Insights

Rising Tide: How Non-Profit Philanthropic Investors Approach Responsible Investing

30 Apr 2024

Over the past decade, purpose-driven investors have increasingly embraced the concept and practice of responsible investing. Today, many view investment capital through the prism of its real-world impact. Some go further and deploy capital with the deliberate intention of generating additional positive impact for their organisation, society and the environment. In late 2023, Koda’s Philanthropy & Social...

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Do Valuations Matter?

13 Mar 2024

In an investment landscape where traditional valuation metrics are constantly challenged, investors are increasingly asking: do valuations still matter in today’s market? The old principle of mean reversion appears to contradict the phenomenon that expensive assets can climb even higher and seemingly cheap investments can become value traps. The paper discusses the relationship between valuations...

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The Principles Of Endowment Style Investing, Part II

29 Feb 2024

In this report we discuss the importance of defining an endowment’s purpose, building effective investment governance policies and prudently managing capital to help achieve the mission and objectives of non-profit organisations. This white paper builds on the principles discussed in Koda’s first endowment investing paper and incorporates best practises observed with clients and leaders from...

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The Family Office Model – An Introduction

26 Feb 2024

Koda works with many families along the entrepreneurial journey, including when they start to consider the benefits of a Family Office. Through interviews with founders and family office executives we uncover learnings from success. This paper dives into the biggest mistakes, the best advice, and the functions needed for a family office that is both...

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Philanthropy & Beyond – Building an Impactful Life

16 Aug 2023

Through Koda’s philanthropy work with clients and in the community more broadly, we are increasingly encountering people actively seeking opportunities to create impact in a variety of ways, above and beyond traditional philanthropy. The Philanthropy & Social Capital team’s latest paper explores this emerging theme and identifies avenues for weaving purpose and impact into all aspects of...

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From Good to Great – Critical Ingredients for Fundraising Teams

01 May 2023

This paper is written for fundraisers committed to honing their craft and in search of best practice. It draws on Koda’s in-house experience of fundraising, advising fundraisers and working with philanthropic community. The paper highlights seven critical ingredients to get fundraising teams from good to great.

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Beginning your philanthropic journey

06 Mar 2024

Experience the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from knowing what you give makes a difference. This is a guide for those beginning their philanthropic journey. It explores why you should consider giving and explains mechanisms for incorporating altruistic activities into your tax, wealth and family succession planning.

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Establishing an Investment Portfolio

02 Nov 2022

Large charitable and non-profit groups often come to the conclusion that establishing an investment portfolio is the right thing to do in the context of their mission and purpose. While some have experience of establishing and managing such a portfolio, many do not. The aim of this paper is to help charitable and non-profit leaders...

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Investing for Non-Profits: 10 Investment Lessons for NFPs from the GFC

07 Sep 2022

At Koda, one of the things we do is encourage our people to act as trustees, directors, investment committee members and advisers to charities, foundations and non-profits. In these roles we are often asked what the key investment lessons were for investment fiduciaries who are often still haunted by the GFC. This paper examines the...

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An Effective Investment Policy Statement

07 Sep 2022

Investing reserves on behalf of a foundation, charity or non-profit organisation is a tremendous privilege, and one that comes with significant responsibility. It requires a fiduciary mindset, a willingness to thoroughly address all aspects of stewardship, and a robust investment governance framework. It also requires the organisation to understand how its reserve assets serve its...

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Courage & Care: Managing Market Volatility

14 Dec 2022

Risk management for investment and finance committees in the time of COVID-19. This document is a revised and updated version of Courage & Care: Preparing for the Next Market Crisis, which was first published by Koda a little over two weeks before the Australian stock market began its steep descent in response to the rising...

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Courage & Care: Preparing for the Next Market Crisis

07 Sep 2022

A Checklist for Investment Committees – no-one in the investment community knows when the next big market correction is coming, but every investor needs to be ready for it. This checklist can’t completely immunise non-profit investors against all the pain of a market crash, but it can help ensure they are as well prepared as...

