Get Engaged with DSVP Committees in 2011

2011 DSVP Committees are now forming! See the complete list of committees and the chairs who will be leading them below. If you are a Partner and are interested in any of the following please contact Sari Raskin, Director of Engagement and Programs, at sraskin@dsvp.org.

Philanthropy Education Committee
Chair: Jim Pasant

Engagement Committee
Chair: Margery Miller

Membership
Chair: Kristi Erickson

Portfolio Review Committees
Co-Chair: Jacque Collier
Co-Chair: Debra Witter

Investment Committee
Co-Chair: Dick Evans
Co-Chair: Robin Minick

Special Opportunities Committee
Chair: Susan Hoff

Development Committee
Chair: Bob Wright

bigBANG!
Co-Chair: John Palter
Co-Chair: Bob Wright

Communications
Co-Chair: Terri Barnes
Co-Chair: Debra Witter

Finance and Audit
Chair: Justin Nezda

Calling all Partners for 2011 New Investee Engagement

Engagement Planning teams are forming for Trinity River Mission and Vickery Meadow Learning Center!

Partner expertise is needed in the following areas:

Trinity River Mission

· Board Governance – Board expansion and structure

· Implementation and facilitation of new Strategic Plan

· Marketing and branding of new TRM logo

Lead Partner: Jim Pasant

Trinity River Engagement Planning meeting – Wednesday, January 12^th at 4pm

Vickery Meadow Learning Center

· Information Technology – IT plan for connection of two sites, data management, new website

· Marketing and Branding- Name change, branding/logo

· Updated Strategic Plan

Lead Partner: Elaine Bernstein

Vickery Meadow Learning Center Engagement Planning meeting – Friday, January 7^th at 2pm

If you have any questions or would like to join, please contact Sari Raskin, Director of Engagement and Programs, at sraskin@dsvp.org

2011 First Friday Lunch Series

Dallas Social Venture Partners is proud to announce that the 2011 spring First Friday series will take place at Tower Club Dallas! Lunch series tickets are available now. An early bird discount is available to those who purchase the series before December 31st.

Check out the list of exciting speakers that DSVP will host this spring. Register today to reserve your spot!

January 7, 2011 “Sustainable Nonprofits: Trends in the Sector”
Gary Godsey, CEO
Susan Hoff, SR. Vice President of Community Impact
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas

February 4, 2011 “Innovation in Corporate Giving”
Laura Sanford, President
AT&T Foundation

March 4, 2011 “Corporate Social Responsibility: A Respectable Debate”
Dennis McCuistion, Host & Exec. Producer McCuistion Program
George Ellis, CFO, Global 360

April 1, 2011 “Getting it Right. A Statewide Vision for Impact”
Robert Egger, Founder & President
DC Central Kitchen and V3. Author of “Begging for Change”

May 6, 2011 “Social Innovation in North Texas”
bigBANG! Teams & Sponsors


Register Now!

All Events will be held at the Tower Club Dallas - 1601 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75201

Early bird Series Cost: $100 for five luncheons
Individual Ticket Costs: $25 for DSVP Partners; $30 for non-Partners.

2010 Investees Announced!

DSVP is excited to announce our newest Investees to the portfolio. After a thorough vetting by the Investment Committee, our partners recommended the following two organization to our Board. After approval on Thursday, the public announcement was made at our recent Annual Luncheon.

Thank you to all of our partners who served on the Investment Committee this year! We are excited to move forward with both of these new missions!

Trinity River Mission is a volunteer-based community learning center that serves 450 children per year. Trinity River Mission promotes literacy, encourages academic success and develops effective life skills among disadvantaged youth in West Dallas, in the belief that education connects us to life's possibilities. Lead Partner: Jim Pasant

Vickery Meadow Learning Center is dedicated to improving English literacy levels among non-English speaking adults and children by providing programs in communication and life skills. Vickery Meadow serves 750 adults and 200 children annually and does so in the belief that the ability to understand, read, write and speak English contributes to Independence, productivity and the overall well-being of our students, their families and the greater community. Lead Partner: Elaine Bernstein

DSVP 2011 Board of Directors

Last Friday, DSVP's partnership voted in our 2011 Board of Directors. Please note that Brad Logan will be serving as Board Chair in 2011 and Susan Hoff has accepted the position of Incoming Chair for 2012. We are excited to welcome our new representatives to the board and for the continued leadership of those returning!

Keith Beers
Gary Capshaw**
Richard Evans
Kristi Erickson**
Mark Frederiksen
Susan Hoff, Chair Elect
Brad Logan, Chair
Margery Miller**
Justin Nezda*
John Palter, Immediate Past Chair***
Jim Pasant**
Brian Smith
Debra Witter
Ellen Wood
Robert Wright, II***


*Second Term
**New 2011
***Emeritus

Portfolio Review - 2010 Announcements

Each year, the DSVP Portfolio Review Committee (PRC) monitors the partner engagement and investee progress within our portfolio of nonprofits that we support. Throughout the year, the committee keeps connected to the lead partners who are serving on behalf of DSVP to help track and accomplish the work of the partnership. As multi-year investments with an enagement strategy developed on the front-end, the PRC helps ensure that we are on-track over time to achieve the success we seek.

Each year, the committee makes recommendations to the board for refunding decisions and recommendations for emeritus status (when our investees sucessfully graduate). Below is the listing of active investments that will continue to be supported throughout 2011 and those who have successfully been nominated and elevated to emeritus status.

2011 Active Investments:

• Dallas AfterSchool Network
• Dallas Community Lighthouse
• KIPP TRUTH Academy
• Mi Escuelita Preschool
• PediPlace
• Youth Village Resources of Dallas

Newly Approved Emeirtus Investments:

• Networking for Teaching Entrepreneurship
• The Samaritan Inn
• Vision Regeneration

Bob Wright honored with Paul Shoemaker Award

DSVP's founding partner, Bob Wright was honored with the prestigious "Paul Shoemaker Award" at the recent Social Venture Partner International Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA. Bob was surprised with a pair of inscribed high-top sneakers.

The award is given each year to the Social Venture Partner who has demonstrated consistent commitment to strengthening the SVP network and to the SVP model of engaged philanthropy, and through this, to their community. Bob is the seventh recipient of the award.

Bob was nominated by the DSVP staff and board for his dedication, vision and uncanny positivity he continues to bring to the partnership. When receiving the award, Bob humbly commented, "Who knew you could get an award for just having fun with your friends!".

Expert vs. Crowd, the SVP difference.

Reading the Philanthropy 2173 post today on "The Market of Philanthropy Advisers" resonated with a vision that I think many of us have for the Social Venture Partner movement. Over the years, our various partnerships take on new communications campaigns and messaging to present a model of "engaged philanthropy" and "venture philanthropy" that in a sense is all about what Lucy Bernholtz is talking about.

