When SVP Partner Yona Capobianco heard about the chance to work with Free to Thrive, she jumped at the opportunity. She was already familiar with the early success of this high-impact nonprofit that was using the new legal avenue of “vacatur” to erase the criminal records of human trafficking survivors linked to their victimization. Free to Thrive sought to align with SVP to increase their impact through two major initiatives – evaluating expansion alternatives to make these services available throughout the country, and exploring earned revenue opportunities.
Yona looked forward to bringing her business background in systems improvement to SVP’s partnership with Free to Thrive. She was joined by team members Dave Meader – a business professor and seasoned nonprofit consultant – and Pat Kaufman, who has deep experience working with high-growth companies in the leadership development and training.
“The SVP Spark team had a wealth of knowledge that helped us build our Strategic Plan,” said Founder and Executive Director Jamie Beck. “They used their background and experience to ask thoughtful questions and contribute to the strategic planning process in a meaningful way.”
The SVP team worked alongside Jamie and two highly experienced board members over a seven-month period. In every-other-week sessions, the group analyzed expansion opportunities with the goal of facilitating similar organizations nationwide. They identified Los Angeles as the test case for expansion. The team then turned to evaluating earned income alternatives, and fee-for-service training emerged as the priority focus. The Spark Team engagement culminated with preparations for a strategic planning retreat for the full board.
The SVP team members were grateful for the opportunity to use their expertise at a pivotal moment in the Free to Thrive’s growth to support the organization’s critical work to transform the lives of human trafficking survivors.
SVP Partners, do you have a friend or colleague with high level professional experience that could give their expertise as the Free to Thrive Spark Team has? Send them our way and point them to this post!
