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ABOUT RSF Social Finance
RSF is a pioneering nonprofit financial services organization dedicated to using the tools of business to bring about positive, real-world change. Our goal is not just to make money available to progressive and innovative projects; its to fundamentally change the way the world works with money.Founded in 1936 as the Rudolf Steiner Foundation, RSF Social Finance began making loans to Steiner-inspired organizations in 1984. In the late 1990s, RSFs mission expanded to serve a broader range of clients whose intentions and values are compatible with Steiners insights on associative economics and social renewal.Since 1984, RSF has made over $200 million in loans and over $90 million in grants, placing us in the top tier of social finance organizations worldwide. For 25 years, we have consistently provided a positive return on investment for our clients.Today, RSF offers investing, lending, and giving services to individuals and enterprises committed to improving society and the environment. We currently have over one thousand clients who are creating enormous positive impact by helping us redirect the flow of money from global capital markets to local ones.Together, were creating a shift from financial transactions that are complex, opaque, and anonymous to those that are direct, transparent, and personal. Every decision we make is based on long-term relationships, not short-term outcomes.Inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, we believe that money has a deeply spiritual dimension. In our view, money is a form of energy that connects one person to another and strengthens the bonds of community. Our innovative financial products not only meet the constantly shifting needs of the market, but also encourage meaningful and direct relationships among investors and social entrepreneurs, donors and grantees.
Don Shaffer at The Economics of Peace Conference Sonoma Ca 2009
Don Shaffer at The Economics of Peace Conference Sonoma Ca 2009 from The Economics Of Peace on Vimeo.
Don Shaffer speaking at The Economics of Peace Conference in Sonoma California October 2009.
Don Shaffer is President & CEO of RSF Social Finance. Prior to joining RSF, Don served as Executive Director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), developing it into an alliance of over 15,000 independently owned businesses across the U.S. and Canada.
He has also served as Interim Executive Director of Investors’ Circle, a network of angel investors, professional venture capitalists, foundations, family offices, and others who invest private capital into companies addressing social and environmental issues.
Don’s experience includes over 15 years in senior management positions building social mission companies, including Comet Skateboards, a designer and manufacturer of premium skateboarding products committed to local and sustainable business practices. He has served and led sales, marketing, business-development, and general-operations teams in the education and software sectors.
Don serves as a Board Member of Comet Skateboards, BALLE, and Social Venture Network. He participates in an advisory capacity with Entrepreneurship@Cornell, B Lab, and Slow Money. He also co-chairs the Roots of Change Business Leaders Council. Don graduated with a degree in American History from Cornell University and lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Sabine.









