Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson

By Erin Henderson

Programs and Communications Associate/AmeriCorps VISTA

After studying Communication, Spanish and Studio Art and graduating from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia in 2011, Erin, a true Georgia Peach, pulled her roots out of the thick red Georgia clay and relocated to Tucson to serve one year as an AmeriCorps volunteer with SVPGT. She enjoys exploring the new “Alien Planet” that is the Sonoran Desert/Tucson, never meeting a stranger, and singing in a Reggae/Latin/Funk band.

You’re standing on the edge of a pool. On the edge of summer. It’s scorching outside, yet somehow the placid chlorine waters have remained frigid. You dip in a toe or two, and quickly withdraw with a shudder. “There’s no way…” you mutter to yourself. The bird who watches you curiously from an overhanging branch chuckles to herself at the sight of you.

After pacing a few steps on the hot concrete (which at this point is slowly blistering your poor soles), you set your towel beside the pool, sit yourself on the towel, and gingerly lower your legs up to your calves in the water. “This isn’t so bad,” you think to yourself as you gracefully draw figure eights underwater with your toes, the water molecules creating a slow motion effect on your movements.

The longer you sit there, the more you are urged by the hot sun on the top of your head and shoulders to “Just jump in already!”

Finally, you stand, make a bee line to the diving board (It’s now or never…), take a few large steps and, with a bounce and a gulp of air, take the plunge head first into the man-made oasis.

The shock hits you. With a few strokes you have made it nearly to the other side of the pool and slowly ascend to the surface. With a sharp exhale, followed by a deep inhalation of warm air, you realize you were right. It wasn’t so bad!

Now, instead of standing on the edge wishing you had the guts to risk the minor discomfort of cold water on your hot skin, you are in the pool, lavishing in luxurious laps. Bet you’re glad you didn’t miss that opportunity! Whew!

At the Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson Annual Meeting on April 23, Lance Fors— the SVPI Board Chair, SV2 (Silicon Valley) Member, and our Guest Speaker for the evening—gave an enchanting account of his first days with SVP. From “Know-little Newbie” to “One of the best spokespersons for SVPI we’ve got” (-John Smith, SVPGT Board Chair), Lance’s approach to getting involved says it all: “I just jumped in and did it.”

If today (or yesterday…or tomorrow…) you are questioning where you fit into the SVP Family/Partnership, you are in good company. As Lance said of SVP gatherings, “It’s like living in a 60 watt world and you just walked into a room of 100w light bulbs.”  And as family, we stand beside you to help you find your place and carry your light further. There are no square pegs around here.

Get Plugged In:

Start by completing your Partner Profile, if you haven’t already. This gives staff, committee members and lead partners access to a taste of who you are, what you bring to the SVP table, and what service opportunities are most important to you. We want to help you find an opportunity that is most meaningful to you personally. Click here to go to the Intranet and complete your partner profile. If you need any help, please contact me (erin@svpgt.org).

Grab a cup of coffee or lunch with Julia or a Lead Partner or our Chief Engager to discuss your interests. There is plenty of work to be done with our Investees. And we know that our Partners are out there thinking:

“What can I offer, besides a financial contribution?”

“I want to get engaged, but don’t know where to start.”

“I haven’t heard of any opportunities that are available.”

“There aren’t any projects that interest me.”

“My career field is not applicable to the projects available to volunteer for.”

“I don’t know how to strategically develop a work plan or govern a board.”

“This job is meant for someone else with more related experience.”

Instead, try asking yourself:

“How have I enjoyed volunteering in the past?”

“How much time do I have available to volunteer?”

“Do I want to do more than give a financial contribution?”

“Who do I most want to help?”

“What ideas do I have that other partners haven’t thought of yet?”

Keep an eye out for new Volunteer Your Time and Talent postings on the Monday Missive, svpgt.org, and Social Media. We are working closely with Lead Partners and Investees to give you the latest in volunteer opportunities and find more ways for our talented Partners to give back. Even if you are unsure about a job posting, it never hurts to dig a little deeper. It may be a chance to learn a new skill! We’ll help you find a good fit. Click here to see Volunteer Your Time and Talent Poastings

Attend Committee Meetings, Conferences, Partner Education Events, and Social/Recruitment Events. Discovering and understanding what other Partners are involved in is an inspirational way to picture yourself in various roles or collaborating on various projects.

You’d be surprised how many of your professional skills are in high demand for serving our Investees and our own infrastructure. You might even have a skill our Partnership didn’t know it needed. You never know which of your skills might come in handy! So let’s get creative together!

