Giving Compass' Take:

• Nia Impact Capital CEO Kristin Hull discusses the importance of making sure investments align with gender equity and how to execute such a plan.

• Many of Hull's suggestions (such as including women in leadership roles and providing women with access to capital) should be standard. Make a checklist that incorporates these action items.

• Read about incorporating a gender lens into your measurement and evaluation efforts.

This past year has seen record numbers of women (and men alike) gathering to march in the streets to protest the White House, gun violence and use of fossil fuels as well as to speak out for fair treatment of women around the globe. May this also be the year we use our finances as a lever for social change in support of feminist values.

Now is the time to invest with a gender lens. From our consumer activity to our investment portfolio, it is time to align our assets with our goals for gender equity. Each one of our dollars has an impact in the world, from our banking decisions, to our bond and public equity holdings. Let us continue to put our feminism into our finances to ensure that our money is having the impact we are hoping to see in the world.

Here are a few ways to ensure we are leveraging and aligning our portfolios with a gender lens:

• Do all of your companies include women in leadership?
• Are your investments providing women access to capital?
• Are the companies in your portfolio producing products and services beneficial to women and girls?
• Are you investing in companies with generous family leave, making it easier for women to excel at their career while also raising a family?
• Do the companies in your portfolio have diversity goals, as well as policies and practices in place to help them achieve their missions?

Read the full article about putting feminism into our finances by Kristin Hull at TriplePundit.