SDSU Social Entrepreneur Internship Program

Are you working with a nonprofit who may be interested in an intern? The QUALCOMM EMC Social Entrepreneur Internship Program may be a good fit.

The program at San Diego State University matches talented graduate business students with nonprofit organizations. Interns work with the organization's senior management to improve performance and achieve their goals through entrepreneurial initiatives.

The internships unite academic, corporate and social concepts in entrepreneurship for a unique educational MBA experience. Over the course of a 150-hour internship, students identify a strategic objective, perform related business analysis and develop a substantive report.

For certain projects, SDSU faculty advisors may act as facilitators and QUALCOMM employees mentor the interns to enable agency implementation of recommended courses of action.

Program Background

The QUALCOMM EMC Social Entrepreneur Internship Program began when the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurial Leadership recognized that the internships they had been sponsoring in For-Profit enterprises could benefit Non-Profit organizations.

In early 1999, Kauffman provided SDSU's Entrepreneurial Management Center with seed money to launch a social entrepreneur internship initiative with the goal of securing permanent local funding. Later that year, the EMC announced a grant from its partner QUALCOMM, Inc. to continue the social internship program.

How the Program Works

• Phase One:
  Each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer) the EMC invites nonprofit organizations to submit internship project proposals. After they are reviewed to insure they are compatible with program goals, the project descriptions are posted on our website. Student’s request interviews based upon their experience, skills and interests. The agencies receive copies of resumes of those students desiring an interview.
  
• Phase Two:
  In a single afternoon the students and agency representatives meet on campus for "match day." In most instances the preferences of the agencies and students are mutually selective, and a one-to-one match is made. Each intern is assigned a program advisor for purposes of guidance, as a source of technical assistance and to insure a quality learning experience results. A mentor from QUALCOMM also becomes part of the internship team.
  
• Phase Three:
  The intern, host organization supervisor and QUALCOMM mentor meet to establish and confirm the scope of the engagement and agree upon deliverables. Additional meetings and conferences occur on an as-needed basis. The intern is the individual primarily responsible for the successful outcome of the project and is expected to take on a leadership role to insure that occurs.

If you are interested in participating in this program, please complete a nonprofit application form (found on the EMC website www.sdsu.edu/emc ) and send it to Bernhard Schroeder at bschroeder@projects.sdsu.edu.

Peggy Kidd, A Lifetime Mission Helping People

By Abe Ordover

SDSVP Executive Director Peggy Kidd has dedicated her life to a personal, spiritual mission to be of help to people and communities. Her deep sense of purpose comes from observing at close hand and being amidst some of the catastrophes of humankind. She came from these experiences with a profound sense of purpose.

Peggy received her B.S. in Marketing from Miami University of Ohio, where she spent her junior year studying abroad. After college, she moved to San Diego to work on a cruise ship as black jack dealer. Following her Fun Ship experience, she decided to get serious about her career and launched into the corporate world. She served as Marketing Director for a small agency, then accepted a position leading a division of a consumer based research firm and then was lured to the client side by working at Jenny Craig International as Director of Marketing Research, supervising clinical trials and working with the advertising and creative teams.

To find balance in her life, Peggy started volunteering as a “big sister” for an abused little girl, whom she still helps today. The impact that one person can have on the life of another convinced her of the importance of giving back.

Then, life abruptly changed for her in 1999. Knowing that she wanted to give back, she traveled Africa to work with AIDS orphans in Kikuyu and Capetown. However, while traveling to Uganda to track the Mountain Gorillas, she was awakened one morning at 5am by the sounds of people quietly lurking in the camp. Frightened, she rationalized it away as “irrational fear”, although, she quickly packed up her things and fled. An hour later, the Hutu rebels invaded her camp, burned all the tents and kidnapped the tourists, eventually slaying eight of her friends.

As a survivor, she came to feel deeply that she must devote her life to helping others. Her mission to work for nonprofits matured. After returning to San Diego, she decided to leave corporate America for the nonprofit world and accepted a position at Family Literacy Foundation as their Executive Director. Feeling as if she found her purpose, she recalls thinking, “I would do this for free. I’m just lucky to get paid for it.”

