Giving is Universal

By Lori Thiel and Mandy Sherlock

In a room full of eager faces, San Diego Social Venture Partner, David Cornsweet stood up, dispersed 15 proposals from nonprofit organizations, explained the guidelines for selection, and announced, “Go for it!”

At first glance, this might seems like San Diego SVP’s Investment Working Group, the committee of Partners that selects the nonprofit organizations in which they’ll invest. However, this is a group of first year MBA students at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in Puttaparthi, India, where SDSVP Partner, David is a guest teacher.

To reinforce the Institute’s spirit of service in his Group Dynamics class, Professor David needed a project to help his students understand how to make decisions while working in high powered groups. He racked his brain, “What model includes high-powered, strongly opinionated people who come together to make important decisions?” Social Venture Partners, of course! David knew the SVP process of selecting nonprofit Investees well enough to help others learn from it. “If it works for SVP, why not try it with the students in India?”

Prior to joining SDSVP, David was no stranger to helping others in need. In 2007, he became a trustee of the William Gumpert Foundation and had been working with charities since as far back as he could remember. Two years after taking the helm at the Foundation, he was an invited guest at SDSVP’s First Friday. “It was incredible how much I learned in such a short amount of time,” David reflected, “It was then I decided that SDSVP would be a great investment for me and my learning.”

From his learning at Social Venture Partners, David conceived this lesson in engaged philanthropy by giving his students in India a true-to-life case study: while the San Diego’s Partners worked through the process of selecting the year’s Investees, he had his students perform the same analyses a continent away. First, he explained the SVP model to the students and the importance of making a good social investment: “With charities there’s always a need. However, we need to ask, ‘can this organization fill the need, be sustainable, and prove they are effective?’”

So each team excitedly analyzed five applications. The strengths and weakness of the organizations were discussed in depth and then the students narrowed down the pool. After the first round, it was clear the students were becoming passionate about their “favorite” nonprofits. There were heated moments of discussion – not unlike SVP’s investment selection committee! David fondly remembered, “It was like reliving the SVP process all over again!”

After the second round of review, the team leaders shared with the class how their group came to a conclusion. The winner: Reality Changers—the same organization that SDSVP Partners chose. Reality Changers gives at-risk youth the academic and financial resources to become first-generation college students, so it’s no wonder its mission resonated with the students in David’s class. Most of them are from small villages where children are fortunate to receive any schooling at all, so they could relate to the importance and the improbability of going to college. Reality Changers was chosen above all other applicants because they are, in fact, changing the reality of disadvantaged young people. As a result, they are transforming the world view of entire communities who now believe that their children can create a better future for themselves.

In the end, the students got it. Although they already were familiar with the basic concept of “giving back”, the SVP investment process brought a new way of thinking about philanthropy. Before this experience, their idea of philanthropy was helping wherever there is a need and a pull of the heart strings. But now, they’ve learned the importance of giving to organizations that will create the most significant change and get the most “bang for the buck”. Both SDSVP and the Institute students believed that Reality Changers would be a worthy investment because they are a catalyst for transforming lives and ultimately, entire communities.

David reflected, “Unbridled philanthropy is better than no philanthropy. But engaged philanthropy is even more powerful. When people start thinking strategically, it’s very effective.” David was successful in helping his students think in terms of making a larger impact in the community. And that’s what Social Venture Partners is all about.