| Dear Friends, It's an exciting time at SVN... Hundreds of members and guests have connected at our local gatherings in San Francisco, Boston and Chicago, and many more are planning to attend our upcoming events in Portland, Boulder and Vancouver. The SVN board and staff just completed our 2010 - 2012 strategic plan, which I'll be sharing with you in a few weeks. And SVN staff continue to reach out to members to help connect them with the people, resources and ideas they need to expand their impact. We recently launched SVN's 2010 Innovation Awards, which will honor the next generation of social entrepreneurs who are changing the way the world does business. To find out more about the awards and how to apply, please visit: www.svn.org/awards Registration is now open for SVN's Spring Member Gathering, to be held April 29 - May 2 at Skamania Lodge, just outside Portland, Oregon. This conference promises to be an especially inspiring and provocative gathering, so I hope you'll be able to join us. To register for the conference, please visit: www.svn.org/spring2010 I also hope to see many of you at the Philadelphia Social Venture Institute on February 26th and 27th. See below for details. Thank you for collaborating with us, and your fellow SVN members, to create a more just and sustainable economy. In service,
Deborah Nelson
Executive Director
| | Network Updates |  |  2010 SVN Spring Member Gathering
April 29 - May 2
Stevenson, Washington (just north of Portland, Oregon) SVN's 2010 Spring Member Gathering will bring together a vibrant community of social venture entrepreneurs to explore new ways to create a just economy, strengthen our collective impact, and share resources and experiences in leading sustainable enterprises. We invite you to share your ideas and gain insights and support from fellow entrepreneurs. Register now and receive the early bird registration rates. Click here to learn more and check out our growing list of speakers. The Spring Member Gathering is for SVN members and prospective members. If you're not a member but would like to attend contact Lars Olson.  2010 SVN Innovation Awards
Application deadline: April 15 Know an up-and-coming social entrepreneur with a new and innovative idea? SVN is looking to recognize the next generation of socially responsible business and nonprofit entrepreneurs and connect them with the resources and connections of the SVN community. We are now accepting applications for our fourth annual SVN Innovation Awards. Click here for details.  Local Gatherings from Coast to Coast SVNers have already gathered this year in San Francisco, Boston and Chicago and we've got more local gatherings coming up. They're the perfect way to find support, build strategic relationships, and expand your impact. Special thanks to our 2010 Local Gatherings sponsor, RSF Social Finance. Thanks also to our hosts Marc Lesser, Nancy Rosenzweig, Carol Atwood, Matt Patsky and David Baum for making the first three gatherings such successes. Save the dates for the following gatherings and we'll be letting you know soon about more local gatherings in Minneapolis and Seattle.  February 16th - Portland, Oregon March 4th - Boulder, Colorado March 11th - Vancouver, British Columbia Refer a Friend to SVN and Save on Reg Fees and Dues! Do you know anyone who would make a great SVN member? Now's the time to reach out to them and invite them to the Spring Member Gathering. For each first time attendee you refer to SVN who attends the conference, SVN will discount your registration $150 and for each member prospect you refer who activates membership in 2010, you'll receive $200 off your 2011 membership dues. Please review SVN's membership guidelines to make sure your invitees are candidates for SVN membership at: www.svn.org/guidelines. For more information, please contact Nathan Joblin.  2010 SVI Philadelphia
February 26 - 27 The Philadelphia Social Venture Institute is a great opportunity to learn from and connect with entrepreneurs who focus on three bottom lines: social prosperity, environmental stewardship, and profitability. Hear "True Confessions" keynote speakers Ron Gonen of RecycleBank, Brenda Palms Barber of Sweet Beginnings and Melissa Bradley-Burns of Green for All. Hosted by the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, SVIs are a program of SVN. Click here to register.  Conference Coverage: Margot Fraser and Lisa Lorimer on Dealing with the Tough Stuff
At the 2009 SVN Fall Conference members Margot Fraser, founder of Birkenstock USA, and Lisa Lorimer, former President and owner of Vermont Bread Company, talked about Dealing with the Tough Stuff: Practical Wisdom for Running a Values-Driven Business, the latest in the SVN book series, which they co-wrote. Watch the video of their chat here, produced by Conscious Planet Media. Click here to read more about this plenary session and click here to order your copy of Dealing with the Tough Stuff. | | Network Collaborations | |  Solar Richmond Teams Up with 1 Block Off the Grid for Green-Collar Jobs Bay Area nonprofit Solar Richmond, founded and run by SVN member Michele McGeoy, has partnered with solar buying collective One Block Off The Grid (1BOG) and installation company groSolar to put green-collar workers on roofs installing solar. Graduates of Solar Richmond's job training program will gain experience assisting groSolar's expert crew with 1BOG solar installations. 1BOG is a subsidiary of Virgance, founded by 2009 Fall Conference speaker Steve Newcomb. During the Q&A session of Steve's plenary session Michele asked about a potential partnership. Two months later their pilot program was announced. For more details, read the release here. | | Members in Action | |  Calvert's Giving Fund Makes Money Work Harder for Good