Acknowledging the slow but increasing maturation of the philanthropic sector, we learn that there is still very little academic or standardization of philanthropic advising in general. Whether formal or informal, the entry level cost of becoming an adviser to the worlds wealthiest is "almost negligible".

Lucy highlights the importance of networks and social media in this field.
"But in our world today, where data are increasingly commodified and analysis/synthesis/expertise increasingly dispersed - the innovations from the bottom will - and should - affect the thinking of the top. Networks can generate more ideas, vet more ideas, and provide a more robust feedback process than any single adviser. They can mix experts and crowds."

I see this play out every day in Dallas Social Venture Partners where the crowd is the partnership trying to make a difference, not necessarily paid consultants and evaluators. The partners themselves represent a formal network among each other and a myriad of networks they bring to the table. The metrics they lead with are based in the qualitative, relationship based activities and storytelling. It makes sense, our philanthropists are among the same community they are trying to effect. And while the quantitative certainly offers the street-cred for the partnership to claim impact and victory, it is the qualitative that continues to drive the communications and influence from on-the-ground.

For more than 12 years, Social Venture Partner International has collected and captured the quantitative data that rolls up from each of the 25 cities to help prove our model as effective and impactful to the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. But the change-making work, the community impact is happening on the ground with each partnership.

Over the last couple years, we have seen several of the SVP's achieve and pass the decade mark. With that longevity, comes a robust portfolio of diverse missions that SVP partners and leaders have nurtured, grown and served. With that service comes the tribal knowledge of what works and what is innovative.

Don't miss the Final Ten Year Events in 2010!

What an incredible year DSVP has enjoyed as we complete our first decade as an organization. Highlights have included a steady growth of new partners, the first bigBANG! event, a recently adopted strategic plan, and many new community connections and friends.

As the year comes to a close, we invite you to join us for two final celebration events. We hope to see you there, all friends and partners welcome!

Annual Luncheon - Reflections and Vision: DSVP at 10 Years
December 3, 11am-1pm, Tower Club
Details and RSVP Here.

Holiday Party - Let's get this party started!
December 9, 5:30pm-8:00pm, Reunion Tower
Details and RSVP Here.

DSVP adopts Strategic Plan

After a four month planning process involving more than 40 partners in three different work streams, the DSVP board of directors has adopted the recommended strategic plan. The plan is a perfect balance between strategic vision around community focused leverage and impact along with partnership focused tactical programs.

Highlights from the plan include some of the following:

• Partner Power - Programmatic alignment of philanthropy education, partnership recruitment and investee engagement with a new "Partner Committee".
• Expanded Opportunities-Support more opportunities for our partners to have the impact they seek with a "Special Opportunities Team".
• More Fuel for the Fire - Leveraging additional resources into the investee portfolio through co-investment strategies and attracting additional human capital while DSVP is actively investing in nonprofits we support through a "Community Relations Team".
  
• Nurture the Ecosystem - Further promotion of social innovation as a strategy to engage the community, build awareness of DSVP, and nurture the ecosystem of engaged philanthropists, sustainable nonprofits and socially conscious businesses.
  

Staff and Board are developing work plans, budgets, committee charters and staffing models for 2011 to support these activities. Thank you to all our partners who were involved in the process. DSVP will be a stronger better organization because of this effort and vision!

2010 Investment Committee home stretch with four finalists!

DSVP Partner teams are working with four Investment Committee finalists – Jubilee Community Center, Real School Gardens, Trinity River Mission and Vickery Meadow Learning Center – on Engagement Strategies and Final Presentations. The Investee Selection meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 30th from 4-8pm (RSVP here) and is open to the entire DSVP Partnership! Read below to learn a little more about our finalists...

Jubilee Community Center serves 1,027 children and 173 adults daily through programming at OM Roberts Elementary School, Davids’ Place Head Start, an afterschool program, and at ESL, literacy, and computer classes. The mission of Jubilee is to be a catalyst for community renewal and enrichment to the South Dallas/Fair Park neighborhood, with special emphasis on comprehensive, community revitalization and the education of children and adults.
www.jubileecenter.org
Lead Partner: Rod Armstrong

Real School Gardens is a grassroots gardening program that serves children 41,000 children annually in low income, urban neighborhoods by partnering with elementary school communities to design, install, and use outdoor classrooms (gardens) to improve academic achievement and promote healthy development. The mission of Real School Gardens is to cultivate relationships with elementary schools to create learning gardens that raise hope, spark imaginations, and connect children to nature.
www.realschoolgardens.org
Lead Partner: Robin Minick

Trinity River Mission is a volunteer-based community learning center that serves 450 children per year. Trinity River Mission promotes literacy, encourages academic success and develops effective life skills among disadvantaged youth in West Dallas, in the belief that education connects us to life’s possibilities.
www.trinityrivermission.org
Lead Partner: Jim Pasant

Vickery Meadow Learning Center is dedicated to improving English literacy levels among non-English speaking adults and children by providing programs in communication and life skills. Vickery Meadow serves 725 adults and 200 children annually and does so in the belief that the ability to understand, read, write and speak English contributes to independence, productivity and the overall well-being of our students, their families and the greater community.
http://www.vmlc.org/

Lead Partner: Elaine Bernstein

Once again all DSVP Partners are welcome to attend this event. Please let us know if you will be able to attend. We look forward to seeing everyone and choosing who the next Investee will be!

Golf for Good

Support Youth Village Resources of Dallas on Monday, November 8 by putting your golf team together (details below). See their impact and watch this video on their dog training program: http://bit.ly/984XFn.

The Tribute Golf Club
1000 Lebanon Road
The Colony, Texas 75056

Golf Registration Fee: $120 per golfer
Golfers, in addition to supporting a great cause and having a great time, are invited to participate in a hamburger buffet at 12:00 noon which includes: hamburgers served with tomatoes, onions, pickles, and appropriate condiments, with chips, homemade cookies, and fudge brownies.

To register, please visit Youth Village on the web at: www.youthvillagefoundation.org
or contact Jerry Silhan
Phone: 214-957-7057
E-Mail: jsilhan@youthvillagefoundation.org.

NOTE: As a result of player cancellation, tournament fees will be donated to the the Youth Village Resources of Dallas

Dallas cultivates Social Entrepreneurs

Social Entrepreneurship is the hottest topic around.
On October 21, four collaborating organizations invite you to hear from local social entrepreneurs on how they are developing new business strategies and models to measure a triple bottom line -measuring profits alongside social and environmental impact.

PKN Volume 5 - featuring Social Entrepreneurs
Join us on 10/21 from 6-8PM
University of Dallas

To make things interesting, all presenters will follow the Pecha Kucha format. Don't know what it is? It's 20 slides automatically rotating forward every 20 seconds. Fast, fun and informative!

Free event and wine and cheese reception to follow. Please RSVP to secure your place. See you there!

