SVP Model

All Social Venture Partners share a dual mission. They seek to catalyze significant, long-term positive social change in their communities through:

  • Philanthropy Development: Creating communities of lifelong, informed and inspired philanthropists. SVP Partners are individuals who make meaningful contributions to nonprofit organizations by sharing their skills, time, and financial resources.
  • Capacity Building: Making strategic investments that build long-term capacity for nonprofits so they can better fill their missions. SVP Investees are nonprofit organizations that seek new resources and innovative approaches for addressing pressing social issues. Capacity building investments focus on increasing the ability of each Investee to achieve their mission and include cash grants, skilled volunteers, professional consultants, leadership development and management training opportunities.

At its core, venture philanthropy is aimed at strengthening and supporting the long-term capacity of a nonprofit to fulfill its mission, rather than funding short-term projects or programs.

Venture – or engaged philanthropy – focuses on building stronger management teams and boards, investing in outcome assessment, improving product and service quality and delivery, and other strategic ways to improve effectiveness and increase scale. It requires a high level of involvement from both parties – the philanthropist and the nonprofit. It’s a multi-year financial and human resource commitment and assumes there will be structural and attitudinal change within the nonprofit as a result of the relationship.

Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson is an affiliate of SVP International (SVPI), a network comprised of more than 2,000 individuals who combine their professional skills and financial contributions with a passion for philanthropy. In the past 10 years, SVPI has worked with over 494 organizations and donated over $41 million and 3 to 6 times that in capacity building support.

SVPs in our network include: