It’s the Fourth-Annual 12 Days of Capacitymas at SVP Vancouver!

We’ve just completed our fourth-annual 12 Days of Capacitymas, in which we celebrate SVP Vancouver’s incredible community and reflect on the great work that was achieved in 2024. We may have been a little liberal with the numbers, but Capacitymas has its own rules! Let’s get started – we’re starting at 12 and counting down!

On the 12th day of Capacitymas, SVP Vancouver gave to me …

12 Founding Partners

… and first contributors to SVP Vancouver, who’ve been involved with the foundation since 2001/2002 – and who continue to support our work and mission, supporting incredible organizations that help children and youth in BC thrive, today!

11 + 26 Readings a-Recommended 

Part of our mission here at SVP Vancouver is to build knowledge and capacity in all aspects of philanthropy. We’ve recommended 11 (ahem: actually 11 + 26 = 37) great readings (and podcast recommendations) to our Partner and Investee community this year. Here’s a sampling:

– The First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society’s 2023 BC Child Poverty Report Card

– The “Empowering Communities: The Transformative Power of Relationships” Untapped Philanthropy podcast episode

– Report: Abundance: An Analysis of the Thriving Landscape of Collective Giving in the U.S. This is also available as a webinar!

p.s. We know this is not really 11. But… we make the rules for Capacitymas!

10+ Events a-Gathering! 

This past year, we’ve hosted workshops, Social Dialogue events, mingles, lunches, annual general meetings… in short, we’ve been busy! And we’ve loved seeing all of you throughout the year, and learning and connecting as a community.

Our events included an Emerging Philanthropist event, 2 Social Dialogue sessions, a new Investee Meet and Greet, a special screening and Q&A session of the UnCharitable documentary, a Women in Philanthropy event, and much more! Plus, we held 10 Opportunities Committee meetings, 6 Board meetings, and 2 Lead Partner meetings!

9 Capacity-building Areas a-Building! 

… with more than 75 current and completed projects, it’s about so much more than funding alone at SVP. We are thrilled to be able to support the nonprofits we serve with everything from strategic plan development, fundraising education sessions with experts in the field, marketing and communications planning and website upgrades, and beyond; all in service of B.C.’s children and youth!

8 Early Years Initiatives Funded!

Through the Early Years Innovation Fund, we’ve supported organizations helping children under 6—because we know intervening during these formative years can transform lives and deliver up to 10x social returns. Now in Year 4 of the trial, we’ve committed the entirety of our initial $750k seed funding to help initiatives scale, collaborate, and innovate. Along the way, we’ve identified key funding gaps and developed insights that will shape SVP’s grantmaking across all age groups.

We’re excited to build on this momentum and ensure the continuation and growth of this important work!

7 New Partner Households, Including 1 from Texas!

SVP Vancouver is part of a global network of affiliates, with SVP community members spanning 6 countries! This year, we welcomed 7 new Partner households to our community—including one all the way from Texas, who are also members of SVP Dallas! Together, we’re building stronger connections and bigger impact.

6  Series A Grants a-Granted!

We rebranded our capacity-building grants as “Series A” grants to reflect their pivotal role in helping nonprofits stabilize and grow—just like Series A funding propels startups to their next stage. This name highlights how we’re not just supporting day-to-day operations but laying the foundation for these organizations to innovate, scale, and ultimately change the game for the children and families they serve.

5 Partner Gifts a-Doubling

(Plus another 4 since this piece was written, so 9 in total! But this update still had to live on day 5 of Capacitymas, so here we are!) PLUS another 15 Partners who increased their annual gifts! 

These increased annual gifts will make a huge impact on the work that we do this coming year, increasing the level of support that we’re able to provide to the nonprofits that we serve! 

3 AGM panelists +  1 Distinguished Partner Award!

This year’s AGM at the VanDusen Botanical Gardens was an evening of learning and inspiration. Our panel featured Dana Osiowy (New Westminster Family Place), Meghan Neufeld (BabyGoRound), and Marnie Goldenberg (Take a Hike Youth Mental Health Foundation), who shared how SVP Vancouver’s support has helped their organizations navigate challenges, scale impact, and deepen their work with children and youth.

We also honoured Dan Bowditch with the Distinguished Partner Award for his 15+ years of exceptional dedication to SVP. From serving on committees to serving as Lead Partner for a number of nonprofit organizations, Dan embodies what it means to build a stronger nonprofit sector.

Here’s to growing our collective impact in 2025 and beyond! 

Good Things That Come in Threes! 

This year, we welcomed 3 new Investees—Promise Vancouver, Girls Who Leap, and the Transform the Family Justice System Collaborative—into our community, ready to support them in scaling their impact. We also celebrated 3 graduating organizations—Down Syndrome Resource Foundation, LDS – Learn. Develop. Succeed., and The Treehouse—at our Fall Mingle and Graduate Showcase, highlighting their incredible achievements as they completed their capacity-building journeys with SVP Vancouver.

It doesn’t stop there! Together we provided 3 expert consultants to offer specialized support to our nonprofit partners at no cost to them—SVP’s Social Impact Coach Karen Gelb, Compensation Strategist Annika Reinhardt, and the New School of Fundraising. Lastly, a special shoutout to our 3 game-changing donors, whose contributions—totaling almost half a million dollars—will elevate the work of our nonprofit partners and empower  their impact in transformative ways through 2025 and beyond!

2 New Corporate Partners!

This year, we were thrilled to welcome TD Private Giving Foundation and Nicola Wealth Private Giving Foundation as new partners in our mission. Not only did their support strengthen the capacity of the nonprofits we serve, but it also helped us advance our work in building capacity among philanthropists.

Both organizations played key roles in 2 major events: TD Private Giving partnered with us on our Women in Philanthropy event, and Nicola Wealth Private Giving supported our screening of UnCharitable. Their collaboration made these events impactful and memorable for our community.

Here’s to growing together and making even greater strides in 2025!

And Our First Series B Grant Granted! 

This year we were proud to launch Game-Changing Giving, a new granting approach designed to help nonprofits scale their impact and innovate boldly. Our very first Series B grant—a $250,000 investment—was awarded to LDS – Learn. Develop. Succeed. for their RISE Next Generation AI initiative, made possible by the generous support of Greg and Elese Sullivan. This cutting-edge AI platform will potentially help LDS reach thousands more vulnerable students with learning differences, transforming lives through personalized support. This Series B Grant  is a reflection of SVP Vancouver’s commitment to finding, funding, and strengthening organizations that change lives. With our roots in tech innovation, launching this Game-Changing Giving initiative with LDS feels especially meaningful. Together, we’re shaping a future where every child can thrive.