Breaking the Cycle of Abuse and Poverty

From the San Diego Business Journal
11/21/2005

Barbara Bry

Angela’s son Robert was born when she was 16 years old. At first, Angela, now 18, lived with Robert’s father.

Then he went to jail, and she turned to YES (Youth Empowerment Services) for Haven, a program for pregnant and parenting teens who don’t have a family for support. Without the YES program, Angela and Robert would be part of the most vulnerable population in our community at high risk of becoming homeless, living in poverty and more than likely abused or exploited.

Angela’s story is typical of the 20 young women currently in YES for Haven. Born in Mexico, Angela moved with her family to Escondido when she was 4. Sometimes she lived with her mother and father, and other times with her aunt. At the end of ninth grade, she got involved with drugs and dropped out of school. A year later, she was pregnant and moved in with her boyfriend.

“I don’t know what I would have done without this program,” Angela said. “This program has taught me how to parent, live on my own, manage my time, save money, and live with my peers.”

Petite, with long black hair, wearing a simple white camisole, jeans and white sneakers, Angela speaks articulately about her past and her future. It’s hard to believe that she has a 2-year-old son and a terrifying past.

YES for Haven, started in July 2004, is operated by a collaborative, including:

• The Salvation Army, which houses the program on its Door of Hope campus.
  
• Access, Inc., a community-based organization that provides job training, education and job placement services, as well as immigration assistance to low-income residents for more than 36 years.


• Casey Family Programs, a national organization that provides an array of services for children and youth, with foster care as its core. CFP funds research and dissemination of exemplary transition practices for foster care youth.

The concept is to provide, in one location, a wide range of services, including intensive employment readiness services and independent living skills, so that these women can get jobs and become good mothers and productive citizens. So far, 26 young women have participated in the program.

YES for Haven is one of several nonprofits funded by San Diego Social Venture Partners, a membership organization of 75 business and community leaders. Members of the group contribute their time, talent and resources to build the capacity and sustainability of not for profits in San Diego. SVP granted YES for Haven a $90,000 grant payable over three years if the program continues to meet measured outcomes and milestones.

In addition, SVP provided goods and services valued at between three to six times the cash donation. The group developed job tours, job shadowing opportunities in health care, technology and hospitality for the girls and established the Success Lab at YES for Haven complete with five Gateway computers. SVP partners have also volunteered their business expertise and guidance in developing a three-year strategic plan.

Since Angela has been involved with YES for Haven, she is looking forward to her high school graduation in December. After she graduates, she will leave YES for Haven, and has applied to three transitional living programs in San Diego County.

Youth Empowerment Services (YES)

An SDSVP grant is funding an employment readiness and internship program for pregnant and parenting teens that live in the Salvation Army’s “Door of Hope - Haven Program”. The program is a licensed group home that serves roughly 20 pregnant and parenting teens and their children.

The participants in the program are foster youth who became pregnant while residing in a group or foster home or living on the street.

SDSVP Partners are facilitating employer outreach and internship development. Through the efforts of SDSVP Partners, 20 girls have been enrolled in the YES program. Twelve girls completed job shadowing experiences at North County Health Clinic and 12 have completed an internship or are working in a job.

Through the efforts of SDSVP Partners and the Door Of Hope staff, the computer “Success Lab” is up and running with donated computers and internet services. The residents at Haven can now build resumes, search for jobs and explore areas of career interest.

“My job shadowing experience at the North County Health Clinic job was great for me. It greatly reinforced the career choice I had made in nursing. I gained hands-on experience, such as viewing a physician stitching up a wound. The fact that I was able to see that was awesome! I am more dedicated than ever before to attain my goal.”

C. L.

Second Chance

SDSVP supports the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Partnershop in Hillcrest, the social enterprise initiative of Second Chance. Second Chance provides the nationally recognized STRIVE program, a 120 hour job readiness and life skills course, to enable disadvantaged individuals to get and maintain longterm employment.

The goals of the Second Chance Ben & Jerry’s Partnershop are to: 1) provide job training, customer skills and service training in the food service and hospitality industry resulting in a career path with a livable wage; and 2) create a profitable social enterprise so proceeds can support other Second Chance programs.

SDSVP worked with Second Chance to improve the Partnershop’s inventory control systems, financial systems, implement a frequent customer program and identify new marketing strategies to increase sales.

