--- title: Sample OCIO RFP Questions for Nonprofits | Verger description: Explore sample OCIO RFP template questions to help nonprofits assess firm culture, investment process, client service, reporting, fees, and fit. image: https://blog.vergercapital.com/hubfs/verger-rfp.png --- This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. ![](https://blog.vergercapital.com/hubfs/Group%20427324955%20(1).svg) - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [INVESTOR PORTAL](https://vergercapital.seiinvestorportal.com/CoreAuth/Login?ReturnUrl=%2F) - [CONTACT US](https://vergercapital.com/contact-us/) [![Verger Capital Management ](https://blog.vergercapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/VergerCapital_January2021/images/verger-logo-black.png?width=500&height=60&name=verger-logo-black.png "Verger Capital Management ")](https://vergercapital.com/) - [OUR APPROACH](https://vergercapital.com/non-profit-investment-strategy/) - [OUR PROCESS](https://vergercapital.com/outsourced-chief-investment-officer/) - [OUR TEAM](https://vergercapital.com/outsourcing-investment-management-services/) - [NEWS](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news/) - [INSIGHTS](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights) - [ABOUT US](https://vergercapital.com/verger-capital-management/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. ![](https://blog.vergercapital.com/hubfs/Group%20427324955%20(1).svg) - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [INVESTOR PORTAL](https://vergercapital.seiinvestorportal.com/CoreAuth/Login?ReturnUrl=%2F) - [CONTACT US](https://vergercapital.com/contact-us/) [![Verger Capital Management ](https://blog.vergercapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/VergerCapital_January2021/images/verger-logo-black.png?width=500&height=60&name=verger-logo-black.png "Verger Capital Management ")](https://vergercapital.com/) - [OUR APPROACH](https://vergercapital.com/non-profit-investment-strategy/) - [OUR PROCESS](https://vergercapital.com/outsourced-chief-investment-officer/) - [OUR TEAM](https://vergercapital.com/outsourcing-investment-management-services/) - [NEWS](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news/) - [INSIGHTS](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights) - [ABOUT US](https://vergercapital.com/verger-capital-management/) Search for: - [OUR APPROACH](https://vergercapital.com/non-profit-investment-strategy/) - [OUR PROCESS](https://vergercapital.com/outsourced-chief-investment-officer/) - [OUR TEAM](https://vergercapital.com/outsourcing-investment-management-services/) - [NEWS](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news/) - [INSIGHTS](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights) - [ABOUT US](https://vergercapital.com/verger-capital-management/) [‹ Back to Insights](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights) ![verger-capital-ocio-rfp-questions](https://blog.vergercapital.com/hubfs/verger-rfp.png) Friday, January 30th, 2026 [Resources](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights/tag/resources) [OCIO](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights/tag/ocio) [Endowment Management](https://blog.vergercapital.com/news-and-insights/tag/endowment-management) # Sample OCIO RFP Questions for Nonprofit Endowments and Foundations ### Related Posts: 2026 Fiscal Year End Review \> 2026 Q2 Market Review & Outlook: Class Is In Session \> At Verger, we’re committed to acting as an extension of our clients’ teams and providing insight into nonprofit best practices and implementation resources. As a result, we’ve updated our [OCIO RFP Template for Nonprofit Endowments and Foundations](https://resources.vergercapital.com/ocio-rfp-template?hsCtaTracking=28b1bd1c-1f38-4352-990a-a620694adb29%7C1ae8c101-c79b-4da9-addb-b24a18b94e52) based on the wide range of RFPs we’ve received over the years, insights from our experience as respondents, and experience from our team working with clients and serving on nonprofit boards. If your organization is preparing an endowment management RFP, the questions you ask should help your board, investment committee, and staff evaluate each OCIO provider’s philosophy, service model, investment process, reporting approach, fees, and overall fit. [![DOWNLOAD VERGER'S OCIO RFP TEMPLATE](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7740228/28b1bd1c-1f38-4352-990a-a620694adb29.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/7740228/28b1bd1c-1f38-4352-990a-a620694adb29) ## What Questions Should You Ask OCIO Providers? 1\. Getting to know an OCIO provider’s mission, purpose, and identity is a great place to start. These questions can help reveal how a firm thinks about service, stewardship, culture, and long-term partnership. A few human-centric requests include: - Describe your firm’s core values - Describe an instance when a client was particularly impressed by your team’s service(s) - What do you wish people would ask you about your firm? 2\. Understanding a firm’s history, structure, and culture is key to selecting the right endowment management partner or OCIO provider. We believe the following questions help flesh out a firm’s differentiated approach: - What percentage of the firm’s AUM, staff, and total revenue is attributed to your OCIO business (currently and historically)? - Please detail your experience working with nonprofit endowments, foundations, and mission-driven institutions - Please describe any firm activities, traditions, benefits, etc. that promote talent retention 3\. When exploring a firm’s investment philosophy, portfolio construction process, risk management approach, and implementation, asking for sample reports to be included as Appendices can be a great way to gain a deeper understanding. In addition, an out-of-the-box question, such as “How is your investment philosophy reflected throughout your investment process?” can be a great tool for assessing a firm’s ability to communicate its unique approach. 4\. In the area of client service, don’t forget to ask about the range of services the firm offers beyond traditional investment management, including governance support, board education, reporting, spending policy guidance, and day-to-day communication, and encourage them to include examples. 5\. Finally, when inquiring about performance, reporting, and operations, as well as contract(s) and fees, make sure to encourage responding firms to highlight how these functions are aligned with and reflect their firm's values, investment philosophy, approach to transparency, and responsibilities as an outsourced investment management partner. ## How to Use Sample OCIO RFP Questions Sample RFP questions are most useful when they serve as a starting point, not a substitute for institutional thinking. Before issuing an RFP, customize your questions around your organization’s mission, governance structure, investment objectives, liquidity needs, spending policy, internal capacity, and desired relationship with an OCIO provider. The goal is not to make the RFP longer. The goal is to make it more useful, more relevant, and easier for respondents to answer in a way your team can evaluate consistently. At Verger, we understand that creating and analyzing an RFP requires a great deal of time, thought, and resources. AI can help organize information and support the process, but human input is still essential. Without the right context and review, AI-generated questions can become generic, irrelevant, or disconnected from your institution’s needs. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, take your time, and lean on the experience of those who have been through the process before. 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