20 Burning Questions from Social Capital Markets 2010 Conference

There seems to be a theme in your undergraduate studies around the learning process. You come in from highschool, all cocky, thinking you know everything. Then after your freshman year, like a stunned deer, you leave feeling humbled and as if you know nothing. Then another year passes and at the end of your sophmore year, you have just enough knowlege to formulate and ask alot of questions. You then spend your Junior year trying to answer those questions; and finally in your senior year, you start to feel cocky again...untill you land your first job and the cycle starts all over.

This year would count as my sophmore year at SOCAP10, and here are my sophmoric questions.

1. What is "syndication" as it relates to the investment world?

2. What is the UN PRI program and how are they involved in this space?

3. Is there a Responsible Endowment Coalition for Foundations?

4. With different languages between Nonprofits and Investors, what role do trustees and board members play in helping translate?

5. How will the social enterprise movement develop and solidify models that become a standard? How are existing consulting firms and universities talking to standardize language and best practices?

6. What are the incentives that will move investors, philanthropist and entrepreneurs into the Social Capital Marketplace?

7. How do Charter School Bonds work?

8. Not a question, but a great quote: "The goal is to catalyze a marketplace by crowding in competition." - William Foote, Root Capital

9. Where are the demonstrations popping up around the world and can we craft demonstrations of this activity?

10. How about scenarios? If there is not a demonstration, can we craft new scenarios?

11. Are there examples of a fund focused on one geography?

12. Who are these "Women who lend to shirtless men" on kiva.org?

13. Has anyone mapped all the Social Entrepreneur Communities bubbling up like Unreasonable Institute, B-Labs, Bizdome U, etc.?

14. Is Nick Jankel of WeCreate an Anthropologist like me? And what role do anthropologist play in the translation of these converging communities of practitioners, funders and investors?

15. How do CDFI's become a formal part of the discussion?

16. How can we create a Slow Money capter in Dallas, and how do we replicate the cool Slow Money community in Austin?

17. Where will The Hoop Fund be one year from now?

18. Why doesn't SOCAP provide a lite of twitter users related to SOCAP presenters?

19. Does Matt Bannick of Omidyar Network have a presentation for the Foundation Capital Market he can share?

20. Can Social Venture Partners launch a Mission Markets?

Uncharitable by Dan Pallotta

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing Dan Pallotta present at the Texas Nonprofit Summit.

Dan Pallotta is an expert in nonprofit sector innovation and a pioneering social entrepreneur. He is the founder of Pallotta TeamWorks, which invented the multi-day AIDSRides and Breast Cancer 3-Days. He is the president of Springboard and the author of Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential.

He is an inspiring presenter who is working to revolutionize the social sector by changing perception on how nonprofits should operate and the expectations that we as donors and funders have in those missions.

I encourage everyone to read the book Uncharitable and check out the presentation here. It is up for another week. When you watch it, start the video at 23 minutes to skip to his presentation.

Some of my favorite points he made:

• There are two rule books: one for charity and one for the rest of the economic world.
• We expect the nonprofit sector to rectify the results of a capitalist system but with using the tools of capitalism.
• We have made a market around overhead. As funders we ask the question, and as nonprofits we present them and stand behind them, even if the itemizing is subjective.
• Of the three major charity rating organanizations, Charity Navigator, Better Business Bureau and American Instute of Philanthropy...they rate 7700 charities and cummulatively have 28 staff members.
  

Social Innovation and the Nonprofit Sector

Last week, Bob Wright and I had a chance to present at the Texas Nonprofit Summit LINK in Austin, Texas. Our Texas Social Innovation collaborators One Star Foundation co-hosted the event with Greenlights Austin. The theme of the event was “Igniting a Nonprofit Revolution” and the keynote and presentations inspired just that. The energy was palpable as nonprofit leaders showed up to do things differently…to innovate.

Bob and I had two tracks, and in typical yin-yang fashion, each of us took the lead on the presentation style and agenda. I think the highlight of our time was meeting all the super cool nonprofit leaders who want to lead the charge on this revolution and explore new ideas. Plus, we got in trouble for having such a rowdy session each time. A success in both of our minds!

Highlights of our 90 minute sessions included:

Speed Networking - as refined through our informal network @SparkClub
Best thing about Speed Networking is how it (1) provides a structure for those who do not feel comfortable flitting about an event networking; and (2) forces unlikely connections among the "jeans and the suits"

Social Media Discussion - How web-based tools cannot be ignored in the world of giving and action. Plus, they offer a way to stay connected after an awesome speed networking experience.
After a quick review of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, we showed a cool social media “Conversation Prism” that shows myriad of tools and networks available.

Finally we shared how Dallas Social Venture Partners is working to help spark a social innovation ecosytem in North Texas through our efforts with the Texas Social Innovation Initiative and bigBANG! See the presentation.

Early Childhood Development Forum Debuts this Fall

Do you have a passion for working, giving and learning about Early Childhood Development? DSVP Parnter, Bob Wood wants you to to join us for the first in a new SVP network series – The Early Childhood Development Forum.

This quarterly teleconference series is for SVP partners and staff who care deeply about this topic. It’s an opportunity for free-flowing discussion: to learn what SVPs are doing in this area; share information about developments in the field; and sharpen our philanthropic and volunteer focus.

Our first one hour call is scheduled for Wednesday, October 6th at 12:00PM Central. Please contact Meghan Hale at mhale@dsvp.org for call-in information.

SVP Seattle Partner Dawn Trudeau will get the conversation rolling with a brief on SVP Seattle’s involvement in the Washington State Business Partnership for Early Learning. There will also be time set aside during the forum so we can learn more about each other and our specific ECD projects and interests.

UPLIFT receives $7.5 million from the Department of Education

UPLIFT received fantastic news today from the Department of Education. They
were the ONLY Texas Charter School to receive a federal "Teacher
Incentive Fund" grant. The grant will amount to a total of $7.5 million over the next 5 years. These funds will go towards their reward & recognition program which includes incentive pay, Dynamic Dayin Dallas, Master Teachers, and our launch of common formative assessments.

Congratulations!

Youth Village Foundation is changing its name

DSVP is proud to announce the name change of one of its investees, Youth Village Foundation now known as Youth Village Resources of Dallas. The press release below describes the reason for the name change in more detail.

DSVP has assisted YVR for over two years on such activities as an organizational assessment, strategic plan and outcomes measurement. The name change better reflects the mission of YVR and DSVP will continue to provide assistance to one of its shining examples of Doing Good Better.


DALLAS ( September 20, 2010) – Youth Village Foundation, the organization that has helped countless juveniles in Dallas County turn away from lives of crime, is changing its name.

The nonprofit organization is now known as Youth Village Resources of Dallas, a name that better reflects the work it does to divert young people from further involvement with the juvenile justice center or progression to more serious offenses.

Founded in 2001, The Youth Village Foundation has worked to meet the needs of young residents at Dallas County Youth Village and Medlock Youth Treatment Center by providing career training programs that teach them responsibility and a trade when they are released.

But the name caused confusion for those who thought the foundation was set up to provide grants for juvenile programs rather than coordinate them, said Fred Henley, President and Chairman of the Youth Village Resources Board of Directors.

