Achieving this has required, and will continue to require, scores of analysts embedded in communities around the world, doing their research not only electronically but also over the phone and in person, in the field.
This has always been the first pillar of our added value. Over time, we have developed a second pillar: technology. Our investment advisory decisions are increasingly aided by our machine learning algorithms; our artificial intelligence (AI) platform is now firmly at the core of our value proposition.
The very engine of social change are the thousands of grassroots movements operating around the globe. Such groups gave us the civil rights movement, universal suffrage, and anti-tobacco laws. Today, they are fighting to save our climate and reduce inequality. The League is there to help them.
Our primary activity is maintaining an extensive dataset of tens of thousands of these groups around the globe, so that we can select the most promising ones for inclusion in our members’ philanthropic portfolios. Here are some statistics on our dataset and the staff maintaining it:
| Element | Quantity |
|---|---|
|
Analysts |
85+ |
|
Movements tracked |
10,000+ |
|
Movements in the Altruist Index™ |
150 |
|
Countries represented |
93+ |
|
Parameters tracked for each organization |
32 |
While many of our members require customized portfolios depending on their unique values and objectives, we maintain a list of exceptional organizations that we see as true agents of systemic change. The vision is that these organizations, branded under the Altruist Index™ so as to echo for-profit indexes such as the S&P 500, can be the default and optimal option for investing to the sophisticated philanthropist looking to invest in change easily and quickly.
The Index is a mix of organizations, large and small, broadly supported and virtually unknown, that have something “extra” that makes them unique. Here are the main criteria that we use for selecting organizations into the Index. Typically, less than 2% of them make it.
| Criterion |
|---|
|
Impressive track record of influencing policy |
|
Strong membership growth |
|
Exceptional member engagement |
|
Repeated citations in Tier 1 media |
|
Legal cases influenced / won |
|
Track record of changing population sentiment within area of operation |
|
Replicability of model (strategy, tactics, etc.) on other locales and/or globally |
|
Positive message and ability to build alliances in broad social groups, rather than antagonize |
We don’t expect all the movements in the Index to excel in all of the above areas. Sometimes, being outstanding in two or three of them is enough to qualify. For ease of comparison, we calculate one cumulative score for each organization via a relatively complex weighing formula; we call this metric Velocity.
The Index, with all the associated Velocities, is recalibrated on a monthly basis. Grassroots movements are volatile organizations – they are quick to rise and fall. We accept and embrace this dynamic.
The Altruist League’s methodology factsheet details our understanding of the spectrum of capital, the scope of our analysis as well as the principles that underscore it – those of a systemic approach to changing the world. It also explains how we build and employ our grassroots organization dataset, the most sophisticated of its kind globally. Finally, it explains how we use artificial intelligence to provide targeted advisory and portfolio management for our members.
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© The Altruist League 2015-2021
The Altruist League uses its unmatched global analyst network and cutting edge artificial intelligence model to craft for its members the best strategies for ESG reporting, sustainable investing and philanthropy with impact. Contact us to find out more.
