Social Venture Partners of Minnesota

Who Becomes a Partner?

Some Partners are new to philanthropic giving, while others have a history of either personal or foundation giving. All want to be involved in making a difference. Partners typically join SVP/MN for the following reasons:

1. To invest their money and time to improve children’s lives and to see the impact of that time and money leveraged by pooling it with other donors.

2. To learn more about their local nonprofit community, and how grant making and strategic volunteering work.

3. To be involved in an innovative community of philanthropists that promotes collaborative decision-making with other Partners and with local nonprofits, as well as the venture capital investing principles.

SVP Partners come from many different professional and community backgrounds including business, management, law, finance, engineering, education, marketing and philanthropy. All are seeking opportunities to contribute their resources to improve children’s lives in our community.

Getting Involved

What do Partners do?
One of the key aspects differentiating Social Venture Partners from other foundations is the degree of Partner involvement in each aspect of our operations. Partners choose the nonprofits receiving multi-year investments, provide professional expertise to those agencies funded and are the driving force in developing, expanding and managing our organization.

With the SVP/MN model of giving, Partners are encouraged to contribute not just their money, but also their time and particular professional expertise -- whether that's marketing, finance, management, legal, or technical in nature. This unique approach to "engaged philanthropy" helps nonprofits build their organizational capacity. It also helps Partners truly understand not only the social issues they hope to impact, but also the unique challenges that nonprofit organizations face.

Partners can scale their level of involvement from money-only to time-based projects or ongoing commitments. When joining SVP/MN, you fill out a questionnaire that describes your interests, skills, available time, and professional background. We then work with you to help find the best possible fit within three areas of involvement:

1. Investment Committees

Twice a year, committees of 10-15 partners convene to learn the grant making process including: issue research, establishing grant guidelines, due diligence of applicants and final selection of recommended grant recipients. Touted as one of the most valuable SVP experiences, these committees are an excellent way for new partners to "learn the business" and interact with other partners.

2. Volunteer Consulting Teams
A "hands on" approach to philanthropy, the SVP investment model includes strong partnerships between teams of our partners and the executive staff of nonprofits in the SVP/MN portfolio. The infusion of additional human capital into emerging nonprofits is a key to helping these agencies build their organizational capacity for the future. Partners can tailor their involvement with our Nonprofit Partners based upon their areas of interest and availability of time.

SVP/MN uses eight categories to describe the many facets of organizational capacity where SVP/MN Partners might contribute time and expertise.

Management Systems – includes strategic planning, volunteer management, and human resources, generally the practices of executive level staff focused on optimizing the resources of their staff and volunteers.
Board and Governance – development and on-going operations of Board of Directors, advisory committees and oversight entities.
Finance – fiscal management of an organization including grant management.
Fund and Revenue Development – activities, including the diversification of funding, which will lead to the sustainability of revenue and donors.
Information Technology – planning and implementation designed to incorporate the use of technology in enhancing services or making the organization more efficient.
Marketing and Media – developing activities and materials designed to increase the visibility of the organization, promote public awareness of a specific program, or enhance fundraising efforts.
Evaluation and Outcomes – measuring the impact of a program on the target population and using these results to guide program design.
Replication/Expansion – the expansion of an existing program to another location by the founding organization or the packaging of the core principles and elements in a form that others can duplicate in another setting.

3. Corporate Committees
With support from The Minneapolis Foundation staff, partner-driven committees provide the expertise and participate in various aspects of our corporate and foundation functions. All partners are encouraged to recruit new members to sustain the growth of SVP/MN and our Nonprofit Partners.

Partner Meetings
The entire partnership actually comes together for business purposes once a year and quarterly for education events. The bulk of the work that SVP partners do for selected nonprofits takes place in small, "virtual teams" that focus on specific tasks or outcomes. Please see our Calendar of Events for a listing of specific meetings coming up in the next few months.

Financial Investment
Partnership entails a minimum commitment of $5,400 annually (all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by current law).

How to Join

For information on joining SVP/MN contact:
Tom Salonek at 651-454-0013 or tsalonek@go-e-biz.com.

The annual contribution of $5,400 can be donated in the form of cash, corporate matching funds or stock transfers. A partner will contact you to welcome you to SVP/MN and will work with you to complete a Partner Profile which outlines your interests and skills. You are now ready to Get Involved!

FAQs

Is an SVP/MN Partner required to give their time as well as the $5,400 annual contribution?
No. SVP/MN would like all Partners to get involved with their time and expertise, but some Partners just don't have time to commit and that is OK. Partners can scale their level of involvement from money-only, to time-based projects or ongoing commitments (typically 6 to 12 months) as a committee chairperson, mentor, or lead partner for a Nonprofit Partner. Partners generally volunteer at least 24 hours per year.

Can I become a Partner by giving just my time and expertise but not the $5,400 annual contribution?
No, but friends and business associates can contribute skills and time as part of the Volunteer Consultant Teams' work with our Nonprofit Partners. They can also volunteer to help out with a specific volunteer project that our nonprofits have requested.

Can my spouse or significant other also participate?
Yes! SVP/MN provides a unique opportunity for spouses or partners to engage jointly in philanthropy. By making the $5,400 annual contribution, both the partner and his/her significant other may participate in events, committees and volunteer projects. The partner "unit" only holds (1) vote at the annual partner meetings, however.

Are There Any Meetings or Events?
The entire partnership actually comes together for business purposes once a year and quarterly for education events. SVP/MN also hosts social gatherings at enjoyable venues so that partners can get to know one another in a relaxed, fun setting. The bulk of the work that SVP Partners do for our Nonprofit Partners takes place in small, "virtual teams" that focus on specific tasks or outcomes. Please see our Calendar of Events for a listing of specific meetings and events coming up in the next few months.

How Do I Become a Partner?
Partnership entails a minimum commitment of $5,400 annually (all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by current law). Contact Tom Salonek at 651-454-0013 or tsalonek@go-e-biz.com. After you complete these steps, an SVP/MN Partner will be in contact to help you get plugged into SVP/MN and get connected with other partners.

Can I pay for SVP/MN Partnership with something other than cash?
Yes, you can use corporate matching funds and stock transfers.

Can partners designate their contribution to a particular nonprofit?
No. All Partner contributions go into a pooled fund. SVP/MN is like a mutual fund investment for a Partner, not an investment in an individual organization. Partners who are interested in supporting the work of a particular nonprofit will be invited to provide volunteer services. Of course, they may contribute additional funds to Nonprofit Partners on their own.

Your mission statement also talks about "developing philanthropy and volunteerism." What does that mean?
SVP/MN also has an ongoing curriculum of workshops, seminars, and resources for its Partners, addressing personal philanthropy, social entrepreneurism, and children's issues. All events are listed on our Calendar of Events.