Ethical Advisers' Co-operative

What Ethical Advisers' Co-operative does

Ethical Advisers' Co-operative (EAC) is a not-for-profit member-operated cooperative established in 2011, positioned as Australia and New Zealand's first Financial Adviser Co-operative. Its core function is to organise and represent a network of over 40 specialist ethical investment advisers who operate independent Financial Planning practices across all Australian states/territories and New Zealand, collectively managing over $3.25 billion of ethical investor assets. The Co-op serves end-investors seeking to align superannuation and investment portfolios with personal ethical values (e.g., fossil fuel divestment, exclusion of gambling/tobacco, impact investing), as well as SMSF trustees, not-for-profits/charitable trusts, and super funds with responsible-investment mandates. Its non-client-facing value proposition for adviser members is collective voice, knowledge sharing, professional development, and advocacy within the Australian responsible-investment ecosystem.

The Co-op's core product surface is advisory rather than software. Differentiated assets include the proprietary Ethical Fund Ratings system (a published methodology for rating investment funds against ethical criteria), the 'Find an Adviser' directory portal filterable by jurisdiction, and an annual Ethical Investment Week established in 2013. It also produces educational content including the Ethical Investment Guide, a Human Rights and Modern Slavery thematic guide, expert interviews/videos, and six consecutive annual reports (2020–2025). There is no app, no API surface, and no disclosed software platform; the technology stack is a WordPress-based website plus content distribution rather than a fintech product.

The business model is a hybrid cooperative: the Co-op itself is funded through membership fees from adviser members (subscription-recurring), while end-clients pay individual adviser fees structured as an initial advice-report fee plus an ongoing portfolio-maintenance fee (professional services). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by adviser; clients are referred to each adviser's Financial Services Guide. Go-to-market combines content marketing (guides, videos, interviews, annual reports) with an annual awareness event (Ethical Investment Week) to drive top-of-funnel leads into the 'Find an Adviser' portal, where conversion occurs at the individual practice level. The Co-op is governed by a member-elected board (Chair Sarah Wood, Treasurer Kathryn Fitch-Daniels, plus directors Luke Price, Julia Harley, and Stuart Barry) and partners with the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) and Ethical Invest Group.

Name

Ethical Advisers' Co-operative

Legal name

Ethical Advisers' Co-operative Ltd

Website

https://ethicaladviserscoop.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Not-for-profit cooperative founded in 2011 organising 40+ specialist ethical financial advisers across Australia and New Zealand. It provides an adviser directory, proprietary Ethical Fund Ratings, and educational content for investors seeking values-aligned superannuation and portfolio advice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kew

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The Co-operative operates as a not-for-profit organization established in 2011. Revenue appears to be generated through membership fees from financial advisers who join the cooperative network.
2. Member Adviser Services: Individual member advisers charge transparent and fair fees to clients, which may include an initial fee for an advice report and ongoing fees for portfolio maintenance. Each adviser operates their own practice within the Co-op network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ethical Advisers' Co-operative is a not-for-profit, member-operated cooperative network of more than 40 specialist financial advisers across Australia and New Zealand who help clients invest in line with their ethical values within superannuation and investment portfolios. The Co-op provides a proprietary Ethical Fund Ratings system, a Find an Adviser directory, the annual Ethical Investment Week, downloadable educational guides, and an adviser professional development program, collectively managing over $3.25 billion in ethical investor assets.

