Atlanta summers are known for their sweltering heat and ruthless humidity. Those conditions were no match for Yardi Atlanta. The team of eight braved the heat to show their support for babies during the March of Dimes March for Babies. Supported by donations from fellow team members, their efforts helped to give hope and support to babies and their families. March of Dimes was born as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, a response to President Franklin Roosevelt’s personal struggle with polio and his desire to see the disease eradicated. The organization fought and achieved its mission to end polio in the United States before turning its attention to broader services. The nonprofit now supports March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center in its fight for healthy babies. The center leads in groundbreaking research on the genetic causes of birth defects, screening methods, as well as pregnancy education for medical professionals and the general public. March of Dimes and the Prematurity Research Center have experienced major breakthroughs. The teams created and improved surfactant therapy to treat respiratory distress. The new Folic Acid Campaign successfully reduces incidences of neural tube defects and birth defects of the brain and spine. The organizations also founded a system of regional neonatal intensive care centers for premature and sick babies. To continue the good work, March of Dimes relies on March for Babies as its primary fundraiser. There are thousands of marches across the United States each year, each one uniting teams of family members, coworkers, and friends on a journey towards a future for healthy babies. Yardi Atlanta team members Heather Humrich, Monique Benson, Ken Romero, Kami Reid, Wendy Caffrey, Shana Winbush, Charity Williams, and Elizabeth Daniels participated in the march. They represented Yardi on the walk of the...

Back-to-school season can be a stressful time. New schedules, new responsibilities, and seemingly endless errands can be overwhelming for families. For some, obtaining school supplies is a major stressor. Yardi Atlanta made back-to-school preparations a bit brighter for several local families. Yardi Atlanta adopted Mimosa Elementary School, a Title 1 school with about 800 students. The school lies within an Economic Opportunity Zone, an area where many families have lower incomes. Nearly 95 percent of students at the school qualify for free or reduced lunch rates, meaning that their parents’ income falls below the poverty line. The Atlanta team leads several projects to assist the school and its hardworking families. Heather Humrich, Administrative Assistant, G&A, works closely with school counselor Flynn Pustilnik. Together, they find ways to get essential resources to the kids who need them most. “I love being a school counselor,” says Pustilnik. “I enjoy helping students resolve problems that may arise and overcome barriers to learning so that they can achieve academic success.” In early August, the Atlanta team completed a School Supply Drive. Yardi employees purchased brand new school supplies and left their donations in decorative boxes throughout the office. Some employees bought paper, pencils, markers, backpacks, and similar supplies for the elementary school students. Their donations filled three large boxes. Other employees donated money for the purchase of school materials, totaling $147. Those funds contributed to four over-stuffed backpacks full of school necessities for students. Pustilnik estimates that Yardi’s donation will serve about 100 students. “The donated goods help our students start the year school prepared and ready for learning.  They can focus more on academics knowing that their basic needs have been met and that they have the materials that they will need to be successful in the classroom,”...

The Corporate Training Team recently convened for its annual conference. Participants dedicated one morning of the event to volunteering at the Raleigh branch of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (Food Bank CENC). “For my team, since we’re spread through the U.S., we only get together once a year,” says Debbie Lamberson, Team Leader, Corporate Training at Yardi. “We spend much of that time learning but this year we wanted to do team building. Everybody wants to do it again next year! It was hard work but it was exciting to know how much what we were doing was going to help seniors.” Yardi Employees Lamberson, Jamie Hall, Jon Hodgkin, Julie Taylor, Lacey Petch, Laura Guerrero, Lina Castanon, Marcus Rutherford, Patty Evans, and Steve Harris participated in the event. Cary Middle School Future Business Leaders joined Yardi employees that morning, adding a fun dynamic to the group. The team of 25 sorted and assembled packages that would be distributed to smaller food banks in the area. With their efforts combined, the volunteers completed 484 boxes for seniors in three hours, beating the organization’s record average of 450 boxes per shift. The boxes contained about 14,360 lbs of food. “The Food Bank figures 19 ounces for an average senior meal, so we created 12,101 meals,” says Lamberson. The Raleigh branch of Food Bank CENC provides relief for the vulnerable populations of 13 counties. In this region, the United States Census Bureau reports that 27.9 percent of the local population earns an income that falls below the poverty level. Food Bank CENC estimates that more than 45,500 seniors in its region live in poverty, and thousands more struggle to survive on a fixed income. Food donation packaging is just one of the many...