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Major Giving: Data-Driven Fundraising

22 Aug 2022

More charities are turning to cutting-edge data activities, such as predictive analytics to drive major donor giving strategies. To realise these powerful tools, charities must first build a culture that embraces data. With this in mind, this paper explores: • The critical role data can play in major gift strategies • Creating an internal culture...

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Alternative Assets for Superior Diversification and Returns

11 May 2022

When managing money in a world full of uncertainty, diversification is more important than ever. Alternative assets provide investors access to superior portfolio diversification and lower levels of volatility, which typically increases the likelihood of achieving an investor’s objectives over the long-term. In this paper, we discuss the role alternatives play in portfolios and explore...

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Major Giving: Timeless Principles and Emerging Trends

22 Sep 2021

Fundraising is the lifeblood for many charities and major gifts can be transformative. But how do Australian charities tap into the fast-growing world of major gift fundraising? This report, a collaboration between Koda and leading US strategic consulting firm, CCS Fundraising, sets out a four-pillar major gifts framework, highlights emerging trends and provides a practical...

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The Principles Of Endowment Style Investing

16 Apr 2021

Since COVID-19 started, Koda has seen a significant increase in larger charities and sophisticated non-profit groups reassessing how they manage their cash and reserves. Investment committees who realise they are operating in a new paradigm are re-evaluating their asset allocations and looking for better diversification. By observing how successful investors such as Yale University and...

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Seizing the Opportunity: A Technology Entrepreneur’s Perspective

08 Mar 2021

In 2016 and 2018, Koda Capital published ‘Seizing the Opportunity’, a series of insights uncovered through interviews with current and former business owners across a diverse range of industries. The research highlighted common wealth management concerns shared by entrepreneurs following the sale of their business. Importantly, the critical role of specialised wealth management advice in...

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Koda’s COVID-19 Investment Lessons for Non-Profit Committees

24 Feb 2021

The intelligent investor will learn more from the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic than they will from the relatively benign years preceding 2020. Koda’s team of non-profit investment specialists spent time reflecting on lessons drawn from their work with clients and in the market more broadly and this paper briefly examines our Top 10....

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Responsible Investment – Using Your Capital for Profit and Purpose

14 Dec 2020

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of responsible investment and highlight how this style of investing can help you successfully align your capital and your values. It is a reference point for individuals, families, non-profit organisations and charitable foundations who are curious about responsible investment, its evolution and how it can...

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Giving Well – By Avoiding Big Mistakes

13 Jun 2020

What do zombies, sunscreen and drones have to do with philanthropy? To find out, read our list of five mistakes to avoid if you want to give and give well. Giving Well – By Avoiding Big Mistakes reflects Koda’s deep experience of philanthropy and the broader charity sector in Australia. It is the latest in a...

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The Upside of Time in the Market

20 Apr 2020

The idea of being able to time the market is emotionally appealing. After every significant market dislocation, the popular business press will carry the story of the market wizard who got it just right. The catch is that from one correction to the next, it is rarely the same wizard. The reality is that most...

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The Upside of Minimising Downside

09 Apr 2020

Minimising a portfolio’s losses in falling markets is far more important to long term investment success than maximising gains in rising markets. This paper examines the importance of upside/downside capture, and is part two of a trilogy series outlining the principles behind Koda’s investment philosophy: diversification, upside/downside capture and time in the market. Parts one...

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Navigating Non-Profit Organisations Through the COVID-19 Crisis

02 Apr 2020

In the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, this paper draws on the experience of charity leaders, who have taken the time to share the actions they have taken, their approach to leadership and thoughts for the future. The paper also includes practical questions non-profit leaders should consider asking themselves as they navigate the crisis.