Product overview

The Ethical Advisers' Co-operative is a not-for-profit member-operated organization providing ethical financial advisory services across Australia and New Zealand. Rather than a unified software platform, the Co-operative offers a portfolio of advisory services and resources including: Ethical Fund Ratings for evaluating investments against ethical criteria; a Find an Adviser directory connecting investors with 40+ member advisers; Ethical Investment Week (established 2013) as an annual awareness program; the Sustainable Investment Advice Course for adviser professional development; downloadable guides on ethical investing and human rights topics; expert interviews; and annual reports documenting advocacy impact. The Co-operative represents advisers managing over $3.25 Billion of ethical investor assets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ethical Fund Ratings A proprietary rating system developed by the Ethical Advisers Co-operative to assess and rate ethical investment funds against ethical criteria, assisting individual investors in selecting investments aligned with their values.
• Find an Adviser A directory service connecting individual investors and SMSF trustees with Co-op member ethical financial advisers across all Australian states and territories plus New Zealand, filterable by location.
• Ethical Investment Week An annual awareness and lead-generation event established in 2013 that connects investors with specialist ethical financial advisers through webinars, educational content, and member activities.
• Ethical Investment Guide A free downloadable guide providing tips and guidance on how to invest in line with personal ethical criteria, distributed to individual investors and prospective clients.
• Ethical Investment Guide to Human Rights and Modern Slavery A specialized guide addressing human rights and modern slavery considerations in ethical investment decisions for individual and institutional investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3.25 Billion of ethical investor assets managed by member advisers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011The Co-op works with RIAA to promote Responsible Investment in Australia. Member advisers are encouraged to work with RIAA and all Co-op advisers are members of RIAA. The Co-op's CEO interview series discusses RIAA's annual benchmark reports on responsible investment trends.
• Ethical Invest GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthical Invest Group supports forward-thinking financial advisers through the Sustainable Investment Advice course, which equips advisers with tools, resources and strategies to integrate sustainable and ethical investing into their practice. The Co-op promotes this course as part of adviser education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Verve Super: Australian ethical superannuation fund targeting values-aligned investors with fossil-fuel-free portfolios. Comparable as an emerging specialist serving overlapping individual-investor and ethical-super use cases.
• Australian Impact Investments: Australian specialist in impact investing across managed funds and bespoke portfolios. Comparable because it serves values-aligned individual investors, family offices, and not-for-profit clients — overlapping with the Co-op's NFP and SMSF segments.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Ethical Investment: Australia's largest dedicated ethical superannuation and investment manager. Comparable because it serves the same values-aligned investor base across super, managed funds, and direct shares, but operates as a vertically integrated asset manager rather than an adviser network.
• Perennial Value Management: Australian boutique asset manager with explicit ethical/sustainable investment offerings. Comparable because it operates in the responsible-investment product space overlapping with the Co-op's member-adviser recommendations.
• Aware Super: One of Australia's largest super funds with an explicit responsible-investment framework and ESG options. Comparable because it serves the same super-fund segment and competes for values-aligned members, though as a mainstream incumbent rather than specialist.

Direct peers

• Conscious Investment Management: Australian ethical financial advisory practice serving individuals, families, and NFPs with values-aligned portfolios. Comparable as an independent specialist adviser competing for the same ethical-investor and SMSF segments targeted by the Co-op's member network.
• Ethinvest: Australian ethical investment advisory firm explicitly referenced in the Co-op's board history (Treasurer Kathryn Fitch-Daniels joined Ethinvest in 2021). Provides directly overlapping ethical financial advice to individual investors and SMSFs in Australia.
• Ethical Invest Group: Provider of the Sustainable Investment Advice course and a direct strategic partner. Comparable because it serves the same ethical-adviser professional-development ecosystem and helps recruit/mobilize specialist advisers in ANZ.
• Future Super: Australian ethical superannuation fund focused on fossil-fuel-free investing and responsible investment. Comparable because it serves the same individual-investor and SMSF segments with values-aligned super products, competing for the same ethical-investor wallet.

Others

• Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA): Industry body for responsible investment in ANZ and direct strategic partner of the Co-op. Comparable as the certification body whose Responsible Investor credentials all Co-op advisers hold; functions as an ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EthicalAdvisersCoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethical-advisers-co-operative
• Xx.com/EthicalAdvisers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ethical Advisers' Co-operative