Please note: In the calendar SVP events are yellow.  Investee events are teal.

To get the SVP calendar in your Google Calendar

- Click on this link

- The SVP calendar will display in your browser

- On the bottom right corner you will see the +GoogleCalendar icon

- Click on it

- You will be prompted to log into your Google account if you aren’t already

- Now SVP events will automatically show up in your calendar!

To get the SVP calendar in your 2007 Outlook Calendar:

- In Outlook, choose Tools – Account Settings and click the Internet Calendars tab.

- Paste this URL: http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/info%40svpmn.org/public/basic.ics .

- Click Add

- All done! Now you’ll see SVP events in your calendar!

To get the SVP calendar in your newer version of Outlook:

- Click Import

- On the left sidebar you will see Subscribe

- Click Subscribe

- Paste this URL: http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/info%40svpmn.org/public/basic.ics where it asks for the Calendar URL

- Title the calendar whatever you like (we recommend SVP events) and click  Subscribe

- Now SVP events will automatically show up in your calendar!

What’s in a brand?

In the Twin Cities, we’re gaining momentum tackling the most vexing social issues challenging our community.  Imagine the impact we could have if we leveraged the strength of the entire SVP Network?  What could our community, our world, achieve together?

What brought you to SVP?

Greg Tehven was a student in my class while he and his friends were developing STLF, and he stayed in touch after graduation.  One of the things he said to me was, “You have got to get involved with this organization, SVP.” He told me about what a difference it had made for him and STLF.  After hearing him speak so highly of it, I joined.

What do you love most about the SVP community?

The community itself is energizing.  When I talk to other partners and hear their amazing life experiences it energizes me.   It is interesting to meet with people who see this as a time in their lives to be giving back, and who are really coming out of a phase of a lot of accomplishment and creativity.  I get the same humble admiration when I talk to the people leading the organizations who we are working with.  These people have this vision and ambition. They are creating something and scaling it and it is very exciting.

What are your highlights thus far?

Best moment I had was meeting with Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and we went through the business model canvas.  I introduced this idea to them that they could play with, something called MVP, rather than having to do this massive launch.  And there was this look on their faces like, “You mean we can do that? We don’t have to risk our whole organization to do this new thing?”  And I was like, “No, you can just try it and if you like it you can decide to do more.”  It was a wonderful exchange where I really saw a light bulb go off for them.

What made that experience unique and how did it impact you?

It’s uniqueness was the thought that things I am doing here in my daily life that kind of seem normal to me, I could introduce to them and it would be something new and meaningful.  That was the really cool and surprising thing.  It makes me want to do more, and it gets me thinking, what else do I know that could be applicable and useful that they haven’t thought of yet?

Where would you like to see SVP in five years?

I would like to see us be the change that we are talking about.  In five years I hope to see what we do as normal rather than out there on the edge.  I really wants to see others doing engaged philanthropy.

In fall we kick off our grant cycle.  Partners can join the Due Diligence Team to vet and select a new organization for SVP to invest in.  The Due Diligence process is a highlight for many Partners who want get an in depth look into innovative Twin Cities nonprofits and make educated decisions about where to invest.  If you have ever thought you’d make a great SVP partner, now is the time to act.  Contact plangseth@svpmn.org to learn more.

At SVP we’re just getting started.  Be part of where we are going next!

Breakthrough and Lube Tech have teamed up through SVP’s Philanthropic Partners Program. The program provides training and tools for Lube Tech, enabling them to make a grant to a social venture of their choice. After a thorough due diligence process Lube Tech employees decided to grant $25,000 to Breakthrough as part of their initiative to support STEM education. But their relationship doesn’t end with a check. Lube Tech is also providing volunteers from among their employees and management team to assist Breakthrough with capacity building projects as the organization expands.

Breakthrough St. Paul: The model and the results

In a country where less than 30% of low income students enroll in a four-year college and less than half graduate, we can look to organizations like Breakthrough St. Paul to show us one promising solution to the complex issue.  Breakthrough utilizes a unique “student teaching a student” model where academically motivated, financially under-resourced middle and high school students are taught by talented college students aspiring to become professional educators.  These aspiring teachers are trained, coached and mentored daily by professional educators.  Thus, the Breakthrough model not only reaches high potential students and gets them on the path to college, but it also gives our future educators invaluable training and real-world experience.