Feeling that desire once more to work with the 3rd world population, Peggy lived in Brazil for a year working with the street children in the ghettos, a crime ridden, drug culture where life was cheap and murder abundant. “That was the most challenging experience of my life”, Peggy recalls. “I was teaching the kids English and other life skills, yet they really needed survival skills. They knew once the center closed at night, they’d need to fight in order to make it to the next day.” After a few narrow escapes with her own life, she decided to settle back down in the burbs of San Diego and tackle some of the challenges kids face right here in our community. Moving from the Board of TKF to staff, as Executive Director, she worked to implement violence prevention programs with San Diego City Schools.

In 2006, she started a private consulting practice assisting nonprofit organizations in building their capacity. This led her to SDSVP, which ultimately hired her as its Executive Director. Peggy believes SDSVP is the perfect fit for her –blending her passion for nonprofits and the strategic aspect of business. She’s excited about the impact that SDSVP is making on the community: “if any group in San Diego is going to make a significant change, it’s going to be SDSVP. Our Partners have the intellect, the passion and the resources to make it happen.”

Concierge Club for Seniors

By Cathy Yarbrough

A concierge service may seem an odd fit for a nonprofit community organization that helps low income senior citizens to live in their homes – and to avoid institutionalization – for as long as their health allows.

But, it’s such a good business decision that SDSVP this year selected the organization, ElderHelp, as one of its new three-year Investees. “With SDSVP’s expertise, we will execute a new strategy to provide something to seniors and their families that does not currently exist,” said Leane Marchese, Executive Director of ElderHelp.

For over 35 years, ElderHelp has not charged a fee when its 17-member staff and 200 volunteers transported senior citizens to their medical appointments, grocery-shopped for them or provided other services that enable people to live independently. Last year, ElderHelp helped about 5,000 San Diego senior citizens.

In coming years, ElderHelp will be called upon to help many more people, as the senior citizen population doubles over the next two decades from about 340,000 in 2008 to 740,000 by 2030, Marchese said at SDSVP’s First Friday on August 1. She pointed out that many older individuals are burdened by not only fixed incomes but also high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and other chronic health problems.

To reach this increasing population of senior citizens, ElderHelp must expand its own financial resources. The concierge program will be one of the initiatives to generate a revenue stream that will enable ElderHelp to become sustainable and viable.

SDSVP will help its new Investee to develop and launch the ElderHelp Concierge Club, which will target seniors and their families who can afford to pay a membership fee for the services that low-income older individuals will continue to receive for free.

Marchese explained that every two paid Concierge Club memberships will provide the income that will enable ElderHelp to provide the same services, but at no cost, to one low-income senior citizen.

In addition to refining a business plan, SDSVP will assist ElderHelp with creating and implementing a web-based information tracking system that will integrate all components and functions for the organization.
Partners also will help ElderHelp to develop and execute a marketing plan to recruit and retain 150 volunteers, each of whom will commit to 6 hours per week for one year.
A system for evaluating ElderHelp’s outcomes against revenue and volunteer and membership retention measures will be devised, so that the organization’s impact on San Diego can be clearly communicated.

Supportive Housing Monies Committed in San Diego

By Simonne Ruff

The Corporation for Supportive Housing’s (CSH) fundamental challenge has been to ensure that $100 million currently available to the San Diego region to prevent and end homelessness is not left on the table, as in previous years. San Diego Social Venture Partners worked with CSH to clearly focus on the critical success factors to ensure these monies are directed to housing for the homeless in San Diego - and the results of this hard work are already being seen locally.

San Diego is amongst the first counties in the State to have initial approval of $5 million in Mental Health Services Act funding and $3.5 million in state affordable housing funds for the Cedar Gateway project in downtown San Diego. This exciting project at 6th and Cedar is unique in that it mixes permanent supportive housing with affordable housing, a rooftop garden, commercial retail space and a rejuvenated St. Cecelia’s Chapel. Squier Properties, a for profit affordable housing developer, has worked collaboratively with the Centre City Development Corporation to take on the challenge of creating new units of supportive housing downtown. Squier Properties and CCDC are championing the cause to end homelessness in this showcase project.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing and SDSVP’s strategic planning work has brought to the table a new partner with significant development expertise, Squier Properties, for their first project in San Diego. Continuing to focus on critical success factors, such as engaging new partners in supportive housing development, will enable CSH to meet its three year vision of enabling 250 homeless individuals with disabling health conditions to exit the streets and remain housed for one year in sustainable permanent supportive housing. Social Venture Partners’ expertise in strategic planning and outcome measurement are key resources that are enabling CSH to meet this vision.