“Second Chance continues to benefit from the SDSVP investment in our Ben & Jerry’s Partnershop on University Avenue in Hillcrest. Completing our second year of operation, we are approaching break-even financial status, efficiency gains and increased community awareness for Second Chance’s social enterprise which promotes workforce development for at-risk youth.”

Jo-Ann Jaffe, Director of Development
Second Chance

Junior Achievement (JA)

California is one of 30 states in the nation that does not require or provide formal financial literacy training for students. Consequently, many students today are making poor financial decisions, being lured into excessive credit card debt, and are unable to manage their money. SDSVP funded a pilot JA personal finance program to address these issues. JA taught personal finance to over 500 students in low-income high school classes across San Diego County.

SDSVP and JA will focus on a new initiative for financial literacy and business called JA Enterprise Village, the first of its kind in California. It will immerse 5th and 6th grade students in the fundamental components of free enterprise, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, economics, ethics and citizenship. Over half of the estimated 12,000 participants will be low-income youth.
All students will represent the diverse ethnic and cultural populations of San Diego. SDSVP will provide strategic guidance and capacity building in the areas of business planning, site selection, fundraising, marketing and communications.

“What is unique about the SDSVP partnership is that it provides multiple-year funding, as well as creative and dedicated personnel, to launch new programs. Multiple-year funding helps create an entrepreneurial environment in non-profits because it provides an additional incentive to stay the course when a new idea becomes challenging.”

Marion Paul,
Executive Vice President, Junior Achievement

Human Development Foundation (HDF)

HDF’s goal is to help bridge the “gap” between the longterm chances for academic achievement between gifted children from higher income families and those in lower income, non-English speaking families. SDSVP funds the Parent Literacy and Academic Curriculum Enrichment
Program (PLACE). This innovative program places parents of OPEN GATE (gifted and talented education) students in the classroom with the children’s teacher for two six-week sessions to teach the students curriculum to the parents in their native language. Through OPEN GATE, HDF advocates scholastic success for children with high potential and limited economic means. Equally significant is that return on investment for SDSVP-HDF, OPEN GATE and Parents Place Programs for the 3 years ending June 2005 was $5.86 for every dollar invested.

As a result of the SDSVP/HDF 2-year strategic planning process, there has been significant progress in HDF’s organizational capacity. In addition, Partners Bob Bingham, Dale Stein and Alan Sorkin have joined HDF’s board and Marjorie Fox, HDF President & CEO, is a member of the SDSVP Board.

“SDSVP has taken HDF from a relatively unknown organization to being well respected and recognized in the community. In short, I cannot imagine where HDF would be right now, without the input, assistance and genuine interest of SDSVP and its Partners….SDSU’s OPEN GATE Program Evaluation now verifies what we knew empirically, that we have a sophisticated program that makes a difference in the lives of highly gifted, low income children”

Marjorie Fox,
HDF President & CEO

Excellence and Justice in Education (EJE)

Excellence and Justice in Education (EJE) assists Hispanic, low-income parents to become strong advocates for their children to increase academic achievement and prepare them for college.

EJE’s success with parents and their children is evident in the results of students’ test scores, reported in San Diego State University’s independent study of EJE’s student achievement. The study shows these children scored higher in all subjects than the general Hispanic population and about equal to the student population at large. Executive Director Eva Pacheco has been honored for her achievement in the Lemon Grove school district and East County.

SDSVP Lead Partner, Jerry Hoffmeister advises the EJE Board and is a trustee of EJE Elementary Academy, their charter school.

Testimonials:

“When I look back upon this past year and the countless blessings I’ve been fortunate enough
to receive, I count on you as one of those blessings. Your trust in us never wavered, and your
mentorship added significantly to the growth of EJE. My appreciation for your help and support is never taken lightly. Your partnership and support made me realize that, by working together, we can do things we never dreamed possible.”

Eva Pacheco, Executive Director EJE

“EJE taught me organizational skills, public speaking and how to run a successful
business meeting.”

Former EJE Middle School Student (Now in College)

When Givers Get Together

From Business Week
3/7/2005

By Jessi Hempel

"Giving circles" let you have more of a say in where your charitable dollars are going If your name is Bill Gates (of Seattle), you have considerable say in how your philanthropic dollars are used. But if your name is Bill Allen (of Hockessin, Del.), you may not have much direct influence on the charities you support -- that is, unless you funnel your funds through what's known as a "giving circle."

