SVP Toronto Newsletter - Summer 2010
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Dear Partners and Supporters, Recent SVP Toronto events were inspiring. The June 9th investee showcase demonstrated how our partnership is benefiting community-based charities. ‘New century model,’ ‘fundamentally different way to bring about community change,’ ‘good return,’ and real interest in achieving what we set out to achieve.’ were some of what was said to illuminate SVP Toronto. In his presentation on June 10, Rocco Rossi talked about using business skills for charitable gain, giving strategically and creatively to make a bigger difference, inviting others in, reflecting and acting on one’s own goals, and the importance of offering time as well as funds. These are all things that Social Venture Partners Toronto does. See the articles in this newsletter for more information. Read about:
Have a marvelous summer, everyone. Connie Clement Welcome new partners, & SVP comings and goings Cathy Preston: Welcome to Cathy Preston who joined us in May. Cathy is founder and principal of Preston Human Capital Group, one of Toronto’s leading executive search firms. We also give a huge thanks to Cathy who suggested hosting a breakfast philanthropy speaker and drew most of the audience to Rocco Rossi’s talk.
Cathy has a 20+ year track-record bringing together expertise in brand management, marketing and executive search. She’s worked with Colgate Palmolive, Richard Foster & Associates, Marketing & Promotion Group, and founded both Mosaic Direct and her current firm. Cathy is on the board at Covenant House and the steering committee for the Judy Project (a Rotman School of Business executive program for the Advancement of Women in Leadership). Cathy’s husband Ian is a Gestalt therapist, with a strong business and teaching background.
Joanna Robertson is stepping down from her co-lead partner role with Microskills. Denise Zarn will continue as solo lead partner (and would welcome a co-lead should you want a new volunteer role). Joanna’s work commitment and family are requiring more time, so Joanna and her husband Anthony Devir are leaving SVP; they’ll focus their community efforts and giving toward initiatives closer to home. Thanks for being a great lead partner.
Robin Bisha, our stellar visiting scholar-practitioner from Texas Lutheran University, offered us nearly a month. Her aim was to learn more about social venture partners, and at the same time to contribute advice based on her communications and donor relations expertise. Robin is a pleasure to have with us – and a font of tangible, practical advice.
Rohan Bhargava is a Waterloo economics student who is volunteering Tuesdays throughout the summer. Rohan will focus on helping us set up better document systems and bring data up-to-date. His help in just one day has been stupendous.
This is a perfect time for partners to start to volunteer with SVP or change what you’re doing with us. Skills for Change, our newest investee, is ready to start capacity-improvement projects. Education Committee and Recruitment Committee can use your help. Have an interest in communications – internal or marketing – just let Connie know.
Skills for Change | Short-term projects (3 – 6 months) will be designed to strengthen several aspects of Skills for Change business practices. We can probably start projects as soon as you volunteer. In brief, here are the opportunities where you can apply your skills.
Phone or email Ehren Cory (Ehren_Cory@mckinsey.com or 416-313-3951/w) or Lindsay Cross (lindscross@gmail.com or 647-381-2236).
Microskills | We’re working in three areas: information management and technology; marketing; funding raising/revenue generation analysis, planning and strategy. We could definitely use an extra volunteer re marketing; and potentially re fundraising/revenue generation improvement. At this stage, exploration regarding each area is underway with project design a bit ahead of us.
Phone or email Denise Zarn: denise@zarn.ca or 416-606-4525. Education Committee | The tentative line-up for fall events has just been drafted. Lots of opportunity to help invite speakers, find locations, host events, and remain on the committee to design the 2011 event program. We’ve recently lost a couple of members and need to round-out the group. They meet occasionally in person, and inter-act in between by email and phone.
Phone or email Robin Cory: robin.b.cory@gmail.com or 647-260-7842. Recruitment Committee | We’re putting a big push into recruitment, and very much need more partners to help with strategy, implementing outreach to targeted audiences and hosting events. This is an open-ended commitment for which you can say how long you’re available and in what ways.
