A Message from Mark

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

Many of us are feeling very mixed emotions this holiday season. The country is gripped by economic woes, yet we want to celebrate the season. We want to hope, but we’re feeling a little scared. We’re grateful for our security and concerned about those who are most vulnerable. (If you’re warm and safe while reading this, you are the former!) That’s why I’m grateful for Social Venture Partners. We work at the intersection of challenge and hope. We’re really giving back….when it’s needed most. Peace and happiness to you this season.

Mark Holloway

Executive Director

New Avenues for Youth: Committed to Helping Homeless and At-Risk Youth

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

The mission of New Avenues for Youth is to help every youth reach his or her fullest potential by offering a continuum of outcome-based services that empower homeless youth to exit street life and that prevent at-risk youth from becoming homeless. Its programs are focused in the areas of stabilization; outreach and engagement; early intervention and prevention; and skill building.

Since first in investing in 2007, Social Venture Partners Portland has supported the Fostering for Independence Project (FIP), a pilot project aimed at local and national expansion. FIP is utilizing proactive detection, prevention and intervention mechanisms to identify foster youth at risk of running away and becoming homeless. Some of our key objectives include increasing capacity to serve more youth; coordinating services to address resource gaps that create barriers for foster youth; and potentially developing a new foster parent recruitment program.

Given its strong reputation and the appeal of its mission, several SVPP partners have been actively involved with New Avenues and FIP. Laura Finney took an early role in launching the FIP program, helping prepare New Avenues to administer Individual Development Accounts and improving the organization’s database. Martha Soltesz played a hands-on role working directly with homeless and at-risk youth at the New Avenues in-house school.

Since recently renewing its investment, SVPP has continued an active role as Mark Holloway led an organizational assessment and Adam Light has been working with New Avenues on its IT advisory group as well as its ongoing strategic planning. Drew Smith is getting involved to help develop a more sustainable business plan in light of challenging economic conditions. Currently we have new volunteer opportunities as a business mentor at the Ben & Jerry’s shop run by New Avenues and with the innovative Promoting Avenues to Employment (PAVE) program.

Wrapping up 2008 in style, New Avenues hosted the SVPP holiday party at its downtown location where we collected 70 warm clothing items valued at more than $1,500 from generous partners and guests. We look forward to another productive year helping make New Avenues more successful in 2009!

SVPP Investees Tell Us How We’re Doing

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

Since the inception of Social Venture Partners Portland eight years ago, we have given more than $1.3 million to organizations in our community. Any nonprofit would be happy to receive the money we grant, but our relationships with them go far beyond. In the venture philanthropy model, we develop a working partnership with the organizations to understand their challenges and determine where we may add value. Thus, we provide know-how, networks and resources to help resolve their challenges.

Sound valuable? Sound simple? It is until you’re one of the parties in the relationship. It’s an intensive model that requires great trust and openness by the SVPP Investee leaders. We also work hard to make it successful and continually improve our service. Thus, we asked our Investees to evaluate us this year and received responses from 10 out of 11 representatives.

Generally we did hear that our Investees were happy and benefited by the partnership. We also received high scores for our sensitivity to nonprofit culture, which can be challenging when matching volunteers from outside the nonprofit sector to their needs. The highest marks for our capacity building work came in four areas: executive management/leadership support, human resources, mission/vision/planning and program design and evaluation. Investees also reported that our greatest lasting impacts on their organizations were:

• Formalizing/institutionalizing strategic planning
• Strengthened board of directors
• Broadened/expanded resources
• Shift in culture to effective use of data for decision-making and planning
• Effectively telling the organization’s story in the community

This level of satisfaction is heartening to our Partners and holds true throughout the SVP network worldwide. Since its formation in 1997, the SVP network has contributed more than $26.5 million in grant investments to more than 300 nonprofit organizations. In 2008, SVP Partners gave more than 14,000 hours of volunteer time for strategic projects with Investees. The quality of interactions between nonprofit organizations and SVP Partners was evaluated specifically on Approachability, Responsiveness and Knowledge. Cumulatively, all were rated 4.5 or above out of a possible 5.0.

Finally, SVP Portland learned that most of our Investees thought we are not adequately distinguishing ourselves from other funders and not fully capitalizing on our Partners’ time and talent. This feedback came at a critical juncture in our strategic planning earlier this year. We look forward to sharing our response in the strategic plan we’ll introduce in the next newsletter.

SVPP Holiday Party

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

SVPP Partners and friends gathered at the New Avenues for Youth building in downtown Portland to celebrate the holidays. Guests braved winter weather and elusive parking in order to 'give back' to this great organization.

1. SVPP Partners donated more than 70 items valued at more than $1,500 to New Avenues.
2. Partner Mark Adams and Monica Wehby.
3. Partners Val Ilsley, Bruce Murray, SVPP Executive Director Mark Holloway and Partner Megan Leftwich.
4. Partner Melissa Light, Partner Engagement Manager Diane Selden and David Kahl.
5. The tree at New Avenues was covered with ornaments representing all the warm clothes that were donated.

See more photos from this and other past events online at www.svpportland.org.

Partner Profile: T. Scott Collins

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

T. Scott Collins joined SVPP in 2006, following his friend and fellow Partner Dave Smith’s lead. From the start, Scott has put his SVPP time into CASH Oregon, where he serves as treasurer for CASH's board of directors and helps with the pilot of CASH’s financial advocacy program.

Scott grew up in the small town of Searcy, Arkansas and lived there for 21 years. He attended Harding University, graduating in 1984 having earned his BBA degree in Computer Systems and Accounting. Seeking a break from the south, Scott came west to Oregon, joining his sister here. A life- long love of Oregon began then and continues to grow. "Portland has everything," he says, "it has the best package."

Scott worked for Arthur Andersen in the consulting division for 5 years, then after a year at a healthcare system in the Bay Area, he joined Stockamp and Associates with Dave doing healthcare redesign for 13 years. Retired in 2003, Scott stays busy with his wife Gaila and children, CASH Oregon, church and spending time with friends. He has used his organizational skills at church to streamline food basket distributions during the Thanksgiving season.

Two daughters, Jenna, age 13, and Britton, age 11 and a son, David, age 8 keep Scott active supporting their sports, schools and other activities.

Scott and family are heading to Disneyland for Christmas with two of his wife's sisters and their families. The family travels frequently with a history of trips to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Disneyland and his favorite, 3 houseboat trips on Trinity Lake, California. Next summer they hope to do an 8-week cross-country road trip.

Partner Ventures

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

• Partner Engagement Manager Diane Selden and her sweetie, Lenny Dee, married on December 1st. "Our 14 years together have been fabulous and we had a lovely little wedding to celebrate!" says Diane. Congratulations, Diane!
• Merritt and Heather Paulson welcomed their daughter, Cassidy Lynne, on December 8.
• We are pleased to welcome two new partners this month: Steve Brook and Vanessa Hughes. Look for more information on them in January.