Congrats to the SEED20 Class of 2023!

Congratulations to the SEED20 Class of 2023! The ten nonprofit leaders took the stage on Thursday, April 27, and wowed us with their compelling stories of how they are making the greater Charlotte region a better place! The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte was abuzz with excitement and energy as audience members piled in to support our nonprofit community. Awards given out totaled more than $32,000 and so far, we have been able to raise over $50,000 (and climbing), including Wells Fargo’s generous match.

Thank you to our corporate sponsors, cultivators, audience members, and SVP donor volunteers for making it possible to bring SEED20 back to the stage this year! Because of your support, over $82,000 (a new record for SEED20!) has been invested in nonprofit innovators addressing tough social challenges in the Charlotte region!

You can still support the Class of 2023 beyond the stage! Please consider engaging with our Class of 2023 nonprofits in any way your resources allow. Opportunities to get involved include:

• Volunteering with the ten nonprofit organizations.
• Sharing their social media posts to amplify their reach.
• Provide connections from your personal networks.
• Continue to make financial donations to these organizations via our Pledge page, which will be open for another month. Note: service charges are not charged for donations under $1,000 and tip can be reduced to 0.
• Lastly, help us with the next SEED20 by joining Social Venture Partners Charlotte!

Click here for more SEED20 stories, videos, and content and to see all the supporters who worked together to bring SEED20 OnStage to you!

Congrats to all SEED20 Award Winners!   

We are grateful for the generosity of our sponsors, ticketholders, and donors for making these prizes possible.

Wells Fargo People’s Choice Grand Prize Award

$20,000
Barry Shipp, Pivot Point Transitional Housing 

2nd Place Award

$7,000
Gwendolyn Harris, The FACTS Initiative 
 

Angelbello Films Video Production Package

Total Value: $3,500
Stephen Saucier, Sullenberger Aviation Museum

Coaches Award

$2,000 
Rochel Groner, Friendship Circle

Wells Fargo Donation Matching Grant

$2,000
Each member of the SEED20 Class of 2023

Online Community Vote Award

$1,000
Alexandra Arrington, Money Magnets Club

Katie McKiever & Blue Tide Creative Digital Storytelling Package

Total value: $750
Rochel Groner, Friendship Circle  

SVP Charlotte’s Work Beyond SEED20

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2023, Social Venture Partners Charlotte (SVP Charlotte) held our first quarterly Partner meeting of 2023 with a packed agenda at the new Program Center of Families Forward Charlotte (FFC), an organization that partners with local families experiencing poverty by providing educational opportunities, essential support, and individualized mentoring. FFC is a 2018 SEED20 alum and a current SVP Charlotte Investee, which means SVP Charlotte is investing $60,000 along with capacity building and human capital support in FFC over 3 years. It was wonderful to tour their new facilities and watch an inspiring video that featured FFC families sharing how the organization and their volunteers changed the trajectory of their lives.  

 

During the meeting, FFC’s Executive Director Carrie Christian (upper left photo) shared how the continued partnership with SVP Charlotte has strengthened their organization: 

“Social Venture Partners Charlotte has been an incredible partner and catalyst to our growth and achievements over the past two years. When we first applied to be an Investee, our budget was just over $500,000 (with just one staff person) and has now doubled to over $1 million. SVP Charlotte has provided guidance and assistance to help us hire staff, streamline our brand and marketing, complete a strategic plan, secure physical offices, and grow our connections in the community. All have been pivotal in our ability to recruit more Family Liaison mentors, increase our impact for the families we serve, and grow our funding to support our mission.” 

Denise Burkard (upper right photo), SVP Charlotte Board Chair, provided a sneak peek into several emerging ideas from our strategic planning process and the most recent SVP Charlotte Board retreat. One idea would be to enhance nonprofit support and partner volunteer opportunities with our Spark Team portfolio. The Spark Team program currently provides 8-10 week pro bono consulting engagements to Investees and SEED20 alumni. SVP Charlotte may introduce an abbreviated engagement model called a “Spark Plug” where a Partner with deep business or professional expertise provides problem solving support over the course of 1-2 hours. Since its launch in the summer 2020, Spark Team projects have supported over 30 nonprofits with 1,464 volunteer hours equaling an estimated $146,400 of valuable human capital.

Guest speakers at the quarterly meeting included Angela Gala and Ranjit Deora, co-founders of Youth Meditation (YM), our newest SVP Charlotte Investee and a 2015 SEED20 alum. YM empowers students, teachers, and parents with effective tools for managing stress through their proprietary, age-appropriate, 8-week mindfulness program. The impact of their program is impressive with teachers gaining 45 minutes of instruction per day due to students’ ability to focus and manage their emotions better. The YM founders shared an inspiring video of high school students explaining how meditation has changed the way they approach school and family life. Over the next three years, in addition to providing the nonprofit with $20,000 in unrestricted funds annually, SVP Charlotte partners will collaborate with YM in the following areas:  

 

• Program Expansion: Foster Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools’ (CMS) adoption of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum​ 
• Increased Connectivity: Build relationships with other nonprofits or organizations who partners with CMS 
• Financial Forecasting/Budgeting: Enhance processes as YM grows 
• Development Strategy: Assist with revenue diversification and fundraising. The current model is largely earning revenue through corporate sessions. 

