Testimonials

Why SDSVP? A Compelling Case for a New Kind of Giving 

Partners:

“Joyce and I always talked about helping others and making our community a better place.  It wasn’t until we became involved with Social Venture Partners that we turned those words into actions.  The like-minded people we found in SVP inspired us to give our time and talent plus significantly expand our financial contributions.  This partnership has made us engaged philanthropists while enriching our well-being.” 
Michael Kole

“I feel that joining SVP is better than getting an MBA.  I get to learn from and interact with amazing people, work directly with nonprofits, and really feel like I'm helping and doing good in the community instead of just working on artificial projects.  And it's cheaper - money well spent.”            
David Lynn

“We joined SDSVP because we feel deeply that the venture fund concept applied to philanthropy will enable or accelerate significant innovation in areas of need here in San Diego as it has in many other major U.S. cities.”        
Darcy & Bob Bingham

SDSVP is a “thinking persons” approach to philanthropy because it allows partners to contribute their time and diverse experience to assist funded grants. With this approach, we expect a higher success rate and “return” on the time and money invested, together with a more significant sense of accomplishment for those who participate. All this while having the chance to work together with a diverse group of wonderful people devoted to making San Diego a better place to live.”            
Ted & Michele Tarbet

"I'm excited by the prospect of philanthropy with an exit strategy.  It seems more powerful to help charitable organizations launch lasting projects rather than just doling out money."             
Bill Carpenter

"SDSVP is the place to invest your time, money and talents in a very targeted way.  The partners analyze carefully WHERE money can most effectively be deployed to make a sustainable difference.  There's no end to the number of good causes out there that one can support, and we support many.  But if you want to be sure your money will make a difference, SDSVP delivers."             
Hon. Alice D. Sullivan (Ret.)

“We joined SDSVP to find a better way to invest our charitable dollars. After getting involved, we not only satisfied our desire to invest our money in the San Diego community wisely, we also found a fun, dynamic group of individuals that have become friends. SDSVP definitely exceeds our expectations!”           
Karen Brailean

“Having recently moved to San Diego, my wife and I were looking for a meaningful way to develop community awareness. Social Venture Partners has provided us with a meaningful way to contribute our time, talents and resource in an entrepreneurial and social environment. Our participation in SVP has provided us an easy way to connect with San Diego while associating with like-minded and similarly experienced partners.”      
Richard Bockoff 

Investees

“For many years, the staff of Voices for Children had wanted to develop a product to sell which would assist in raising funds and would be a predictable stream of income for the organization.  Having the opportunity to work with the partners of San Diego Social Ventures has allowed us to explore this idea with recognized experts in the field.  They have helped us avert problems, provided business analysis and identified legal issues, which ultimately resulted in a successful "starfish" pilot project.  With the invaluable information we have learned from SVP, we believe that expanding this idea and developing a product line is a key strategy/method for us to raise additional funds so that Voices for Children can serve more of the abused children in San Diego.  We are immensely grateful for SVP's support."
Sharon Lawrence, Executive Director Voices for Children

“The partnership between Angels and SDSVP has been a great one since day one. The talent and support of many of their members has been an impetus, resulting in more funding, successful marketing, and a record-breaking number of babies being rescued.”
Cathy Richman, Founder & Executive Director, Angels

“SDSVP was instrumental in developing the tools for sustainable growth of the Canyons Campaign and an essential partner in making the vision of San Diego Canyonlands, the new nonprofit, a reality. San Diego’s environment will benefit for decades to come.”
Eric Bowlby, Program Director, Canyons Campaign

“As we complete our three-year investment from San Diego Social Venture Partners, it is remarkable what we have been able to achieve together. From our change in name from BayKeeper to Coastkeeper and enhanced branding and membership efforts to our move to new offices, Coastkeeper is a far more effective and sustainable organization than we were just three years ago.”
Bruce Reznik, Executive Director, Coastkeeper

“The impact of SDSVP on day-to-day operations at Community Resource Center is evident across the organization. From board development to improving infrastructure, SDSVP support has increased our productivity and enhanced our ability to provide services to our clients.”
Laurin Pause, Executive Director, CRC

“Supportive housing enables the homeless with disabling conditions to live independently and is the most effective strategy to end long-term homelessness. With the help of San Diego Social Venture Partners, CSH has been able to clearly identify critical success factors to ensure the creation of new housing for the homeless in our region and not let precious resources go unspent.”
Simonne Ruff, Director, CSH

“As we enter our third year of partnership with San Diego Social Venture Partners, I feel incredibly blessed by the myriad of support we have received from SDSVP members in terms of executive mentoring, infrastructure support, emergency assistance to our families, legal advocacy, board development, strategic planning, fund-raising, community awareness-raising, marketing assistance, event planning, and much more. On behalf of our little ones: Thank you!!”
Rachel Humphreys, Executive Director, La Cuna

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