An idea born in the late 1990s, when New Economy do-gooders sought to put their tech riches to philanthropic use, these giving circles have kept growing even as many tech entrepreneurs have seen their wealth dry up. Today there are about 220 giving circles in 39 states across the country, ranging from small groups of neighbors who organize around the dining room table to large-scale organizations such as Seattle's Social Venture Partners, which sponsors 22 giving circles with thousands of members worldwide. Now potential donors can connect to nearby giving circles through Givingforum.org/givingcircles, which was launched on Feb. 8 by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, based in Washington, D.C.

Unlike traditional giving circles, which are often sponsored by colleges or museums and require donors to pledge a certain amount to help maintain that institution, these new philanthropic endeavors are distinguished by their hands-on approach. They are often founded by a small group of donors interested in making an impact on a certain social problem. Members are asked to chip in from $100 to $25,000 a year, with the average contribution around $2,500. The cash is usually held by a community foundation, a public charity designed to save individual donors the cost of setting up their own private foundations. Giving circle members then determine which nonprofits receive their grants, often targeting causes such as education or environmentalism. Many circles also require members to volunteer their time. Members do everything from the minimal -- a service day cleaning up a local school -- to the more time-consuming -- a seat on the nonprofit's board of directors.

"A CHECK IS JUST A CHECK"

Bill Allen and his wife, Kim Lumhoo Allen, belong to the Delaware chapter of Social Venture Partners. He is a senior executive at a local financial-services firm; she heads a company that runs for-profit schools. Two years ago the couple looked for philanthropic opportunities that would allow their limited dollars to have a greater impact on their favorite cause -- education. In addition to their $7,500 donation -- the annual cost for a family to join -- Bill joined the SVP Delaware board, where he reviews grant applications. Kim conducts teacher training at a charter school that SVP supports. "A check is just a check," says Bill. "Here we can see the difference we're making."

Stanford University philanthropy professor Laura Arrillaga started Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) in 1999 to appeal to younger donors. "They view their social investments with the same importance as for-profit investments," says Arrillaga. According to the group's bylaws, all SV2 members get an equal vote on how the group allocates its $350,000 in annual grants. Last year, for instance, they helped support local doctors who volunteered their time to care for people with chronic illnesses.

Many of these social venture groups encourage members' children to get involved. Kahryn Nix, who owns a court reporting firm, works with teens in Social Venture Partners Arizona. Like the Delaware chapter, the Phoenix chapter operates independently but meets certain SVP criteria such as the $5,000 minimum donation. Her granddaughter Lauren Fielder, 16, is one of a few dozen kids who raise funds through car washes, garage sales, and bowl-a-thons. Nix then helps the junior givers to decide where their funds should go.

Recently, after a visit to a local nursery for homeless children, Fielder and her friends decided the children needed shoes. They sponsored a car wash and purchased 60 pairs. Says Nix: "We want to bring her up to understand giving is important."

This hands-on philanthropic culture is often what attracts donors to giving circles. In San Diego, medical entrepreneur Ted Tarbet and his wife, Michele, have been members of the local SVP chapter since 2001. When wildfires struck nearby Julian, Calif., in October, 2003, the Tarbets took their daughter, Alexis, now 14, to Julian along with other SVP friends to help distribute food and clothing. "The clothes I was giving out weren't as nice as the ones I had at home," says Alexis Tarbet. So she collected money from SVP members, nearly $30,000 in all, and put it toward $275 gift certificates for every teenager in Julian. "Sure, we could write a check to the Red Cross to help victims, and we probably would anyway," says Ted Tarbet. But with SVP, he adds, you see the impact of your efforts. It beats seeing your name on some givers' plaque.

HDF Awarded for Education Research Tools

From the San Diego Daily Transcript
2/24/2005

By Michelle Loase

Human Development Foundation, which offers encouragement and educational opportunities to underprivileged children, received some encouragement of its own earlier this month when it was given the Salute to Excellence Award for Excellence in Technology Innovation.

HDF was presented with the award at the Feb. 8 event recognizing excellence in nonprofit management, sponsored by Nonprofit Management Solution and the Waite Foundation. The local nonprofit was specifically recognized for its Web-based software, created by Abaris Technologies. The software correlates tutoring strategies and student progress, and serves as a time clock. Researchers at the San Diego State University College of Education use the data to assess the effectiveness of certain tutoring strategies.

"HDF students have made statistically significant gains in reading achievement over the school year, as a direct result of the literacy strategies used by OPEN GATE tutors," said Marjorie Fox, president and CEO of HDF. "Prior to the development of this Web-based technology, it was impossible to track activities in direct relation to student English literacy gains."

