Partner Pre-Announcement: SVPP TO LAUNCH PROGRAM FOR ENGAGING RETIREES IN NONPROFIT “ENCORE” CAREERS

SVPP emerges as Civic Ventures’ Encore Fellowships Network* flagship operator in greater Portland.

November 23, 2010.  Social Venture Partners Portland’s Board of Directors and Mark Holloway, Executive Director, are pleased to pre-announce to our Partners that SVPP is launching a Partner Fellowship program to drive deeper impact in our portfolio of nonprofit Investees and areas of community concern. The program will connect retiring or retired business professionals with nonprofit organizations for a paid fellowship to manage a high-impact, high-priority project in the organization. This announcement concludes a several-month competitive proposal process to serve as the Portland operator for the Encore Fellows program created by Civic Ventures, a San Francisco Bay-area think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. As the program operator, SVPP will have access to relationships, tools and collateral provided by the Encore Fellowship Network and act as incubator for the concept in the Portland area.

The Fellows program provides an incredible opportunity for SVPP to build on its dual mission of making meaningful impact through capacity building investments in local nonprofits, as well as promoting engaged philanthropy. By leveraging an existing successful model, SVPP will maximize its unique local impact while benefiting from a broader network of operators.

In addition, today we are announcing the selection of Paul Speer as SVPP’s first Fellows Program Director. This will be a one-year appointment focused on program start up, operation, evaluation and planning for future expansion, as appropriate. Initial efforts will be directed towards cultivating corporate sponsors, identifying and matching Fellows and working with SVPP’s current and former Investees and other nonprofits to serve as “work hosts” for the Fellows. Paul will report directly to Mark Holloway and operate the program with oversight by SVPP’s Community Impact Committee to ensure effective and efficient integration of the Fellows program into SVPP’s mission and operations. Paul is a lifelong resident of the Portland/Vancouver area, retired in 2007 as a VP from Hewlett Packard Company, and has a long history of community volunteerism and philanthropy. He will be sponsored as a Partner Fellow by Hewlett Packard.

SVPP Partners are encouraged to participate in the steering committee and other volunteer roles.

Learn more at our Partner Fellows webpage. Short videos about the impact of the program on the first Encore Fellows and hosts in the Silicon Valley community are available at: http://www.encore.org/fellowships Contact Paul Speer, Partner Fellows Program Director, to volunteer or receive more information at paul[at]svpportland.org or 503-222-0114.

Next Steps:

  • Nov/Dec: Initiate program launch (Civic Ventures training, community outreach, funder introductions, etc.), materials development, marketing outreach, steering committee development, etc.
  • Jan/Feb: Launch formal community engagement and convening; outreach to SVPP Investees and other non-profits; formalize timelines and process for applications, work start dates, etc.; outreach to corporate employees, recruitment of Partner volunteers
  • Feb-April: Review applications, conduct interviews and matching of Fellows and hosts
  • May: Onboard Fellows and hosts; introduce 2011 cohort to SVPP Partners at Annual Partners Meeting; launch projects
  • May-Jan 2012: Fellows scope, work and complete their projects (approx. 1000 hours)
  • Oct 2011: Review the program’s development, success and fit with the SVPP mission and stakeholder interests to determine next steps. As appropriate begin recruitment, application, interviews and matching of Fellows and hosts for 2012 Fellows cohort.

* Civic Ventures is a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. Through an inventive program portfolio, original research, strategic alliances and the power of people’ s life stories, Civic Ventures demonstrates the value of experience in solving serious social problems – from education to the environment, health care to homelessness.

The Encore Careers campaign aims to engage millions of people in encore careers – combining personal meaning, continued income and social impact – to produce a windfall of talent to solve society’ s greatest problems.

Their Encore Fellowships place highly skilled, experienced professionals at the end of their midlife careers into social-purpose organizations for paid, time-limited assignments. Encore Fellows take on roles that bring significant, sustained impact to their host organizations.


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