Social Venture Partners of Boulder County, or SVP, celebrated area nonprofits of all sizes and missions on Wednesday at the Dairy Center for the Performing Arts in Boulder.
SVP “provides the resources to help nonprofits make change, move forward and envision where they are going” by making them stronger and more effective, according to the organization’s website.
Representatives from multiple Boulder County organizations networked, shared ideas and explored strategies for future development. The evening also honored two nonprofits that graduated from SVP’s Catapult Program.
“The Catapult Program is a three-year investment by our partners of both time and money in organizations which can benefit from our services. We give them consulting services and grant funds, as well as connecting them to a wider network of resources which can benefit them as they grow,” said CEO of SVP, Joshua Silberstein.
The two organizations departing from the Catapult Program included Longmont Community Justice Partnership and Impact on Education.
“I was really struggling with strategic planning for our organization when we began, but I now have the confidence and the knowledge base to do that very effectively,” said Allison Billings, executive director of Impact on Education.
According to Billings, the mission and goals of Impact on Education underwent a dramatic shift in 2020 with the onslaught of pediatric mental health concerns during the pandemic.
“Mental health wasn’t even part of our focus until 2020, and SVP really helped us figure out how to make that transition and serve a whole new set of needs,” she said.
SVP supplies Catapult recipients with more than just meaningful connections and valuable insights. Longmont Community Justice Partnership received $48,000 in grant funding, and Impact on Education was supplied with $41,000 in grant monies, according to Silberstein.
SVP partner members and organizations were given the opportunity to welcome the next group of nonprofits into the Catapult Program. Over the course of the next 1-5 years, SVP will provide countless volunteer consulting hours and cash grants to Wild Bear Nature Center, El Comité de Longmont, Rise Against Suicide and Women’s Wilderness.
“I think the incoming nonprofits really show the diversity and interconnectedness of our community,” Silberstein said. “I’m excited for everyone here tonight to have the opportunity to hear about these amazing organizations.”
“SVP has been helpful in transitioning the retiring executive director of El Comité and helping with the strategic planning process in her absence. They have helped design a search committee and craft a job description. Really, it’s been great to just have someone to pick up the phone and call when we need support,” said Board Vice President of El Comité de Longmont, Edwina Salazar.
Silberstein said the kind of resources and support SVP offers nonprofits is part of a bigger vision.
“We want to bring community members, area chambers of commerce, government officials and nonprofit experts together because we are all better when we collaborate. Strong nonprofits make a strong community,” he said.