Traditional philanthropists invest money for financial return and then give the proceeds away. Today's generation wants its charitable dollars to work even harder. The Giving Fund, a project of Giving Assets, Inc. and SVN member organization Calvert Foundation, is a 100 percent socially responsible donor advised fund - guaranteeing that all of your donated money is making a difference from day one. A donor advised fund is a tax deductible, philanthropic vehicle that allows donated money to grow tax free until it is ultimately granted out to charities. It makes giving easy, simple and convenient. The Giving Fund offers high-impact social, environmental and community financial investments that further your philanthropic goals. Your philanthropic assets are invested in a customized portfolio of community and socially responsible investments that advances your philanthropic goals - even before you make your first grant. Click here for more information.  Cordes Foundation and Opportunity Collaboration Request Fellowship Candidates.
Cordes Foundation Fellowships provide opportunities for social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to participate as Delegates in the Opportunity Collaboration, organized by SVN member Jonathan Lewis of Microcredit Enterprises. The hope and intent is to open doors, minds and networks for exceptional social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives engaged in poverty alleviation and economic justice enterprises. Fellows may earn a certificate of completion awarded by the University of the Pacific Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship. This on-site professional training symposium covers areas critical to the success of organizations and individuals creating social impact and combating poverty. For more information please click here.  Lotus Foods Wins Environment and Sustainability Award
Lotus Foods, founded and run by SVN members Caryl Levine and Ken Lee, has been recognized by the Nutrition Business Journal for their work "to save the world's water supply and soil, while helping struggling farmers from Madagascar to Cambodia." Working in affiliation with Cornell University's SRI Global Marketing Partnership, Lotus Foods is helping small farmers double their rice yields while at the same time halving the amount of water used. Once farmers develop a steady surplus, Lotus Foods helps the farmers, who often have never exported anything before, with organic and fair-trade certification. Click here to learn more.  Take Green Map With You on Your Mobile
Joining the mobile revolution this week, SVN member Wendy Brawer shares the news that Green Map System has two new sustainable living resources - a mobile website designed for all Internet-enabled cell phones and the first Green Map iPhone App! Ideal for locals and tourists alike, both are free and include the beta version of "What's Green Nearby?" a handy tool for connecting with green resources on the go. Version 1.0 of the iPhone App also includes 10 additional sections, delivering an insightful view into this global movement through its Green Maps, videos, photos, Twitter, and much more. Simply type GreenMap.org into any phone's browser for the mobile website, or click here for the iPhone app. | | Welcome New Members | | | | Upcoming Events | |  Hanson Bridgett Sustainable Business Leadership Forum: Portfolio Success for the Global Citizen
Thursday, March 4, 2010
San Francisco, CA
As awareness of environmental, social, and governance factors increases, investors increasingly want portfolios that don't conflict with their values. This session will discuss how money and values can be combined, and explore the interplay between companies and investors when the theme is sustainability. What are companies doing to be sustainable? What do investors want companies to be doing? How can investors evaluate the sustainability of companies? How much of an impact does sustainability investing have on companies? Join Richard Stone, CEO of Private Ocean, as he leads a panel discussion to answer these questions and offer guidance to investors interested in investing more deliberately. Register here.  Sign Up for Structure Lab to Help Your Collaborative Venture
Setting up a legal structure is an opportunity to set up a venture for success. With support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Criterion Ventures designed Structure Lab to explore the range of legal structures available for your venture, whether it's still on the drawing board or poised for growth. Structure Lab is a game-based day long workshop where you'll answer your questions, learn about frameworks, discover new options and apply them directly to your venture. Check out the Structure Lab experience or read answers to common questions about legal structure. Sponsorship from SVN member organizations Perlman and Perlman and Hanson Bridgett, as well as Maslon Edelman Borman and Brand, is bringi |
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