What do you remember most about your summers as a child? Many of us enjoyed camps and retreats during our breaks from school. For others, those activities were not an option. United Way Santa Barbara (UWSB) is working to level the playing field for a new generation of local students by providing summer enrichment for ask-risk youth. Members of the local Yardi Voyager Client Success Residential SB 2 Team recently volunteered at the UWSB Fun in the Sun (FITS) Lunch Bunch event. Volunteers included Evan Hamilton, Brandon Paul, Luke Smith, Sonia Acuna, Ryan Daley, Baron Wei, Richard Ngoy, Dan Maliniak and Jomel Esleta, Team Leader, CSD. FITS is a six-week learning program geared towards children who are academically and financially at-risk. Esleta explains, “FITS is an important program for the community because these students’ parents spend much of their time working. The children are often unsupervised during the summer and are exposed to behavioral risks. FITS provides students and their families with unique and engaging experiences to reduce and reverse ‘summer learning loss’ and narrow the achievement gap between lower-income students and their middle or upper class peers.” Summer learning loss is a condition examined and analyzed through a 20-year study at Johns Hopkins University. When students lack access to enrichment activities over the summer, they lose academic skills gained during the previous year. They are also less prepared for the upcoming school year. The affects of summer learning loss accumulate year after year, pushing the students farther behind their peers who are able to continue learning during the summer. “By ninth grade, summer learning loss can be blamed for roughly two-thirds of the achievement gap separating income groups,” says TIME Magazine. To prevent summer learning loss, volunteers help students with hands-on assignments, arts and...

The Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County (HTF) has received a $5,000 contribution from Yardi in honor of the late Michael Towbes, local businessman and philanthropist, and to support the agency’s new South Coast Workforce Homebuyer Program. “Michael Towbes was a champion of workforce housing and was committed to the Housing Trust Fund’s mission to expand workforce housing opportunities. Yardi is pleased to be a ‘seed sponsor’ of HTF’s new South Coast Workforce Homebuyer Program. We hope that our donation in honor of Michael Towbes will inspire other business to contribute to this worthwhile workforce housing program,” said Gordon Morrell, Executive Vice President of Yardi. Michael Towbes served on the Board of Directors of the Housing Trust Fund for 12 years and the agency greatly benefited from his expertise, experience and generosity. The grant award from Yardi will provide key operational support for HTF as it launches the South Coast Workforce Homebuyer Program, which will provide low-cost down payment loans up to $100,000 to help first-time working households buy an entry-level home in the community where they work. The Housing Trust Fund is a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) whose mission is to expand affordable rental and homeownership housing opportunities throughout Santa Barbara County for working households and our most vulnerable populations.  HTF operates a countywide $6.7 million Revolving Loan Fund for affordable housing in partnership with community lenders. The loan fund provides short-term, low-cost loans to qualified sponsors of affordable housing for the production, preservation, and rehabilitation of affordable housing for low-income households. The agency also operates a countywide Workforce Homebuyer Program that provides down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers. HTF was created by countywide community leaders to address our region’s critical affordable housing needs by building innovative partnerships between the...

According to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, one in five Cleveland kids goes hungry on a regular basis. Yardi’s Cleveland office recently teamed up in a friendly competition to do something to help. “Since 2013, we have held a non-perishable food drive and competition each year to contribute to the Food Bank’s Harvest for Hunger campaign,” said Karen Parker, a technical account manager on the Cleveland CSD team. “Each year we have topped our previous effort and raised more than the previous. We started in 2013 with 48 employees and collected 375 pounds of donations. This year we have 70 employees and managed to collect 1,735 pounds.” The theme of the effort is the “Fight Hunger Games,” a concept Parker came up with when the popular book trilogy Hunger Games, now also two films, was wildly popular a few years back. “The office is divided into Districts.  Each District is represented by a Tribute.   And the Fight Hunger Games begin,” Parker explained. “Each District brings in supplies and food donations.  These are counted and become part of the final score. The Tributes participate in a round of games.  The scores are totaled and winners announced.” It’s a fun and friendly competition but can get competitive, said Parker, leading to some spirited games of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Other games included Guess Who and Corn Hole. There’s also a potluck food component that everyone in the office can enjoy. “A soup kitchen is created with staff members bringing in various types of soups, dips, salads and desserts.  A donation of two cans of food will get you all the soup you can eat.  And believe me, it was really yummy,” Parker said. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank explains that the donations are badly needed, especially at...

