For nonprofits, foundations, and endowments
Alpha helps nonprofit fiduciaries translate mission, governance, spending, liquidity, and portfolio needs into a disciplined comparison of OCIO providers and institutional investment consultants.
Direct answer
The right provider must fit the institution’s mission, governance, spending policy, liquidity needs, risk tolerance, portfolio complexity, internal resources, and expectations for service and accountability.
Institution first
Provider scale, brand, or a standard nonprofit offering cannot replace mandate-specific due diligence. Alpha begins with the institution and then evaluates the market against its actual needs.
Because Alpha does not manage assets, its search process is designed around the fiduciary decision rather than a competing investment product.
Institution-specific priorities
Define decision authority, staff and committee roles, education needs, reporting, escalation, documentation, and continuing provider oversight.
Connect the spending policy, operating needs, donor restrictions, illiquid assets, private commitments, and risk capacity to implementation.
Evaluate the assigned team, nonprofit experience, customization, all-in economics, conflicts, reporting, culture, and institutional fit.
Questions before the search
Prepare comparable evidence
A clear mandate allows providers to respond to the same requirements and helps the committee distinguish meaningful differences from polished presentations.
Read the OCIO and consultant RFP guide →Independent, data-informed evaluation
Alpha’s search experience, the Alpha Nasdaq OCIO Indices, and OCIO Analytics help fiduciaries evaluate providers in a more relevant institutional context.
A nonprofit should evaluate governance support, spending and liquidity needs, asset allocation, donor or legal restrictions, private-market capabilities, risk, performance evidence, fees, reporting, conflicts, and the provider’s experience with institutions of similar size and complexity.
No. An OCIO can accept authority for responsibilities defined in the mandate, but the board or investment committee retains responsibility for setting objectives, approving policy, selecting the provider, defining delegation, and monitoring the relationship.
Triggers may include a change in governance, staff, spending needs, liquidity, service requirements, investment model, provider personnel, fees, or performance. Institutions may also periodically evaluate an incumbent to confirm that the relationship remains appropriate.
No. Alpha provides independent search and evaluation support and does not offer OCIO or investment consulting services. It does not compete with the providers it helps institutions evaluate.
A better selection process starts here
Alpha can help your board or investment committee clarify governance, compare qualified providers, evaluate an incumbent, and make a defensible selection.
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