“It became difficult to raise funds as a foundation,” Henley explained. “We wanted the public to understand that we are providing the resources that are changing the lives of these young people.”

Working with county officials, the volunteers at Youth Village Resources provide training programs that Dallas County taxpayers cannot fund due to budget cuts. Some of the programs teach residents at Youth Village and Medlock responsibility for the first time in their lives.

One of the more successful has been a dog training program that allows the youths to care for abandoned dogs until they have been adopted or placed in foster homes.

Other programs provide hands-on training for future jobs. Youth Village Resources, working with volunteers from a wide variety of locations including El Centro College, University of Texas at Dallas and North Texas Food Bank, offers classes in culinary arts, horticulture, financial literacy, computer programs, career management and public speaking. There also are courses to help youngsters receive their GED diplomas and scholarship funds to attend college.

Juveniles sent to Youth Village or Medlock are non-violent offenders who are removed from their home environment for a period of four to nine months. The positive outcome for those who receive training at these facilities rather than being handled by the Texas Youth Commission, the juvenile corrections agency, has been significant.

The recidivism rate for juveniles incarcerated in Texas last year was approximately 40 percent compared to a 9 percent repeat offender rate for those who completed their stay at Youth Village.

With its new name, Youth Village Resources will be looking for grants and corporate donations that can help maintain the organization’s vital goal of teaching deserving youth about healthy activities and assist them in receiving vocational training and educational scholarships.

For more information about Youth Village Resources and how to make a donation or volunteer, go to the following website: http://www.youthvillagefoundation.org/


Media Contact:

Jerry D. Silhan
Executive Director
The Youth Village Resources
phone and fax: 214-382-2697
cell: 214-957-7057
jsilhan@youthvillagefoundation.org

5 Ideas for Philanthropy to help Unlock the $120 Billion Social Capital Market

The philanthropic sector is fully realizing the bitter truth that money alone cannot solve our most challenging problems. Many of our ideas around philanthropy need to evolve to truly achieve the impact we seek with our dollars.
Here are five ideas that can help advance our sector and bring our unique value to the bigger Social Capital Marketplace.

Embrace alternative financial instruments and ideas - Often times investors and philanthropists are the same people with different expectations. "Two-Pocket Investor" refers to someone who thinks differently of their philanthropic investments vs. their financial investments. Philanthropic institutions sometimes deem social enterprises as too risky and yet preferred to give a grant. One solution is a "stacked investment" which is a blend of financial investments and grants to help distribute the risk. These kinds of ideas need to be explored in entrepreneurial ways and given more consideration by traditional funding institutions.

Co-Investing- The days of one funder giving to one organization to solve a social or community problem are limited. Collaborative funding models are spreading. Most have centered around funders making grants in a certain issue area or cause. By co-investing, we are able to share valuable knowledge/information and leverage resources to come closer to systemic change. Soon we will see more diversified capital projects that bring together resources from impact investors across sectors who are able to play at various points within the financing. This will helps spread risk and strengthen stakeholder engagement throughout the social enterprise.

Measuring beyond the numbers - Evaluation is king in the world of social impact. You can't get what you don't measure, right? And yet a lot of energy, resources and time can go into visioning the outcomes you want to achieve and tracking progress (and proof) along the way. As we develop those strategies, it is important to embrace the qualitative along with the quantitative. When thinking about scale and reach, sometimes resources are better spent capturing the story of the impact and potential impact and ensuring those stories reach a broard audience. Think of the power of Kiva.org, where would that organization be if not for the brief story and picture provided with each investment opportunity. Besides, when you can't prove poverty alleviation in a quarterly report, a good and authentic story can make all the difference.

Cross-pollinating and sector blending -For far too long, missions and social impact have been relegated to the world of non-profits. Impact is executed by a charitable organization and funding comes from the foundations and donors. It has been an insular world with strange cultural customs and tribal language. Today with graduating MBA students interested in using their careers to create and work for triple-bottom-line business, this demand is expanding the universe of opportunities to make the world a better place. Impact can and will happen beyond mission-based work. Those philanthropic institutions that start playing across the sectors (public and private) will prove more successful in accomplishing the outcomes they seek.

Stimulating Informal Networks - Perhaps we do need another institution to carry our ideas to the next level, or do we? Have you ever heard the term "died by committee"? Think of all the intellectual, political and social capital that that gets tied up every time we create a new organization with by-laws, a board, etc. Plus, more importantly, it is almost making a pact with the membership that they will only seek connections from within. Perhaps instead of a new membership based organization, we need to create spontaneous and informal networks to bring existing networks together. Spark Club in North Texas has been just that. The organizers (myself included) like to bring together the "suits" and the "jeans" and pull from existing networks in hopes to put together an unlikely union, partnership, conversation, etc. No membership rules, no organizational infrastructure or hierarchy, and the only sponsors allowed are for technology...alcohol. In networking this way helps nurture fertile soil for the seeds of social entrepreneurship and enterprises.

Written for the #SOCAP10 Impact Challenge
by Stacy Caldwell
@Scaldwell

Help me compete for a free ticket to SOCAP -Social Capital Markets Conference in San Francisco this October. Please vote for me if you are inclined!

DonorBridge - Get up and Give!

Mark your calendars for September 8, the second DonorBridge North Texas Giving Day. After much success last year they will bring together donors to support the Nonprofit community.

Award money is on the table for Nonprofits that raise the most money. Check out details here. Below is a list of DSVP Investees you will find.

• Shared Housing Center, Inc.
• The Wilkinson Center
• Vision Regeneration, Inc.
• The Samaritan Inn
• Mi Escuelita Preschool
• Youth Village Foundation
• PediPlace
• Dallas Community Lighthouse
• Educational First Steps
• The Concilio
• Child Abuse Prevention Center
• Transition Resource Action Center (through Central Dallas Ministries)
• Dallas After School Network
• KIPP TRUTH Academy
• UPLIFT Education
• NFTE

We encourage individuals, alongside DSVP, will be inspired to give on this day within the above Nonprofits.

DSVP Strategic Plan

Over the summer months, our partnership began an inclusive strategic planning process that mirrored more of a grass-roots campaign as opposed to a board driven strategic plan. As a “partnership of equals”, it was important to vision the strategic direction of our mission collaboratively among the partners. A call for participants in the mid-summer months attracted a group of about 20 partners representing our board, lead partners, committee members and those just getting started. After a session that helped us identify our mission outcomes, we broke into three work streams that could test and inform how those outcomes could be accomplished.

They focused on: Partners, Investments and Community. Each work-stream hosted a series of meetings to gather input and capture the thinking of our partnership. Partners were encouraged to attend any and all of the meetings, and to offer up their best ideas on what our future could be.

