Frequently, donors want to step up to help organizations
they support in ways that go beyond financial giving.
Similar to a venture capital investor, they seek to render
counsel, monitor operations, make referrals, and participate
in a variety of ways that help protect their investment.
They also desire periodic reports on the achievement of
milestones and measured outcomes.
Venture philanthropy can be very rewarding for the donor,
who can share expertise, influence, and judgment that
otherwise would not be available to the charity. Nonprofits
benefit significantly by tapping into the know-how of
donors. For highly involved donors, Calvin Edwards & Company
assists with venture philanthropy projects of diverse
types—representing the grantmaker and rendering guidance to
the grantee.
We can help facilitate your venture philanthropy. Because of
our firm’s extensive experience with nonprofit governance,
management, and operations, we can frequently work directly
with the charity on your behalf. These services are highly
customized and vary widely from client to client, and
between organizations.
We have participated in many venture philanthropy projects
with our clients, including the following:
Revamping a national organization’s strategy
Evaluating a ministry’s marketing plan
Planning & producing a 2-day fundraising event for a young
organization seeking initial capitalization from new donors
Organizing & promoting “get acquainted” receptions
Reviewing and revising collateral material for a
London-based charity raising money in the U.S.
Coaching charity executives on public presentations
Evaluating a development plan & consultant for a U.S.
division of an international nonprofit
Introducing a public service law firm to a public relations
firm
Organizing a training program for a foundation to train
potential grant recipients on outcome-based evaluation
Setting up speaking engagements for the president of an
international charity
Planning a gala banquet event with a national celebrity
Helping to facilitate merger talks between two nonprofits
Preparing a strategic plan for a funded nonprofit
Designing an distribution strategy for media products in a
complex international environment
All of these initiatives,
while serving a nonprofit organization, were initiated by an
involved, caring donor.
Because of the unique nature
of each venture philanthropy project, we cannot create
pre-set products. Each situation is assessed and a custom
plan is created with the client. However, products that we
commonly use to assist with venture philanthropy are listed
below. Click on any product to view a Product Preview PDF.
|
Product
|
Function
|
|
Advisory Memorandum |
Provides focused research & advice on an issue
related to a project or venture; may well be
investigative in nature. |
|
Gift
Agreement
Letter |
Records a grant’s terms &
conditions, based on negotiation with a
nonprofit, to ensure that the donor’s
purposes are achieved; addresses
contingencies. |
|
Informational Memorandum |
Provides independent,
well-researched information on a specific
topic related to a venture philanthropy
project. |
|
Liability Assessment |
Provides a detailed analysis
of a donor’s liability exposure with respect
to a specific nonprofit with which he or she
works (possibly as a board member). |