I'm an impatient person. A two-edged sword, to be sure: Capital Good Fund has grown as quickly as it
has in no small part due to that impatience, but I have also made more than my fair share of dumb decisions, personally as well as professionally, because I couldn't wait a bit. Depending on the time of day, and my mood, my impatience is either something of which I'm proud, or something I seek to change. Either way, it's there--an element of my personality, as elemental, it seems, as hydrogen and carbon.
But let's step back for a moment and ask what I think is one of the most important questions of them all: How long does it take to make change? In so many ways, the world is getting better--less poverty, hunger, war and disease, and more opportunity, health and democracy. But in so many others, we face problems that either must be solved urgently to be solved at all--namely, climate change--and those whose timetable represents for how long, and how much, poverty and injustice we are willing to accept.
In the investing world, there is something called the 'time value of money,' which recognizes that money earned today is worth more than money earned tomorrow (you can't invest money you don't have, right?). I think it's time we expand that concept to social issues, and call it the Time Value of Justice, which says that a life changed today is worth more than a life changed tomorrow. Why?
Every day a person goes hungry, or uneducated, or homeless, making it less likely that they will be able to get out of that situation. It's like cancer--the sooner you catch and treat it, the better the prognosis.
So if we take into account the time value of justice, suddenly the question of How Long Does It Take take on monumental importance. We are making it harder to fulfill our missions the longer we take to grow. Obviously, grow too fast and you flame out; the for-profit world is littered with companies whose growth was astronomical, only to "burn up upon re-entry," as it were. I'm not arguing for that. But I do feel strongly--with "every fibre of my being" might be the most adequate phrase--that we must error on the side of taking risks to serve the poor, to reverse climate change, to protect the oceans...
In conclusion, here's my question: How long do you want it to take? I'm ready to go, ready to work till the cows come home and the moon makes its passage across the sky. If we're gonna do this, and do it right, we need resources. So here's what you can do:
Make a donation. This is obviously the most direct option, and the most immediately impactful
Invest in us. You can lend us as little as $500 and earn between 1% and 3%. Every dollar you invest will go into our loan pool.
Join the Board or Advisory Committee. Do you have expertise or connections? Volunteer them! Get in touch with me at Andy@capitalgoodfund.org if you want to discuss.
Follow us on social media: we're active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, and Pinterest.
Read this blog, comment on it and share it with your friends and family!
Thank you, in advance, for your support. Together we can leverage our impatience and turn it into justice. After all, we mustn't forget the maxim "Justice too long delayed is justice denied."
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| Image Credit: Filter Forge |
But let's step back for a moment and ask what I think is one of the most important questions of them all: How long does it take to make change? In so many ways, the world is getting better--less poverty, hunger, war and disease, and more opportunity, health and democracy. But in so many others, we face problems that either must be solved urgently to be solved at all--namely, climate change--and those whose timetable represents for how long, and how much, poverty and injustice we are willing to accept.
In the investing world, there is something called the 'time value of money,' which recognizes that money earned today is worth more than money earned tomorrow (you can't invest money you don't have, right?). I think it's time we expand that concept to social issues, and call it the Time Value of Justice, which says that a life changed today is worth more than a life changed tomorrow. Why?
Every day a person goes hungry, or uneducated, or homeless, making it less likely that they will be able to get out of that situation. It's like cancer--the sooner you catch and treat it, the better the prognosis.
So if we take into account the time value of justice, suddenly the question of How Long Does It Take take on monumental importance. We are making it harder to fulfill our missions the longer we take to grow. Obviously, grow too fast and you flame out; the for-profit world is littered with companies whose growth was astronomical, only to "burn up upon re-entry," as it were. I'm not arguing for that. But I do feel strongly--with "every fibre of my being" might be the most adequate phrase--that we must error on the side of taking risks to serve the poor, to reverse climate change, to protect the oceans...
In conclusion, here's my question: How long do you want it to take? I'm ready to go, ready to work till the cows come home and the moon makes its passage across the sky. If we're gonna do this, and do it right, we need resources. So here's what you can do:
Make a donation. This is obviously the most direct option, and the most immediately impactful
Invest in us. You can lend us as little as $500 and earn between 1% and 3%. Every dollar you invest will go into our loan pool.
Join the Board or Advisory Committee. Do you have expertise or connections? Volunteer them! Get in touch with me at Andy@capitalgoodfund.org if you want to discuss.
Follow us on social media: we're active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, and Pinterest.
Read this blog, comment on it and share it with your friends and family!
Thank you, in advance, for your support. Together we can leverage our impatience and turn it into justice. After all, we mustn't forget the maxim "Justice too long delayed is justice denied."
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