SVPP News

(From the December 2005 Newsletter)

Governor Kitzhaber Talks to SVPP About the Nation's Health Care System
"Resolving the crisis in our health care system requires the courage to move beyond simply defending programs and antiquated structures to a critical examination of the outdated operating system which both shapes and constrains the way in which we finance and deliver health care in America today". These were a few of the points former Governor John Kitzhaber made to SVPP partners and guests at the quarterly partner meeting held at Oregon Food Bank on November 16, 2005. Governor Kitzhaber is a national leader engaged in a wide variety of health care issues including long-term care, resource allocation and uncompensated care.

"Rising medical costs eat into corporate margins, reduce the capacity of firms to grow and compromise competitiveness in the global economy. They slow the rate of job growth, suppress wage increases for existing workers and foster labor disputes and lost productivity". Governor Kitzhaber said there is no larger problem facing our country today than the U.S. health care system and its dependence on forty year old demographics.

The speech was stimulating and thought-provoking, and generated a number of insightful questions from the audience.

Dean of PSU College of Urban and Public Affairs Speaks to SVPP
As part of SVPP's continuing education and work with community leaders, Dr. Lawrence Wallack spoke to partners and guests at the September 15, 2005 Partner Meeting. From 1999 to 2004 he was Professor and Director, School of Community Health, at PSU. He is also Emeritus Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley . Dr. Wallack has many awards to his credit and is the author of numerous books and articles on the Media and Public Health.

His topic for this talk was "Going Upstream". He described the state of health in our country and compared it to others and outlined the gap between the haves and have-nots and the impact on our society. "Social inequality is not only bad for health, it is bad for the education system, bad for civic participation, bad for democracy, bad for the very things that we need to be a successful society". Greed, Amatai Etzioni the sociologist has said, "may be good for the economy, but it is bad for the society".

Dr. Wallack used stories to illustrate how we must make progress and laid out four points to fundamentally get ahead of problems and tap a deeper spiritual connection -- how to develop an "upstream vision". The talk was very well received and a lively question and answer session followed.

Social Venture Partners Portland gets Tax Exempt Status
Since SVPP's beginning in 2001, the Oregon Community Foundation has been SVPP's fiduciary agent receiving contributions and donations on behalf of SVPP as a Donor Advised Fund. This worked very well and SVPP is grateful for OCF's support over the years. With the organization's growth came the need for greater financial independence and flexibility than community foundations can normally accomodate. In March of 2005, with the help of board member David Smith and partner Joel Kaplan, a partner with Foster, Pepper, Tooze, SVPP filed the appropriate documents with the Department of Treasury. The approval came in early November and SVPP has officially received 501(c)(3) status. New procedures for receiving donations will be completed by the end of the year. Until then, any grants and donations to SVPP during this quarter need to go through OCF as usual. The new policies and procedures will be communicated in the beginning of the year.

The SVP Network Meets in Phoenix for Annual Meeting
Every year SVPI organizes a conference that allows all the SVP affiliates (there are 23 in North America) to get together for three days to discuss a wide variety of topics of common interest. This year the conference was held in Phoenix, AZ, from October 27th through October 29th and five representatives from SVPP were in attendance. Among the many topics covered were the organization's direction, recruiting, on-line tools for membership tracking and internal communications, and recognition of significant projects from the SVP network. The program also included two excellent keynote speakers with extensive direct philanthropic experience: Bill Gates Sr., head of The Gates Foundation and Jerry Hirsch, founder of SVP Arizona and The Lodestar Foundation. Both speakers delivered very effective summaries of their efforts which had a strong motivational effect on the participants to continue to pursue their philanthropic goals.

SVPP Survey Results
In September, SVPP conducted a brief survey to get partner feedback on their SVPP experience. Here is a brief summary of the results:
• Philanthropy is primary motivation for joining SVPP
• Volunteering opportunities are second most important reason
• People enjoy the partners and think networking is important
• E-mail communication is effective for newsletters, announcements, etc.

The survey also highlighted the need to make volunteering simpler. Many said volunteerism is as important as our investments. Many also said "you get out of an organization such as SVPP exactly what you put in".

Thanks to all the partners that participated in the recent survey.