Meagan Sutton

Meet Meagan Sutton, an expert in evaluation and impact with over 15 years of experience working with nonprofits and social enterprises around the world. Her background in nonprofit work, combined with an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, equips her with a unique blend of business knowledge and a deep focus on social impact measurement. Meagan joined SVP Vancouver in 2018 as a Partner. Later that same year she joined the staff, filling the roles of Social Impact Coach and then Director of Community Capacity, before returning as a Partner and joining the Board of Directors in 2023. In addition to her work with SVP Vancouver, she now focuses on evaluating social impact and consulting with nonprofits and foundations on grant design and strategic giving. Meagan helps organizations maximize their impact and advises on modern, equitable approaches to philanthropy. 

We spoke with Meagan about her experiences with SVP Vancouver, changes she’d like to see in the nonprofit sector, and what philanthropy means to her. 

Q + A 

As one of SVP Vancouver’s younger Partners, what drew you to join the Partnership?

I knew I wanted to be involved with collective giving, and to learn from the SVP model. I was curious about how different people approached their giving, and I wanted to get involved in a hands-on way, which is something that SVP offered. I was also particularly interested in joining the Opportunities Committee. This was before I became a staff member, and I felt that I could bring a valuable nonprofit perspective to the table, given my experience in the sector.

Additionally, my MBA allowed me to connect with others through a business lens, and I saw SVP Vancouver as a unique place where nonprofit and for-profit cultures overlap. I was interested in exploring how these two worlds can enhance each other, and I saw SVP as the ideal environment for that.

What is one change you would like to see in the nonprofit sector?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I’d like to see the nonprofit sector’s value be better recognized. I was speaking with a friend and philanthropist recently, someone not affiliated with SVP, and she put it in a way that resonated with me-that these are the people on the front lines of the world’s most critical problems, which are only growing increasingly severe. It only makes sense to invest in them as if that is the case. 

Meanwhile, several studies and reports are telling us that the nonprofit sector is experiencing significant burnout due in large part to underinvestment in organizational capacity, with staff exiting the nonprofit sector to earn more in the private sector. 

As a critical revenue source for the sector, philanthropic organizations and individuals play an essential role. Grantmaking can be done in a way that not just helps nonprofits reduce burnout, but also can ensure organizations are thriving, sustainable, capable of innovating, and ready for the future. Philanthropic organizations can do this by considering more flexible grants, bigger and/or longer commitments, and allowing more grant dollars to directly support staff and capacity infrastructure.

What does philanthropy mean to you?

For me, a key value in philanthropy is making sure that community voices help shape how funds are used. This means involving the community in decision-making about how money is spent. In my evaluation work I use a “power checklist” to see who holds the decision-making power and how it can be shared more equitably. Philanthropy should also use its influence and connections to truly support others, in ways that are more meaningful than just writing a cheque. 

Transparency is also really important: being open as a philanthropist with organizations I’m reaching out to about what I know, what I don’t know, naming the power dynamic in the relationship, listening to what they need, and coming to a place of shared understanding about what we can do together. 

You’ve had quite a journey with SVP Vancouver, wearing many hats from Partner to staff member and now a Board member. Do you have a favourite role so far?

I’m still settling into the Board role as I’m quite new, but so far, being on staff was definitely my favourite. The team was amazing to work with, and there was a lot of freedom to try new things, especially in how we supported grantees and approached grant-making. My first role, which was funded by a few Partners who saw the need for it, was really rewarding. It focused on helping nonprofits evaluate their impact in a way that made sense for them. I loved being able to create, test, and eventually hand off that role. After that, I co-designed the Director of Community Capacity role with Nicole Geyer, SVP Vice Chair, which built on my previous work and feedback from grantees. This role focused more on connecting Partners and Investees, which was so rewarding. Shaping these roles and seeing their impact has been a really fulfilling experience.

What do you see as SVP Vancouver’s potential?

I’m really excited about our fundraising campaign and to see SVP Vancouver go big. I look forward to seeing SVP give larger grants for longer periods of time and deepening our relationships with the organizations that we serve, and exploring how capacity building can evolve as we grow. There’s great potential for us to pioneer new models at different stages of growth and funding, and I’m eager to see the learnings we’ll gain over the next few years.

Longer term, I think it would be interesting to think about what it might look like for SVP Vancouver to increase its geographic scope as it scales, while maintaining the core of our model, which is relationships. There is so much need in rural communities, and there are so many excellent organizations doing amazing work with children and youth across the province. There’s so much potential for cross-pollination learnings between Investees from completely different regions beyond just the Metro Vancouver area. Overall, I’m looking forward to seeing SVP grow and continue to leverage both traditional and more innovative methods to make an even bigger impact.