Category: Podcast

In this podcast, Zela Astarjian, Managing Director at CIS, joins Sister Barbara Thomas of the United States Province of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Katie Thiemann of Cor Jesu Academy, and Sister Irene O’Neill of Sisters Rising Worldwide to discuss incorporating a culture of philanthropy in your religious community.
More and more, Catholic institutions are making advancement a priority. The reason: Without a strong advancement program, some organizations may struggle or fail in the decades ahead due to shifting demographics and donation practices among Catholics nationally. This will be an educational workshop and will cover essentials such as enhancing financial management practices, creating an advancement function, making fundraising more strategic and building a strong endowment. The discussion will examine how religious orders can secure their futures by implementing best practices for board and committee governance.
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In this podcast, you will hear about AI and the future ahead. AI has recently taken the world by storm. Its groundbreaking capabilities are being used for customer service, generating more reliable credit scores, enabling trading and money management, regulatory compliance, security and fraud prevention, and more. This dynamic discussion features Jack Brennan (CIS Founding Chair & Chairman Emeritus, The Vanguard Group), John Behrens (Director, Office of Digital Strategy, College of Arts & Letters at University of Notre Dame), Brian Barbetta (Wellington Management Global Industry Analyst), and Shelley Zhuang (Founder and Managing Partner at 11.2 Capital).
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In this session, Scott Malpass, Founder & Board Chair, Catholic Investment Services, leads a panel discussion on the role of global equities in institutional portfolio construction. Equity practitioners discuss their investment philosophy, research process and idea generation for stock selection.
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In this podcast, you will hear from Catholic fiduciaries and industry experts sharing practical advice on forming, structuring and strengthening Catholic foundations and trusts through best practice principles.
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In this session, Jack Brennan, CIS Co-Founder & Founding Board Chair, leads a discussion on managing institutional investment portfolios for the long-term. The panelists offer insight on working with varying constituent groups for Catholic institutions, guidance on decision making for committees during periods of stress, and other best practice concepts for boards to consider.
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In this session, Tim Connors, Founder, PivotNorth Capital, leads a panel discussion on how to define impact investing with focus on additionality and intentionality, while offering guidance on identifying companies and management teams with strong mission & alignment, the use of impact measurement tools, and concessionary vs. market rate returns.
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In this session, Dave Taiclet, General Partner & Managing Director, Lewis & Clark Partners, leads a panel discussion on differentiating private market investing strategies, and provides practical ideas for portfolio construction and asset allocation, and dispels several common misconceptions regarding private market investing.
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This presentation is furnished or informational purposes only and is intended solely for the person to whom it is delivered by or on behalf of Catholic Investment Services (“CIS”). This presentation is confidential and may not be reproduced in its entirety or in part, or redistributed to any party in any form, without the prior written consent of CIS. This presentation does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities offered by any funds or accounts managed by CIS. Certain statements contained herein that indicate future possibilities constitute forward-looking statements and should not be construed as predictions of performance. Actual results may differ materially. In calculating projections and case targets, CIS utilizes certain specific inputs that, in some cases, are estimated, and certain assumptions that ultimately may not hold true with respect to any investment. These estimates and assumptions may deviate materially from modelled expectations. No assurances can be made that the investment philosophy, investment objectives, projections or case targets will be achieved. The information and assumptions included in this presentation are made in good faith and based upon information reasonably available to CIS as of the date noted herein and will not be updated. The information contained herein does not purport to present a complete picture of the activities, results, actions and/or plans of CIS or any fund or account managed by CIS. Clients or prospective investors should consult advisory agreements, private placement memorandums and/or other documents describing any securities and explaining the services and risks associated with an investment in such securities prior to investing. Investing involves the risk of loss and investors should be prepared to bear potential losses. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

“Mensuram Bonam” Faith-Based Investment Measures
Sustainable Grace
In November 2022, The Vatican gave Catholic fiduciaries a valuable new resource for aligning their institutions’ investments with their Catholic faith. “Mensuram Bonam” provides guidelines for those beginning their alignment process and those seeking to refine their approaches. This podcast, part of our Principles in Focus Series, explores Mensuram Bonam’s role and scope, and dispels underperformance myths about Catholic-aligned portfolios through a dialogue between true pioneers in this area: Paul Schott Stevens, Trustee of Catholic Investment Services; Scott Malpass, CIS Co-Founder and Board Chair; and Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, President of the Board of the Vatican Bank.

Keys to Envisioning, Creating and Sustaining a Successful Investment Strategy
Sustainable Grace
Catholic institutions work diligently to advance their good works while striving to ensure that their missions can be sustained financially over the long term. In navigating the investment complexities that all organizations face they also must take steps to align their portfolios with the tenets of the Catholic faith – which presents unique challenges.
Fortunately, this new Sustainable Grace podcast – part of our Principles in Focus series – brings you practical ideas for securing the future of your Catholic institution by improving board and committee governance structures and applying best-practice investment principles. This podcast, hosted by Zela Astarjian of Catholic Investment Services, brings together three leaders with extensive experience in these vital areas. Sharing their insights are:
- Suzanne Brennan, CSC, Councilor of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, with broad experience in leading Catholic entities across the country and has served on many Catholic investment committees.
- Mary Burke, Partner at Lakeshore Food Advisors, with deep investment banking experience and service of the committees of several Catholic entities.
- Eileen Alexanderson, Investment Consultant for BMT Management and Financial Services, who works with a broad range of religious institutions on financial, investment and other key matters.
This podcast will sharpen your knowledge of how to align your investment approach with your Catholic values and unique mission.
This recording was taken at the 2022 RCRI National Conference in Dallas Texas.
This content is for educational purposes only. Panelist opinions expressed are their own and thus do not necessarily reflect CIS’s opinion, investment advice, or strategies. This is not a solicitation to purchase securities, nor is it meant to be investment advice. CIS has not verified the content for accuracy, nor will it update it in the future.

Why Venture Capital Investing…Why Now?
Sustainable Grace
Today’s session is part of our Managers in Focus webinar series, which explores the role that impact-focused investment solutions play in the strategies of Catholic institutions. It was enlightening to hear the views of true pioneers in this arena: Tim Connors, Founder of Pivot North; Michael Kim, Founder of Cendana Capital; and Miguel Luina, Managing Director at Hamilton Lane.
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