No man is an island. To many, this is no more than a cliché. Trite as it may seem though, it is true. Those of us who have dedicated our lives to service know that even the mightiest benefactor with a seemingly endless supply of talents and resources must eventually turn to their friends, family,…
In 2009, SVP learned about a new program serving older homeowners in Charlotte. The Critical Home Repair Program at Habitat for Humanity (HCHR) was built to preserve affordable housing and primarily served older Charlotte residents with fixed incomes and mortgages on houses in varying states of disrepair. “We would be building a new house on…
As a young nonprofit, Behailu Academy began feeling a little uncertain about how to develop in a way that would best meet the overwhelming needs in the community we serve. We provide arts-based youth development programs that implement a holistic approach to empower underserved teens to find their voice. We approached our organization’s growth it…
Great news, Charlotte–we launched our 4th annual SEED20 program yesterday! Individuals and nonprofits in Mecklenburg and bordering counties can download program details and the application at www.SEED20.org. The deadline for submission is October 31, 2014. As those of you familiar with the program know, SEED stands for Social Entrepreneurs EmpowereD. It’s SVP’s way to identify,…
I was first introduced to Social Venture Partners by SVP’s “founding father” Will Miller (Will was the founding Partner and first Executive Director of SVP in Charlotte). Will explained the concept of venture philanthropy to me generally and SVP’s role in the field specifically, but I have to admit that there were several iterations of…
Finding a way to describe the intangible has been my long time goal as the founder and president of Pearls for Creative Healing. How do you quantify the healing effects of art and the work that has literally transformed victims of abuse in to survivors? How do you gain champions and ultimately financial support for…
Since 2010, SVP Charlotte has supported Nurse Family Partnership (NFP), a maternal health program provided by CareRing. In 2014, we began a new relationship with NFP, partnering with them through the SVP Investee model. NFP Updates Recently, NFP hired Ursula Douglas as head nurse. CareRing Executive Director Don Jonas lauded the added drive Ursula brings…
Whenever new Partners join SVP, we’re eager to share the story of why they’ve chosen to participate in our unique model of engaged and strategic philanthropy. Sure, we think it’s pretty swell: who wouldn’t be drawn to deep, committed work with local nonprofits tackling the most critical issues in their communities? Yet every time we ask, we learn something new about how and why SVP intrigues new community members. That’s why we highlight new Partners: to learn about their backgrounds and previous commitments: their lives before SVP, where they want to go from here, and what role they see us playing in their bright vision of the future.
Less than a year ago, ourBRIDGE was nothing more than an idea. It seemed so far from reality that it didn’t even have a name. After four successful years of serving refugee and immigrant students, the federal program that inspired ourBRIDGE was soon to be terminated, leaving the children it served without the academic support…
Every year, SVP Charlotte’s Partners gather together to celebrate the communities they’re working alongside and look forward to another year of engaged philanthropy and relationship-building. Here are some pictures collected from last year’s get-together. We look forward to the next! For more photos, visit the SVP Charlotte Facebook page!