For example, who knew that our Partner Rhonda Fleming was a Powerpoint Presentation Wiz? As a teacher, she coached students on Science Fair projects for years! With her help, the Focus Task Force delivered a solid presentation at the Annual Meeting (Great Job Julia, Ava and Frank!).

Lance was once in the same boat: wanting to get more involved, but not sure where to start. But he said it was “all about taking that first step.” One of our favorite words around here is “Engagement.” But why get engaged? Why put in the effort to Volunteer Your Time and Talent? When asked why he joined SVP, Lance’s answer was simple: “I wanted a life that was significantly more meaningful.”

What other reason do you need to get engaged? “Just jump in already!”

 

Jump In and Reach Out:

Sunnyside Parents as Teachers Lead Partner: Harriet Kronman

Reading Seed Lead Partner: Ginnie Griffis

Youth on Their Own Lead Partnet: Ruby Buchsbaum

Chief Engager: Mark Rubin

Executive Director: Julia Waterfall-Kanter

Programs and Communications Associate: Erin Henderson

By Mark Rubin

-Founding Partner, Chief Engager and Guest Contributor

 

There is an old adage about seminars: Learn one thing and you’ve gotten your money’s worth! I attended the Social Venture Partners Turn Up the Heat: Next-Level Strategies for SVP Winter Conference in Scottsdale on April 16-17. I attended two programs, learned two big things and got a big reminder about the value of Social Venture Partners. Oh, and there was an EPIPHANY! Pretty good value!!!

First, I attended a dinner focused on collective impact. Several presenters related collective impact experiences in their communities. The issues on which these communities focused varied, although most of them worked on education. The players were different, community by community, and the processes also differed. One strand, however, was evident throughout: successful endeavors require a substantial amount of time, talent and treasure, and a total devotion to measurable outcomes.

Can we “do” collective impact in Tucson?  The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is, already!  As for “can we,” if the “we” is Social Venture Partners, I think the answer is “not right now,” for we lack the capital and other resources that are necessary to be successful. Can we use our social capital to help make things happen in our community? Absolutely, and I hope and expect that we’ll be discussing this issue in the coming months.

Second, I attended The Art and Science of Fund Development, a full-day program about fund development issues. The big takeaway:  Words really matter!  Framing the way in which we communicate about Social Venture Partners—about why we do what we do, and how what we do matters—drives our level of success in broadening our support base. Of course, the message that words matter is not new, but the presentations about how we share our stories allowed me to see the issue from new perspectives. I deal with words every day from 8 to 5. I know they matter greatly (sometimes I tell people I am a technical writer whose forum happens to be the courts). Now I also know I need to give to my SVP life the same attention to words that I give them in my work life.

I also had an epiphany about the fund development side of Social Venture Partners of Greater Tucson. There are epiphanies, though, and then there are EPIPHANIES! I had a few epiphanies during the session, and the EPIPHANY on the drive home from Scottsdale. The EPIPHANY: We own Social Venture Partners of Greater Tucson. We own this partnership, all of us, in the same way in which we own real estate, stocks and bonds, businesses, and other assets. We have made an investment, and now we are responsible for it. What that means, and how it translates into action, requires more thought and plenty of conversation. For now, I’m thinking about it and I hope and expect that it will be part of our conversation in the coming months.

Of course, spending time with Partners always adds value to my life. The SVP network includes a really fine bunch of dedicated, interesting people. Being with them is truly pleasurable!

By Mark Rubin, Founding Partner and Guest Contributor

Mark is a lawyer, fiduciary, teacher and recognized expert in the area of professional ethics. In addition to active non-profit community engagement, one may also find Mark busy in his garden or kitchen or relaxing with a glass of red wine and traces of dark chocolate on his fingertips. He is the author of A Life at 50-ish.

At the National Institute for Civil Discourse/SVPGT event on January 19, Brint Milward—NICD’s Executive Director—made the following statement:

“One thing we know about social networks is that proximity usually breeds networking…You accept that even those who have different opinions are still reasonable people.”

 

This statement accounts in part for the success of Social Venture Partners and other giving models that involve more than simply writing checks to worthy causes. These models create philanthropic communities of reasonable people working closely together for the betterment of the community at large.

We are blessed with a group of partners whose pictures could appear in the dictionary next to “reasonable,” but the back and forth discourse we share with one another enriches all of us, keeps us engaged and gives us the energy we need to go forth and make our community better. Bottom line: We don’t face the same problems our elected representatives confront in Washington, but by working together we makes our lives and those of everyone around us better.

