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How is Investing in SVP Portland Strategic Giving?

How is Investing in SVP Portland Strategic Giving?

Giving has felt more and more urgent these days, with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on low-income families and communities of color, the building movement for racial justice, and the SCOTUS decisions around reproductive rights and environmental protections. With so much need, you have to make choices about how to prioritize your time and money. Having a strategic giving plan allows you to be intentional, values-driven and impactful. Investing in SVP Portland is one way for philanthropists who pursue equity and social justice to leverage their resources.

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Shifting Strategy for Washington County Preschool for All
Portland Portland

Shifting Strategy for Washington County Preschool for All

For Multnomah County Preschool for All, SVP Portland helped build relationships between key stakeholders, and collaborated with cross-sector allies to design the policy and drive the campaign. All young children in Washington County also deserve positive early learning experiences, which is why we joined the Washington County Preschool for All effort by providing a grant for the first phase of planning and serving on the task force. Our hope was to get the universal pre-K measure on the Washington County ballot this year, but we are disappointed to share with you that this will not be the case. We will pivot to a new strategy to collect signatures to qualify Preschool for All for the November 2024 ballot.

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Personal Equity Learning Journey, Part 3
Portland Portland

Personal Equity Learning Journey, Part 3

At SVP, we are committed to advancing racial equity because race and ethnicity play an outsized role in determining kindergarten readiness and because we know that equity is essential for building a strong, vibrant community. One way that you can advance racial equity is to educate yourself and others about issues impacting communities of color. When we begin with personal learning and reflection, we can realize our individual responsibility, and better understand how we can work collectively to make positive social change. SVP Partners and staff share what they have been reading, listening to, and watching as a part of their personal equity journeys. We hope this will inspire you!

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Helping Youth Soar
Portland Portland

Helping Youth Soar

ASK is an educational nonprofit organization in the Portland-metro area, founded 30 years ago by Bob Strickland, a Black veteran of the Air Force and leader in Portland’s African American community. It’s mission is to create equity through aerospace STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education, with a focus on youth of color, girls, and economically disadvantaged students aged 10 to 21. Since Helen worked on automated vehicles and autonomous aerial systems at Intel before she retired, and because she was familiar with ASK through her involvement as a TeenFlight parent, the organization was a natural fit for her Encore Fellowship. Dan Perich has been passionate about aviation for his whole life, even earning a private pilot’s license, so ASK’s focus on aerospace and education was enticing when he retired from Intel.

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Bridge Funding Pilot Program to Support Community Partners
Portland Portland

Bridge Funding Pilot Program to Support Community Partners

A few months ago, our Community Partner, the Center for African Immigrants & Refugees Organization (CAIRO), forecast a need for $150,000 in cash to ensure program continuity, bridging the period between program service delivery and reimbursement from the Oregon Department of Education for an award CAIRO had been granted but had not yet received. The Finance Team responded by fast-tracking a Bridge Funding framework that allows us to be true to our mission and responsive to our Community Partners. The Finance Team quickly and thoughtfully approved an advance to cover CAIRO’s immediate cash need.

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Building for the Future in East County
Portland Portland

Building for the Future in East County

Jim Mauceri joined the Latino Network team as an Encore Fellow and the Capital Campaign Coordinator in September of 2021. "To say it has been a rewarding experience would be an understatement. The coordinator role has me involved in all aspects of the campaign, including fundraising, donor research, meeting coordination, event management, special projects, and liaison duties with the project team and Latino Network leadership. I have a newfound, fundamental understanding of how the nonprofit, public, and private sectors can intersect and create lasting change. I also enjoyed the opportunity to play a role in the production of our capital campaign video. The campaign represents an incredible team of people united in their desire to make La Plaza Esperanza a reality. The work is fulfilling, and I am humbled to play a small role."

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Stay Connected to SVP Portland!
Portland Portland

Stay Connected to SVP Portland!

Partners ask how they can stay connected to SVP – to learn about the work we are doing with our Community Partners, and how fellow Partners are engaged. Subscribing to and reading the newsletter is just one way to hear our stories. Read this post to discover other ways to stay in the loop!