Each year, Breakthrough opens 55 seats to rising 7^th grade students.  To be selected, the students and families must commit to the 6-year, year-round program, which carries high expectations.  Every student enrolled must take at least one honors course every year, earn a minimum B- in all courses, commit to an hour and a half of homework every night, and participate in at least one extra-curricular activity every year.   Illness is the only excusable absence students get when it comes to Breakthrough’s after school, Saturday and summer programs.

Parent s and guardians have their responsibilities too.  In addition to supporting the student’s commitment, they must attend required events like conferences and celebrations.  They also must complete family workshops and proactively communicate with the organization on student progress.

The results of this intense program speak for themselves.  In 2013, Breakthrough received nearly 230 applications for the open 55 spots.  Since inception eight years ago, Breakthrough has brought two groups through the six year program, and 100% of these students are now completing their freshman and sophomore year of college.  The class of 2013 is on track with the same results including a Dell Scholar, two Gates Millennium Scholars, a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar, a Wallin Scholar and a Questbridge Scholar.  Nearly a third of this year’s class has full-ride scholarships to high-caliber schools including Stanford, Williams College, and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business.

Their model is scalable.  Breakthrough hopes to open five additional facilities over the next ten years, and they are on track so far.  Lube Tech looks forward to continuing their support of the graduating students, their families, and the organization itself.

Sources : Lubrication Technologies Spring newsletter and www.breakthroughsaintpaul.org

Board Leadership Change On Wednesday April 3, Steve Bloom, SVPMN Founder and Board Chair announced his desire to immediately step down as Chair of the Board of Directors.  The Board accepted Steve’s resignation with great gratitude.  While we will miss Steve’s presence as Chair, we are grateful he has chosen to remain a member of the Board.

Ten years ago, Steve took the bold step of starting a non profit organization focused on impacting at risk youth in our community.  Steve brought a group of like-minded, entrepreneurial people together to create an organization which would help organizations be more self sustaining while changing kids lives.  In the past years under Steve’s direction, SVPMN has impacted over 37 non profit organizations by investing over $1.5 million plus an additional $1.6 million in executive consulting.  Steve’s dream has made an impact on thousands of kids in our community and will continue to do so for years to come.  Please join us in thanking Steve for his vision, commitment and impact on the kids of our community.

The Board unanimously voted to elect Jeff Tollefson as the new Chair of the Board.  Jeff’s background as a venture capitalist, SVP MN Partner, SVP International Board member, and current Executive Director of Genesys Works will be valuable as he leads the SVPMN Board.  Please join us in congratulating Jeff in his new role.

Change in leadership is always an adventure.  SVPMN is fortunate to have had the benefit of a visionary founder who has grown an outstanding organization filled with exemplary partners.  We are grateful for the vision and legacy provided by our founder, Steve Bloom.  And, we look forward to the next phase of our organization’s impact under the direction of a new outstanding leader, Jeff Tollefson.  SVP is fortunate to experience the leadership of two outstanding philanthropists committed to kids.  Change like this is exciting.

In late March, I had the privilege of attending the SVP conference.  Meeting SVP partners and staff from around the world is exciting.  Hearing stories about how SVP has impacted the people of our world is humbling.  Learning new strategies and concepts that will lead to growth in SVP MN’s ability to impact the youth of our community is inspiring.

We are fortunate to be part of a tribe that is seeking to change the world.   As Lance Fors, SVPI Board President said, “What happens if you take the potential of every individual, connect them directly to the people working on the issues they are passionate about, and challenge them to make a difference?   At SVP, we’ve seen what happens and the results are transformational.”

SVP is a global network of local partners aligning passion and purpose.  Bringing together people who are filled with passion, gifted with skills and experience, and committed to making a difference is a very cool thing.

