- Joe Fisch and Joyce Axelrod
- Ann McCulloch and Chuck Maurer
- Lisa Liguori
April 10, 2011
Welcome New Partners
April 8, 2011
San Diego Social Venture Partners announces support for military nonprofits to strengthen returning service members and their families
SAN DIEGO (March 30, 2011) – San Diego Social Venture Partners (SDSVP) will partner with the Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA and REBOOT (By the National Veterans Transition Services, Inc.) to help ease the burden local service members and their families face as a result of ongoing military engagements overseas. Each organization will receive grants and in-kind gifts of more than $600,000 as part of SDSVP's three year commitment to the organizations.
San Diego Social Venture Partners is a group of local professionals who donate their money and expertise to help nonprofits become successful and sustainable.
"We're excited about our involvement, and the opportunity to support their crucial missions," says SDSVP Executive Director Peggy Kidd. "The organizations couldn't be more different. One has been an anchor in the community for decades, the other is a start-up planning to scale their programs to a national level. We believe there's an opportunity for both to grow their impact."
Camp Pendleton ASYMCA is dedicated to providing support to families stationed on or near Camp Pendleton. Their programs enhance the quality of life for military families and reduce stress by providing support for junior enlisted service members, spouses and children.
REBOOT recognizes the importance of providing returning service members with an effective way to transition back to civilian life, both physically and mentally. Their intensive 3-week program provides job-related assistance and counseling.Using the venture capital approach, SDSVP's unique model provides nonprofits with a plan for long-term success. This is especially crucial today, as the economy is requiring all organizations - especially nonprofits - to do more with less.
“What makes SDSVP different from other grantmakers is that our members stand behind our donations with their business expertise to help the nonprofits we invest in succeed," Peggy Kidd continues. "We make multi-year financial and human resource commitments and we educate our partners about philanthropy and how to best address the needs in this community."
ABOUT SAN DIEGO SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS (SDSVP)
Established in 2001, San Diego Social Venture Partners is a nonprofit organization of professionals who invest time and money in innovative nonprofits in San Diego County while becoming more educated and involved givers. Other organizations receiving support from SDSVP include A Reason to Survive, Audeo Charter School, ElderHelp of San Diego, Reality Changers and the Tariq Khamisa Foundation. SDSVP is an affiliate of Social Venture Partners International, with chapters throughout the United States, Canada, and Tokyo. Our network of over 1,900 members is the largest network of private donors in the world. To learn more about SDSVP, call (858) 724-6065 or visit www.sdsvp.org.
March 15, 2011
San Diego Social Venture Partners collects community donations for Japan earthquake relief.
SAN DIEGO (March 14, 2011) – On the heels of Friday's mammoth 8.9 magnitude earthquake off Japan's northeastern coast, a local nonprofit, San Diego Social Venture Partners, is partnering with its team in Tokyo to collect and distribute relief funds. "San Diegans are no strangers to the devastating power of earthquakes," says Peggy Kidd, Executive Director of San Diego Social Venture Partners "so it's natural they'd want to do their part to help in this time of need. The challenge is knowing the best way to give."
San Diego Social Venture Partners (SDSVP) is a chapter of Social Venture Partners International, a network of engaged philanthropists who give of their time and business expertise to build more effective nonprofit organizations throughout North America and Tokyo.
SDSVP will collaborate with its Tokyo affiliate to ensure donations collected here are distributed to organizations taking a lead role in helping Japan's people and towns rebuild.
Weekend reports say the death toll from Japan's massive earthquake and the resulting tsunami could top 1,800 and entire cities have been destroyed.
There is also growing concern about potential danger from a damaged nuclear plant.
The Social Venture Partners team on the ground in Tokyo reports that the public railway system is rapidly recovering, though the full impact in the area closest to the quake is still unclear.
People are helping each other, though there is concern over the impact of repeated exposure to video of the devastation, especially on children. Efforts to calm the situation, involving many non-government/non-profit organizations, are underway.
Social Venture Partners unique leveraged model of giving time and expertise alongside money means donations sent through San Diego Social Venture Partners to Tokyo have the potential to be worth many times the dollar amount contributed.
In San Diego last year, donations made through San Diego Social Venture Partners were valued at a leverage of 11 to 1.
Peggy Kidd continues "One of the concerns people have when donating overseas is their ability to monitor the effectiveness of the organizations they give to.
