The director accepts social investment products such as the Big Society ISAs promoted by the Government will never be market leaders, but says there is a growing demand for this area of investment, which the vast majority of IFAs ignore.
"The social investment market is in its infancy, but it is a growing market. More and more investors are realising that bringing about real social change and making sustainable financial returns are not mutually exclusive," said Howland.
"Charity Bank has grown from a £6m pilot scheme in 2002 to a £67m bank-and-ISA provider today. It is the duty of the financial adviser to give customers the full range of products which are available and in demand."
His comments come in light of a recent Trustnet poll that revealed 67 per cent of readers would not invest in one of David Cameron’s proposed Big Society ISAs.
Charity Bank accepts deposits from private investors and organisations, and uses these deposits to lend to social enterprises. It also offers a range of ISAs to its clients, including one that is rated fourth on the Which? best-rate cash ISA list.
"We will never be market leaders; indeed, we would never want to be, but we believe in offering a fair financial return to support the social return we offer, hence why our ISA appears in some best-rate lists."
"Rates of 2.5 per cent are competitive by any standard at the moment," he added.
Howland says clients are drawn to the greater transparency in social investment, particularly in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
"We publish details of every loan we make, who we are lending to, and what they are doing with it," he explained.
The director says he expects the organisation to double in value in the next three years, adding: "If we look at the sales of Fairtrade-certified products, the market was tiny a decade ago but today this is a billion-pound market."
While Howland believes investors are warming to the idea of social investment, he acknowledges that many have failed to come to terms with the concept.
"There is most definitely a separation of head and heart in the financial sector. Many investors give a great deal of money to charity, but would never consider a moral or social investment."
"Social investment allows the individual to combine the two," he said.
Maurice Lawson, however, a private investor from Sonning-on-Thames, says he prefers to keep investment and charity separate.
He commented: "The point of a cash ISA is finding the best rate on offer with maximum security. From an investment point of view, therefore, it doesn’t matter what’s being done with the money. If you look hard enough you can still find rates [on an ISA] north of three per cent."
"I understand the ethical rewards on offer, but I’d always want to keep charity and investment apart. When you mix investment with charity or politics, there’s always the chance that you make big losses."