Time Needs
Part-time (10 – 15 hours per week)
Reporting structure
Courtney Blodgett, Yield Positive’s Founder, has worked for more than 15 years on sustainable finance. She was a climate finance advisor to the United Nations and leading the Impact Investing Team at Vulcan, Inc, the family office of Paul G. Allen, Microsoft’s co-founder.
Intern may also interact with Isaac Gross, an advisor to Yield Positive, and contributing authors. Contributing authors are a diverse group of individuals including individual investors passionate about a sustainability topic, angel investors, and CFAs.
Assignment Length
2-3 months, either for the Summer or Autumn of 2020
Location
Remote, part-time hours are flexible
Compensation
Unpaid
Sustainable Investing
Sustainable, or environmental, social, and governance (ESG), investing has seen rapid growth in the last few years. In a January 2020 letter to CEOs written by Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of Blackrock, the largest asset manager in the world, he outlined what he defined as a fundamental reshaping of finance. His letter discusses important considerations that underpin why environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are important to long-term investors.
Other market moving titans such as Vanguard and State Street have entered the business of sustainable investing as well. ESG capital flows have reached new heights, representing more than a quarter of all professionally managed assets in the U.S. according to a 2018 report by the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance. In addition, Morningstar reported that mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with a focus on sustainability attracted $20.6 billion of new assets in 2019 – nearly quadrupling the previous annual record set the year before.
About Yield Positive
This record growth in sustainable investing has been led by institutional investors and high net worth individuals. The 50% of US households which invest are left out of the equation. Yield Positive aims to bring these individual investors into sustainable investing by providing easily accessible education about opportunities. The platform showcases a broad diversity of voices and information about sustainable investment opportunities ranging from ethical banks to angel investing.
Primary Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities for the internship include but not limited to:
- Conduct web research about sustainable investing news and opportunities
- Build a database of sustainable investing opportunities
- Identify opportunities for affiliate marketing
- Assess sustainability of “ESG funds” e.g. BlackRock iShares funds
- Post relevant news on social media
- Assist in writing and editing blog posts about sustainable investing
- Help create a monthly newsletter
- Facilitate search engine optimization for Yield Positive
- Identify and pursue key partnerships to strengthen brand development.
Qualifications
Education and work experience
- Ideal candidate will be a masters student who has an understanding of investment principles and interest in sustainability
- Candidate must be enrolled in a formal education program to which the internship is tied
- 1-2 years experience in sustainability or investing is preferred.
Desired competencies
- Excellent oral and written communications skills, specifically across virtual platforms and social media including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
- Sound judgment, ability to use discretion, keep matters confidential, listen well, and be objective.
- Strong project management skills, ability to adapt to the changing needs of a start-up while remaining focused on goals and deadlines.
- Excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail, ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks.
- Strong computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office 365, G Suite, and, preferably, WordPress.
- Comfort level with working independently and as part of a collaborative team via a remote working structure, ability to participate in ongoing video calls.
To apply
Submit the following via email to info@yieldpositive.com:
- Resume
- Cover letter
- 350 – 600 word blog post about an element of sustainable investing (avoid posts similar to what are available on Yield Positive).