Our Partners in Tokyo know the community, and will make sure monies are used where they're most needed."
To donate to Tokyo earthquake relief through San Diego Social Venture Partners or to learn more about the organization, visit http://www.sdsvp.org/.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS (SDSVP)
Established in 2001, San Diego Social Venture Partners is a nonprofit organization of professionals who invest time and money in innovative nonprofits in San Diego County while becoming more educated and involved givers. Recent Investees include A Reason to Survive, Audeo Charter School, ElderHelp of San Diego, Reality Changers and the Tariq Khamisa Foundation. To learn more about SDSVP, call (858) 724-6065 or visit http://www.sdsvp.org/.
San Diego Social Venture Partners (SDSVP) is a chapter of Social Venture Partners International, a network of engaged philanthropists who give of their time and business expertise to build more effective nonprofit organizations throughout North America and Tokyo.
SDSVP will collaborate with its Tokyo affiliate to ensure donations collected here are distributed to organizations taking a lead role in helping Japan's people and towns rebuild.
Weekend reports say the death toll from Japan's massive earthquake and the resulting tsunami could top 1,800 and entire cities have been destroyed.
There is also growing concern about potential danger from a damaged nuclear plant.
The Social Venture Partners team on the ground in Tokyo reports that the public railway system is rapidly recovering, though the full impact in the area closest to the quake is still unclear.
People are helping each other, though there is concern over the impact of repeated exposure to video of the devastation, especially on children. Efforts to calm the situation, involving many non-government/non-profit organizations, are underway.
Social Venture Partners unique leveraged model of giving time and expertise alongside money means donations sent through San Diego Social Venture Partners to Tokyo have the potential to be worth many times the dollar amount contributed.
In San Diego last year, donations made through San Diego Social Venture Partners were valued at a leverage of 11 to 1.
Peggy Kidd continues "One of the concerns people have when donating overseas is their ability to monitor the effectiveness of the organizations they give to.
Our Partners in Tokyo know the community, and will make sure monies are used where they're most needed."
To donate to Tokyo earthquake relief through San Diego Social Venture Partners or to learn more about the organization, visit http://www.sdsvp.org/.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS (SDSVP)
Established in 2001, San Diego Social Venture Partners is a nonprofit organization of professionals who invest time and money in innovative nonprofits in San Diego County while becoming more educated and involved givers. Recent Investees include A Reason to Survive, Audeo Charter School, ElderHelp of San Diego, Reality Changers and the Tariq Khamisa Foundation. To learn more about SDSVP, call (858) 724-6065 or visit http://www.sdsvp.org/.
March 3, 2011
Meet Partner, Tuck Forsyth!
Tuck Forsyth learned of San Diego Social Venture Partners through SDSVP Partner and friend, Jan Thompson. He had been doing a good deal of travel, and welcomed the chance to deepen his connections in San Diego through SDSVP.For some time, Tuck has contributed to nonprofits, but was frustrated because of a lack of clarity about the impact of his efforts. SDSVP has provided a way to answer this question, as well as to connect him with people who share this desire to invest with impact. Tuck admits, before SDSVP he'd been a "sucker for a phone call," and wanted more control over where his money was going thus his redirecting funds to SDSVP.
Tuck has a heart for military service members, and is especially happy to join SDSVP’s Investment Working Group this year with a focus area of military and military family support. He says his experience in the career transition arena could serve returning veterans well, as they seek opportunities in the civilian workforce.Tuck is phasing down his 20 year career with Lee Hecht Harrison, and knows that as he spends less time at the office, he'll put his sales skills to good use as a champion for the nonprofits that SDSVP serves. Already he's been exposed to Investees such as Reality Changers, Second Chance and Community Resource Center. He welcomes the chance to put his persuasive abilities to work for SDSVP, too, as he serves as a valuable member of the Expansion Committee, working to grow and strengthen the Partnership.
He's convinced the Social Venture Partners model makes sense, and says the people he's met have been a "super, high-quality" group of folks, and he's particularly enjoyed the connections made through smaller working groups.Though he's new to SDSVP, the realities of nonprofit work are familiar, as Tuck's son Hunter works in development.
Tuck is active in his church, and is just back from a solo trek to Hawaii. He's open to finding a travel partner for his next adventure.