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The Upside of Maintaining Diversification

28 Mar 2020

The phrase “diversification is the only free lunch in investing” is attributed to the Nobel Prize laureate Harry Markowitz. Investors accept this principle with few exceptions, however when faced with market turbulence many will retreat to the set of risks that are most familiar to them. In the process they often reduce the diversification of...

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Helping Your Kids Without Ruining Your Life (or Theirs)

13 Feb 2020

How wealthy families help their children financially is a complex topic, as well as a deeply personal one. More families than ever are working through it. There are more than three times as many households with a net worth in excess of $5m compared to 15 years ago (adjusted for inflation). Families are smaller, meaning...

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Executive Share Schemes – Maximising the Opportunity

13 Nov 2019

By Sabil Chowdhury – Adviser & Partner at Koda Capital An employee share scheme is often the single most important source of wealth generation for an executive over their working life, and such schemes come in different forms with different potential outcomes. For an executive to fully maximise the opportunity for this wealth creation tool, they...

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A Snapshot of Australian Giving

13 Oct 2018

A Snapshot of Australian Giving is written for the benefit of donors and fundraisers. It is based on Koda’s analysis of the latest giving data from a variety of sources. As well as presenting the data, the report features insights and observations based on Koda’s direct experience with clients and the broader giving community.

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Koda Capital Impact Investing Advisory Service

13 Nov 2018

Koda is proud to offer clients the opportunity to build portfolios that reflect not just their financial objectives, but their values and their desire to invest in social and environmental change. We are excited to bring a pioneering impact investment advisory service to our clients. Impact investing for private, non-profit & philanthropic investors explains what...

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Seizing The Opportunity – A Fresh Perspective

13 Jun 2018

By Sean Abbott – Adviser & Partner at Koda Capital Having recently completed interviews with a new set of business entrepreneurs, ‘Seizing the Opportunity – A Fresh Perspective’ is an extension of Koda’s original white paper on wealth management after liquidity events. Our new research both confirms our first set of findings and introduces new...

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The 2016 Koda Capital Giving Snapshot

13 Nov 2016

The 2016 Koda Capital Australian Giving Snapshot is an analysis of the latest annual giving statistics released by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Highlights of the Snapshot include: Giving grew 11.7% (year over year) to $2.6 billion Increased donations into Public & Private Ancillary Funds contributed significantly to the growth in giving Australian women gave more...

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Preparing for the Future – Do or die for non-profit boards

13 Mar 2016

Life for non-profits is changing rapidly, and in many ways dramatically. Non-profit boards face a future that looks nothing like the past – one in which they must deal with changes in government policy, increased regulation and accountability, rising costs, higher funder expectations, the need to prove impact, systemic change, tougher competition and the impact...

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Strategic Philanthropy – The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

13 Mar 2016

In December 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr Priscilla Chan announced their intention to pledge 99% of their Facebook shares – then valued at A$62 billion – to a new philanthropic vehicle known as The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Koda believes the Initiative is a game changer with the potential to completely revise...

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Ensuring Your Plans For Your Super Become A Reality

13 Dec 2015

If you are one of the growing number of Australians with self-managed superannuation funds, it is important for you to have a sound understanding of the benefits associated with them. Who is entitled to what, both during your retirement and after your death, varies greatly from situations where assets are held directly. This critical part...

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Strategic Philanthropy – Leadership Insights

13 Oct 2015

In August 2015, Christopher G. Oechsli, President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies visited Australia to discuss the foundation’s work. Atlantic, a limited-life foundation that will make its final grants by the end of 2016 and will close its doors by 2020, has so far distributed A$10 billion, including A$590 million in Australia. Atlantic’s visit also allowed...

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Seizing the Opportunity: Wealth Management After Liquidity Events

13 Apr 2016

The purpose of this paper is to present Koda’s research and observations into the common concerns shared by business owners following the sale of their business, and the critical role of specialised advice in addressing these concerns and providing the peace of mind to enter their next phase of life. To get a copy of...

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