A Partner Finds Common Core with SVP India
Written by SVP Partner Larry Fox.
India. An overwhelmingly magnificent experience. A population 3.5 times that of the US living in an area one-third the size. Traffic flowing with a logic that escapes me, accompanied by an incessant cacophony of horns and the occasional appearance of insouciant cows commanding deference (or is it indifference?) from everyone. Everywhere women dressed in brilliant colors. Food stalls wafting splendid smells. Ubiquitous entrepreneurial energy oozing out of nooks and crannies along the sidewalks. And everywhere, daunting and sobering reminders of opportunities for altruistic minds to make an almost immediate impact.My stay in India was brief, packed, stimulating, wonderful, and grueling.
A last minute trip, this adventure began with an invitation to represent SVP on a panel at a conference dedicated to “disruptive and transformative change.” As exciting as that opportunity was, it was clear to me that the real joy of trip would be the opportunity to meet with Partners in our three Indian affiliates—Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore—and to get a feel for their aspirations and the great work they are doing. (By the way, Hyderabad and Delhi will start up this year—They are on a roll!)
First, the conference.
With 1500 participants, it was a fascinating display of India’s dedication to economic growth and the value they place on the disruptive potential of technology. Two SVP partners—Ravi Venkatesan (Board chair of SVP India ) and Ganesh Natarajan (Board Chair of SVP Pune)—were central to the conference. Ganesh saw this gathering as an opportunity to introduce entrepreneurs to the emerging trends of scale-able and effective philanthropy. In a sense, the theme of “disruption” was a perfect backdrop for the potential for business, government, technology, and nonprofits to conspire to do amazing things at scale. In India, amazing things at scale are what will be required. The stage is set for organizations like SVP.The conference flew by. Panel duty itself was brief but interesting. The networking opportunities, on the other hand, were extensive and yielded contacts and potential Partners, even one for Silicon Valley.With the conference behind me, the rest of my time, when not in airports and checking into hotels, was spent in the warmth and welcoming company of fellow SVP Partners. It was fun to get to know individual Partners and their interests, and exciting to discover how much we have in common.
I was very fortunate to get together with large groups of Partners. We had wide ranging conversations, for the most part strategic: What does SVP India’s goal of creating “one million livelihoods by 2020” really represent: aspiration or clear objective? And how is SVP approaching it in either case? How does the desire of some Partners to pursue a “go big” strategy reconcile with the desire of others to focus on less audacious, traditional partnering with individual investees? What does it mean for these affiliates in India, who have been around for a mere two and a half years or less, to be part of a global network? What value is there in a network and what would it take to realize that value? How are these affiliates preparing for their future, especially if they are in pursuit of longer-term goals?
The energy in these discussions was amazing. I shared my perspective from Portland’s 15-year history; they from a shorter vantage point. Still it was incredibly interesting to think that the world they have experienced in their first three years is so vastly different than what Portland knew in its first few years. It was a great opportunity to share, learn, leverage, and inspire one another.Of course, the emotional highlight of the trip was visiting examples of our SVP work.
SVP India’s overarching goal is to create 1 million livelihoods by 2020. They have over 11 Investees that work to create greater economic independence for individuals and families. They work with organizations that empower the rural poor through organization and technological advances, that lift up disadvantaged women with hope and skill training, that promote health and health navigation and employ women without prospects in the process, that bring livelihood to the visually impaired. So many problems, so much opportunity. So much determination.
I visited two Investees.
In Pune, we visited an amazing effort by a doctor to bring affordable, compostable feminine sanitary napkins to poor and often taboo laden areas. The problem of poor hygiene and infection is chronic and serious, and this group employs 25 vulnerable women to address it with a simple patented technology and a simple and affordable manufacturing process. The most difficult issue confronting this effort will be “marketing” the product against social resistance. The whole effort is housed in a very bare bones concrete building, demonstrating that where the desire to get things done is great, nothing stands in the way.SVP Pune is doing great work with this group helping them plan, understand costs, figure out how to sell etc. I could not help but be inspired.
The second organization we visited was a prospective Investee. It was a “skilling” school for mostly adolescent girls interested in retail. Prior to entering this training, the girls only had the most rudimentary English from public school. In this class, the instruction in English was astonishingly sophisticated and these highly motivated young students followed capably. SVP Bangalore Executive Director Aparna Sanjay gave them permission to speak in Hindi to us, but they insisted on English. They asked for my resume. It was a delightful time.
No matter what continent or city you find yourself in, spending time with SVP Partners in a conference room and at meal tables makes it clear that we all share common DNA: a bunch of like-minded philanthropists eager to impact social problems with a more effective and engaged brand of philanthropy. We may all differ in many other ways, but our common core is a firm fact. It makes me realize just how sound our foundation is as we challenge ourselves to reach out to one another across an increasingly vibrant and active network.I also believe that we should all pay close attention to the SVP affiliates in India. There is something special going on there that may soon be a beacon for what SVP can aspire to. Potential.