February 18, 2011
San Diego Giving Stories: Making College A Reality
By San Diego Grantmakers
Reality Changers is a current Investee of San Diego Social Venture Partners
Reality Changers is a current Investee of San Diego Social Venture Partners
Wasn't Considering College
In junior high, Robert Silva was an average student with no college aspirations. His mother worked at a convenience store and his father repaired gas stations. They couldn’t afford college savings and were unfamiliar with college preparation. Naturally, Robert “didn’t know anything about college.” So when he was approached by a substitute teacher to participate in a program to get kids college bound, he was skeptical: “I had zero interest.”
Access to Education Leads to Healthy, Safe Communities
The California Wellness Foundation’s (TCWF) mission is to improve the health of people in California. In 2008, TCWF awarded a $225,000 grant to Reality Changers, a San Diego program to help build healthy communities by developing first-generation college students. Chris Yanov - Robert's subsitute teacher - was Reality Changers' founder and president.
“Reality Changers is in the business of changing lives,” said Julio Marcial, program director at TCWF. “The RC model has become a nationally recognized program utilizing its experience to help high-risk kids become the first in their families to attend college.”
Providing Meaningful Support
Robert eventually agreed to participate in the Reality Changers program. But school was still a struggle. He avoided expulsion as a sophomore thanks in part to a personal plea from Chris to school officials. Then Robert’s mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer at the same time she found out she was pregnant. His parents were considering divorce, and a fight between he and his father resulted in Robert moving into his grandparents’ garage.
During this difficult time, a Reality Changers staffer named Grace Chaidez became both a mentor and friend to Robert. The Reality Changers team encouraged his community service and attended a breast cancer walk in honor of his mother. They helped him with college applications and paid for him to live in the dorms and take a summer course at the University of California, San Diego. This support fueled Robert’s own drive and helped him ultimately complete his senior year with a 4.2 grade point average. Today, Robert is a sophomore at Cal State Los Angeles.
How TCWF Helped
“After the recession hit, I don’t know what we would have done without the grant from TCWF,” said Chris. The support helped them attract additional funding to operate in new areas and offer expanded services. Reality Changers has created nearly 200 first-generation college students since it began in 2001, and it promotes the concept of philanthropy by motivating students, families and tutors to volunteer.These accomplishments have prompted two visits in 2010 by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
What Does This Mean About Philanthropy?
Grants for core operating support from foundations can help promising nonprofit programs - like Reality Changers - enhance services to realize their full potential. And during times of reduced individual contributions and government funding, such grants may be what keep a nonprofit going. For foundations, the benefits are mutual: they learn from their investments in successful programs and can apply that knowledge toward projects addressing similar problems in other areas throughout California.
February 10, 2011
When You’ve Made Enough to Make a Difference
From Harvard Business Review
by William Foster and Susan Wolf Ditkoff
January 2011
Simply writing checks to organizations that do great work won’t create the ambitious changes many philanthropists are looking for. Even the richest individuals and largest foundations don’t have enough money to end poverty, reverse climate change, or cure cancer. Their staggering assets are tiny relative to the dollars involved in large, complex systems like education, the environment, and medical research…To achieve breakthrough changes, donors need a multiplier effect—an approach that delivers many dollars’ worth of impact for each dollar invested.
Click here to read more.
by William Foster and Susan Wolf Ditkoff
January 2011
Simply writing checks to organizations that do great work won’t create the ambitious changes many philanthropists are looking for. Even the richest individuals and largest foundations don’t have enough money to end poverty, reverse climate change, or cure cancer. Their staggering assets are tiny relative to the dollars involved in large, complex systems like education, the environment, and medical research…To achieve breakthrough changes, donors need a multiplier effect—an approach that delivers many dollars’ worth of impact for each dollar invested.
Click here to read more.
February 9, 2011
SDSVP’s College Volunteer Visits SVP Tokyo
I took a trip back to Japan this winter for job hunting and also had an opportunity to visit SVP Tokyo. Although I was not able to make it to their Network Meeting, I attended the dinner party held afterward and met a lot of their Partners and prospects. I was very surprised to see that the people there were mostly in their 20's and 30's and there weren't as many retired ones. Since the concept of "philanthropy" is still very new in Japan compared to the States, it seems that it’s attracting younger people. (The term "volunteer" was first introduced in Japan when San Francisco Earthquake happened in 1989. A group of 38 students came to help and it was the very first time Japanese people made a physical move instead of just writing a check in the interest of helping others.) Also, the gate to SVP seems to be more open to younger people there because their annual donation is lower. The biggest difference I saw is that SVP Tokyo has to put more effort in defining what philanthropy really is when recruiting new Partners, while SDSVP starts with why it is needed. However, according to their executive director, Junko Kishigami, they do share some common goals to pursue such as increasing the percentage of engaged Partners and broader recognition of SVP.
