Announcements

Finalists Selected for 2013 Business Plan Competition

Congratulations to the finalists in the 2013 Social Impact Business Plan Competition!  On May 15, the Social Impact Exchange announced the six organizations that will advance to the final round of the competition and present their business plans at the Symposium on Scaling Impact on June 17 in New York City. The three finalists selected for the early-stage track are: Juma Ventures, Roca, and The WorkPlace, and the three mezzanine-stage finalists are: Friends of the Children, Princeton Center for Leadership Training, and The Hill Center. Finalists were selected from a group of 31 organizations that advanced to Round II of the competition in February. Winners of the Social Impact Exchange Business Plan Competition receive financial and consulting awards. Past awardees include the Parent-Child Home Program, Emerge Workplace Solutions, BELL, WINGS for kids, Catalyst Kitchens, and 10,000 Degrees.

New Resource: Free Webinar on Evaluations and Scaling Impact

On April 30, the nonprofit team at the Exchange hosted a webinar on Evaluations:  What an Organization Needs to Scale for Impact. Webinar panelist Fred Galloway, professor at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego, discussed his experience with developing, implementing and reviewing outcome evaluations. Fred also provided a rundown of the S&I 100 Evaluation Rubric. Marcia Kerz, President of the OASIS Institute (an S&I 100 organization) shared her organization's experience with evaluation as they have scaled. A recording of the webinar is now available at this link. To share feedback on this webinar, please contact Monica Ward at mward@growthphilanthropy.org.

Stay tuned for announcements about future webinars for nonprofits.

Attend the 4th Annual Conference on Scaling Impact June 18-20! Early-Bird Rate Ends May 3

The 2013 Conference on Scaling Impact is by invite-only for foundation officers, philanthropists, corporate executives, trustees, and wealth managers and philanthropy advisors interested in learning about innovative methods to support high-impact nonprofits in education, youth development, poverty alleviation, health and impact investing. The conference includes presentations from foundation CEOs and nonprofit leaders, as well as knowledge sessions and peer networking opportunities. Hear how cross-sector collaboration is taking social impact to new levels. Attend sessions about scaling initiatives that are revitalizing U.S. cities, the effects of networks on aggregating capital and spreading innovations, and more. See the agenda and register at www.scalingconference2013.org

Space is limited so we encourage you to register soon. Any questions should be sent to Nicole Kindred at  nkindred@growthphilanthropy.org, or call 212-551-1148.

Register Now! Annual Symposium on Scaling Impact June 17 in New York City

The Symposium offers an opportunity for nonprofit managers, funders, professional service providers and academics to learn how nonprofit initiatives can achieve successful, scaled impact. Network with other like-minded professionals and share best practices in the field. Register at http://www.regonline.com/symposium_2013. For more information, contact Monica Ward at mward@growthphilanthropy.org or 212-551-1147.

Business Plan Competition: Round I Results Announced

The Social Impact Exchange is pleased to announce the results of the first round of its 2013 Business Plan Competition. A total of 31 organizations (24 from the Early-stage track and 7 from Mezzanine stage) advanced to Round II, during which they will receive expert training from consultants and work to refine their business plan submissions. Finalists will be announced in May, and will have the opportunity to present their plans in front of a live audience at the Nonprofit Symposium on June 17 in New York City. Winners of the Social Impact Exchange Business Plan Competition receive financial and consulting awards. Past awardees include the Parent-Child Home Program, Emerge Workplace Solutions, BELL, WINGS for kids, Catalyst Kitchens, and 10,000 Degrees. Click here to see the list of organizations that have advanced to Round II of the competition.

Social Impact Exchange Collaborates with GEO on New Scaling Resource

As part of Grantmakers for Effective Organization's Scaling What Works initiative, the Social Impact Exchange participated in a joint research collaboration with Ashoka, Taproot Foundation, and TCC Group to explore the question: How can grantmakers best support high-performing nonprofits in their efforts to grow their impact? The resulting publication, Pathways to Grow Impact, shares new learning about the variety of ways nonprofits are creating more value for communities and how funders are supporting their work. This publication offers a framework for understanding different approaches to scaling impact, stories from nonprofit leaders who have successfully grown their organization's impact, and practical recommendations for grantmakers seeking more effective ways to achieve better results.

Social Impact Exchange and Veris Consulting Release Study on Nonprofits' Status in Scaling Impact

Please join us in reading and sharing the first-of-its-kind study of nonprofits that are scaling impact – how practitioners view scaling, their motivations and readiness to grow, the strategies they are deploying to achieve scaled impact and the challenges they face in moving forward with their plans. We hope you agree that the findings are quite interesting, with very important implications for both funders and nonprofit organizations alike. Click here for The State of Scaling Social Impact: Results of a National Study of Nonprofits and to view the press release.

The S&I 100 Index Receives National Press Attention

We are excited to share that the S& I 100 Index is getting mentioned in the media, in nonprofit sector newsletters, and on philanthropic websites since its launch on November 15, 2012. Most notably, the S&I 100 and Social Impact Exchange President, Alex Rossides, was featured in a segment about Giving Tuesday that aired as part of the PBS Nightly Business Report. The Index was also profiled in a Chronicle of Philanthropy article.

To see a list of press coverage of the S&I 100 and collateral materials provided for use in promoting the Index, please visit the press page.