San Antonio (Oct. 14, 2024) – Geekdom and Social Venture Partners San Antonio (SVPSA) have announced the launch of Mission Pitch, a program designed to empower local nonprofit organizations with the resources, mentorship, and funding needed to innovate and expand their impact in the community. Geekdom and SVPSA announced their partnership today during San Antonio Startup Week. Set to culminate with a pitch competition in October 2025, Mission Pitch invites nonprofit leaders and … Read More
Developing a Plan for Giving
A majority of giving to nonprofits is with a donation here and there. We look at our list once a year around tax time. We give to our school, to our church, maybe a hospital that helped our family. You get a lot of requests and give to those who catch us at the right time, one here, two there and so on.
All of these causes need your support, but do you actually measure the impact of your giving and see measurable change? Would you like to be more purposeful in your charitable giving? You don’t have to give a million bucks to see change. That is a myth! All of us can see an impact from our giving.
Founding Partner describes growth of SVPSA
Pawl and two other partners were introduced to the concept of Social Venture Partners (SVP) by a member of the SVP chapter in Austin. He admitted he had never heard of anything like it from a philanthropic standpoint, and was immediately intrigued. Pawl comes from a capital markets background and had worked with venture capital firms before. So the venture capital approach to business being applied to philanthropies was something that was immediately attractive for Pawl.
“I’ve seen how impactful private capital can be when applied appropriately, along with professional guidance to growing private businesses,” Pawl said. “And I thought, what a fantastic thing to do in the philanthropic world.”
A new generation of philanthropy
At 35, Garrett Brown is among the youngest SVPSA Partners, which gives him a unique perspective on engaging the next generation of philanthropists. He also has more than a decade of experience in recruiting millennial leaders to serve in community. Garrett shares some things he has learned with SVPSA.
While he believes younger professionals have a strong desire to serve, they don’t always understand the need in their communities. The key is telling a story effectively, and use appropriate communication channels to let them know what’s happening close to home, Brown said.
While he believes younger professionals have a desire to serve, they don’t always understand the need in their communities. The key is using their communication channels to let them know what’s happening close to home, Brown said.
SVPSA Founder Helmle receives Governor’s Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award
Harriet Marmon Helmle, a founding partner and first Executive Director of Social Venture Partners San Antonio, was recently recognized for her lifetime of exemplary service at the 39th annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards. Helmle is a financial advisor of new client relationships for CAPTRUST, financial advisory firm in San Antonio.
Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott announced Helmle’s award for the Governor’s Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award on Feb. 2 at the Texas Governor’s Mansion.
Helping nonprofits grow with innovation and ROI
As a wealth management advisor with over two decades in the financial services industry, SVP Partner Justin Pawl understands return on investment. That’s what makes him a big believer in SVP. For Pawl, SVP’s appeal is its adoption of the venture capital model that investors use in private enterprise: building smaller organizations and helping them scale by investing not only dollars, but professional guidance.
Life Motivates Him to Do More
By all accounts, Jason Massiatte is an American success story. He’s the executive vice president of moving services for Ward North American, overseeing five of the company’s Texas markets. He started his career there more than 20 years ago as a furniture mover, moving up the ranks to the warehouse, sales, operations, then into management training. He joined the company’s executive team this year.
More than giving money, SVPSA helps nonprofits become better stewards
Partner Spotlight: Erika Prosper As a small business owner, Senior Director of Customer Insights for H-E-B, San Antonio’s First Lady, and a volunteer board member with countless local organizations, Erika Prosper is known for her tireless work supporting important causes and nonprofits in San Antonio. She says the reason she got involved with Social Venture Partners San Antonio was simple: … Read More
Meet our partners: Jennifer and Kevin Moriarty
Giving back to the community is part of the DNA for Jennifer and Kevin Moriarty, as anyone who knows them understands. Throughout their careers, they have demonstrated a deep and personal commitment to supporting and advocating for nonprofits. In fact, they even met serving on a nonprofit board together.
Partner Profile: Harriet Marmon Helmle 
Harriet Marmon Helmle is a legend in the San Antonio nonprofit space. In addition to her work as a CPA – she is currently a Senior Financial Advisor with CAPTRUST – she has spent more than 40 years creating and growing nonprofits for San Antonio’s youth and children. She may be best known as the founder of San Antonio Youth Literacy and for her efforts to bring Communities in Schools, Girl’s Inc., and the San Antonio Education Partnership to San Antonio. We know her best as the first Executive Director and Founder of the San Antonio affiliate of Social Venture Partners.