Rekha Rao, Co-Founder of SOHARA, was born and raised in India. She grew up surrounded by the country’s rich heritage of visual arts, classical music and dance, all of which shaped her perspectives and values and an ongoing involvement in the cultural arts. It’s a time in her life that she remembers fondly. Rao relocated to America more than 40 years ago when her husband was finishing his Ph.D. in the United States. “We grew up in India and although now settled in the U.S., we go back often and continue to maintain strong ties to India,” says Rao. “Our children and now our grandchildren are born here and their ties to India are a little different than ours. We want all of them to be exposed to India’s rich arts and take pride in their heritage.” That yearning sparked the birth of SOHARA. The root word, “sohar,” represents traditional songs that were sung at the birth of a baby in the Mithila region of ancient India, current day Bihar. “It was perfect. SOHARA is the birthing of a small non-profit organization. We were inspired by our children, to share our passions with them in a more formalized way. The name was perfect and, at the time, SOHARA website was available, too!” Unfortunately, someone purchased the domain name shortly before the organization formed. (“I should have grabbed it when I had the chance,” laughs Rao.) Unfazed, the nonprofit marched forward with its mission. “Our mission, basically, is to bring the best of India’s arts and traditions here as opportunities come our way and share them with the audiences locally especially the younger audiences. We look to collaborate with other organizations involved in cultural arts, whenever feasible,” says Rao. To date, SOHARA has hosted events in...

Many Americans are unaware of the prevalence of domestic violence in our communities. Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) strives to educate the public while creating a pathway of hope for those who experience domestic abuse firsthand. DVS is Santa Barbara County’s only full-service domestic violence agency, committed to ending the intergenerational cycle of domestic violence through prevention and intervention services. DVS provides the county’s only 24-hour shelter service, as well as the county’s only transitional housing program for domestic violence survivors. The necessity of these life-saving resources remains vastly unacknowledged. During corporate outreach events, DVS Executive Director Charles Anderson often asks, “Do any of you know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence?” Audience members often shake their heads. Yet without fail, after the meetings, someone discretely approaches Anderson or his staff. They carry their secrets in tow. “After one session, a woman came up and touched my arm,” Anderson recalls. “She said, ‘I was in your program eight years ago. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead.’ She worked in the office with all those people and none of them knew the struggle that she went through. People don’t tell anyone because they just want to move forward. Escaping can be hard enough.” Escaping domestic violence can often be an arduous and dangerous journey for the victims. Many take the first step towards liberation after a tragic incident that requires police intervention. Until recent years, law enforcement focused solely on securing the aggressors. Victims were left without resources to move forward safely or confidently. At times, victims were  even blamed for their role in their abuse. In response, DVS applied for a was awarded a three-year Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT)  grant from the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)....

This October, Bozzuto enlisted its staff and residents to #PaintOurTownPink – and came up big in the battle against breast cancer. The Maryland-based developer and apartment manager is well known in the real estate industry for its stellar social media marketing, and the company used its reach online to produce a very successful campaign. The philanthropic effort is a great example of how property management firms can bring together residents as they rally to support a cause. When all donations were tallied, more than $21,000 was raised for the cause. The #PaintOurTownPink effort had multiple access points, documented on the website http://bozzutopink.com/ Social Media: The hashtag #PaintOurTownPink was promoted and used on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to document the many different ways that Bozzuto communities, residents and employees were participating in the campaign. On Wednesdays We Wear Pink: Both residents and employees were encouraged to “pink out” on each Wednesday in October to show support for breast cancer awareness and fundraising. Pennies for Pink: Bozzuto offices and community front desks collected spare change to be donated to Susan J. Komen Passionately Pink. Donation Portal: A link on the website led directly to the Bozzuto fundraising page for the Susan J. Komen Passionately Pink campaign. The Instagram photos posted demonstrate the breadth of participation and particular creativity that Bozzuto communities brought to the fundraising effort. With a month to put on creative events, encourage residents to drop off spare change and get the word out to the general public,  wide variety of images were posted. See them here. Yardi salutes longtime client Bozzuto for their efforts on behalf of this very worthy cause....

