WiserEarth Editors

Introduction:

SVPs seek to catalyze significant, long-term positive social change in their communities by:

- Educating individuals to be well informed, effective, and engaged philanthropists;
- Investing time, expertise, and money in innovative nonprofits to collaboratively strengthen their organizations.

Shared Principles and Practices:

- Engaged Venture Philanthropy. SVPs invest time, expertise and money in nonprofits. They seek collaborative relationships with nonprofits that last for at least three years.

- Entrepreneurial Spirit. SVPs use innovative approaches to achieve leveraged results in their nonprofit partnerships and communities. They delegate decisions, resources, and authority to those closest to the work.

- Philanthropic Education. SVP Partners educate themselves and become informed, effective, lifetime philanthropists. Ongoing individual philanthropy is catalyzed through hands-on experience and education.

- Community & Collaborative Action. SVPs believe in the power of collective, self-organized effort. They encourage and maintain highly participatory, Partner-driven organizations that use non-hierarchical, low-overhead communications and operating practices. SVPs support an open exchange of knowledge and lessons learned, and avoid partisan, religious or political activities.

- Mutual Respect. SVPs respect the expertise of community nonprofit organizations. They form close working relationships with organizations where the SVP mutually vests in the nonprofit's success.

- Accountability & Results. SVPs are mutually accountable to each other, their Investees and the community. They achieve and document measurable results, both in their own work and through their nonprofit partnerships.