When I share the SVP story with others, many of whom are people with a propensity for sharing their treasure, I hear from time to time the queries: “Don’t you waste lots of money?” or “It’s more efficient to give directly to X, Y or Z.” In one sense they are right, for if we assume a zero sum game, a dollar spent on marketing SVPGT is a dollar not spent teaching a child to read. On the other hand, if the real purpose involves building a better community where people can share their experiences, their knowledge, and their enthusiasm for making sure we have a literate community in the not distant future, the dollar that helps create the environment for sharing and building enthusiasm multiplies itself many times over.

By: Jackie Kajos

“I’m at the edge of a body of water in the morning, a calm lake, and I’m going to grab a stone and throw it out into that lake, in that body of water, and we all know what’s going to happen, right? It’s going to create a ripple.” –Paul Shoemaker, SVP Seattle, Executive Connector  

SVPGT is all about creating ripples. We’re a network of 26 organizations across the country, in Canada and in Japan, and we’re all throwing stones into the ocean of change. And together, those ripples combine to make waves. Our Partners gathered on May 4^th for the Annual Partner Meeting to reflect on the year, celebrate our accomplishments, honor our partners and their hard work, learn about our impact and connect with the network. Paul Shoemaker, SVP Seattle Executive Connector spoke to us about our history, innovation in the network, and reminded us that we are a part of a something much bigger than ourselves.

SVP is the only world-wide network of engaged and connected philanthropists, and together we are able to achieve so much more. Using Paul’s metaphor, if the world is the ocean and all the creatures swimming in the water are social problems, we can make a difference by helping each whale. But if we really want to make some positive changes, we can save the ocean and thereby help more whales and fish and make an even bigger impact. Thus, when our Partners combine forces we can multiply our impact in Tucson, and through our connection to the SVP network we amplify our reach even farther.

Our partners are extremely dedicated to the Greater Tucson community and we were delighted to take this time to honor their commitment. Partner Jane Wilson completed her Board service in 2011, and is the first Partner to complete a full term of service, in addition to serving on the Founding Board and a variety of committees. We are so grateful for Jane’s time and insight!

In addition, Partner David “Griff” Griffis was honored with the Chair’s Award, by Chair John Smith, for his exceptional service and commitment to SVPGT over the last year. Griff has devoted over 600 hours of service consulting literacy organizations in the community. He is also the Chair of the Investment Committee, on the SVPGT Board and has worked with our investees on board development and strategic planning. Griff went above and beyond and he has truly impacted the Tucson literacy space. We want to thank those Partners who attended the meeting, and we would especially like to thank Paul Shoemaker for speaking to our partnership. It was an invigorating evening and we hope you had fun and left energized and ready to make even more waves!

Go to our Facebook page for more photos! And make sure to watch Paul’s talk here!

By: Jackie Kajos

Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson is delighted to announce the Launch of our 2011 Grant Round!

SVPGT will be making multi-year grants in the area of literacy. SVPGT defines literacy as not only the ability to read, to write and to speak, but also the application of related skills which enable individuals of ages to participate fully in the workplace, the marketplace, and in day-to-day community life. If your organization addresses these needs within our community, you are encouraged to attend the launch and learn more!

We make grants through an investment process, beginning with a Community Wide Launch.

Join us for the Launch:

Wednesday, May 11^th, at 4 pm

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

2250 E. Broadway Blvd

Tucson, AZ 85719

Please RSVP and direct questions to Executive Director Julia Waterfall-Kanter at julia@svpgt.org

PLEASE NOTE: In order to be considered for the Investment process, a representative from your organization must attend the Launch!

Our process is different from other organizations that make grants because we use a philanthropic venture-capitalist model, and encourage our partners to engage in strategic and active giving. Organizations are chosen for investment, which means they receive not only a grant, but time and expertise from our skilled and talented partners. We specialize in capacity-building, which includes but is not limited to development of core skills management practices, planning, strategies and systems, and sustainability.

Investees are chosen by a group of our partners who assess whether our organizations are a good fit, by evaluating applications, reviewing proposals, assessing needs and attending site visits.

Following the Launch, organizations are invited to submit Letters of Inquiry (LOI) by June 2^nd. You can find the Grant Round Timeline, Guidelines and Forms here. The investee announcement will be made on November 18, 2011. Come to our Grant Round Launch next week and learn more, we’d love to have you!

