Blog
Meet Barb Wood, Encore Fellows Engagement Lead
After twenty-five years in nonprofit leadership and management, plus extensive education in human development, Barb’s innate curiosity about people and their lives makes her a perfect fit for the “Matchmaker” position with the Encore Fellows Program. She came to this position having first applied to be a Fellow herself.
Pull Up a Chair...Early Childhood Updates
As capacity builders, SVP is known for being a leader behind the public leader. This is why we have been invited to seats at early childhood decision-making tables, where we play a role in driving a cohesive strategy and alignment in. Together, across sectors, we are building the capacity of our community to ensure that all children have access to high quality, culturally relevant early learning experiences. Please read on for a snapshot of important conversations in which SVP is participating at the State and local levels.
Embracing Equity: Carlo's Story
Carlo Delumpa is an SVP Partner, Board of Director, and he chairs our Equity Committee. He is a strong advocate of our work in advancing racial equity and capacity building, and has been an SVP Partner since 2012. Below is his "equity journey" story.
Proving and Improving Our Impact
We are effective at accelerating growth and building the capacity of nonprofits that we partner with. The results show that we are effective because of the following key elements:
Bolder and Brighter: New Faces With a New Vision for Portland
On Friday, June 15, our Partnership convened with Portland Public Schools Superintendent, Guadalupe Guerrero; and Oregon’s Early Learning Council Chair, Sue Miller, for an armchair discussion surrounding Portland’s progressive vision for education in Portland, and how that will take place in the years to come. John Branam, SVP Investor Partner and Board Member moderated. Here’s what we took away:
Partners of the Month: Holly and Zachary Levow
Holly and Zachary Levow are dedicated and generous Partners who inspire us with their vision and drive every day. Holly and Zach were members of the SVP network before their introduction to SVP Portland, serving as Partners at SV2, the Silicon Valley’s SVP affiliate. They joined SVP Portland in February of 2014.
Featured Fellow: Roger Campana
This month, we'd like to recognize Roger Campana as our Featured Fellow. Roger has been with Schoolyard Farms for 15 months, and we're incredibly proud of the work he's done. Read his reflection on his fellowship:
KTHV Graduates!
In 2015, we made an investment in the Kindergarten Teacher Home Visit (KTHV) program, providing seed funding, and growth funding, as well as the time and effort of our partnership, to the initiative. Now, they are graduating, and we would like to share what they have accomplished.
Renewing our Partnership with IRCO: $45,000 to Put the Pedal to the Metal
This year, we’re making a strategic investment in IRCO to help build their policy and advocacy infrastructure. Our capacity enhancement grant will help them take their communities’ voices to the next level, and assisting them in addressing the disparities their children face through legislative action.
Reinvesting in Community Education Workers
We are making a $25,000 reinvestment in CEW to help them transition into stabilization and expansion of the program, which we have collectively been piloting and testing up until now.
Featured Fellow: Doss Struse
Doss came to us from a brilliant and diverse career, starting with directing market research departments at several large consumer packaged goods companies (Oscar Mayer, Carnation, and General Mills) during the first half of his career, then transitioning to marketing and general management for several information and research companies. Since retiring in 2015, Doss sought a way to use his knowledge and experience to contribute to the vitality of the community.
Lead Partner Perspective: Jane Williams Grube, IRCO
"IRCO is a remarkable organization. Founded by refugees, it’s been serving the immigrant and refugee community for over 40 years. Its growth over that period has been amazing but one value remains constant: it remains community driven." —Jane Williams Grube
SVP Portland + SVPI: The Learning Lab
From October 20–21, SVP Portland engaged social venture partners from near and far to attend a two-day Learning Lab, co-hosted by SVP International (SVPI). The event was a deep-dive learning experience based on SVP Portland’s quest to achieve greater community impact.
Talking About Privilege: A Beginner's Guide
The children that we seek to serve often enter the public education system at a disadvantage—their starting lines set significantly behind their more privileged peers. This holiday season, we encourage you to not only understand and address your own privilege, but to bring the conversation home with you.
Encore Fellows Hosts 50+ Foundation
On On November 13, at the request of Encore.org, SVP hosted a delegation from the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation. They sought to exchange information about the 50+ generation’s participation in the voluntary sector and about intergenerational programs for encore careers.