Hobnobbing with Smart, Nice People While Making a Difference

By Cathy Yarbrough

The wildfires last October had one benefit: the catastrophe introduced the nonprofit Volunteer San Diego (VSD) to the energy, enthusiasm and talents of SDSVP.

SDSVP was eager to help fellow San Diego residents whose homes – and clothing, furniture and other possessions -- were destroyed by the wildfires. So VSD linked Partners with a local faith-based organization that was mounting a clothing drive

“Our three organizations brought the best of our abilities and networks together to meet a pressing community need,” said Sue Carter, executive director of VSD.

After the wildfires were under control, Carter turned to SDSVP to help her board and fellow staff leaders to evaluate VSD’s overall strategy and to create a new strategic plan that would communicate the organization’s positive impact on the community and increase its revenue through fundraising and fees for services.

(Under the aegis of SDSVP, Partners often volunteer their time and expertise to San Diego nonprofit community organizations that are not investees.)

Leading SDSVP’s effort to assist VSD with its strategic plan was Sherri Neasham, a Partner for two years. Neasham called upon the expertise of fellow Partners in SDSVP’s resource teams on strategic planning, finance, fundraising and other capacity building areas, to assist VSD.

“Sherri is an incredible ally,” said Carter. “She struck a great balance: offering her business knowledge and critical thinking while always respecting my knowledge of nonprofits and VSD. She knew which role was needed at which time – when to push and when to cheerlead.”

The Partners’ input persuaded VSD to define “what it does and to prove it annually with measurable outcomes,” Neasham said. As a result, the two and one-half year old community organization repositioned the way it describes its value and impact. “Whereas VSD before said they increased and facilitated volunteering, they now can say ‘Each year, we provide over $2 million in human capital to 500 community organizations in order to significantly impact the needs in San Diego County.’ ”

“Restating what they do in such a meaningful and measurable way will substantially increase the funding they receive,” Neasham added. “More importantly, VSD measures and focuses on the value of volunteer contributions; they’ll begin seeking more highly skilled volunteers, and will fund many other San Diego nonprofits with greater manpower at a higher level of expertise as a result. This will have a significant impact throughout our county.”

Carter said that SDSVP “provided outside perspective and expertise that wasn’t readily available within VSD. VSD is fortunate to have significant alignment within our board and staff for our overall goals and direction, but that alignment can work against us as we roll out programs to a large and diverse community.”

“SDSVP asked great questions that helped us refine and strengthen our position and the reasons why we did what we did,” she added. “They brought expertise in the form of one-to-one coaching, group facilitation, and tactical tools and resources that we could apply to our efforts. As VSD explores opportunities for mobilizing the professional skills and interests of prospective volunteers, we are looking forward to engaging with SDSVP as practitioners and thought leaders.”

For Partners without the time to work long term with one of SDSVP’s investees, organizations such as VSD are an opportunity to “have fun, learn a lot and make a difference in a very flexible time frame of two to 10 hours over a several month period,” said Neasham. “When you’re working with such groups as VSD, you can easily control your own schedule,” she noted.

Neasham added, “It’s a great opportunity to creatively use your experience or talents in new ways. You get to hobnob with some very smart and very nice people, and best of all, you can be truly helpful and make a difference.”

News and Updates are now available in the SDSVP Blog!

SDSVP has created a blog where you can find regular updates, past newsletter articles and stories on how we are making an impact in the community. Plus you can comment on the stories and interact with others. We’ve also included links to our Investees, a suggested reading list, and an SDSVP glossary of terms. Check the SDSVP blog for continual updates!

http://sdsvp.blogspot.com

SAVE THE DATE! Investment Working Group / Discovery Team Kick Off Meeting

Monday, September 8th, 7:00-9:00 PM

Join us for an in-depth look at the issues facing our children in San Diego. This year’s Discovery Team has been working diligently over the summer to gain a better understanding of the needs and priorities of the sector. Is it violence prevention? School readiness? Childhood obesity? Foster youth? After several interviews with nonprofit organizations, funders, academics and other SVP affiliates, and discussions among the team, we would like to share the findings with the Partnership and discuss next steps. Join us, along with the experts in the community, for this fascinating session on how to improve the lives of our children, the “future of San Diego"!

