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.
Friday, September 24, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
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
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!
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