RECAP: 2019 FOX Fall Rising Gen Forum

Crafting Impact

Presenter:
Justin Rockefeller, Global Director of Family Offices and Foundations, Addepar

Session Description: 

A 5th generation family member from a storied family shared how he learned to blend family legacy and family values to shape a new approach to managing capital and philanthropy, striving for a greater impact in the world. Justin Rockefeller discussed how he brings his expertise in technology, impact investing, and philanthropy to inform not only his role with Addepar, a technology firm, but also to the work of The ImPact, a social enterprise that aims to affect significant social change, as well as through the work of his family’s foundation.

 

Key Takeaways:  
  • One needs a tool belt of resources to effect change. The first element in Justin Rockefeller’s tool belt builds upon his family’s legacy of capitalism and philanthropy.
  • Justin walked the audience through a quick timeline of the Rockefeller family’s history of philanthropy. This legacy, he explained, was motivated by the idea that profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive.
  • While the family tradition in philanthropy felt daunting, Justin decided to use his role on the board of a family foundation to further explore the intersection of philanthropy and capital.
  • Justin’s family foundation embarked on an effort to align its investing with its mission, with a focus on values-aligned investing. Values-aligned investing, also known as impact investing, enables investors to generate financial returns that have a measurable social benefit. This dual goal needs the scale and efficiencies of the capital markets to impact global social change in a new way. For the foundation, this also meant looking at the other side of the coin and divesting from assets that contradict or no longer align with the organizations values or desired social impact.
  • Justin’s work with the foundation led to the launch of The ImPact, a network of families who commit to explore the broader impact of all of their investments and to work to create measurable social benefit. In his work with Addepar, he has created a portal to monitor the impact of a family’s portfolio, to track progress, and change.
Attendee Quotes:  
“Great of Justin to share his story. Great perspective to gain.”
- 2019 Attendee
“Justin’s presentation was inspiring.”
- 2019 Attendee