Conference to Look at Investing for Market Returns and Social Good
Goal of event, which is co-sponsored by Duke Chapel, is to look beyond charity to investing capital
An Oct. 14 conference co-sponsored by Duke University Chapel and several local organizations will explore investment strategies that can offer both a healthy return and help to those in need.
The Faith & Money Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, 810 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham. Ched Myers, theologian, scholar and founder of Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries in Oak View, Calif., will be the featured speaker.
In addition to discussing such investments as mutual funds, 401 (k) plans and IRAs, the conference will look at Community Development Finance Initiatives (CDFIs), which are aimed at helping those in poverty find a way out.
"We're not telling people to give all their money away to charity," said the Rev. Samuel Wells, dean of Duke Chapel. "But they shouldn't assume that the interest they earn on investments is all they can do something with, either. We'd like them to consider investing the capital in a CDFI."
In addition to Duke Chapel, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries and Immaculate Conception, event co-sponsors are Good Work, Sabbath Economics Collaborative, Self-Help Credit Union and the North Carolina Council of Churches.
The Faith and Money conference is the first in a series that Wells plans to organize in cooperation with local churches and non-profits.
To register for the conference, go to the Duke Chapel website and download a registration form or contact conference organizer Gaston Warner at g.warner@duke.edu or (919) 414-4167. The registration fee is $15; lunch is included.