“SV2 taught me that I could make a difference in the world, even though I'm just a kid, and then showed me how to get started.”
- Katie Kirsch, Tenth-grader, Castilleja School
SV2 Teen Philanthropy
Recent News Coverage
Philanthropy 2.0: The Next Generation (PDF)
Gentry Magazine
February 2010
If you are interested in the SV2 Teen Philanthropy program, please email us at info@sv2.org today!
Program Overview
Launched in 2009, the SV2 Teen Philanthropy program offers a comprehensive philanthropic experience through which 6-12th grade children of SV2 partners develop deeper knowledge of the nonprofit sector and grantmaking, gain exposure to social issues and nonprofits addressing them, and are inspired to make a bigger difference.
The SV2 Teen Philanthropy program offers a unique experience distinguishable from other service projects teens may have done; as well as meaningful and lasting connections and networking opportunities with their peers, SV2 Partners, and community nonprofit organizations. This program is led by SV2 staff members and Partners in close partnership with a Leadership Committee of all returning high-school students.
Watch the Teens in action!
In addition to a formal program graduation, the teens also produced a short film about their experiences and showed it to the full SV2 Partnership at our Spring All-Partner meeting. Click here to see the teens' film
2010 Program Schedule
The group meets on Sunday afternoons for three-hour sessions. Each session is held at a different SV2 partner's office, so in addition to a diverse nonprofit/philanthropic experience, teen participants get unparalleled exposure to different industries and careers.
Session 1: Welcome, Orientation, & Program Kickoff
We covered components of the program, the schedule, and expectations for participation. This session is high‐energy and packed with thought-provoking activities, including a teambuilding service project.
Session 2: All about Fundraising & Share, Save, Spend Program
From 3:00 to 4:00pm, our SV2 Teens met as a group to learn about nonprofits and fundraising. From 4:00 to 6:00pm, they attended a formal program called Share, Save, Spend, run by nationally-renowned expert Nathan Dungan.
Session 3: Nonprofit Basics and Focus Area Overview
In this session, we covered key basics of the nonprofit sector and how nonprofits operate, a comprehensive overview of grantmaking and how it works, and presentations and discussion about SV2’s three main grantmaking focus areas.
Session 4: Selecting Finalists and Drafting Grant Proposal
The teens came together to share the organizations they have researched and why they would be excited to consider them for a grant. Based on this peer‐to‐peer dialog, narrowed to a specific focus area and then selected our 2 finalist organizations. During this session, we also discussed what questions we have for these
organizations that would help the group determine if they want to make a grant. From that conversation we drafted a request for proposal (RFP) for the organizations to complete and return.
Session 5: Grant Proposal Review, Presentations & Decisions
The grant proposals we received were circulated in advance of this meeting for teens to review. We spent the first part of this session in small groups discussing the proposals and coming up with questions for each organization’s presenter. Then representatives from the selected organizations came to present their proposals and answer the teens’ questions. Following the presentations, the teens discussed and decided which they wanted to fund and announced their selection to the organizations live.
Session 6: Film Production, Program Wrap-up, and Graduation
Students who want to participate in the film production came for the first half of the session, when we did individual interviews about their program experiences. Everyone joined for the second half of the session when we did a program recap, sharing experiences gained with one another, and the program concluded with a formal graduation ceremony for which parents/family members joined us.
Session 7: SV2 Spring All Partner Meeting highlighting SV2 Teens
At the SV2 Spring All Partner Meeting, we debuted the film the teens produced about their experience in this year’s program, and invited them to the front to again present a check to their grant recipient, Family House. The leaders of Family House were also at the meeting to say a few words, and we honored our SV2 Teens who are high school seniors and heading to college next year.
Interested in learning more and getting involved?
All SV2 Teens are children (or close family members) of SV2 Partners. To learn more about being an SV2 partner, please explore the rest of our website.
For more information about joining SV2 in general and the Teen program in particular, email info@sv2.org today!