Move Money 4 Freedom

I want to influence where my school, employer, faith community invests their money

Step 1

Map Your Network & Prioritize Your Engagement

For inspiration, listen to the Craft of Campaigns Podcast 

  1. What communities and institutions are you connected to or active part of?
    1. What city, county, and/or state do you live in?
    2. Where do you work? Do you work at a non-profit, hospital, corporation etc.? 
    3. Where do you shop regularly? 
    4. What school does your kid go to? 
    5. Are you part of a faith/spiritual community? 
    6. Do you have a connection to a college or graduate school?
    7. Are you part of an organization in your neighborhood? 
    8. Does your employer have a pension/retirement fund? 
  2. In which of those communities and institutions are there other people who share my values? Who are my allies?  
  3. In which of those communities and institutions am I connected to decision makers? Who are my allies?
  4. Based on these reflections, prioritize 1-2 communities or institutions you’re connected to or an active part of to engage in this work. 

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Step 2

Engage Your Allies

  1. Reach out to the allies you identified at the 1-2 communities and organizations you’re going to prioritize. 
  2. Start reaching out by sharing why you care about these issues, why you’re inspired to move your money out of companies and industries that fuel violence and into the well being of communities. 
  3. Ask curious questions and engage in conversations that lead from shared values and an openness to hearing where the other person is at and what might get in the way of them taking action in support of collective freedom.

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Step 3

Learn What Your Community/Institution Owns

  1. Reach out to the decision makers (e.g. HR Department, Plan Administrator) to understand what investments your community/institution owns.
    • If they’re unable or unwilling to provide this information, make a case for why transparency is important for them from a values perspective. 
    • If they continue to refuse to provide information, consider how you might engage more of your peers in collective efforts to demand transparency. 
    • This step is significant and often requires applying significant pressure, threatening to withhold labor or resources from the institution. Remember to consider which of the decision makers are your allies and what the interests are of the other decision makers.
  2. Utilize the research tools to cross-check the names of the funds, stocks and/or bonds your community/institution owns to understand where the money is invested. 

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Step 4

Demand that your Community/Institution Divests from Violence and Invests in Collective Freedom

  1. Using the information from the research tools, demand that your community/institution divests from violence. 
    • This looks like calling on them to divest from specific companies and industries that are harmful, developing an Investment Policy Statement to reflect the community/institution’s shared values and in some cases, switching providers to allow for more values-aligned options. 
      • For IPS statements, suggest language from this resource, with more examples here. 
        • A commitment to divest from companies that consistently, knowingly, and directly enable or facilitate human rights violations or violations of international law as part of prolonged military occupations, apartheid, and genocide. IPS statements, suggest language from this resource, with more examples here.
      • For employer provided retirement plans, research other providers and present alternatives as options (e.g. Just Futures, Self Directed 401ks).
  2. Identify options for communal/institutional investment that prioritize community well being. Learn from institutional examples such as Francesco Collaborative, Neighborhood Economics, and Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN). 
  3. Review the list of options for more values-aligned investing on Wall Street and for community impact beyond wall street to make suggestions/demands. 
  4. Work with your community/institution to set specific goals to actualize this work!

Looking for more coaching and support? Join American Friends Services Committee’s Weekly Divestment Office Hours.

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Step 5

Share Your Story and Reflections

Organizing your community/institution is often a long process that requires support and coordination beyond your peers. We encourage you to share about your journey with other people, communities, organizations and institutions as you go. Throughout the process, we encourage you to reflect on what’s working, what you’re learning, and how to leverage your collective power for action! 

Show me real life examples

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Research Tools

  1. Investigate: Investigate is a uniquely comprehensive online database of 300+ reports on corporate involvement in state violence, using American Friends Service Committee’s in-house human rights rating system and investment screening recommendations and tools. Investigate is used by grassroots groups, students, unions, funders, investors, institutions, and journalists.
  2. Invest Your Values: Invest Your Values is a free online tool, managed by As You Sow, that analyzes the climate and social impacts of thousands of U.S. mutual funds, ETFs, and 401k plans. Invest Your Values includes data from Weapons Free Funds, Fossil Free Funds and Prison Free Funds. 
  3. Who Profits: Who Profits Research Center is an independent research center dedicated to exposing the commercial involvement of Israeli and international corporations in the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land and population.
  4. BDS Movement: The BDS movement uses the historically successful method of targeted boycotts, inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the US Civil Rights movement, the Indian anti-colonial struggle, among others worldwide. This list is used to identify key corporate divestment targets.

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