On Monday night, at a mid-point review, representatives from each of the groups provided an overview of what has been explored, dismissed and strategies that think can further our vision. Cross-over items were collaboratively tackled and feedback was robust. If anyone who has known DSVP for a while, they can see that our partnership is evolving. What was confirmed last night is the desire for us to break away from our current processes and structure and think differently at how we serve the highest value to our partners, investees and the community. Interestingly, we saw some common themes among the three separate group: create more opportunities for partners, be more outward facing towards the community, and rethink how we use existing resources to deliver our mission.

Next steps include a continuation of the three work-streams to finalize their recommendations. And although the groups are further along in their thinking, partners are still encouraged to jump in at any point. Please reach out to sraskin@dsvp.org to help you plug- in. Also, we will host a one-day partner retreat on Friday, September 17th and any partner is welcome to participate. We will be hosting a briefing prior to that retreat to bring anyone up to speed who hasn’t been able to participate. Keep an eye out for the evite.

Building a Center for Social Innovation in North Texas

DSVP recently moved to 511 N. Akard, a social enterprise of Central Dallas Ministries and the Community Development Corporation.
The move that was driven by unexpected necessity to relocate our offices that provided us a new opportunity to explore a partnership with four other amazing agencies.

The goal's to create a Center for Social Innovation. Inspired by co-working collaboration environments not unlike the one that houses the Toronto Social Venture Partnership (see quick video below), it has given us an opportunity to think differently about how we get our mission done. As we envision what a collaborative space dedicated to social innovation might be like, we consider what it would mean to all of our respective missions. Each of the organizations engaged in the conversation Central Dallas Ministries – Americorp program, CDM Community Development Corporation, Executives in Action and BC Workshops) is highly engaged in social innovation through design and deployment of highly skilled volunteers. We see these innovative work spaces popping up all over the globe and believe that model would work effectively in social impact efforts.

As we spend the next 3-6 months vetting the opportunity and what it might mean for our mission, our partners are invited to participate. There are a number of different entry points into the conversation from the business plan, to fundraising, to technology and use of space. Please reach out to staff or DSVP board if you are interested. There will also be periodic communications and updates that will be available to the partnership throughout the exploration.

Watch the video here!

bigBANG! Update

Here are the latest bigBANG! updates:

Press Release : Dallas Social Venture Partners’ bigBANG Already Sparking Good Works http://bit.ly/a39R4c

RSVP for Spark Club! http://bit.ly/bkQtb7

You can also stay connected to the bigBANG! at www.bigbangtx.org

DSVP has moved downtown!

Dallas Social Venture Partners is excited to announce that we have moved our offices downtown. You can now find us in the 511 North Akard Building (next door to the T. Boone Pickens YMCA). Please note DSVP's new physical and mailing address below. Our phone numbers and emails will remain the same and the door is always open, so stop by for a visit!

Physical Address:
511 North Akard, Third Floor
Dallas, TX 75201

Mailing Address:
511 North Akard
Mailbox 511
Dallas, TX 75201

Local Social Enterprise - Dallas CityScape!

There's only two more weeks left for you to go see Dallas CityScape! Don't miss this awesome opportunity to see this exciting recreation of the Dallas skyline – all made from toys! Kids and adults alike are sure to awe at the size and artistry of each building.

DSVP is proud to have helped be a part of this idea from the seed stage. Back in 2007, a group of DSVP Partners helped social entrepreneur and visionary David Mathews flesh out and seed-fund an idea he had to create a social enterprise that would help fund a mission for kids. Three years later, David has launched CityScape! in Oklahoma City and now in Dallas!

Proceeds from Dallas CityScape! benefit the East Dallas Community Schools (EDCS). For more information about the school and the exhibit click here!

LOCATION:
Northpark Mall
Level Two, between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.
Next to Barneys New York.

ADMISSION:
Adults $5
Children $3 (Ages 12 & Under)

HOURS:
Open 7 days a week during regular NorthPark Center hours.

KIPP leverages with a bigBANG!

DSVP is proud to announce that within thirty days of the bigBANG! Social Innovation event, $250,000 was attracted to the mission of KIPP TRUTH Academy.

Photo: (left) Stacy Caldwell -President of DSVP ; (right) April Crosse - Executive Director of KIPP TRUTH Academy

As one of DSVP’s newest nonprofit Investees, several DSVP partners “pitched” on behalf of KIPP TRUTH Academy to a room of impact investors. They shared a vision to help build KIPP's local capacity to serve more kids throughout North Texas. DSVP partners described their strategic work to strengthen KIPP's business model to help expand KIPP’s vision and impact across the region.

Boone Family Foundation took the lead in this vision at the bigBANG! by issuing a thirty day challenge grant. The effort would help build awareness of KIPP’s efforts, grow their donor base, and encourage further capacity building to help them grow. The challenge promised $1 (up to $25,000) for every $2 raised making the total potential contribution to KIPP TRUTH $75,000.

April Crosse, KIPP TRUTH's executive director, led the effort that far exceeded that vision. Just three months on the job in her new position, April got to work and brought in $70,000 of donations for the match and then circled around to prior requests and closed an additional $160,00. Resulting in more than $250,000 for the mission! KIPP parents, teachers and students along with community donors and funders all worked together to show their support and help accomplish this amazing result!

Founded in 2003, KIPP TRUTH Academy is the Metroplex branch of the nationally renowned Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). KIPP is a network of charter schools designed to transform and improve the educational opportunities available to low-income families, and ultimately, prepare students to enroll and succeed in college. KIPP has grown from a core of two middle schools established in the mid 1990s to a nationwide network of 82 schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia. All KIPP schools are free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools located in under-resourced communities throughout the United States.

A hearty congratulations is in order to KIPP. A big thank you goes to our friends at the Boone Family Foundation for their vision and leadership. And, a wink and thumbs up to all our DSVP partners who continue to maximize social impact with their efforts!

Strategic Plans Underway

Two very important strategic plans are underway by our partners here at DSVP. Our partners are putting that important intellectual capital to work both for Dallas Community Light House and DSVP!

Dallas Community Lighthouse
DSVP Partners and Dallas Community Lighthouse (DCL) Board members and staff began the first stage of DCL's Strategic Planning process with a productive Board Development planning session on Wednesday, July 7th. Gary Capshaw, DCL co-Lead Partner led the session attended by DSVP Partners Carol Maier, Phyllis Bernstein, Charlotte Keany, Susan Hoff, and Robin Minick (DCL co-LP) and DCL Board members, Paula DeGroat, Bishop Miller E. Johnson, Jr., and Executive Director Diana Baker. Carol Maier, a new DSVP Partner with extensive Board development experience provided the initial guidance for the planning session. Process and calendar details were negotiated along with goals and actions items identified. We look forward to learning more about this important work as the process unfolds.