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Reflections on CEI’s Facilitator Intensive
Portland Portland

Reflections on CEI’s Facilitator Intensive

Through our partnership with the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI), SVP Partner Leah Fox had the opportunity to attend their Facilitator Intensive training. "We learned numerous ways to frame conversations, build relationships, and coach leaders that have far-reaching impact. I've already begun to implement them in my personal life and can easily see ways in which they apply to my role at SVP and in my career."

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Rose's Next Chapter
Portland Portland

Rose's Next Chapter

We are sad to announce that due to sudden and unexpected personal circumstances, Rose will be leaving SVP to focus on family responsibilities. Since joining SVP in April 2019, Rose has been an invaluable and inspiring member of our team and the SVP community. Her leadership and coordination of Partner time and resources has ensured successful engagement with 20 Community Partners, and her grant work has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars revenue for SVP, the Equity Collaborative, and Community Partners. As disappointed as we are to see her go, we fully support the transition she’s making to care for her family.

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Worthy Work at WAAAM
Portland Portland

Worthy Work at WAAAM

A few years ago, Fran Hanchek’s wife gave him a gift certificate for the Model T driving school offered at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum (WAAAM) in Hood River. It is not every day that you get the chance to go back in time and get hands-on experience operating an old car. So when Fran retired from Intel in 2020, he knew exactly where he wanted to do his Encore Fellowship. Fran highly recommends the Encore Fellowship program: “My experience has been fantastic! The Fellowship provided a great transition from full employment to retirement, giving structure to my day. I learned some great skills that had been on my list to explore.”

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Advocacy & Influence Dynamic Team Launch
Portland Portland

Advocacy & Influence Dynamic Team Launch

I’m beyond excited that we’re on the verge of launching our first official dynamic team! As we’ve shared previously, this will explore one aspect of our broader governance evolution strategy toward being a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization. Feedback from Community Partner interviews and surveys last year urged SVP to clarify and strengthen our policy, advocacy, and influence roles. Therefore, our initial dynamic team will focus on the reality that culturally-specific organizations aren’t sufficiently resourced to prioritize policy and advocacy work. The team will determine how SVP can help clarify root issues and identify potential solutions, and then champion these to influence the flow of resources.

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Sarah Cohen-Doherty, 1982-2020
Portland Portland

Sarah Cohen-Doherty, 1982-2020

As our Community Impact Manager from 2017 to 2020, Sarah found synergy between her knowledge of early childhood education, background in marketing, and experience in project management. She was a ray of sunshine and exemplified what it is to be a community change-maker. Her passion and commitment to SVP’s work shone brightly, and it reverberated throughout our Partnership. At SVP, Sarah was energized about addressing systemic issues in the field of early learning, with a lens on the impact of our work. We were devastated when Sarah passed away unexpectedly in July 2020. Sarah was truly loved and has been profoundly missed. Her indelible mark on SVP will never be forgotten.

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Please Welcome Our New Relationship Manager!
Portland Portland

Please Welcome Our New Relationship Manager!

The SVP team is excited to announce that Dylan Hall joined SVP Portland as our new Relationship Manager! “I am deeply passionate about serving the community of Portland in ways that significantly contribute to increasing the cultural and creative diversity of the city in profound ways,” says Dylan. “I dream of a Portland where traditionally-marginalized communities become the voices of leadership and change, and I believe with the right focus we can become the epicenter of a powerful, cultural paradigm shift. I couldn't be more excited and humbled to join this team and get to work doing exactly that!”

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A Singular Partnership with Center for Equity and Inclusion
Portland Portland

A Singular Partnership with Center for Equity and Inclusion

This year we extended and adapted our unique partnership with the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI). CEI is a specialized consulting agency focused on advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts within organizations, education systems, and communities. Since our partnership launched in 2019, SVP has been a resource and capacity building partner for CEI, and CEI provides us trainings and consultation that help advance our equity work.

