November News

We kicked off our Community Organizing Grant Round!

On Oct. 8th, we had a deeply connective and insightful kickoff event to our Community Organizing Grant Round. Read on to learn our key takeaways vital to philanthropy achieving true social impact.

Venture Investing Fundamentals

Tuesday, 11/19 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm | In Person | SV2 Office

Investing in startups can be rewarding in many ways, allowing investors to build wealth, deploy their capital in direct accordance with their values, and further innovation. SV2 Partner Nancy Hayes will present this "Venture Investing Fundamentals" learning session. The material is intended to make early stage investing approachable for newer investors and will also serve as a helpful refresher for those who have more experience. The session will be followed by a Happy Hour for further connection and networking.

SV2 Happy Hour

Tuesday, 11/19 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm | In Person | SV2 Office

SV2 Impact Investing | November Monthly Pitches

Wednesday, 11/20 | 11:30pm - 1:00pm | Zoom

The SV2 Impact Investing Group meets monthly on Zoom to hear two social enterprise startups pitch. Partners are invited to provide input on the pitches and volunteer to participate on due diligence teams. All SV2 Partners are welcome to begin regularly attending pitch meetings at any point in the year or are welcome to attend meetings on a drop-in basis. Immediately following the pitch meeting, the Investment Committee (IC) convenes to hear the due diligence reports from the previous month and make investment decisions on behalf of SV2. All Partners are welcome to observe the IC Meetings immediately following the pitch meeting.

Grantmaking:

Community Organizing Grant Round Meeting #3 | Learning and Sharing

Thursday, 11/21 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm | In Person | SV2 Office

In Meeting #3 in person at SV2, Partners will go deeper in their learning about the five finalist organizations by discussing the results of the coffee chats and the financial review. The coffee chats are relational, structured, and tend to be very energizing conversations! The coffee chats replace written grant applications, which can often be very burdensome for busy nonprofit leaders to complete, and can detract from their organization's key work.

Finding Climate Change Impact in Public Equities

Tuesday, 12/03 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Zoom

If you can get market rate returns on your public equity investments and positively impact climate and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, why wouldn’t you? Previous SV2 Learning Sessions have looked at the divest/invest movement, the returns on index funds versus ESG funds, and investing in climate solutions and low carbon footprint companies. Two practitioners, Jennifer McFarlane and Tony Stayner, have been investing their public equities for climate impact for several years and the session will cover their valuable lessons learned. Spoiler alert: You can get market rate returns and have climate impact (it was just different than what they thought). Also joining will be Andy Behar, the founder and CEO of the non-profit As You Sow, whose shareholder activism is moving the needle with large corporations’ climate and other ESG impacts, so much so that their work is in the cross hairs of climate deniers.

Grantmaking:

Community Organizing Grant Round Meeting #4 | Grant Decision

Thursday, 12/05 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm | Zoom

In Meeting #4 on Zoom, SV2 Grant Round participants will discuss the five finalist organizations using SV2’s rubric categories, and vote for two organizations to be our newest Grantee Partners.

SV2 Holiday Party

Thursday, 12/12 | 5:00pm - 7:30pm | In Person | SV2 Office

SV2 Impact Investing | December Monthly Pitches

Wednesday, 12/18 | 11:30pm - 1:00pm | Zoom

The SV2 Impact Investing Group meets monthly on Zoom to hear two social enterprise startups pitch. Partners are invited to provide input on the pitches and volunteer to participate on due diligence teams. All SV2 Partners are welcome to begin regularly attending pitch meetings at any point in the year or are welcome to attend meetings on a drop-in basis. Immediately following the pitch meeting, the Investment Committee (IC) convenes to hear the due diligence reports from the previous month and make investment decisions on behalf of SV2. All Partners are welcome to observe the IC Meetings immediately following the pitch meeting.

SV2 BOOK CLUB READING LIST

The Social Impact Book Club, led by SV2 Partner Paru Desai, is for Partners only and meets on the 3rd Sunday of each month. Join the Book Club on mySV2!

Code Tenderloin

Saturday, 12/07 | 2:00-6:00PM | In Person
Chase Center Thrive City (1725 3rd Street San Francisco, CA 94158)

At Joy to the City, we are on a mission to spread holiday cheer and make a lasting impact in the lives of San Francisco children. Join us as we transform Chase Center into a magical winter wonderland and distribute thousands of toys to children of all ages. We’ll have activities for the entire family, and it’s all free! RSVP here. Contact hello@codetenderloin.org  to volunteer.

Food Distribution with Redwood City Together

Friday, 11/08 | 3:00-6:00PM | In Person
Fair Oaks Community Center (2600 Middlefield Rd. Redwood City)

Join us for some community volunteering! This is a monthly food distribution where 200-250 families benefit from free groceries. This is an exciting in person volunteer opportunity to be in community with Redwood City Together, our new Community Initiative Grantee Partner. We have five slots available for the SV2 community each month. RSVP here.

Listen4Good

Are you looking for ways to measure your community impact and advance your equity goals?  Listen4Good just opened registration for its next round of feedback programs that kick off in January! 

Listen4Good helps organizations gather and analyze feedback data for organizational development, advocacy and fundraising, and equity, diversity and inclusion. To learn more, attend one of our upcoming free informational webinars or schedule a time to chat with a Listen4Good teammate. Ask us how we can help you secure a funder to support your participation in Listen4Good. Register by December 1, 2024 here.

Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) is a learning community of everyday givers committed to accelerating equity in the Bay Area through grantmaking and impact investing. For over 20 years, SV2 has been a trusted social innovation leader supporting locals to connect, learn, and practice giving in community alongside their peers.