Phone or email Sarah Lang: sar_amelia@yahoo.ca or 647-887-9787. Our investee showcase on June 9th was stimulating, reflective and encouraging. Doug Kerr moderated a panel of investee representatives and SVP lead partners. It was a rich conversation that illuminated both the successes we’ve achieved and changes that will help us in future.
Partners and investees gathered at McKinsey & Company for the annual investee showcase and discussion of the successes and challenges of our work together. “You are building models of collaboration for the new century,” opened moderator Doug Kerr, consultant who earned his reputation with contributions at United Way and Tides Canada. “SVP and its investees are building bridges across sectors and negotiating sectoral differences.”
Doug was joined in conversation by representatives of the investees and lead partners: Alexandra Djukic from the Phoenix Print Shop at Eva’s Initiatives and Debra Campbell, SVP lead partner; Kay Blair from Microskills Community Development Centre and Joanna Robertson, SVP lead partner; and Dave Lovelock from Skills for Change and Ehren Cory, SVP lead partner. (Note that Denise Zarn and Lindsay Cross, SVP co-lead partners at Microskills and Skills for Change, respectively, did not join the panel.)
SVP partners helped the Phoenix Print Shop understand what goes into a brand and to develop a distinctive brand for their operation. “I was knee deep in operations and therefore had allowed everyone to brand us as they wanted,” Alexandra said. “The SVP partner helped me to rethink breadth, depth, complexity and consistency of our brand, which is critical in a competitive market. Differentiating is essential.” After two years of collaboration with SVP to improve sales management and customer relations practices, the Print Shop is on target to reach $500,000 in sales this year, a 40 percent increase over the previous year.
Microskills, which relies significantly on clients to become volunteers and staff, was surprised to learn that their volunteers weren’t well versed with Microskills’ mission. They addressed that weakness, created more formal volunteer recruitment and training programs and are attracting higher skilled volunteers. Dave, who started at Skills for Change as a volunteer mentor, then joined the board, and finally became an employee, stressed the value of SVP offering “candid, open opinions that they can work with.” He explained that, “SVP asks questions staff members wouldn’t ask.” Skills for Change has completed their organizational capacity audit and about to embark on targeted projects. Both Dave and Ehren described how the collaboration between SVP and Skills for Change, our third investee, has benefited from learning a great deal with our first two investees.
“We had to learn to crawl and walk before we could run,” Debra said of the collaboration with the Phoenix Print Shop. Alexandra colourfully recalled feeling like she was trying to drink from a fire hose, as the Print Shop absorbed lots of information from the capacity assessment and tried to figure out how SVP volunteers could be best utilized.
Investees sometimes found the same aspect in their relationship with SVP could be simultaneously deeply rewarding and trying. Highest on that list is the capacity audit. “SVP helps investees look deeply at their strengths and weaknesses,” said Kay. Both she and Alexandra, described the audit as a painful process that allowed them to find and subsequently correct weaknesses in their organizations in consultation with SVP partners.
Lead partners noted that SVP learns a lot about investees during the selection process, and that mutual learning occurs throughout our relationship by tackling projects together. We acknowledged that to-date we haven’t established training for SVP volunteers and would like to address this soon.
All panelists agreed that building a relationship of trust is central to successful collaboration between SVPT and an investee organization. “Money almost got in the way of building trust,” Joanna said of SVP’s early relationship with Microskills. “The money suggested power, but SVP partners really wanted to focus on the time and skills we offer.”
“Listen and hear. Patience is essential,” Kay added. “The three-year period is important. In the first year, you test the waters and you have some turbulence. In the second year, the relationship crystallizes. Talking outside reports is key.”
Investees pointed out that negotiation of partners’ time demands is also key to a successful collaboration. Alexandra described how working with SVP is occasionally “feast or famine. You start a project, build momentum and then the SVP partner’s schedule intrudes.”
The scale of challenges and the achievements of the collaborations impressed partners in the audience, who asked questions about how SVPT could help improve relationships with funders in general, what kind of training is available for lead partners and how SVPT could make the process more fun. “The work itself is fun for me,” Joanna answered.
