Revisiting Social Mission Investment

The über quest which kicked off this blog,  [how to use ]Money[ to ]Changes Things, was my search for information on how to invest our surplus. A late middle-aged couple with prudent financial habits and enormous good luck (parents who paid for our education, well-compensated work we each care deeply about, good health, good kids), the pat answers about asset allocation and index funds did not satisfy my sense of noblesse oblige.  There had to be a way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.  I felt uncomfortable so completely splitting our investment side from our philanthropic giving.  Surely there were ways to invest our money [we adopted a goal of 1% of our networth to be allocated to community investment] which could achieve returns and some of our giving goals, chiefly helping people to improve their lives.