Venture philanthropy’s expanding toolbox: a report from the EVPA conference

‘There seems to be more venture and less philanthropy at this conference,’ the person sitting next to me commented during the recent European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) conference, held in Luxembourg on 16-17 November. This remark provides an apt summing up for the whole event. Admittedly it was made during a session on ‘Turning impact finance into an industry’, but impact finance featured prominently throughout the two days. Click here to read ...

Venture philanthropy strategies for foundations

The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) uses the term venture philanthropy (VP) to describe grantmaking and social investment that involves six characteristics: a hands-on relationship between the social enterprise or non-profit management and the venture philanthropist; use of a range of financing mechanisms; multi-year support; non-financial support; a focus on organizational capacity-building; and performance measurement.

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Interview - Nat Sloane

Venture philanthropy funds typically work intensively with a handful of organizations. While the approach has yielded good results for the organizations in question, the wider impact is necessarily limited. Impetus Trust, one of the first UK venture philanthropy funders, is now launching a new initiative on reducing reoffending, which will widen that very specific focus and seek change on a much larger scale. Impetus co-founder and vice-chair Nat Sloane talked to Caroline Hartnell about it. Click here to read ...

The Venice Group Meeting – the ‘Davos of European Venture Philanthropy’

For the third year running, the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) convened 24 leading venture philanthropy executives to Venice – the Davos of Venture Philanthropy. These thought leaders gathered to discuss the latest developments, tackle strategic issues and agree on a common agenda for the future of venture philanthropy. The Venice meeting is a unique opportunity for European VP leaders to network and debate with peers. Click here to read ...

Peer groups and engagement key to new money

A recent report suggests that membership in a peer group is key to increasing donor giving and volunteering. Donor ‘socialization’ – the term used by report author Michael Moody – posits that involvement with a group of fellow donors over an extended period has a significant influence on giving behaviour and that this influence increases as donor involvement increases.

Interview - Stephen Dawson: An ambitious venture?

Stephen Dawson has recently announced his intention of stepping down from the chair of the Impetus Trust, the venture philanthropy fund he co-founded six years ago, to launch Jacana Venture Partnership, an organization that will support emerging venture capital funds in Africa. Why now? Why is he forsaking the venture philanthropy approach and apparently returning to his venture capital roots? What will he take from his Impetus experience into the new venture? Caroline Hartnell finds out … Click here to read ...

Where’s the menu?

I am writing in response to Peter Kenyon’s letter in the December issue of Alliance. I was also in Frankfurt last year at the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) conference and would like to pick up on some of Peter’s points.

I agree with him that it is important to look beyond the debates as to whether venture philanthropy (VP) is in fact new and consequently whether it is more effective than traditional philanthropy. If grantmakers can extract the positive elements from the VP approach, or indeed from any approach to philanthropy, and make best use of these to get on with more effectively supporting the work of NGOs, this will be a triumph.

There are easier ways to get money – the ups and downs of the venture philanthropy experience

In recent years, venture philanthropy (VP) has attracted much hype. It has been touted as a means of making ‘giving’ more effective and has sought to attract a generation of the self-made wealthy, particularly those from private equity and venture capital backgrounds, as engaged donors. The term has been used loosely in connection with the pledges of vast fortunes by the likes of Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Tom Hunter for charitable purposes. Click here to read ...

4th EVPA Annual Conference

Event 4th EVPA Annual Conference
Date 23 September
Venue Frankfurt, Germany
Organizer European Venture Philanthropy Association

‘What does VP mean to us?’ asked Doug Miller, EVPA’s outgoing chair, speaking at this year’s EVPA conference in Frankfurt. His answer: long-term funding, long-term relationships, hands-on support and building core capacity. Indeed, these long-term commitments might well become increasingly important in the light of recent events. As David Carrington, chairing the conference, remarked, the financial crisis is bound to have an impact on venture philanthropy. Click here to read ...

Hundred up for EVPA

Four years after its launch in 2004, the European Venture Philanthropy Association’s (EVPA) membership has recently passed the hundred mark, with members in 21 countries. Formed to promote venture philanthropy in Europe, EVPA draws its support largely from the private equity industry and the foundation sector. It also numbers several universities and research bodies among its members. In response to this rapid growth, it is about to undergo a number of changes. In addition to opening a permanent office in Brussels, Serge Raicher will take over the Chair from EVPA founder Doug Miller.