Engaging Clients in Sustainable Investing

Know the Why: Mapping Values to Investment Goals

Discovery conversations that matter

Move beyond checkboxes with open questions like “What change would you fund if money were a vote?” Capture personal moments—wildfire smoke, a daughter’s STEM dream, a family business legacy. Share your favorite discovery questions in the comments.

Value-to-metric translation

Turn values into trackable signals: clean air becomes portfolio carbon intensity thresholds; fair work becomes living-wage policies and supply-chain audits; inclusion becomes board diversity targets. Anchor objectives to clear standards or SDGs for transparency clients can actually trust.

From intention to commitment

Draft a one-page sustainability addendum, co-signed by client and advisor, with two or three measurable targets and review dates. A skeptical entrepreneur became an advocate after seeing portfolio carbon intensity fall 32% in twelve months—measured, not marketed.

Clear Stories Beat Complex Jargon

Trace a humble cup from farm to café: water use, farmer pay, logistics emissions, recyclable lids. Then show how shareholder engagement improved supplier standards at a portfolio company. Stories like this make stewardship feel immediate and personal.

Clear Stories Beat Complex Jargon

Use one-page impact dashboards with three stable metrics, a simple trend line, and a human photo. Add short captions, not dense footnotes. Clients remember pictures and people—share a dashboard tip you use, and subscribe for monthly templates.

Practical Portfolio Approaches Clients Understand

Screens and tilts without surprises

Apply a few well-defined exclusions, like thermal coal or tobacco, then add modest tilts toward clean energy, resource efficiency, or workforce quality. Preview tracking error ranges and sector shifts upfront so clients know what to expect before committing.

Thematic sleeves with purpose

Create small sleeves around water stewardship, circular economy, climate adaptation, or affordable housing. Tie each theme to a client’s story and a crisp thesis. Want fresh theme ideas and research snapshots? Subscribe to our monthly thematic brief.

Active ownership as engagement

Explain how proxy voting, letters, and collaborative engagements influence companies. Report outcomes clearly—policy changes adopted, disclosure improved, or votes won. Invite clients to nominate stewardship priorities for the next season and join a Q&A with portfolio managers.

Measuring What Matters: Metrics Clients Trust

Choose three to five enduring metrics, such as carbon intensity, green revenue share, and controversy incidents. Show starting levels, targets, and trend arrows. Clients appreciate continuity over metric-of-the-month churn that muddies meaningful progress.

Behavioral Design for Lasting Engagement

Send a short pre-meeting survey ranking sustainability priorities, then propose a default sustainable model aligned to responses. Clients can easily opt out, but most appreciate the momentum. What onboarding nudge has worked for you? Tell us below.

Behavioral Design for Lasting Engagement

Deliver concise, quarterly updates—one story, one chart, one stewardship win. Offer a five-minute video recap for busy clients. Invite them to vote on next quarter’s engagement focus to deepen participation without overwhelming their schedules.