The highly anticipated in-person deals and online exclusives of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, marking the biggest sales of the season. From gadgets and gizmos to furniture and vehicles, these are two of the year’s busiest shopping days. According to the National Retail Federation, sales in November and December account for as much as 30 percent of annual sales. In 2015, more than 74 million shoppers ventured out on Black Friday, spending an average of nearly $300 per person. For the crowd-opposed or time-strapped, Cyber Monday offers online discounts the Monday after Thanksgiving. Nearly 90 percent of online retailers had Cyber Monday sales, and 45 percent offered coupons or discounted deals. For many, the holiday season also inspires a sense of altruism. After the spending splurge, #GivingTuesday kicks off a movement of paying it forward worldwide. Now in its fifth year, this celebratory event is a global day of giving powered by social media and the spirit of collaboration. #GivingTuesday was created by the 92nd Street Y, a New York City cultural center that has been celebrating diversity and service since 1874. The movement has grown and gone global with the help of influencers from all sectors and walks of life. #GivingTuesday takes place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. This year, the fifth annual event will be celebrated worldwide on November 29, 2016. Here’s how it works, according to its website: “#GivingTuesday harnesses the potential of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities; it provides a platform for them to encourage the donation of time, resources and talents to address local challenges. It also brings together the collective power of a unique blend of partners—...

The Voyager Front Line Residential Santa Barbara teams joined forces to volunteer at PATH Santa Barbara last week in the tradition of Yardi’s commitment to the community. PATH is a non-profit organization which addresses homelessness for individuals and the community. It provides services to improve their health, increase their income, and transition to stable housing. “We had a great time sorting vegetables, fruits, breads and desserts. We also helped clean the tables and set up the food. Most especially, we enjoyed serving great food to our less fortunate brothers and sisters,” said Jomel Esleta, Team Leader, CSD. “We can see the happiness in their faces when they saw the team helping out and received non-stop ‘thank yous’ from all of them,” Esleta said. “It always feels great to help other people,” said team member Evan Hamilton. In addition to Esleta and Hamilton, Yardi employees Brandon Paul, Ryan Daley, Baron Wei, Richard Ngoy and Allen Shelledy spent four hours on a Saturday at PATH. The PATH community kitchen is open 365 days a year and serves other local agencies that assist the homeless, including Common Ground, Giving Tree, Presbyterian Church, Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Stalwart House, WillBridge, and Unity Shoppe. For information iabout volunteering at PATH in Santa Barbara, visit this...

Since 1945, Hillside House has edified Santa Barbara’s residents living with disabilities. The organization continues its mission into a new era that will expand services and build a stronger sense of inclusion in the community. The organization began as a care center for 15 young adults with cerebral palsy. Over time, it acquired the resources to care for people living with a variety of developmental and intellectual disabilities. Today, Hillside House is a therapeutic learning community comprised of 59 residents. Residents receive meals, medical care, and 24-hour assistance in the care of 90 staff. Executive Director Craig Olson joined the team at Hillside House 12 years ago. The non-profit has become a second home. “I just have a love for our residents and I want to help,” says Olson. Olson’s passion for building community began with his interest in the art of wine making. “[Wine culture] has taught me a lot about hospitality and being upbeat about life. You have to have that vibrancy. Wine brings people together and creates a sense of community. I aim to replicate that sense of inclusion and community here.” The first lesson of inclusion, Olson learned, was to interact with people with disabilities in the same way that he would interact with anyone else. “One common misconception is that they’re different than anyone else,” chuckles Olson. “I remember the first time that I came to work and I was supposed to do an activity with the residents. It was a softball game. I said, ‘I don’t know how to do that.’ My coworker said, ‘Well…just go play softball. Just treat them like you would anybody else and it’s going to go fabulously.’” That brief exchange highlights the methodology of Hillside House in Santa Barbara:  the organization promotes inclusion...

