SVP is a collaborative effort. Partners volunteer to serve on one (or more) of our working groups. What we call "working groups" are fun opportunities to share expertise and learn more about various aspects of philanthropy and nonprofits. Dedicated to the effective operation of SVP Cincinnati, the working groups are: Partner Education, Partner Engagement, Marketing, Finance & Governance, Investment Committee, and Re-Investment Committee. The Council is the governing body and is comprised of the chairs of each working group plus at-large partners.

 

Investment Committee

 

SVP investment (or grant) committees are a popular way to dig deeper in our funding areas and evaluate investments in promising nonprofit organizations. Investment Committee membership is open to any SVP Cincinnati partners. The Investment Committee focuses on SVP’s funding area. The committee is made up of partners who spend several months learning about the issue area, developing criteria, evaluating applications, reviewing proposals and attending site visits.

 

The Commitment for Investment Committee members

• First 2 - 3 months: In collaboration with the full partnership, the Investment Committee explores the issues facing our community, and guides the selection of the focus area of SVP Cincinnati's upcoming funding cycle.
• Next 2–3 months: In small team meetings, partners develop evaluation criteria and review initial applications (Letters of Intent).
• Final 2 months: During this phase, partners evaluate proposals and attend site visits. Site visits are time intensive but are essential to choosing a great investment for SVP. They are consistently the most valued aspect of the process by committee members.
• Final Selection: After the finalists make a presentation about their organization at an SVP All Partner meeting, the Investment Committee makes the final determination on the year's new investee(s).

 

How to Join the Investment Committee

 

If you would like to help decide where SVP invests its grant money, become a partner today and let us know if you want to join the next Investment Committee! Committee membership is open to any SVP partner. No prior volunteer or grantmaking experience is required.

 

Re-Investment Committee

 

When SVP invests in a nonprofit organization, our intention is to form a multi-year partnership, with additional funding each subsequent year, pending mutually-agreed upon progress of the investee. The Re-investment Committee helps assess and make the annual funding decisions for SVP’s continued investment in the nonprofit. The Re-investment Committee composed of 4 - 6 partners who conduct mid-year and annual reviews with each Investee. The Re-investment Committee ensures that the SVP portfolio is comprised of organizations that produce meaningful programmatic outcomes and benefit from SVP’s capacity-building support.

 

Volunteer Consulting (Investment Team)

 

In addition to their annual gifts, many of our partners volunteer for the nonprofits that SVP supports. Partners’ skills and expertise are of great value to the nonprofit community. SVP matches partners with the needs of our nonprofit Investees for a mutually beneficial and rewarding experience. Whether it is mentoring project management, writing a marketing plan, offering legal advice or supporting efforts unique to an Investee's situation, SVP partners help nonprofits build their organizational capacity to fulfill their mission.

 

Many of our partners are already involved in the community. And many are busy with other work and family responsibilities. SVP offers the flexibility for partners to volunteer when they have available time and with the level of effort that best suits their needs.

 

Partners volunteer on one-time discrete projects that last a few weeks or on larger-scale projects that range from six to twelve months or longer. For instance, a partner may volunteer a few hours to help brainstorm a marketing campaign, or more hours over several months to contribute to a strategic plan.

 

Lead Partners: Partners looking for a more intense volunteer experience can become a Lead Partner, the primary liaison between SVP staff, volunteers and the Investee. Lead Partners spend 4–10 hours per month working with the Executive Director and board members of an Investee and project managing the variety of volunteer opportunities that take place. Lead Partners are responsible for communicating with the SVP partnership about the status of the project. They also work with the Investee to develop an annual action plan for benchmarking progress.

 

When you join SVP (link to Become a Partner), you will complete a volunteer profile. This profile will help us match your interests, skills, available time and professional background to the opportunity that best fits your skills.