Dean Rosenberg, owner of Abaris Partners, and San Diego Social Venture Partners were also thanked by Fox. The OPEN GATE program is the foundation's primary initiative, providing resources and advocacy for highly gifted children who come from low-income families. For more information about HDF, visit www.humandevelopmentfoundation.com.

The Change Masters - The Top 25 Groups That Are Changing the World

From Fast Company

1/1/2005

By Cheryl Dahle

How do you solve the world's problems? With creativity, passion, and the savvy to turn scarce resources into big impact. Meet the winners of the 2005 Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards.

How long has it been since you were surprised by hope? As you browsed the morning newspaper, when did you last feel a sense that the world was becoming a better place? That the forces propelling the future were on the right track? That the power of imagination was serving those with healing ideals rather than those with darker agendas? Overwhelmed as we are by images of bad news, it is easy to tacitly embrace the notion that humanity's only possible trajectory is downward.

But that simply is not true. The proof lies in your hands, in the pages that follow. Here you'll read about the winners of Fast Company and Monitor Group's second annual Social Capitalist Awards: 25 organizations that are using creativity, business smarts, and hard work to invent a brighter future. These social entrepreneurs are more than architects of change with grand, skyscraper-scale visions; they are general contractors of getting stuff done. They will surprise you with hope and delight you with results.

"Whatever our professions, we are all citizens, and we all care deeply about unmet social needs -- which is precisely where social entrepreneurs make their essential contribution," says Mark Fuller, Monitor's chairman. "But good intentions are not enough. To put that vision into action, their efforts must meet the harsh test of performance, and their labors the demanding standards of accountability."

Consider the work of Endeavor Global, a New York-based nonprofit that seeds economic growth in developing countries by supporting the work of large-scale entrepreneurs. In 2002, 97 companies funded by Endeavor generated $332 million in revenue and created 8,562 jobs in Latin America.


Or take Social Venture Partners, which has invented a powerful model of philanthropy that now operates in 23 cities: Investors pool $5,500 apiece along with their time to help local nonprofits. SVP's elegant, virtuous-circle model produces smarter, more engaged donors and stronger nonprofits.

And returning winner New Leaders for New Schools improves education in inner cities one school at a time, by recruiting and training great principals for low-income schools. NLNS schools already have shown gains in reading and math scores. And more than 20 cities are creating their own principal-training programs with elements of the NLNS model.

The Social Capitalists are part of a global movement of entrepreneurs who've chosen to apply their skills to the common good. Though estimates of their ranks rise into the tens of thousands, figures are tough to verify. But if the group's size is nebulous, its impact is not: Just the bit of this movement devoted to making small loans to the poor, like winner ACCION International, lifted incomes of nearly 27 million families worldwide in a little over a decade, according to the United Nations Development Programme. Such results signal a new era of enlightenment in the social sector. Together, these organizations form a distribution network for social innovation -- the beginnings of a system for reinventing systems.


To pick the Social Capitalists, Fast Company worked closely with Monitor Group to evaluate 118 nominees. We looked for groups with audacious aspirations, as well as the entrepreneurial savvy to fuel those plans. We looked for true innovation: unique, new solutions to social problems, or creative business models that produce bigger results than previous approaches. We looked for groups with proven track records and the resources to stick around in the future. And, most important, we looked for nonprofits that were moving the needle on social change -- measurably and demonstrably making a difference with their work.

The stories of these organizations will remind you that many of the forces shaping society's future are within our control. Social capitalists show that pushing humanity's path upward is simply a matter of will and resources. It is also a function of our collective willingness to believe in possibility, to meet each day's news with the belief that the world can be a better place. Consider this an invitation, then, to raise your expectations.

Visit the Social Capitalist Resource Center. You'll find analysis of the 2005 results, descriptions of many finalist organizations, and biographies of the many experts who contributed to the package.

The Top 25 Groups That Are Changing the World

• ACCION International


• ApproTEC


• Aspire Public Schools


• City Year


• College Summit


• EARN


• Endeavor Global


• First Book


• Grameen Foundation USA


• Housing Partnership Network


• Jumpstart


• New Leaders for New Schools


• PATH


• Rare


• Room to Read


• Rubicon Programs Inc.


• Scojo Foundation


• SEED Foundation


• Social Venture Partners


• Springboard Forward


• TransFair USA


• Vera Institute of Justice


• Verite


• Witness


• Year Up