Although it was just a two hour dinner party, it was great to meet the people from an international SVP office and I was able to learn a lot more about how each office could be run differently. I hope this amazing SVP network will continue to grow both nationally and internationally, and someday become a Partner myself after I gain more business experiences and money to invest!
February 7, 2011
Why Can’t a Nonprofit Be More Like a Business?
Business people and funders often say they want nonprofits to act more like a business but then criticize them and withhold funding when they do. At First Friday on January 7, 2011, SDSVP Partners JoAnne Berg and Duane Tromblywere joined by Laurin Pause, Executive Director of Community Resource Center, to discuss this sometimes provocative subject. All three speakers serve on the SDSVP Board of Directors and have extensive experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit worlds.
by Mandy Sherlock
Nonprofit and for-profit businesses are different.
Anyone who has worked in the for-profit world understands that revenues are the measure of success. It’s all about the bottom line. In the nonprofit world, success is measured differently because there’s a disconnect between revenues and service delivery. The service recipient (“client”) is divorced from the revenue source. The funder or donor is not the person getting benefit from the service delivery - it’s the client. For-profits are very customer-centric, focusing on the needs of the customer. So who’s the customer in the nonprofit world? The “customers” are the funders. Nonprofits are serving their clients but at the same time, they must keep the funders happy. Because of this split, there are many unique challenges to running a nonprofit organization.
So how does a nonprofit determine if they are successful? Ultimately it comes down to outcomes. During a recent strategic planning session as an Investee of San Diego Social Venture Partners (SDSVP), Community Resource Center (CRC) asked themselves, “how are we successful based on the different categories of people we serve?” They determined that feeding a chronic homeless person in the breadline would be considered successful. But there are other levels of success too. After a three year process, CRC was able to put three homeless people, who had been on the streets for over 10 years, into safe housing which also provided a huge cost saving to the county. For a victim of domestic violence, CRC provides safe shelter which is the first step of success. The next steps include the woman staying away from the abusive situation, finding a job, getting a home and staying off welfare. This process of service delivery resulting in outcomes takes 2-3 years, where as in the for-profit company, a product can be developed and taken to market within a year. Instead of counting how many clients they serve as an indicator of success (outputs), CRC measures whether their clients move forward and become self-sufficient (outcomes). Success doesn’t have to do with money; it’s all about the client’s end result which is a major difference separating the nonprofit from the for-profit world.
Another difference: A nonprofit could have $750,000 in the bank and be broke. Why? A donor could write a big check, but restrict the funds. So just because there’s money in the bank doesn’t mean they can spend it. Typically donors don’t want to fund general operating support like lights and staff and printing. They want to give toward the program or directly to the people whom the nonprofit is serving. Often, funders have the unrealistic expectation that nonprofits can run their organization on 10 percent overhead. This is not possible because nonprofits are businesses too. Part of acting like a business is investing in infrastructure and staff and program capacity. For example, Community Resource Center needs real estate – buildings – in order to serve their clients and this involves marketing, sales and administration expenses. If a nonprofit organization doesn’t make these kinds of investments, they can’t implement their mission and ultimately they will fail. For this reason, SDSVP funds general operations and doesn’t restrict funds to its Investees.
In 2004, Community Resource Center’s technology system was failing them. Their computers crashed every week. Data was lost and they couldn’t access reports on time. A few years later when CRC became an Investee of SDSVP, their IT insufficiencies were diagnosed and they put together a plan of attack. In the first year, they spend $20,000 on upgrading CRC’s hardware, let go of their IT staff, substituted a service company and started a computer replacement plan…and ultimately saved $25,000! Now, employees are working efficiently, management information is available, and reports are on time. Because of SDSVP, Community Resource Center was able to invest in its internal infrastructure and come up with an innovative solution to produce an effective outcome.
