Towards an integrated strategy for endowment investments : a social approach

Abstract EN

This research attempts to handle the issue of investing properties of endowment Institutions(1) through the discussion addressed among stakeholders of endowment and their inquiries with regard to setting priorities and methods when talking about maximizing the returns of endowment projects and whether the available options are limited to two contradicting sides: financial returns and social returns.

Consequently, one of such options may be sacrificed.

Or rather that the issue is more complicated and requires a broader vision to eliminate the overlap between the components of such returns.

The research attempts to build on the philosophy and essence of endowment in their capacity as the key incubator of the complicated social style provided by the endowment, in which the economic and social issues are interrelated.

In this context, we can say that the key issue of discussing endowment investments is primarily related to defining social returns, their status and functions in the endowment system.

The clarification of the components of this equation is a key issue to set an investment strategy including the endowment essence and activating its key objectives.

Meanwhile, such strategy is a strong source to extend the track of such investments and their impact on various social groups and various societal institutions.

The research presents a model of investment plans in the contemporary endowment experiences, especially the US experience.

This experience is marked by harmonization between the social and financial issues through keeping three key values in each endowment investment project: achieving quality, stipulating professional dealing with investment issues and media and assuming social responsibility.

The last section of the research addresses the objective requirements to develop an investment strategy for the endowment institutions in the Islamic world and the requirements of such process, such as setting social priorities, a strategic partnership between the endowment investments and the needs of the Islamic world and the effect of such in general on supporting the progress of the Islamic world countries, achieving promotion of their human capital and benefiting from their material wealth in a manner serving the developmental progress in the Islamic World countries.