Dallas Social Venture Partners

What would we be without strategic visioning and planning for a mission. At DSVP, our board and partners have reflected on ten years of impact and look into their crystal ball to envision the next evolution of our work. Multiple data-points (located on the Portal) have been collected in preparation of this auspicious work: Center for Nonprofit Management's Organizational Assessment, Richards Group Brand Audit, and a Partner Satisfaction survey are the three main informing documents leading to this outcomes based work. Partners are invited to participate in three work streams as our board gathers comments and ideas around the outcomes that we seek. for more information and to get involved call our committee chair, Brad Logan, or Meghan Hale at mhale@dsvp.org.

Dallas Social Venture Partners: 10 years of Social Impact

Original Music Brings More Harmony to bigBANG!

“Road To Accra” Underscores Day of Community Collaboration

As Shakespeare one wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on. Give me excess of it.” And for those of you attended bigBANG!, you experienced the excess of good music from musician Neeki Bey . An artist who fuses together jazz piano, choral music, African drumming, gospel influences and even a hint of country twang, Neeki has composed an original work for bigBANG! entitled “Road to Accra.”

Read More!

bigBANG!: An Explosive Success

Celebrating Its 10-Year Anniversary, Dallas Social Venture Partners Hosts Over 300 Attendees at The bigBANG! Social Innovation Conference

The proverbial switch was flipped at bigBANG! and the lights are officially “on” to witness the power of uniting innovative business leaders with the social sector! There’s no turning back now!

"bigBANG! provided an outstanding vehicle to harness the power of ideas and resources to address critical social needs. It was an outstanding 'first annual' event that is sure to be a treasure trove for change agents in our community for years to come.” - Pam Gerber, Executive Director, Entrepreneurs For North Texas

Read More!

Microsponsors Pave The Way for bigBANG!

Dallas Social Venture Partners would like to extend a special thank you to all of the bigBANG! Microsponors! Your generous sponsorship of the bigBANG! event allowed many North Texans the opportunity to participate in the bigBANG! as budding entrepreneurs, social innovators and students of “doing good.” Because of you, new leaders are emerging and positive change is happening.

See the full list here!

The Dallas Foundation Leads Sponsorship For bigBANG’s Vision

For more than 81 years, The Dallas Foundation has been serving as a resource, leader and catalyst for philanthropy in North Texas. So, it should come as no surprise that this organization was eager to support bigBANG! in its quest to explore social innovation in a groundbreaking new format.

“Dallas Social Venture Partners actually began at The Dallas Foundation, so for us it was a natural fit’,” says Mary M. Jalonick, president of The Dallas Foundation. “We love the concept of bringing together for-profits, nonprofits and individuals with fresh ideas for solving social problems. Whether it’s a brand new idea or a proven one, The Dallas Foundation believes in furthering community conversation around ways to work smart for the benefit of all.” Read More!

The Greatness of GOOD

This Just In: GOOD Magazine Signs On As A bigBANG! Media Partner

The energy of bigBANG! is spreading, and more and more businesses and people out to change the world are signing up to be part of the June 10th event. One of our latest and greatest media partners is GOOD. Since 2006, GOOD has been garnering praise for its unique editorial perspective and new voice in our culture. Read More!

Taking Legal Action

Winstead Joins In bigBANG! Sponsorship

Where once corporations and nonprofits operated alone, today they work in tandem to combine their expertise for the benefit of society. It is this collaborative approach to meeting the needs of a community and strengthening a society that makes social innovation, as a business model, so effective. With this ideology in mind, bigBANG! is pleased to announce that Winstead, one of the largest law firms in Texas, has joined as a sponsor of its VIP Reception.

“We are excited about being a part of a unique event that brings together supporters and innovators in the philanthropic sector. This is a great way for us to see how our firm can better support our community,” said Joy Harris, Winstead’s group marketing manager. Read More!

Summit Financial Group Sums Up Big Businesses’ Community Involvement

Benefits And Wealth Management Firm Supports Social Innovation

The financial sector is known for its bear and bull markets and bottom-lines. But some businesses in this industry are beginning to think beyond the box of hard-line results.

Take for example, Summit Financial Group, Inc., a privately heald National Employee Benefits and Wealth Management Planning firm that recently signed on as a proud sponsor of bigBANG!

Says Summit’s CEO Dale Young “[We] believe in the cause bigBANG! is supporting in reaching out to worthwhile charities that are striving to get better.” He added that he expected event attendees to walk away with, “A new-found respect and appreciation for emerging charities that are less conspicuous in the non-profit marketplace.” Read More!

Demeter Project Brews Up New Approach to Business Ethics

bigBANG! Sponsorship Helps Company Connect With Other Socially Conscious Leaders

Named after the goddess who taught mankind the basics of sowing and planting the fields, Demeter Project is a business experiment in applied ethics. The organization invests in, seeds, and creates new business ventures. By collaborating with these businesses, the Demeter Project works to demonstrate that it is possible to do well while also doing good; a concept that if widely accepted, can redefine the American workplace.

Says Co-Founder Cannon Flowers , “We chose to sponsor because we believe in the objectives of what Dallas Social Venture Partners, through the bigBANG! event, are attempting to accomplish — bringing more awareness and information on creating workplaces that bring about true social improvement in the lives of people in Dallas, Texas. We know that many people are interested in creating businesses that directly improve the lives of its employees and the communities where they reside. Only through powerful networking and knowledge sharing, such as bigBANG!, can the process of creating and operating these companies be eventually perfected. There is much to learn in best practice sharing to understand what works, and what doesn’t work.” Read More!

An Education In Social Innovation

UT Dallas sponsors bigBANG! to help leaders of tomorrow leverage their education to give back to society

In a recent interview, Diane McNulty, Ph.D. Associate Dean for External Affairs and Corporate Development for The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management, shared that “we’re a proud sponsor of bigBANG!. It’s a forum and experience that will not only facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices, but also continue to foster the movement of ‘doing good better.” And while UTD is a sponsor of the bigBANG!, event, an all day conference focusing on the value of social entrepreneurship, UTD has always been an active leader in the world of implementing social innovation on campus, in its curriculum, and throughout our community.

Read More!

The Big DANG

Featured video, ‘The Big DANG’, will premier at the bigBANG!
Highlights the importance of failure for social ventures

In a recent post on Just Means, Marcia Stepanek explores how “Failure is the new Cool”. She writes “As the collaboration trend gains momentum across the social advocacy landscape, the notion of failure as a critical ingredient of innovation — and cross-sector learning — appears to be gaining a new sense of urgency.”

With exactly this inspiration in mind, the bigBANG! will be hosting the “The Big DANG” in collaboration with The Unreasonable Institute will feature the world premier documentary “The big DANG!” as part of the June 10th festivities. The video will feature stories of ventures that didn’t go as expected, told from the pool of Unreasonable Institute entrepreneurs. These 25 Proven entrepreneurs working on ventures in 17 countries and hailing from six continents, competed and were selected to attend the Unreasonable Institute this summer. “The big DANG” is all about lessons learned from trying and doing. Rather than being defeated, these glass-half-full social innovators are using stories of failure as an opportunity and learning experience to come back with something bigger and better. Read More!

Big Things. Small Package.