Patricia Cooper found herself facing a two-fold void in the Santa Barbara community. A growing number of families were in desperate need of counseling, but they could not afford traditional services. Countless graduate students vied for scarce opportunities to fulfill their 3,000-hour residencies. Once the connection between the two dilemmas became evident, Cooper sprang into action. Filling both needs became easier than Cooper had expected. In 1984, Cooper and her partner, Jaclyn Henretig, opened the doors to Community Counseling and Education Center (CCEC). The nonprofit organization offers counseling and educational programs for low-income individuals in the community. CCEC doubles as a training ground for graduate students. The demand for low-cost counseling and hands-on training was so great that the organization thrived immediately. Cooper laughs, “We just kind of took off and didn’t look back. We trusted and everything just fell into place. If you look in retrospect, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into in terms of how much time and effort it was going to take. But along the way, we had so much fun doing it.” CCEC assists a diverse range of clients by offering individual and couples counseling, group therapy, Spanish-language services, as well as programming for single parents and the LGBTQ community. Each program has flourished since the organization opened. Communication and coping mechanisms are two of the most popular topics in counseling sessions. “The most requested service among couples is to strengthen communication skills,” observes Cooper. “It’s also a lot of looking at past habits for handling stress that are not functional. We’re looking at alcohol and drug use, specifically.” During the Recession, the organization experienced an increase in clients. Those years highlighted the necessity of affordable counseling programs that can serve the community without clients’...

The first thing you notice on MC Companies website is that the Arizona-based multifamily housing provider is a very compassionate company. It’s one of the traits that make them one of Arizona’s “most admired companies.” The “Good Life Promises” that are part of the firm’s foundational values include a rent rescue program that excuses late fees and “life interruption relief,” a standardized accommodation for residents who might need a little help recovering after a job loss. ‘”Giving is very important to our company,” said Lesley Brice, principal and president of MC Companies, a Yardi client. Fellow principals Ken McElroy and Ross McCallister founded the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company in 1985. McElroy, a real estate entrepreneur and author who is passionate about giving back to the community, first became involved in Autism activism 11 years ago, when the child of a friend was diagnosed with the disease. McElroy is now chair of Scottsdale’s annual Autism Speaks fundraising walk. The event is held nationally each fall. In Arizona alone, 20,000 people walked in 2015, and 25,000 are expected at this weekend’s event. “Ken quickly realized that based on the statistic of 1 in 68 children (1 in 44 boys) with Autism that there are tens of thousands of affected individuals living in our apartment communities in Arizona,” Brice said. And with that realization, the entire MC Companies team was galvanized to action. As Brice explains it, the need to mobilize quickly to fundraise for the 2015 walk produced two exceptional ideas that MC Companies used again for the 2016 campaign. Hours4Autism – “We developed a program that allows companies to raise donations through Paid Time Off donations.  In our first year with our 300 employees, we raised over $20,000 or 1100 hours last year and expect to...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a company, one of our core values is community service. Participating in nonprofit work and giving back is a shared part of the culture at Yardi. Many of our employees give back regularly through local and global charities, volunteerism, and raising awareness. Yardi is honored to support organizations doing work to further research, prevention and education efforts in the fight against cancer. American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) has been working to raise public awareness about cancer for over 100 years. Founded in 1913, the ACS started as a small group of committed doctors and civilians with one mission: to fight back against the disease.  In the late 1930’s, the organization created a legion of volunteers to educate the public and fundraise. Later in 1946, the ACS expanded their programming to include cancer research, raising more than $4 million to fund the Society’s groundbreaking research and educational initiatives. The ACS has been involved in almost every major cancer research breakthrough in the last 70 years. This also includes the strategic fundraising of cancer-fighting medications, the passage of the National Cancer Act in 1971, as well as advocacy in legislation and preventative medicine. Their annual events, including Relay for Life and Making Strides, encourage community members to get involved, promotes awareness and early detection, and raises millions of dollars for cancer research and prevention education. Thanks in part to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there are nearly 14.5 million people in the United States who have survived cancer. Cancer Care for Hope CancerCare was founded in 1944 with the goal of providing free, professional support services and information to people managing the different challenges of cancer. In the past year, CancerCare has provided nearly $13 million...