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Child Care Facilities Initiative
Portland Portland

Child Care Facilities Initiative

In November 2020, we celebrated a major victory: Multnomah County voters approved the Preschool for All (PFA) ballot measure. When fully implemented, PFA will provide free preschool for all 3- and 4-year olds in the county, though there is still significant work to be done to make this a reality. A September 2021 report (produced by SVP) detailed numerous, interwoven, and entrenched challenges and barriers for child care providers in Multnomah County that want to expand or establish new child care facilities. To address these needs and ensure that all children in the county have access to preschool, SVP Partners and collaborators recently launched the Child Care Facilities Initiative (CCFI), with the goal of shifting the Portland-metro child care facilities market to more efficiently and effectively connect supply and demand with minimal subsidies and interventions.

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Wendy Weissman Honored with the 2022 KairosPDX Ambassador Service Award
Portland Portland

Wendy Weissman Honored with the 2022 KairosPDX Ambassador Service Award

KairosPDX honored former SVP Partner Wendy Weissman at their annual Spread the Love Gala event this year. Wendy is the recipient of the 2022 KairosPDX Ambassador Service Award for her work with KairosPDX as an SVP Lead Partner for several years, and her unwavering commitment to the children in our community. SVP was a seed investor and early champion for KairosPDX well before the school officially opened almost 10 years ago. Wendy recalled “believing in their mission as well as the founders’ exceptional skills, passion, and vision.” She was able to apply her capacity-building skills, strategic planning abilities, and organizational development experience as a coach and mentor for KairosPDX as they built their organization.

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Passionately Promoting Education in Nepal
Portland Portland

Passionately Promoting Education in Nepal

Seven years ago, tragedy struck Kathmandu in central Nepal. A major earthquake killed 9,000 people and damaged or destroyed a half million structures, including thousands of classrooms. In response, the Nepali Association of Oregon (NAO) partnered with Intel volunteers to start a Rebuilding Schools for Nepal initiative. Julie Chang was one of the Intel employees who had the opportunity to not only volunteer, but travel to Nepal to assess how best to support the individuals and organizations during the rebuilding process. Julie’s passion to promote education in South Asia continued through the years. When she retired from Intel after 15 years of working in IT and the final 5 years with Sales and Marketing (SMG), she naturally chose an Encore Fellowship with NAO.

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Introducing PCUN, The Newest Member of the Equity Collaborative
Portland Portland

Introducing PCUN, The Newest Member of the Equity Collaborative

PCUN is the sixth and newest member of the Equity Collaborative. Since 2019, SVP Portland has served as fiscal coordinator, seed investor and capacity building partner to help the Collaborative realize its vision. PCUN started as a union for farm workers in 1985, fighting to gain collective bargaining rights. Since then, PCUN has become the largest Latinx organization in Oregon, and advocates for Oregon farmworkers and working Latinx families. The organization works tirelessly to empower Latinx communities, giving them tools to influence policy in ways that will improve their lives for the better. According to PCUN Executive Director Reyna Lopez, “Our members made the decision that childcare should be a top priority for PCUN because of the impacts that the lack of culturally competent and responsive childcare has had on farmworkers and their families."

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Dynamic Team Q&A
Portland Portland

Dynamic Team Q&A

A Dynamic Team is a group of people that come together to work on a short-term project with clearly defined goals and deliverables. These Teams are limited in duration and are formed in response to a specific need with a clear end date. Once it has met its goals, it dissolves. Dynamic Teams are responsible for making recommendations and decisions, but they are not responsible for implementation or performing work on a continuing basis. We evolved our governance model to include a Board with minimum responsibilities required by law that could then distribute power and decision-making to the Dynamic Teams and standing Teams. Work that may have traditionally been done by the Board will be distributed to those closest to the work and with the most relevant knowledge and expertise.

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Finding Fulfillment Working with SAGE
Portland Portland

Finding Fulfillment Working with SAGE

Diane Dickoff retired from Intel after a 30-year engineering career in August 2020. Senior Advocates for Generation Equity (SAGE) was a good fit for her Encore Fellowship because it allowed her to use her skills and gave her the flexibility to work from home and continue to care for her grandson. Diane shares, “I brought my past experience to help them understand from an outsider and older-generation person what would be helpful in their surveys, documents, emails, and website.” SAGE is a unique organization that motivates volunteerism through grassroots conversations and leadership development, so that older adults engage in causes that are vital to the needs of children and youth.

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