How Micro-sponsorship Ignites Social Innovation
From Generation to Generation

June 10 is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate a day of social change than by becoming a part of the change yourself? A micro-sponsorship of bigBANG! is one way to do just that.

So, what’s a micro-sponsorship, you ask? It’s a innovative new conference model allowing businesses and individuals to nurture future generations of social entrepreneurs. In short, those who can afford to pay for a day’s worth of social change fund the opportunity for the next generation of game changers to attend, learn and pay it forward. Read More!

A Day In The Life Of bigBANG!

What’s In Store For Donors, Partners and Investees

There’s been a lot of buzz about bigBANG! lately. People are really excited to come together and explore the brave new world that merges business and social sectors while connecting with others energized about the subject. But one of the biggest questions we get is a “what can I expect?”

So, we thought we would give you run down of the day’s activities whether you are a donor, a partner or an investee.

The morning kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at Union Station in downtown Dallas in the Conductor’s Lounge. This is your chance to grab up a cup of coffee while mixing and mingling with thought leaders in the for-profit and non-profit sectors all interested in the future of social innovation. Read More!

Sprouting Social Innovation: Community Gardens Begin To Grow

Not long ago, we shared the exciting news about Youth Village’s expanded community garden program, which will be providing a bountiful buffet during bigBANG! on June 10. As promised, we checked back in on the seedlings of change only to find that they are well on their way to becoming full-fledged vegetables. Read More!

Glossary of Terms: Finding The Words For Social Change

Forget about the language, it’s a focus on the end result

Shakespeare once wrote, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…” Lucky for us, he wasn’t trying to define social innovation, social entrepreneurship or any of the other groundbreaking concepts used to describe operating models and leaders that make a difference.

And that’s really what the June 10 bigBANG! Event is all about – non-profits fueling their mission with business ideas and acumen, AND businesses that are doing good while doing well. Combining experts in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, DSVP has created a day of learning and sharing where we can come together as a community to explore these ideas and meet the innovators who are leading the way. Read More!

Socially Conscious Marketplace – Accepting Applications!

The bigBANG! will feature a Socially Conscious Marketplace of vendors who operate a social business or social enterprise of a nonprofit mission. Our hope is to fill it with 30+ vendors who will have products to sell and promote at the event.

There is a limited amount of space available so we will determine the vendors through an application process.

A panel will review all applications and make final decisions and announce the selected vendors on MAY 19, 2010. Read More!

Dallas Social Venture Partners Announces Three New ‘Investees’

DALLAS – After vetting a list of more than 40 proposals, Dallas Social Venture Partners (DSVP) has selected three North Texas organizations to be deemed its newest Investees and to receive funding and engagement. These organizations will join DSVP’s Social Investment Portfolio, which represents a diverse array of nonprofit agencies whose mission address at-risk youth and/or education.

Dallas Community Lighthouse, a non-profit agency that provides tutoring to at-risk youth, will receive a $50,000 investment along with “engagement” time from DSVP’s network of professionals, social entrepreneurs and foundations. The DSVP board also approved the establishment of a pilot program to work with KIPP Truth Academy, a college-preparatory public school that works proactively with students to achieve academic excellence, and PediPlace, a Lewisville-neighborhood pediatrician’s office for children who are uninsured or who receive Medicaid or CHIP benefits. As part of this program, both KIPP and PediPlace will receive investment and resources in the form of “engagement hours” from DSVP Partners in lieu of grant dollars.

“Welcoming new Investees is one of my favorite parts of being involved with DSVP,” said Richard Evans, the Investment Committee co-chair. “It’s more than just giving out money, it’s a new approach to philanthropy. Our partners helps local nonprofits work on sustainability with the leveraging time, money and resources.”

DSVP’s Investee process involves a committee of Partners reviewing and vetting proposals from area nonprofits through a competitive funding process. Then, the finalists work with DSVP partners to complete an Organizational Assessment administered by the Center for Nonprofit Management which helps develop a three year engagement strategy. The full partnership votes on the final “Investees” based on how the Partners think we can best help these organizations.

Meet the Innovators: Central Dallas Ministries

Central Dallas Ministries collaborates to achieve more success in every one of their 16 programs, including a groundbreaking collaboration with PepsiCo to expand their food distribution exponentially. They are also renowned for their ability to engage those they serve in volunteering at their organization. As the largest multi-service provider in the Dallas area, they see the people they serve not as “clients,” but as neighbors with immense social and human capital. Read More!

Meet the Innovators: Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of North Texas provides one-on-one mentoring to children. They have developed strong and innovative statewide partnerships with government as well as faith-based organizations through their proven model that relates to mentoring children of prisoners through the Amachi Texas initiative. They also recognize the importance of outcome measures, utilizing randomized controlled trials funded by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Their methods are so successful that they recently received national recovery funds to do consulting and help replicate their model across the country. Read More!

Meet the Innovators: Shared Housing Center, Inc.

Shared Housing Center, Inc. serves thousands of people a year through housing and follow-up support on a very limited budget. Their “Building Blocks for Success” initiative was created to evaluate their program and measure its success. Using strong partnerships for their mental health and childcare initiatives, including a mental health component on-site delivered by Parkland Hospital HOMES, they help their families focus on root causes for becoming homeless, enabling them to break destructive patterns. Read More!

Meet the Innovators: Vision Regeneration

Vision Regeneration, Inc. is changing the cultural environment of at-risk youth in order to eliminate violent and destructive behaviors, helping them turn instead to lives that are productive, rewarding and spiritually enriched. Read More!

The Seeds Of Change: Youth Village Grows More Than A Garden Thanks To DSVP

They say from small seedlings grow mighty oaks. But in the case of Youth Village’s expanded community garden program, this growth is more than just a metaphor. It’s a real life example of social innovation in action!

The young men at the county detention center facilitated through Youth Village Foundation are busy planting the seeds in their own community garden complete with lettuce, squash, beans, tomatoes and much more. As part of a culinary arts program, they are learning about food from seed to table. This year, DSVP partners have approached Youth Village to expand the program and help grow the food for the upcoming bigBANG! as part of the community garden buffet at the June 10 event. Read More!

What is the future of Texas Nonprofits?

State of Texas takes our nonprofit sector seriously. So much so that they passed the monumental bill for Texas’ social sector, House Bill 492. This bill is designed to strengthen and expand nonprofits, both faith based and community based.

Yesterday, a public hearing was convened in Dallas Texas at the Center for Nonprofit Management to gather input and feedback from the nonprofit community on the obstacles and opportunities for our State government agencies to better partner and support the sector. Hosted by the Texas Health and Human Commission and One Star Foundation, a room of thirty or so nonprofit leaders provided input on things like capacity building, funding, volunteer engagement and how to achieve the most social impact.

This was a fantastic opportunity to hear poignant input as it relates to on-the-ground obstacles as well as visionary remarks from those who live and breath this work.

