A Message from Mark

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing summer. It has been wonderful for SVP, but certainly not relaxing! The need is greater than ever for our Partners’ skills, investment and best intentions to improving life in Portland. As you will read, we have been working to help The Shadow Project and all of our investments thrive. We’re also proud to report below that it’s making a difference for our Partners too as they give more, give more strategically and get involved through our efforts. That’s just wonderful for everyone!

Mark Holloway
Executive Director

When Bad Things Happen to Good Investees: The Shadow Project Adapts to These Economic Times

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

Even with the best-laid plans, external events can intervene - creating new problems and new opportunities. Such is the case with our Investee The Shadow Project, which helps students with learning and intellectual disabilities build confidence and become engaged in learning.

SVP Portland invested in The Shadow Project two years ago with the goal of expanding and replicating a program with proven success. During the first two years, we implemented a new inventory management system for Shadow’s incentive warehouse, sponsored and participated in a marketing video, increased the number of students served by 40%, expanded into the Hillsboro school district, and held several work parties with SVPP Partners. For Year Three, we planned to focus on creating a replication tool kit to further expand its program, which now has requests from 25 additional communities.

Then the economy turned and The Shadow Project’s funding from other sources became less certain. The Shadow Project is now concentrating on strengthening its internal operations and income flow, positioning itself for growth in the future.

This is the kind of challenge where the talents and energies of SVPP Partners can really make a difference.

During our 2009 renewal cycle, we designated $10,000 of The Shadow Project’s $30,000 renewal grant to hire a development consultant to help build long-term financial stability. Over the next several months we’re working with Shadow to help develop the organization’s Board by identifying the skills and resources needed for this more challenging financial environment. And SVPP Partners will help develop a new strategic plan to help lay out goals and a roadmap to achieve them.

We can use your help! We’re forming a strategic planning team now and hope to complete our plan before the end of November. We can also use Partners who’d like to work on developing Shadow’s Board of Directors. Learn more about our investment in The Shadow Project here and contact Lead Partner Megan Leftwich to participate.

Retiring Our Investment in CCIP

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

Earlier this year, SVPP completed our investment period with the Child Care Improvement Project, a program of Neighborhood House. A hallmark of venture philanthropy is learning and reporting on our investment successes, challenges and progress. We learned a great deal from this investment and felt strongly about supporting the mission of CCIP. Director Marilyn Goodman said of our investment, “We are extremely grateful for having the opportunity to be an investee of SVPP. We received services that if calculated on a monetary level would have been out of reach for us.”

Read the public report at the following link: CCIP Final Report.

Report Reveals SVP Partners Give More

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

SVP Portland and 17 other SVP affiliates around the world recently conducted outcomes research among our Partners to measure changes in how much Partners give, how Partners give, and Partners’ involvement in their communities. Over 600 Partners participated, and the results are impressive.

• Partners’ giving increases because of SVP. 60% of respondents stated that their giving has increased since joining SVP, and 79% of them credit SVP with at least some impact on their giving.
• Partners give more strategically because of SVP. Respondents’ use of each of ten giving criteria has increased by 67% ‐ 232% since joining SVP.
• Partners are more involved in the community because of SVP. Respondents report increases in nine areas of community involvement, including a 64% increase in volunteering.
• The longer a Partner is involved in SVP, the larger the changes in all three outcomes. Almost twice as many (79%) long‐term Partners report an increase in their giving than new Partners (43%).

We are proud that the SVP network is making a significant difference in our local communities. These internal findings have also been corroborated by a USC study done by Dr. Michael Moody, “Becoming a Venture Philanthropist: a Study of the Socialization of Social Venture Partners.”

Read the SVP international report at the following link: Strong Partners, Stronger Communities

Read the SVP Portland report here: Really Giving Back – SVPP’s Philanthropy Outcomes Report

SVP International Annual Conference

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

Give BIG Together! You don't want to miss the 2009 SVP Conference in Dallas, Texas. Get ready to pull on your cowboy boots and head down to Texas to exchange ideas and innovations with Partners from all over the network.

Presented by SVPI and hosted by Dallas SVP, the 2009 conference will offer a variety of opportunities for you to gain new ideas from Partners around the network through peer exchanges focused on topics that are top of mind in the network today.

Click here for more information and online registration.

SVPP Summer Social Photos

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

1. From left, Bruce Murray, Sharon Barthmaier, Martha and Les Soltesz.
2. Dina Alexander enjoying some “pot luck”.
3. Rose enjoys some ice cream with her mom, Kieren Porter.
4. Dessert catered by New Avenues for Youth’s Ben & Jerry’s Partnershop in Pioneer Square.

Partner Profile: Laurie Weiss

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

From being a member of the original bootstrap committee meeting almost weekly to create Social Venture Partners Portland in 1999, through two recent terms on the Board, Laurie Weiss has been a committed Partner, guiding SVPP with her sharp analytical mind and calm perspective. In between that passionate, visionary beginning and the present, Laurie has held many roles. She was on the first two Investment Teams and a third later on, was a Lead Partner for Metropolitan Family Services and also for the Forest Grove Latino Community Network, and served on two Strategic Planning teams.

