NEWS RELEASE
SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS BOULDER COUNTY
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This month, as Social Venture Partners Boulder County celebrates 20 years of philanthropic changemaking countywide, the organization renews its commitment to bring good business practices to good causes. To date, SVP Boulder County has provided more than $7M in pro bono consulting, mentoring, coaching and education; and more than $1.65M in supporting cash grants to 200+ Boulder County nonprofits.
In recent years, in addition to achieving 501(c)(3) status, SVP also identified and implemented a greater emphasis on organizational sustainability and culture, replacing and building upon its previous emphasis on growth; as well as an increasing momentum around diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, work.
“That means more intentionally prioritizing the diversity of all SVP stakeholders — from our partner network to the nonprofits we support,” said Joshua Silberstein, CEO of SVP Boulder County since April. “It also means adding new programs for our partners and nonprofits, and increasing volunteer opportunities around DEI work — which, in turn, fosters an ever-deepening sense of connection, community, innovation, and advancement within and among local nonprofits.”
As a result, SVP restructured its programs and staffing to serve nonprofits beyond its longer-term Catapult investments and Invested Leaders program.
“I’m truly excited about SVP’s potential in the next 20 years, as the organization refines its role toward achieving a more just and equitable community,” said Jennie Arbogash, former CEO and a current SVP Partner member. “I see this playing out in a number of ways: by deconstructing the power dynamic of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector; by eliminating biases in the systems, structures, and practices that underlie so many of our institutions; by shifting the paradigm from treating the problem to preventing the problem; and by bringing together local leaders and influencers across sectors to more holistically address our community concerns — and to more effectively establish our own thought leadership standing, countywide.”
Adds Arbogash, “Where we used to be more transactional, SVP has moved into a really dynamic and richly responsive stage, where we’re poised to nimbly support short-term, urgent needs as they arise — as well as anticipate future needs.”
Indeed, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Boulder County, the volunteer-powered network immediately sprung into action, eagerly heeding the call of our community. SVP Partners, board and staff came together to provide support to local nonprofits for pandemic-related issues — from insights into strategy and government funding to fundraising and development, personal and organizational well-being, board performance, leadership, and more.
“SVP’s COVID-19 Response Task Force not only expanded both partner engagement and the number of nonprofits we serve,” continues Silberstein. “The experience also helped us gain greater awareness of how we can continue to increase partner engagement across more Boulder County nonprofits. For example, our new Resource Teams aim to tackle short-term projects tailored to nonprofits’ specific needs.”
Agrees partner and former Board Chair Peter Spear, “We’ve greatly expanded our programs to connect with and support our community more broadly. As a result of our deepening culture of collaboration, SVP partners are increasingly and uniquely positioned to provide pro bono consulting, working with a wide variety of nonprofits to help weather the pandemic and solve other time-sensitive challenges.”
Adding her perspective, Vice Chair Amy Maranowicz said she’s seen “significant growth and evaluation in who we are.”
“We expanded our approach to how we’re serving our community,” she said. “At the same time, we’ve taken steps to expand our Partner network. And we’ve created different opportunities and pathways to become a Partner, which has created greater diversity in our network — in terms of backgrounds, lived experiences, skills, and knowledge –, and which has really evolved our organization.”
Concludes Silberstein, “SVP Boulder County is poised to respond and adapt to our times — including understanding and overcoming biases, and helping to address such complex issues as systemic racism, right here in our own backyard. It’s my job to listen, to learn together with our Partners and local nonprofits, and to further position SVP as our community’s go-to resource for nonprofits.”
For more information about SVP Boulder County and our vision for the next 20 years, contact Joshua Silberstein at [email protected] or 303-579-1805.
About Social Venture Partners Boulder County
Social Venture Partners Boulder County is a team of people working in community for our community. Since 2000, we have grown around our shared belief that strong nonprofits deliver better results and engaged, educated philanthropic changemakers have greater impact. We build the capacity and capability of Boulder County nonprofits through programs delivered by our partner members in the areas of training, leadership development and consulting services.
To date, we’ve provided more than $7M in pro bono consulting, mentoring, coaching and education; and more than $1.65M in supporting cash grants to 200+ Boulder County nonprofits. Learn more: socialventurepartners.org/boulder-county
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