House Bill 492 inspired this string of public hearings happening around the state. It was designed to strengthen and expand faith based and community based health and human and social service through the renewing our communities account. (ROCA). It sets up three mechanisms to both gather input, coordinate agencies and make recommendations to our legislature.

The Commission is accepting testimonials at public hearings around the State as well as written remarks through April 20,2010. Please take the opportunity to have your voice heard as nonprofit leaders, donors, social venture partners or volunteers. This is our opportunity to strengthen a sector that consistently gives back more than it takes.

Additional information and written comments can be sent to Joanne.Pierce@hhsc.state.tx.us

OneStar Foundation Supports bigBANG!

bigBANG! is thrilled to partner with OneStar Foundation who has been a collaborator and supporter of the June 10 event since we forged the Texas Social Innovation Initiative. Committed to growing social innovation, OneStar seeded North Texas with an infusion of dollars and capacity building through a competitive grant process that identified nonprofit innovators that have a proven track record, a sustainable business model, and vision for growth. Read More!

Save the Date: Good Morning Texas’ Rob McCollum to emcee bigBANG!

Social Innovation is an idea that is spreading globally. It’s a non-political catch-all term for thinking differently about how communities advance conversations and ideas that will address the challenges their communities face. Social Innovation recognizes that our toughest challenges cannot be solved with money or non-profits alone. Please save the date for June 10th, as the bigBANG! convenes a community of investors, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders and others who want to help catalyze positive impact. Host of Good Morning Texas, Rob McCollum will emcee the event. His personal interest in philanthropy and storytelling will permeate the conference as will his wit and charm. Read More!

Social Media for a Cause

This month Kim Young, the forest and the trees, presented at DSVP's First Friday Luncheon about the importance of Social Media. Check out her presentation below...

Social Media For A Cause

View more presentations from the forest & the trees.

Investment Committee Phase II

The Investment Committee Phase II is in full swing with DSVP Partner teams working on organizational assessments with the 3 Finalists:

Dallas Community Lighthouse provides on-site programs in low-income or tax-credit apartment communities. Programs include tutoring services for students in grades K-8th, as well as Family and Community services addressing the needs of the entire community.
www.communitylighthouse.org
Lead Partner: Gary Capshaw

PediPlace provides high quality health care for children of Denton County who have no access to such services due to economic, geographic and/or cultural barriers. PediPlace provides a broad scope of health services with a highly competent and bilingual staff of medical professionals, trained office staff, and many dedicated volunteers.
www.PediPlace.org
Lead Partner: Susie Morrissey

KIPP Truth Academy Dallas is part of a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in under served communities for success in college and in life. There are currently 82 KIPP schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia serving around 20,000 students.
www.KIPP.org
Lead Partner: Barbara Errickson

Once the organizational assessments are completed, DSVP Partners will work with the finalist organizations to develop Engagement Plans and to prepare final presentations that will be presented at the Final Investment Committee meeting, open to entire Partnership, on Tuesday, March 23 from 4-7pm (Location: Dallas Children's Theatre).

Muhammad Yunus is coming to North Texas!

A generous offer has been made to Dallas Social Venture Parnters and friends to attend the upcoming Austin College, Posey Leadership Award honoring the 2010 Recipient: Muhammad Yunus. Spend an evening with this remarkable humanitarian and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner who will speak on his vision of a poverty-free world. Dr. Yunus pioneered microcredit, which has helped over 100 million families across every continent.

We hope to see you there!
Thursday, February 25th, 7:30 p.m.

All individual tickets are purchased through the Eisemann Center , so please enter "friends" - all lower case to receive a special 10% discount across all pricing levels

Networking with the SVP Partnership

Guest Post by DSVP Partner, Barbara Errickson

Staying in touch with your world has never been easier with Tweets on Twitter, professional connections on LinkedIn, and family and friends on Facebook. I even reconnected after over 20 years of silence with my high school graduating class from the 1960’s in time to help plan A 50th reunion ! To think I would have missed out without Facebook !

When I joined DSVP about 9 months ago I diligently entered my profile details on our DSVP intranet portal expecting to continue adding to my collaborative network. So far, it’s ratherlonely there.

We have an excellent engagement manager who orchestrates our Investee project teams and yet it’s a challenge to know each other better. Wouldn’t it be great to look up team mate biosbefore, during and after projects, and, on occasion, even to find a Partner to join you for a social event ? Can you imagine LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook with only names and no profiles or messages ? We could Do Good Even Better with more complete cross partner collaboration !

And, as an incentive, for the next two weeks, if you complete or update your profile on the SVPI Partner Portal, you will be entered to win a Sony Digital Ebook Reader that holds 150 ebooks. Deadline is February 4th and we will draw at the February First Friday. So get connected to our partner network!

bigBANG & Texas Social Innovation Initiative

Over the last year, DSVP has had the pleasure of developing a partnership with One Star Foundation and Root Cause to help cultivate socially innovative nonprofits here in North Texas. After a competitive application process, seven socially innovative nonprofits were announced at the recent Governor's Nonprofit Leadership Conference.

Each of seven innovative nonprofit organizations, who competed among 60 nonprofits in Greater Dallas/Forth Worth, will receive more than $25,000 in assistance to support their growth and impact. In addition, they will also be given the opportunity to "pitch" their organization to the community on the Fast Pitch stage at the upcoming June 10th bigBANG event.

We are excited to announce the seven following nonprofits who have been identified as social innovators in North Texas. You wont want to miss hearing more about the innovative work they are doing and their future direction.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas
  
• Central Dallas Ministries
• Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Service Organizations
• H.I.S. BridgeBuilders
• Rainbow Days, Inc.
• Shared Housing Center, Inc.
• Vision Regeneration, Inc.
  

If you are interested in learning more specifically about the Texas Social Innovation Initiative, check out this video!

bigBANG! June 10, 2010 - Mark it!

If social innovation and North Texas are a passion of yours, then you won't want to miss this experience! Dallas Social Venture Partners and The Dallas Foundation present the bigBANG! An event that will "spark social innovation" and create a lasting effect in our community.

Participants will experience high energy activities alongside thoughtful programs that will expose some of the most exciting innovations in North Texas. We seek to convene the community of impact investors: donors, foundation leaders, corporate philanthropists, and social entrepreneurs. Join us for the bigBANG!

A sampling of activities include:

-Social Innovation Fast Pitch - a venture capital "pitch" format featuring nonprofits and for profits creating a social and environmental value (learn more by listening to a podcast, or reviewing a past post)

-Spark Lounge - experience the latest in web-based tools for "good"

-Socially Conscious Marketplace - a gathering of products and services that measure more than just profits

-Speed Networking - a way to learn "who's who of who-ville"

Our event will be held in the Grand Hall of Union Station. We plan to grow the food for the event (more on that in a future blog post!) We hope to attract funders and practitioners alike to explore what is working, what is not, and what are the really BIG ideas for improving our world and community.

Sponsorships are Available.
Contact scaldwell@dsvp.org