DON SHAFFER INVESTS IN RELATIONSHIPS
I first met Don Shaffer on a Skype call set up by a mutual friend. It was no ordinary chat. From the minute we spoke about business, philosophy and purpose, it was clear that I had met a kindred spirit.
In impact investing circles, Don is regarded as a leader in innovative, deep-end-of the-pool thinking about financial capital and investing. For 10 years, he led the Rudolf Steiner Foundation—an investment firm based on the economic principles of Rudolf Steiner that serves borrowers who are committed to sustainable practices and investors who value community impact as well as profit. Don not only grew the organisation in every measure, he also deepened its commitment to its values, leading the bank out of its traditional services to focus on a new type of relationship with clients—one that was direct, transparent, personal and based on long-term relationships, flipping the typical exchange we’ve grown accustomed to with banks. That’s what true leaders do: they see things others don’t and shine a light on the path for the rest of us. His wisdom, kindness, incredibly calm nature and strong resolve make him the ideal example of leadership for the new economy.
“It’s critically important for us at this stage, with the challenges we’re facing, to believe it’s possible that we can have a loving relationship in the way that we’re investing or the way that we’re seeking capital as entrepreneurs.”
Don comes from a long ancestry of Quakers and small business people, which he says taught him the importance of simplicity, tolerance and serving community. In his 20s, after graduating with a double degree in American history, he was compelled to connect his inner values with meaningful work in the world, and started an ethical skateboard company in San Francisco. Comet Skateboards was the first of its kind to be run entirely on solar power using locally-sourced, environmentally-responsible materials. He has served on the boards of B Lab (the organisation behind the B Corporation movement), Social Ventures Network and BALLE, and helped grow a for-profit education business. He also happens to be a wicked body boarder.
I had the incredible privilege of hosting a series of interviews with Don in Australia about “Money, Meaning and Love.” That pretty much says it all.
DANNY ALMAGOR: So I’ve been asked what does love mean in the world of finance?