Our practice of inviting individual’s to share their philanthropic journey had an extra twist on June 10th when Rocco Rossi shared his social-spiritual journey and also his physical journeys. Rocco’s epiphany that he wanted to and could use his business training and skills for social gain occurred as he trekked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, an ancient pilgrimage route.
Rocco’s transformation from a dollar-driven businessman into a charitable sector leader aiming for public service did not happen overnight. After receiving a wake-up call when a good friend and colleague had a heart attack and died at the age of 44. Then, Rocco hiked the Camino – twice! “The Camino is a great lesson in what you need to make it in life and to get to your destination,” Rocco told the audience of about 125 people who gathered in the Toronto Reference Library at 7:30 a.m., June 10.
Walking long distances each day carrying a pack showed Rocco that having more things is not always an advantage. The people he met along the way demonstrated compassion and humility, traits that Rocco himself deepened on the Camino. At the endpoint of his first walk, he intended to give his walking stick to his father at home. Along the way to a beach town for a rest, a boy whose mental disability was apparent grabbed Rocco’s beloved walking stick. As Rocco struggled to keep hold of it, he suddenly wondered why he was fighting with the boy, who seemed to have few material possessions. He let go.
“Es un regalo para ti,” Rocco said to the boy. “It’s a gift for you,” he translated for the audience. The boy looked into Rocco's eyes and smiled. “It broke me,” Rocco continued. "I started crying like a baby, and collapsed.” Realizing that he could and should give up something relatively small for someone else’s joy was the gift of his first Camino walk and influenced Rocco’s decision to go into public service. On his second walk, he befriended staff and clients from an Australian rehabilitation program who were hiking the Camino. Learning about the funding and management challenges faced by their non-profit was a bolt out of the blue that opened Rocco’s eyes to how he could apply his business skills in the non-profit sector.
Rocco’s personal growth, both on and off the Camino, also changed his approach to charitable giving. Rocco praised Torontonians’ giving, telling the audience that the Toronto United Way leads North America in donations in both relative and real terms, and that the United Jewish Appeal campaign is one of the best in the world. At the same time, he urged the audience to give strategically and model alignment of deeds, actions and values. “Early in life I was a 'spray-and-pray' giver,” Rocco explained in response to an audience member’s insightful question. “I gave a little bit to lots of organizations. Now I want to make a difference.” Making that difference involves giving time as well as money, and using both strategically. “Giving to fewer charities allows me to make a bigger impact,” Rocco said. He argued that today giving time is as valuable – or more valuable – than giving money.
Rocco’s talk and answers to the audience encouraged very much the mix of strategic donations and volunteering of business expertise that is at the heart of SVP.
SVP International news
SVP International Conference & SVP Idol: Who wants to surf in San Diego in October? This is your chance to meet your partners in other SVPs, hear stellar speakers, contribute to strategy and enjoy southern California’s famed weather and beaches.
Several SVPs turn 10 this year, and they’re challenging all SVPs to send 10 partners. Can we do it? Plan a holiday with a stop in San Diego. Opening night is SVP L.A.’s Fast Pitch, a competition similar to Canada’s Social Venture Angels contest that we co-sponsored in the fall of 2009. And, you’ll get to debate, learn from, socialize with wonderful people you wouldn’t get a chance to visit otherwise. Register now. SVP Idol is an SVP story contest. Toronto has registered, so help us tell our stories superbly and win! The prize is free registration at a story narrative course with Andy Goodman, reknowned story trainer who trained facilitators from across North America to use Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. Kathryn and Dan can tell you what an effective trainer he is.
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Upcoming Events Tuesday, June 29 Thursday, August 26 Reading & Viewing Corner Non-profits in Ontario
The Partnership Project, an initiative of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration to strengthen conversation between our provincial government and Ontario’s non-profit sector, is holding consultations this summer. Partnership Project website. Bill 65, an act to revise the law regarding non-profit corporations. The proposed legislation, which recently received second reading, explicitly supports non-profit corporations in undertaking commercial activities to support their public benefit work. This is big news. Read the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) newsletter for more information. SVP Toronto around the web! Join our Facebook group, follow us on Twitter, and become a member of our LinkedIn group. |
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