If you are interested in making a difference by joining other passionate people, contact me.  SVPMN is looking for people who want to join our tribe and work with us to make an impact on our community.  I would love to share the story of SVP and introduce you to the opportunity that is SVP.  Call or email me at:  612-207-4674 or plangseth@svpmn.org.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Since 1997, 29 members of the SVP Network have emerged in the US, Canada, Japan and most recently, India. Four cities joined in 2012 with more in the pipeline.  Each group was inspired by SVP’s unique model and began organically, developing its own logo and community presence.  While this approach worked successfully for many years, it became clear that to fully harness the collective power of the 2,500 Partner network, we needed to coalesce under a common brand.

Our new brand (set to rollout May 1^st here in Minnesota) represents two years of collaborative brand development across the network.  Working closely with Quicksilver Foundry and more than 365 participants at various stages, we identified a core brand promise, personality, values and messaging that will guide and align our efforts going forward.  This brand framework also inspired our new visuals, designed by Wall-to-Wall Studios.  Both firms made substantial in-kind contributions towards this work.

No longer will we be lead with our geographic location: instead we will present ourselves as Social Venture Partners.   Our new logo, which we call “The Pointer,” communicates our brand strength and is meant to represent: trusted marker or guide; sense of journey; localize and connect; and the point of impact.  You can expect a common website to be launched in the upcoming months, with each city represented by its own micro-site within the larger, common SVP website Stay tuned!

This brand initiative has been facilitated by the SVP Network Office (formerly known as Social Venture Partners International) with participation from an advisory Brand Task Force (Partners from across the network with strong marketing and communications experience) and the Brand Liaison Team (representatives from members organizations in the SVP network.)

We are thrilled to embark on this new phase of SVP’s evolution that will propel SVP’s impact to the next level!

See our logo in motion:

So Much More Than a Preschool

Many of us approach investing in a similar way: we want to invest where we get the highest return on our investment.  If you invest in stocks your average ROI will be 6.5%.  Bonds will get you 3%.  But invest in early education, and the ROI is 16%!  Joyce Preschool is providing an innovative approach to early education and they are getting positive results with a growing program and 100% of their students graduating kindergarten ready, compared to an average kindergarten readiness rate of 70% in Minneapolis (Minneapolis Public Schools 2011).

Part of Joyce Preschool’s success lies in their holistic approach to child education by providing a number of services to their student’s families.  As a Spanish-English immersion/bicultural school, half of their students come from native Spanish speaking families, many of whom are new to the country.  Joyce Preschool provides family literacy programs, workshops, home visits and family involvement opportunities to ensure their students graduate with at home support to keep them on a path to successful and productive lives.  Their unique curriculum has gotten the attention of numerous other early child educators, who have asked Joyce to share their curriculum materials.

Joyce Preschool is currently growing their programs, with a satellite classroom already up and running (they are the first private preschool to operate within a Minneapolis Public School).  Last summer they expanded to include summer camps for children ages 3-8 who want to learn Spanish and explore Latin culture.  And now they are moving their school to a larger location in Fall of this year!  With the move will increase their student capacity and give them space to build a natural playground.  With their growth comes an increased capital need, which Joyce continues to fundraise.  You can support them and learn more about their programs by attending their “Invest in Our Future Breakfast” coming up April 17.

Since joining Marty became the Lead Partner for SVP investee Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF).  He began mentoring the organization’s founders right after they graduated college and applied to SVP for their first grant.  Together, Marty and STLF built a solid foundation by putting together their first strategic plan and their first budget.  For Marty, “It was great working with young, talented people and watching the organization grow.”  STLF is not the only organization Marty is proud to have invested in.  At the SVP 10 Year Celebration we looked back at the organizations we’ve invested in and the success they have achieved since.  For Marty, seeing that we put organizations in a place to make big changes in the lives of youth is incredibly exciting.  Knowing that the investment he and his wife, Kathy, have made are directly impacting lives has given them both a feeling of huge satisfaction.

When Marty isn’t working or volunteering with SVP he is an overzealous dad supporting his 17 year old daughter’s fast pitch softball team.