By Olga Heifets
From 2013 through 2014, SVP Boulder County conducted a pilot program to “test drive” how SVP might engage the social enterprise model in our ongoing capacity building programming. For SVP’s purposes, “social enterprise” as defined as efforts wherein a nonprofit is conducting a revenue-generating activity directly related to its mission for community impact.
The 2013-2014 pilot included three phases:
- First, an educational workshop on social enterprise in nonprofits;
- Second, social enterprise development scrimmage for nonprofits; and
- Third: a one-year investment modeled after SVP’s core capacity building work.
This third stage involved investing in two nonprofits for one year. These investments included pro-bono consulting and coaching specific to the social enterprise efforts of the nonprofits. In one case, SVP also provided a supporting cash grant. SVP Partners elected to make pilot investments in nonprofits at different lifecycle stages so it could assess its capacity building strengths and potential for greatest impact.
Hot off the presses is an in-depth case study of this third phase of SVP’s SocEnt pilot. Read it here for additional details on the programming.