She stepped off the Board this past spring and has lightened her SVPP time to the Community Impact Committee. Laurie has liked being on the ‘inside’ of SVPP, and has seen it as her niche to have the awareness of the full organization. She says a few factors consolidated in her life just as SVPP was getting started: she went part-time at Intel to devote more time to her Book Arts creativity and sales, to make a difference in her community, to meet people from a variety of businesses, and to honor the memory of her mother who had a strong ‘give back’ philosophy.

Laurie is originally from Dix Hills/Huntington, New York. She received her Forestry degree in Resource Management from SUNY in Syracuse. A junior year abroad at UBC in British Columbia as a forester completely sold her on the Northwest, although it took several more years working in Louisiana before she received the right offer to return here. Stationed out of Molalla, she skillfully handled the role of general forester, managing timber cruising, tree planting, fire fighting, helicopter crew, road, mapping and more and was quickly promoted. The early 1980s had a downturn in the industry so Laurie went to Law school for a year, and then changed to pursuing an MBA. This led her to Intel where she worked in planning and program management for 19 years until retiring in 1993 as Director of Product Engineering.

An accomplished Book Arts artist, Laurie creates stunning journals for travel, wine tasting, weddings, guests books, day planners and artists books. She designs one-of-a-kind books as well as some wholesale to wineries and for art fairs. She serves as the Conference Director for the bi-annual Focus on Books Arts conference held at Pacific University and is a member of the Portland Art Collective.

Issues of vital importance to Laurie are family stability especially the effects of homelessness, lack of affordable housing and hunger, and poverty and class issues.

When asked what advice she would give to new Partners with SVPP, Laurie replied, “Join an Investment Team – it is the best way to figure out what we do and what’s happening in the community. It really opens your eyes.”

Thank you Laurie, for all you do to keep the vision, mission and passion of SVPP alive and growing!

New Partners: Sara Merten

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

Sara Merten was born Indiana and raised in Massachusetts. She attended DePauw University in Indiana, earning her degree in Sociology/Anthropology. After college she worked as a Vista Volunteer in Indianapolis with the Governor's office. After moving to Oregon, she was the Executive Director with the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, then as Policy Director for Washington Association of Churches focusing on social justice issues and anti-poverty work. Sara’s consulting firm worked with the Oregon Food Bank, Oregon Center for Public Policy and the Oregon Department of Human Services to develop policies and programs around issues that impact low income Oregonians.

She currently heads the Silver Family Foundation, whose mission is to help youth reach their greatest potential by providing financial support to non-profits that utilize experiential educational opportunities for children. Sara is managing partner of a web marketing company called WeClik.com - doing digital publications, online media distribution and web search phrases. She also runs an online retail shop for eco-friendly local artists called TillyJane.net.

Sara loves gardening, cooking and eating. She lives in Laurelhurst with husband Chris, a maritime engineering superintendent with Alaska Tanker. Chris is nuts about the Red Sox. Son Henry, 8, just started third grade at Laurelhurst and is a sports nut who plays baseball and basketball. Daughter Elizabeth, 5, is a new kindergartner and is big on arts and crafts and adores animals. Weekends find the family outdoors biking, hiking and camping.

New Partners: Mark and Jess Desbrow

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

Mark and Jess Desbrow joined SVPP in July. Mark says it is a natural fit, a way to leverage their investment and broaden their circle of friends and networks. The Desbrows are presently embracing a number of life changes. In the last two years, they have married, Jess earned her doctorate and started her Chiropractic practice, and Mark started Green Light Cooperative with SVPP Partner Noel Johnson. Their biggest news is the upcoming arrival of a baby boy in December.

The Desbrows met while working as instructors with Outward Bound in 2000. Jess grew up in Illinois and earned her B.S. at Miami University of Ohio. She has worked as a teacher for children with learning disabilities, as a kayak and climbing instructor, and she spent two seasons in Antarctica as a field coordinator for science research teams. Mark was born in Malaysia, grew up in New Jersey and attended Lewis & Clark College, which brought him to the Northwest. He has worked in real estate development, most recently with Opus Northwest. Currently, as a partner with Green Light Cooperative, Mark is preparing plans for the Sheldon, an upscale age 55+ housing cooperative slated to break ground in close-in NW Portland.

The Desbrows are very active, enjoying mountain biking, rock climbing, kite boarding, telemark skiing, yet they also like gardening and quieter evenings on their porch with friends and neighbors.

Partner Ventures

(from the September 2009 Newsletter)

• Joe and Sharon Barthmaier celebrated the marriage of their son, Dan, in Washington, D.C.
• Scott Collins returned from a two-month trip around the country in an RV with his family. We hear all enjoyed the experience and no children were left in South Dakota.
• Jeff and Sandy Grubb hiked to base camp of Mount Everest in May to wish their son, Chris, well and celebrate with him after summiting the peak.
• Brett Hamilton became the Executive Director of Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon (TOFCO).
• Debbie Richman has assumed the job of Administrative Assistant at the English department of Lewis and Clark College.