Waterloo - Tim Jackson and Jacqui Murphy, partners in Tech Capital Partners, are taking their approach to venture capital investments and putting it to work for the region’s non-profit sector. At today’s launch of the 2010 Vital Signs report, they announced the formation of Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region (SVP Waterloo Region), a new network of community-minded individuals who combine financial contributions and professional skills with a passion for philanthropy.

Shifting away from traditional “cash only” donations, SVP’s model of engaged philanthropy follows a venture capital model: partners pool their donations, provide funds to a small number of promising, carefully selected non-profits, then actively nurture their "investments" by providing hands-on guidance and working collaboratively with the non-profit to strengthen the organization.

“For more than 150 years, our region has had a tradition of neighbours helping neighbours,” explains Tim Jackson, SVP Waterloo Region co-founder. “As our community evolves, the hands-on philanthropic approach of SVP seems like an obvious extension of our culture of ‘barnraising.’ Our goal is to bring together members of our community who realize that collectively we can do much more than we can as individuals.”

In addition to pooling resources and expertise, SVP Waterloo Region’s other mission is to educate new philanthropists to be informed, effective, and engaged.

“There’s a groundswell of people in our region who care deeply about our community, want to get involved, and want to see the direct impact of their giving,” said Jacqui Murphy, co-founder of SVP Waterloo Region. “SVP will provide a way for partners to really see the difference we’re making. We will learn about our community’s issues and needs, we will have a say in where our money goes, and we will learn about giving strategically for bigger impact.”

SVP Waterloo Region will operate with the support of The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. A member of Social Venture Partners International, SVP Waterloo Region joins the world’s largest organization for individual philanthropists.

“We are delighted to welcome Waterloo into the Social Venture Partners network,” says Ruth Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Social Venture Partners International. “Waterloo is our 26th member and our fourth Canadian member, joining organizations in Calgary, British Columbia, and Toronto. Today, the SVP network is made up of 2,000 philanthropists who are transforming communities throughout North America and Japan.”

To date, SVP organizations have contributed more than $26.5 million in grant investments and countless volunteer hours to more than 300 non-profit organizations.

SVP Waterloo Region invites individuals who want to pool financial contributions and skills to help non-profits thrive to join its growing partner team. Interested individuals can contact Jennifer King, Executive Director of SVP Waterloo Region.

Jennifer joins the organization on a part-time basis, also continuing her ongoing work with Capacity Waterloo Region, which has included managing the pre-start-up of the organization and leading a one-year Social Ventures initiative. Prior to Capacity Waterloo Region, she spent more than a year in Sri Lanka building the organizational capacity of a social enterprise that provides training and market linkages for rural food producers, most of them women. Her background is in community and economic development and marketing and communications, having worked with many non-profit and for-profit organizations over the past 15 years, including Canada’s Technology Triangle, Communitech, and the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre.

This fall, partners will select an investment focus area for SVP Waterloo Region’s first call for proposals, due to be announced in early winter. In the spring of 2011, one Waterloo Region non-profit organization will begin a three to five year relationship with SVP Waterloo Region, benefiting from annual grants and professional volunteer expertise. At least one new organization will be supported each year.

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