By James Ritchie

Business Courier

August 31, 2007

For some, giving money to charity isn't enough. They also want to share some of the know-how that put them in the position to give in the first place.

A new group will allow them to contribute some of both. The Greater Cincinnati affiliate of Social Venture Partners International will provide nonprofits with grants and support in areas such as marketing, finance, technology, strategic planning and human resources management.

Becoming a member requires an investment of at least $6,000 a year for three years and a commitment of time and expertise.

"It's for somebody who's looking for something more meaningful, somebody who wants to do more than write checks and likes to really get their hands involved," said Susan Ingmire, vice president at InterAct for Change, the nonprofit that is organizing the Social Venture Partners group.

InterAct came about in May when the Health Foundation Fund, started by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, acquired the BeneFactors philanthropy consulting firm. Under the InterAct name, the fund has broadened its focus from health to philanthropy in general.

So far, 12 households have signed up for the Social Venture Partners group. They hope to make their first grant, probably in the $10,000 to $25,000 range, by June 2008.

By its fifth year, the group would like to have 75 members and hopes to have given out $1 million.

At the 24 other Social Venture Partners affiliates across North America and in Japan, helping organizations that serve at-risk youth is often a focus, but the Greater Cincinnati members have not yet decided if that will be the case here.

With a grant, the receiving nonprofit also gets planning help from a group of Social Venture Partners members.

"This is a business model applied to the philanthropy world," said Donald Hoffman, CEO of the Health Foundation and InterAct.

Some members say it's exciting to be able to give of their skills and help ensure that their money does what it's supposed to do.

"I think this will bring people out of the woodwork," said Marcy Wydman, former chairwoman and CEO of Witt Industries Inc., which makes trash receptacles.

Jim Yunker, CEO at Smith Beers Yunker and Co., said that as a member, he hopes to bring nonprofit consulting services similar to the ones offered by his firm to groups that can't normally afford such things.

"I think it's a novel way to get people more engaged," Yunker said. "And a lot of people do like to see where their money goes."

Ingmire will be involved not only as an InterAct staff member, but also as a member. She acknowledges the approach is not for everybody, in terms of both philanthropists and nonprofit organizations.

There's not a specific time commitment, but Ingmire said 100 hours a year would be a guideline. The model might appeal to empty-nesters and recent retirees who still want to use the talents on which they built their careers. The organizers have been recruiting for several months and continue to do so.

The new approach might take time to gain momentum both with people used to older methods and with first-time philanthropists.

"People have to learn how to give," said Garen Wisner, chairman of the InterAct board and a partner in the SVPI group. "They need a mentor in that process."

A good candidate to receive assistance from Social Venture Partners, which started 10 years ago in Seattle, might be a small but solid nonprofit that wants to grow or undertake a new venture, but can't afford the consultants and other help it needs.

"In general we're there to strengthen that nonprofit and bring them to the next level," Ingmire said.

So far the approach, sometimes called "venture philanthropy" and practiced by several organizations around the country, fills a niche market, said Elizabeth Boris, director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute in Washington.

It appeals to businesspeople, sometimes with a venture capital background, who are used to measuring return on investment. There are success stories, she said, but the learning curve can be steep because ROI isn't always as easy to calculate.

"Applying the business model to this work," Boris said, "is tough."

First In Line

The founding members of Cincinnati's Social Venture Partners International chapter are:
• Tom Anderle and Essa Anderle, CEO of Family Investment Advisors Inc.; his daughter
• Anne Chambers and Cliff Schwandner, CEO of RED; film director
• Penny Friedman, vice president and COO for InterAct for Change
• Susan Ingmire, vice president of strategic giving for InterAct for Change
• Wijdan Jreisat and Patrick Points, attorney at Katz, Teller, Brant & Hild; law librarian for Taft Stettinius & Hollister
• Toni LaBoiteaux and Eliza Sharp, retired art gallery owner; chairwoman of family foundation
• Gloria and Alvin Lipson, social worker; architect and entrepreneur
• Robert Walker, entrepreneur and former marketing executive
• Garen Wisner. COO LCP Tech Inc. and retired managing partner of Accenture
• Marcy Wydman, former chairwoman and CEO of Witt Industries Inc.
• Craig Young, trustee of Craig Young Family Foundation and former owner of software companies
• Jim Yunker, CEO, Smith Beers Yunker and Co.

E-mail: jritchie@bizjournals.com. Call: (513) 337-9442.

All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.