San Diego Business Journal Announces SDSVP’s New Investees

From the San Diego Business Journal, July 21, 2008

San Diego Social Venture Partners is granting Elder Law & Advocacy and ElderHelp each $250,000 over three years to fund services. Other organizations funded by Social Venture Partners include Angels Foster Family Network, La Cuna, Community Resource Center and Corporation for Supportive Housing.

To read the full article, click here

Congratulations on SDSVP’s Former Investee, Second Chance, on great coverage in the UT!

A Second Chance at Success

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, July 24, 2008

It's not the type of exclamation you usually hear at a graduation.

“Where's my P.O.?” asked Adam Matschullat, using the shorthand for parole officer. “I told you I'd do it, right?”

Matschullat and his classmates had been accustomed to a path that involved judges and police officers, not guidance counselors and teachers. They hope that changed for good Friday, when they completed a course offered by Second Chance, an Encanto agency that aids the homeless and unemployed.

The 69 graduates, ranging from teens to those in their 50s, have battled drug problems and homelessness or racked up criminal records. Second Chance, however, offers them just that – an opportunity to learn life skills while complying with mandates from courts and other authorities.

To read the full story on this former SDSVP Investee, click here

Fundraising Gymnastics

Flaw # 7 from the Project Streamline report:

The most commonly cited effect of the foundation funding system is that nonprofits continually reinvent their programs—at least on paper—in response to foundations’ preference for the “new and different,” and reluctance to pay core operating support. Application and reporting requirements also cause nonprofits to develop strategies that are the opposite of what foundations intend.

To read the full article, click here

Community Resource Center includes SDSVP in Annual Report

From CRC’s Annual Report

In 2007, CRC was selected by SDSVP to receive over $100,000 in grants over the next three years to launch our newest initiative, the Food Stamp Assistance Program, which provides outreach and application assistance to low-income residents in the North County area. With SDSVP’s support, CRC is focusing its attention on the Food Stamp Program to augment our existing food programs. SDSVP has also been guiding CRC through this pivotal point in our growth by providing expertise on strategic planning, fundraising, board education and development, information technology, and general business.

To view the full Annual Report, click here

To learn more about CRC, please join them for their “Moonlight on the Promenade” on September 27, 2008 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Mission Tower Ballroom. It will be a memorable evening that will include an auction, dinner, live music, honoree tribute, and dancing. For event information, please visit www.crcncc.org or call Suzie Colby: (760) 230-6305.

Cool things our Partners are doing…

Partner AmyK Hutchens was recently interviewed by Partners Barbara Bry and Neil Senturia on their radio show “I'm There for You Baby: The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Galaxy” about her book Brain Brilliant. To listen to the program click here then scroll down to the show on July 16, 2008.

Congratulations to Partner Mark Fackler who recently traveled to Switzerland to complete his 4th triathlon.

Market-based Solutions to Social Problems – New Strategies for Action

Thursday, August 7th, 12:00 – 2:00 PM
UC San Diego Extension
6925 Lusk Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121

Learn about emerging trends in social entrepreneurship. Hear inspiring stories about technology-based businesses that generate income and serve disadvantaged populations. Compare your goals and strategies to those of others who are committed to reducing their dependence on charitable donations.

Whether you are a nonprofit board member, a nonprofit executive, corporate or foundation Grantmaker, community relations director or social entrepreneur, this event will help you gain perspective on the field of social enterprise, key challenges and recent developments.

Featuring Jim Fruchterman, CEO & Founder, BenetechChairman, Social Enterprise AllianceMacArthur Fellow

Seating is limited. Advance Registration must be received by Monday Aug. 4th.

Admission $25, includes lunch. Register on line at http://www.npsolutions.org/.

For more information contact Betsy Densmore, at betsy@se-institute.org or phone 949-500-2381.

Presented by the UC San Diego Extension Responsible Enterprise Forum, in cooperation with CONNECT, San Diego Social Venture Partners, and San Diego Net Impact Student and Professional Chapters.