Princeton, N.J.-based property management firm The Gershen Group LLC opened in 1959 as a small family based firm.  It concentrated on planning and consulting before branching out to housing management in 1972.  Its principal focus today is affordable and senior housing, although the company’s commercial holdings have consistently increased over the years. Long after The Gershen Group moved past the mom-and pop-phase, a family-based orientation remains the core of its operating philosophy. Extended Family “We tend to keep employees a very long time, which is not the norm in today’s business world,” according to Jonathan Gershen, vice president and general counsel of the company his parents founded. “Only a few employees are actually family members, although they almost could be—one person has been with us 35 years, another for 25 years.  We think of our staff as family, and this mentality has served us very well.” This attitude extends to the company’s business partners.  “With our clients—whether they’re our fee-managed properties or our residents—the relationship goes beyond ‘Just pay your rent and that’s it.’  We know who they are, and they know the building manager who’s been there for 10 or 20 years.  We want to keep that connection,” adds Deborah Gershen, vice president and director of property management. She adds, “It would be very easy to manage everything that comes in the door.   We’ve given up projects, or not taken them on, when people say ‘the building’s broke, we don’t have to spend any more money.’  My answer is, ‘We’re not the right manager for you.’  We’ve been very selective that way, and that won’t change.” Technology as an Ally When it comes to adopting property management software, The Gershen Group makes another subtle yet firm distinction between personal and business considerations. “Our...

You see the little Heart-Check mark anywhere there is food these days: a box of Cheerios in your pantry, a can of Campbell’s soup in the store, a Subway sandwich wrapper at the park. Today, 92 percent of consumers recognize the efforts of the American Heart Association brand. But that wasn’t always the case. Heart disease used to be a silent killer. The American Heart Association (AHA) has brought the importance of heart health to the foreground of wellness. The U.S. faces a sincere need for heart health education. One in every four deaths is the result of heart disease, according to a report by the Center for Disease Control. That makes heart disease the leading cause of death among men and women. Lisa Thomas, Senior Heart and Stroke Walk Director, hopes to change that. Through public education and fundraising, Thomas and her team work to reclaim lives from the clenches of heart disease. “Public education is a part of everything that we do,” says Thomas. “It’s so important to know your risk, know your numbers and see your doctor every year to stay up to date. Prevention is key. Prevention saves lives.” Eating a heart-healthy diet is a good place to start, hence the Heart-Check mark on certain foods at the grocery store. These foods meet the nutritional requirements set by AHA to promote heart health. Common characteristics are foods that are low in cholesterol and salt, and contain ingredients that favor the cardiovascular system. Consistent exercise is another key preventative measure. “Powerwalking is a good one. It’s so easy to just grab your shoes and walk, in the neighborhood, at the mall, the park—anywhere there is space,” says Thomas. That basic concept is the backbone of the association’s annual Heart Walk series...

Curious about sustainable investments? You’re not alone. Sustainable investments result in better operational performance, improved stock prices, and proven psychological benefits. So why aren’t more advisors talking about it? JP Morgan defines sustainable investments as “investment approaches that enable investors to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment strategies and create positive benefits for society.” In 2014, an estimated $21.4 trillion of global assets were reported as sustainable investments. That is an $8 trillion increase from 2012. This field of investment continues to grow due to favorable results: The University of Oxford and Arabesque Partners reports that 88% of companies that practiced effective ESG management were also able to improve operational performance. Stock prices performance improved for 80 percent of companies that prioritized ESG issues. JP Morgan and the University of Oxford have not analyzed the warm and fuzzy sensation that can come as a result of investments with a higher purpose. But others have. New York Times compiled several studies that examine the connection between acting for the greater good and emotions. Sources conclude that supporting causes that we feel good about reduces stress levels and can even extend lifespans. When we feel positively about a cause that we support, we are more likely to support that cause wholeheartedly and consistently.  Do-gooding simply makes us feel better about ourselves and the prospects of the world that we live in. Meir Statman’s What Investors Really Want explains that investors value an emotional connection with the company or organization in which they are investing. Such strong emotions can “drive prices and performance above the funds and fundamentals involved,” reports JP Morgan. With financial and personal benefits to gain, why aren’t more asset managers broaching the topic with clients? Only 63 percent of...