identify potential investment opportunities, co-investors and strategic allies that provide capacity building services.
Process and Procedures
Design and document operational plans for impact investing strategies and portfolios. This includes customizing the investment process as well as the tracking, monitoring and reporting processes in addition to staffing and resourcing for those processes.
Fund Development & Syndication
Design, development and execution of funds, families of funds and transaction syndication. This includes market assessment and landscape scanning to inform fund design (or pipeline development for transaction syndication), aligned investors and other strategic partners; recruitment of capital; sourcing, preliminary review and full due diligence on investment opportunities; structuring and origination of qualifying investments; and regular portfolio monitoring and reporting.
Policy
Develop and author impact investment policy statements documenting an impact investor’s goals, objectives & constraints, and governance structure. This Includes the development of overall portfolio policies as well as more specific asset class policies like a credit policy to guide lending activities, an equity policy to guide venture investing or a donor engagement policy for community foundations or public charities.
Portfolio Management
Provide the full scope of outsourced impact investment portfolio management services including transaction advisory services such as sourcing, diligence, and structuring, monitoring and reporting on the social and financial performance of a portfolio and/or investment and working with investors to integrate the learnings from impact investment with the range of their other activities.
Training & Education
Design and delivery of coaching, training and other education programs for the range of impact investment participants—trustees, investment committees, executive leadership, investment and finance staff, program and philanthropic services staff, donors (where relevant) and the range of other stakeholders. These include potential investees and capacity building partners, including government partners. They also include a client’s existing professional services providers. Avivar often works in tandem with a client’s existing investment advisor, who may be new to the field of impact investing. We also work with client attorneys and accountants, as needed to ensure smooth program implementation.
Avivar Capital Lifecycle Framework
Avivar approaches impact investing strategy in a lifecycle framework that reflects issues investors typically manange in moving from idea to action. It complements an investor’s broader social or philanthropic strategy and supports building an impact investing strategy over time, as an investor learns about and gains comfort with the range of opportunities that can fit its risk-return preferences--and considers whether and how to engage with co-investors and other strategic partners.
Avivar typically incorporates education and coaching on impact investing throughout its client engagements. This ranges from customized coaching, training and other education programs for trustees, executive leadership and staff to donors and other partners. Frequently it includes our work with a client’s existing investment advisors to ensure smooth program implementation.