Before joining San Diego Social Venture Partners, many members donated to charities. However, SDSVP transforms people from check writers to effective donors who build capacity and infrastructure in nonprofits. Money donated to nonprofits who work to prevent violence, feed the homeless, transition foster youth is wonderful but effective giving is about investing in organizations that can be a sustainable business and work to fix social problems for good.
by Mandy Sherlock
Nonprofit and for-profit businesses are different.
Anyone who has worked in the for-profit world understands that revenues are the measure of success. It’s all about the bottom line. In the nonprofit world, success is measured differently because there’s a disconnect between revenues and service delivery. The service recipient (“client”) is divorced from the revenue source. The funder or donor is not the person getting benefit from the service delivery - it’s the client. For-profits are very customer-centric, focusing on the needs of the customer. So who’s the customer in the nonprofit world? The “customers” are the funders. Nonprofits are serving their clients but at the same time, they must keep the funders happy. Because of this split, there are many unique challenges to running a nonprofit organization.
So how does a nonprofit determine if they are successful? Ultimately it comes down to outcomes. During a recent strategic planning session as an Investee of San Diego Social Venture Partners (SDSVP), Community Resource Center (CRC) asked themselves, “how are we successful based on the different categories of people we serve?” They determined that feeding a chronic homeless person in the breadline would be considered successful. But there are other levels of success too. After a three year process, CRC was able to put three homeless people, who had been on the streets for over 10 years, into safe housing which also provided a huge cost saving to the county. For a victim of domestic violence, CRC provides safe shelter which is the first step of success. The next steps include the woman staying away from the abusive situation, finding a job, getting a home and staying off welfare. This process of service delivery resulting in outcomes takes 2-3 years, where as in the for-profit company, a product can be developed and taken to market within a year. Instead of counting how many clients they serve as an indicator of success (outputs), CRC measures whether their clients move forward and become self-sufficient (outcomes). Success doesn’t have to do with money; it’s all about the client’s end result which is a major difference separating the nonprofit from the for-profit world.
Another difference: A nonprofit could have $750,000 in the bank and be broke. Why? A donor could write a big check, but restrict the funds. So just because there’s money in the bank doesn’t mean they can spend it. Typically donors don’t want to fund general operating support like lights and staff and printing. They want to give toward the program or directly to the people whom the nonprofit is serving. Often, funders have the unrealistic expectation that nonprofits can run their organization on 10 percent overhead. This is not possible because nonprofits are businesses too. Part of acting like a business is investing in infrastructure and staff and program capacity. For example, Community Resource Center needs real estate – buildings – in order to serve their clients and this involves marketing, sales and administration expenses. If a nonprofit organization doesn’t make these kinds of investments, they can’t implement their mission and ultimately they will fail. For this reason, SDSVP funds general operations and doesn’t restrict funds to its Investees.
In 2004, Community Resource Center’s technology system was failing them. Their computers crashed every week. Data was lost and they couldn’t access reports on time. A few years later when CRC became an Investee of SDSVP, their IT insufficiencies were diagnosed and they put together a plan of attack. In the first year, they spend $20,000 on upgrading CRC’s hardware, let go of their IT staff, substituted a service company and started a computer replacement plan…and ultimately saved $25,000! Now, employees are working efficiently, management information is available, and reports are on time. Because of SDSVP, Community Resource Center was able to invest in its internal infrastructure and come up with an innovative solution to produce an effective outcome.
Before joining San Diego Social Venture Partners, many members donated to charities. However, SDSVP transforms people from check writers to effective donors who build capacity and infrastructure in nonprofits. Money donated to nonprofits who work to prevent violence, feed the homeless, transition foster youth is wonderful but effective giving is about investing in organizations that can be a sustainable business and work to fix social problems for good.
February 4, 2011
San Diego Social Enterprise Venture Competition
With San Diego Social Venture Partners support, the Academies for Social Entrepreneurship and its Venture Competition was a great success. Fourteen nonprofit organizations participated in the program, developing a variety of earned income strategies which will expand their impact as well as their revenues. They received training through five workshops including a marketing session led by Partner John Burnett. Those who chose to “pitch” their venture to a panel of private and social investors, were matched with successful entrepreneurs including PartnersKaren Brailean, Patrick Duffy, and Duane Trombly for one-on-one mentoring.
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