Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson

By Mark Rubin                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

-Founding Partner, Chief Engager and Guest Contributor

When we recruit new Partners, cost comes up, for sure. And in our community, because our philanthropic scale is set pretty low, $5000 per year is a lot of money. (Not so much everywhere else. Recently, a New York City client of mine was being honored by a charity. I got the ask, sent some money and noted that tables for the dinner were between $10,000 and $25,000. Glad I live here!!!)

As we share our story, we must focus on value. If cost comes up, it comes up, and if it’s a big issue for a prospective Partner at the outset, we may not be a good fit. If we focus on value, though, and “show and tell” the value well, for the right person the $5000 can be almost inconsequential. We won’t be right every time, but if we stick with value, we’ll be right often enough.

And what is our value? I think we are the small group of thoughtful, committed people referenced in the famous quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”** Many people in our community contribute their time, talent and treasure to help change our world, but I know no other enterprise that has as its mission bringing to situations—in a totally focused way—the time, talent and treasure of a thoughtful, committed (and highly talented) group of people.

So as you go forth, day by day, spread the word about SVPGT, but focus on the value, not the cost. And please share any thoughts you have about the value you receive from your involvement with Social Venture Partners. (And, if you are in Tucson for the summer, stay tuned for and try to attend our summer events.)

**P.S. Research tells me Margaret Mead may not really be responsible for this gem. WikiQuote is fascinating for its comments about quotations and the people to whom they are attributed. Lots of undeserved credit floating around out there!

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.

Partners mingle with guest speaker/Executive Director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse, Brint Milward (center).

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 Mark Rubin

By: Mark Rubin

Founding Partner Mark Rubin will be writing a series of guest blog posts here at SVPGT. Mark will be sparking up conversations about giving and spreading the word, and we’re looking forward to his pearls of wisdom. Stay tuned for more!

I hope everyone is well and heading into holiday season mode.  I saw a column in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof—a hero, who has done more to expose child abuse than anyone I know of—about being addicted to exercise.  Interesting, and it caught my eye because I can’t seem to stay off my treadmill!  Alas, I digress, for what really registered were six short paragraphs at the end of the column that focused on altruism as a hedonistic pleasure.  That’s right:  Giving can be pleasurable!!!  The link is here, and I’ll let you read for yourselves.

My point:  We really help our friends when we expose them to positive opportunities to share their time, talent and treasure with others.  So, as the giving season approaches, think about sharing with your friends the great experiences you’ve had with Social Venture Partners.  Spread the word, for it may be the best gift you can offer! –Mark Rubin