What You Can Do

Stay Informed

Social change is an evolving process with new issues emerging constantly. The following resources will help you stay current with news and information useful for influencing corporate behavior in conformity with our faith and values:

* Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility is a coalition of 275 faith-based institutional investors, including the Jesuit Conference USA, with collective assets under investment of $110 billion.

* IN ALL THINGS: A Jesuit Journal of the Social Apostolate

This particular issue of In All Things explores the various facets of socially responsible investing, how to get involved, and the Catholic calling to partake in it.

* Social Funds

Social Funds features information on SRI funds, community investment, corporate research, shareholder actions, and daily social investment news.

* Business-Human Rights

This online library provides access, through links, to a wide range of materials on subjects relating to business and human rights.

Gracious God,You gifted the earth with bountiful gifts –gifts you intended to be shared equitably among all your peoples.You crowned the splendor of creation with the gift of human life,endowing each person with a measure of your own divine dignity.Bless the efforts of those who work to insure that all share fairly inyour wondrous gifts.

Bless the efforts of those who work to insure that the dignity of all your beloved children is protected and revered.Move the hearts of those with power – corporate and civic leaders – to understand their responsibility to effect just policies and to be wise stewards of your gifts.

May all persons of faith be tireless advocates for those who lack a voice in our world and may we all work unceasingly for the dawning of that justice without which there cannot be true and lasting peace. Amen.

Each year, shareholders are given the opportunity to influence corporate management on issues of social significance by voting their proxy ballots. Proxies typically arrive four to six weeks before the company’s annual meeting. Strong voting in favor of social, environmental and governance proposals often spur management to resolve issues of concern. This is often done through dialogue and consultation with shareholder and stakeholder advocates.

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility maintains a database of shareholder resolutions. Click here to view the list for the 2007 proxy season.

Click here to view the text of the resolution for Chevron Corporation to Develop and Adopt a Human Rights Policy. Jesuits, led by the Wisconsin Province, are the lead filer for this resolution. Our co-filers include two Jesuit universities, and 20 other religious orders, faith-based coalitions, and investment firms that are members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

Check the web sites of your mutual funds to see their voting records. Contact the investor relations department and recommend that fund managers support social resolutions and explain why. This is an often overlooked but very effective way to get the attention of institutional investors, such as pension funds, that control significant stock and have access to influence company management.

Jesuits and Jesuit institutions interested in socially responsible investing are encouraged to contact the NJCIR Committee member in your province about opportunities to serve on the local SRI committee and other ways to influence corporate behavior in conformity with Catholic values.