Four Tips for a More Productive Church Investment Committee Meeting
By: Brian Seay, CFA
Leading the investment committee for your church or non-profit is a critical act of stewardship. But let's be honest: these meetings can often feel slow, frustrating, and more like a "check the box" exercise than an effective decision-making body.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Running this meeting is no different than leading an effective meeting in your day job. It requires preparation, a concise agenda, and a clear focus on discussion and alignment—not endless presentations. The best committee members I've worked with read in advance and come to the meeting armed with questions, ready to engage.
As fiduciary investment advisors for faith-based organizations, we help boards build this exact process. Here are four practical guidelines for running a truly effective investment committee meeting.
1. Focus on Discussion, Not Presentation
A meeting about "investing" can easily spiral into discussions on the economy, geopolitical issues, or any other topic a member wants to raise.
A clear agenda, sent with all review materials at least a few days in advance, is your single most important tool. This focuses the committee on the task at hand. Materials from your investment advisor or consultant should be consumed before the meeting. This reserves valuable meeting time for what truly matters: questions, discussion, and making decisions.
2. "Dive Deep" on One Topic, Not Everything
You cannot effectively cover every aspect of your portfolio in every meeting. Successful committees focus their time on different areas of the Investment Policy Statement (IPS) throughout the year.
This "dive deep" approach allows for more intelligent, long-term decisions and avoids short-term thinking dictated by "hot topics" in the market. A good annual cadence might be:
Meeting 1: Asset Allocation & Strategy
Meeting 2: Spending Policy & Risk Review
Meeting 3: Manager/Consultant & Benchmark Review
Your goals are long-term, often spanning decades. This method takes the pressure off and ensures every part of your plan gets the deep focus it deserves.
3. Keep Meetings Concise and Engaging
How long should the meeting be? Just long enough to make the decisions on your focused agenda.
The goal is to find the sweet spot. Squeezing in too much content leaves members with unanswered questions. Letting the meeting drag on results in lost focus.
In our experience, if your non-profit investment committee meets 2-3 times per year, 1 to 2 hours is typically enough time to cover the major topics without losing engagement.
4. Encourage Healthy Dissent and Document Decisions
Good governance requires more than unanimous agreement. Dissent is a healthy part of a good investment process, and forcing unanimity may cause members to be less forthcoming with their valid concerns.
This means you need a formal voting process. I have seen many successful boards use a 2/3 majority vote for making decisions. This model allows for healthy dissent while ensuring the majority of the committee is aligned.
Crucially, document the vote. This allows the committee to review its decision-making process over time, learn from what worked (and what didn't), and create a legacy of continuous improvement for future members.
Your Advisor Should Be Your Partner in This
Anyone, regardless of their level of investment expertise, can lead an effective investment committee by focusing on the process.
If you would like to discuss structuring or reviewing your church's investment process with a professional, please feel free to reach out. As fiduciary advisors, we believe our job isn't just to manage assets—it's to help you build an effective and faithful framework for stewardship.