Tis the season: Quite soon, a slew of large public companies will be holding their annual shareholder meetings, which can feature voting on resolutions of all sorts of subjects and motivations—many of them advocating social and ideological causes that can be, intentionally, at odds with Judeo-Christian values and free-market principles.
Because of the controversial subject matter of these proposals (often given a spotlight courtesy of well-funded public relations efforts), they can and often do receive significant attention from the finance press.
And yet, despite the near-certain media attention and despite the controversy that can ensnare institutions—particularly religious denominations and non-profit advocacy groups—that own stocks and invested funds, there is widespread disinterest by faith-based groups in how they will deploy their moral standing, and investment muscle, in the realm of finance.
Why? This disinterest, for whatever its reason—lack of bandwidth, ignorance of the shareholder resolution process, ignorance of mission—can boomerang on faith-based groups. And it has.
Again, why? Because many organizations allocate their votes to third-party proxies, which can (and have) been cast in support of resolutions that are in direct opposition to the causes and mandates and beliefs of these nonprofits, especially of churches and religious orders.
It does not have to be that way. And so as the shareholder-resolution season approaches, it is time to level that prudent annual warning to nonprofit leaders that want their funds to be true to their principles.
It should be of central importance to nonprofit leaders to have clear values alignment with financial consultants and advisers. This is especially true for Christians responsible for church assets, endowments and foundations; retirement plans; operating capital; and other pools of money for churches, ministries, dioceses, religious orders, denominations, and religious schools.
There are consequences—spiritual and temporal—in neglecting values alignment.
Lack of Manager/Product Availability
It should come as no surprise that most advisory firms that do not specialize in managing Christian assets are not motivated to provide high-quality, Christian-aligned managers on their platform.
Recently, a leading private equity manager specializing in investments that promote human flourishing shared that most advisory firms, including major Wall Street banks, are not interested in allocating the time within their research teams to even begin the due diligence process required to make the strategy available. Consequently, their advisers often argue that products and managers that align with Christian values are just too few and far between, which is simply not true.
The fact: Quality Christian managers are far more numerous today than ever.
Proxy Voting
A values-aligned adviser/consultant should ensure the proxies are voted in alignment with Christian values.
Unfortunately, most advisers managing Christian portfolios have either ignored proxy voting or assumed they vote in line with the portfolio screening. However, proxy voting will not be Christian-aligned unless A. there is deliberate action to install a Christian proxy adviser or B. they are required to use formal Christian proxy guidelines, such as those created by The Catholic University of America.
The consequences of ignoring these stipulations are enormous and widespread: Corporate boards and, therefore, many an American C-Suite, have become intolerant, essentially casting Christians into the shadows, saying, “Jesus belongs only within the walls of your home and Church.”
In addition, there were five corporate resolutions adopted in 2025 supporting abortion benefits. Meanwhile the elimination by some firms of corporate matching donations to religious organizations have proven costly.
Determining Values Alignment
It does not have to be this way, for religious organizations or even for secular but un-woke nonprofits. Leaders of these organizations should take note of a wonderful resource, 1792 Exchange, which distributes reports that expose coercion and corporate bias. 1792 Exchange also evaluates thousands of companies “on their divisive problems, actions, and cancellation of business relationships based on viewpoints or beliefs.”
In addition to vetting legitimate concerns over investing assets and taking shareholder positions, we recommend nonprofit leaders engage in due diligence by asking financial advisers and third-party firms a series of questions about their own internal practices to determine if there is Christian values alignment. These questions should include:
- Do you pay for abortion, abortion travel, or transgender services in your benefit plan?
- Where does your firm or your foundation donate? Provide a list.
- How does your organization treat Christians in the workplace? Are they allowed to display religious items such as Bibles, crosses, or crucifixes?
- Do you have a statement of faith?
- If you have Employee Research Groups, and if so, do you have a Christian ERG?
- Describe your corporate culture. How do you ensure human flourishing in your workplace?
It is long past time for Christian fiduciaries to become more deliberate and intentional about their obligations. Christians responsible for Kingdom assets need to examine their adviser/consultant’s client list for comparable clients, speak with the adviser/consultant’s references, evaluate the adviser/consultant’s investment process and the qualifications of its professionals, and ensure the adviser/consultant is values-aligned and experienced in proxy voting.
Tis the season—always.
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