Cass Visiting Fellow and alumnus in Queen’s Honours list

LONDON - June 25, 2013 - PRLog -- Cass Visiting Research Fellow and alumnus Jim Clifford has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

He was recognised for his services to social investment.

Jim teaches modules on social impact measurement and social investment to Cass's charity and NGO MSc students.

He completed Cass's MSc in Charity Accounting and Financial Management (http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/courses/masters/charity-courses/charity-accounting-and-financial-management), gaining a distinction in 2010.

His research blends these areas with financial valuation of not-for-profits and brand valuation development. These affect transactional decision making in the not-for-profit sector.

He looks at how private capital, through bonds, share issues, and other forms, can be raised for investment in businesses and projects delivering social value.

This includes care for the elderly, projects to stop reoffending, youth work, education, and other areas.

A Boston Capital Group report on the size of the market in the UK indicates that it will hit £1bn of annual new investment by 2016, but early indications are that it is growing more quickly than that.

His work was recently cited by UK Prime Minister David Cameron in a speech at the Social Impact Investment Forum in London.

This project, completed with the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies in developing social investment for adoption was recently hailed in a letter from Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society, as the "…first provider led Social Impact Bond in the world….extremely innovative in both its fixed income like repayments as well as the commissioner spot purchasing element."

At Cass, Jim works closely on research with Dr Tobias Jung, Professor Jenny Harrow and Professor Paul Palmer.

Jim also holds the position of Head of Public Sector, and of Not-for-Profit Advisory at Baker Tilly Corporate Finance LLP, the independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers.

Why not also find out more about the PGDip/MSc in Charity Marketing & Fundraising (http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/courses/masters/charity-course...) course from Cass Business School, ideal for managers working at a senior level in charities and not-for profit organisations who wish to gain a recognised academic qualification.