Would you like a 500-times return on your money?
QUESTION: I read the previous column about Jonathan Gartner and his excitement about impact investing. Isn’t philanthropy the best way to help people? I have heard that impact investing yields a low financial return. Why should I be interested in it? . . . Sam in Montecito Certainly, philanthropy is vitally important to our welfare at the community, county, state and federal levels. In a recent meeting at the Community Environmental Council, it was noted that 25% of all jobs in California are in the non-profit sector. That is a remarkable number. They help with everything from substance abuse, animal welfare, art and cultural activities, after school programs, the needs of seniors and the aging, minority and women’s rights, environmental issues, homelessness, food, health, to mention just a few. To address your questions, I would like to break it into two parts and then give an example. First a disclaimer. Clearly, non-profits do an enormous amount of good. Ju