 

 

By: Jackie Kajos

Let’s celebrate, because our investees are making an undeniable impact in our community! SVPGT’s newest investee, Reading Seed, is a children’s literacy program that helps children in Pima County learn to read. They have a variety of programs to addressing community literacy, including and certainly not limited to a volunteer reading coach program to assist children reading below grade level in grades one through three. A total of 1300 volunteers are serving 3000 children in the community! And this program has measurable results! According to a pilot study by the College of Education at the University of Arizona, “87% of students working with Reading Seed coaches progressed at least one reading level in only two months.”

Reading Seed’s Recognition Celebration honored those volunteers and supporters that are making an impact in Tucson and the surrounding areas, helping children to improve their reading skills, fall in love with reading, and give them a foundation for learning. Take Phillip for example.

Phillip didn’t like reading before he started working with his Reading Coach. His mom, Xochtil, had tried to get him to read books, but he wouldn’t. So, his Reading Coach made a special effort to find books that Phillip might like. After he watched the first Harry Potter movie, his Reading Coach got him the first Harry Potter book, which he loved. When Phillip saw the movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians and really enjoyed it, his Reading Coach found him the book of the same title.

Now Phillip is a self-professed avid reader. He’s collected the entire Harry Potter and Perry Jackson series! And Phillip is more confident in school. When his teacher asked if he’d like to lead a special lesson of his choice one day, he said yes, and he’d like three days to do it! And now Xochtil volunteers at Reading Seed too because she truly believes in the program. The support of Reading Seed and his mother has paved Phillip’s road for school success.

In addition, Sunnyside School District Superintendent Manuel L. Isquierdo spoke about his progressive approach to improving graduation rates in SUSD with technological incentives through Project Graduation. Graduation rates have already increased, from 505 students in 2007 to 825 students in 2010! He commended the Reading Seed program for its impact on childhood literacy in SUSD, emphasizing that graduation starts in kindergarten and literacy is the foundation to school achievement.

We are also very appreciative for Reading Seed’s recognition of our partnership and capacity-building efforts. At the celebration, Lead Partner Ginny Griffis and Executive Director Julia Waterfall-Kanter accepted a certification of appreciation from Reading Seed. SVPGT has been working with Reading Seed on strategic planning and fund development. We very much look forward to cultivating our partnership over the next 2 ½ years!

 

By: Jackie Kajos

Volunteers and Friends of Make Way for Books

Our investee Make Way For Books’ 2011 Annual Open house was such a blast! It’s amazing to see how many people in the community are involved with MWFB and the tremendous impact they are making in Tucson. The evening honored MWFB Staff and Board Members and the dozens of dedicated Storytown and Storytime volunteers that help to make MWFB’s programs a possibility, some of who have been reading to preschoolers for as many as 11 or 13 years! Wow!

Peace Project & Pamela Simon

Executive Director Mary Jan Bancroft updated the attendees on MWFB’s projects, including the Picture Book Peace Project. The Picture Book Peace Project is designed to help promote peace through reading, by teaching children about helping, friendship, caring, cooperation, respect for the earth, and diversity. Make Way For Books offers free sets of picture books for classrooms in the Sunnyside School District Literacy Zone, and an early literacy workshop for educators about promoting peace through reading. New picture books are also available for children to take home, and are featured in the sharing library for Storytime volunteers to read to preschoolers.

Outreach Coordinator for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Pamela Simon

Outreach Coordinator for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Pamela Simon, who is a former middle school teacher, spoke at the Make Way For Books 2011 Open House about the Picture Book Peace Project. In lieu of the tragic events in Tucson in January, she emphasized the significance of teaching children the values of peace and caring from a young age. Pamela Simon also noted the importance of reading to children from the early age and how having a household that appreciates reading is vital for a child’s school success.

‘A Splendid Friend, Indeed’

Attendees were also entertained by a fun performance by the characters “Bear” and “Goose” from the book, A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom. The story is about a talkative goose who keeps interrupting his friend the quiet polar bear when he is reading and writing, and takes his book and pencil and paper. Bear is frustrated, but Goose writes him a note about how he is a “splendid friend” and bear realizes Goose if a great friend to him too. It’s a wonderful story of friendship, caring, and sharing, and perfect to honor the “splendid friends” of Make Way For Books!

“Goose” and “Bear” from A Splendid Friend, Indeed

It was a wonderful evening full of laughs, delicious food and drinks, good friends, dedicated volunteers and staff members, and most importantly the celebration of the love of reading!