 

Both Families Forward Charlotte and Youth Meditation are examples of the 180 nonprofits who have participated in our SEED20 program. Today, approximately 150 of those organizations are still in operation, well above the nonprofit failure rate of 50%. This is due in part to the ongoing programmatic support SVP Charlotte provides. If you would like to learn more about our Investee and Spark Team programs or how to volunteer, please contact our Executive Director Kristin Beck. 

If you were very busy in mid–December and missed our announcement, please check out the SEED20 Class of 2023! 

SEED20 OnStage Is Back!

Tickets On Sale Now!

Are you a SEED20 fan waiting patiently for its return to the stage? Or have you heard about the inspiring community event produced by Social Venture Partners Charlotte (SVP Charlotte) but haven’t had a chance to experience SEED20 for yourself?

SVP Charlotte is thrilled to announce that SEED20 OnStage is back, and tickets are on sale today! SEED20 OnStage will be held on the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s McColl Family stage at ImaginOn on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

The refreshed SEED20 OnStage evening will include:

6:30 pm | Doors open for mingling in the lobby. We ask that all attendees take their seats by 6:55 pm.

7:00 pm | The stage portion of the evening will feature ten nonprofit pitches, an audience text-to-vote to select the top prize winner, a presentation of cash and in-kind awards, and the opportunity to donate directly to those participants who inspired you.

8:30 pm | After the show, in the lobby, while snacking on sweet and savory treats and drinking a celebratory glass of wine, beer or soda, audience members can interact and connect with the stars of the night–the nonprofit presenters–to learn more about their initiatives and opportunities for further support and engagement.

There is nothing like being there in person for SEED20 OnStage. All tickets to the live event at ImaginOn are $80. If you aren’t able to join us in person, livestream tickets will be going on sale in the coming weeks for $25. All ticket purchases include access to the replay.

If you were very busy in mid–December and missed our announcement, please check out the SEED20 Class of 2023! 

Social Venture Partners Charlotte (SVP Charlotte) is thrilled to bring a refreshed SEED20 program back to the greater Charlotte community. SVP Charlotte has been fostering social entrepreneurs and innovative solutions to our community’s greatest challenges for over a decade. Today, please join us in welcoming the SEED20 Class of 2023!  

Starting in early 2023, these participants will receive training, coaching, and mentoring on how to succinctly and powerfully tell their stories including who they are and why their missions matter. Their intense efforts will be showcased in SEED20 OnStage on April 27, 2023, a high-energy event where all ten nonprofit participants will have the opportunity to win cash and in-kind awards by making three-minute pitches to a large audience. As members of the SEED20 Alumni network, SVP Charlotte offers these nonprofits multiple learning opportunities on topics such as fundraising, donor connection and board development in addition to pro bono consulting. 

We are grateful to Wells Fargo, our headline sponsor, for supporting the SEED20 program each year since its inception in 2012. Their continued generosity and partnership help to ensure long-term sustainability of Charlotte’s innovative nonprofit community.   

Project Outpour

MaShonna Hughes

Project Outpour provides free mobile shower access and hygiene services to individuals who are moving through homelessness. The Project Outpour staff are passionate about helping our neighbors in need. The services Project Outpour provides are crucial because they foster dignity; the dignity that comes with being and feeling clean is a human right, and a need that every person desires and deserves to have met.

Despierta

Juliana Lozano

Despierta addresses the critical lack of access to culturally competent mental health care and social support for Latinas in the Charlotte area. Many Latinas face significant barriers, such as language access, financial limitations, and lack of awareness about available services, that prevent them from seeking mental health support. By providing counseling, educational workshops, support groups, and cohort-based programs, Despierta helps participants foster resilience, navigate challenges, and thrive.  

Next Step Clubhouse

Meg Kelly

Next Step Clubhouse (NSC) provides a facility for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to meet regularly and foster meaningful relationships with their peers and community. NSC’s programming assists its members in combating isolation and sedentary lifestyles by promoting healthy living, fostering friendships and giving back to the community. NSC assist caregivers through cost-conscious fees and by developing skills that promote self-sufficiency.

Transit First CLT

Barry Greene Jr

Transit First CLT addresses Charlotte’s overwhelming car dependency, which leads to traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and inequitable access to transportation. Charlotte’s sprawling development prioritizes cars, leaving residents without access to vehicles struggling to move around efficiently. Transit First Charlotte prioritizes boosting bus frequency, building dedicated bike and bus lanes, expanding transit access for all, and breaking the stigma around public transportation for a more connected, sustainable future.