Annual Communications Support – SVP Seattle (2021-2023)

Social Venture Partners (SVP) is a global philanthropic network that supports and invests in community-led programs, combining grant making with hands-on donor involvement through skilled volunteering and other activities.

Since 2021, SVP Seattle - the original “chapter” and founder of the broader network – has piloted a new approach to philanthropy, in collaboration with a community of active donor “Partners” who work with local community-based organizations to make collective impact. 

In 2021 Team Soapbox was hired to support the launch of SVP Seattle’s reimagined vision for a more socially and racially equitable approach to philanthropy, through messaging and materials development to announce the strategic shift. Over the next two years, we continued to support SVP through annual communications planning and monthly communications outreach that complemented SVP’s program and project development.

Every year, Team Soapbox developed an annual communications implementation plan that aligned with the goals of the organization’s reimagined vision and responded to SVP’s existing programs and audience engagement priorities. Working closely with the Executive Director and board, we aligned tactics with strategy, creating a work plan for Team Soapbox communications support, which included a mix of e-newsletter, social media, and website management alongside materials development.

One of our key insights during the second year of plan development came through an in-depth analysis of existing audience engagement with e-blasts and social media content shared by SVP. A closer look at trends and patterns in audience engagement data from our first year of collaboration allowed us to home in on the importance of “relationship” messaging and personal storytelling when engaging SVP’s priority audience of donors.

This led to our development of a communications plan centered on banking and surfacing compelling personal stories of impact. This included donor collaboration with non-profits through skilled volunteering and gifts of time, talents, and ties. We project managed and led several tactics, including:

• Writing and co-developing blog content with grantees, board members, and donors.

• Creating a regular social media posting schedule to spotlight connections between program/project work and reimagined vision goals.

• Researching and recommending event speaking and contributed media (op-ed) opportunities to the Executive Director, to highlight SVP’s philanthropic leadership.

• Developing materials to engage donors, including refreshing the SVP website to incorporate up-to-date messaging and photography and providing ongoing front-end website management and page updates as needed.