Social Venture Partners’ Fast Pitch

Nonprofit All-Stars

Fast Pitch Finalists Stand Out in Virtual Showcase

A pandemic was the unlikely catalyst that led Social Venture Partners Tucson to retool its Fast Pitch competition showcase – which has strengthened infrastructure, built leadership and pumped positive impact into Tucson’s nonprofits in its six years.

“Operating as we have in the past simply was not good enough,” said SVP Tucson CEO Ciara Garcia.

The traditionally in-person networking fundraiser morphed last spring into an online interactive experience. The result was Fast Pitch’s largest ever ticketed audience – 570 (355 purchased, 215 sponsored) from 23 cities and five countries – Japan, Australia, Spain, India and Canada.

Multi-language chats posted alongside pitch videos raised some $218,762 in sponsor awards, community donations and matching grants – the most since the program’s inception.

“This diverse class and their stories were unique in many ways,” Garcia said. “We have never seen this level of connection among the participants, despite the virtual aspects required.”

Since 2015, SVP Tucson has injected more than $1 million into the community and trained 78 nonprofits in effective donor connection.

Fast Pitch 2021 featured these organizations.

Boys & Girls Clubs

bgctucson.org Yvonne Pysher, presenter SVP Tucson Together Award ($1,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) The Boys & Girls Club of Tucson gives youth access to caring staff and safe spaces that enhance lives and shape futures. The clubhouse provides programs on education, careers, character, leadership, arts, health and life skills.

Boys To Men Tucson

btmtucson.com Michael Brasher, presenter AZ Complete Health Community Transformation Award ($5,000) Connie Hillman Family Foundation Community Catalyst Award ($15,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) Boys To Men Tucson’s volunteer mentors strengthen communities by guiding middle and high school boys on their journey to manhood. Mentors are recruited and supported with a variety of programs and events, including adventure outings and intergenerational healthy masculinity initiatives.

JobPath

jobpath.net Sarah Henderson, presenter SVP Tucson Together Award ($1,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) JobPath helps underserved adults get into in-demand, high-wage careers by fast-tracking education and job-training programs. The Pima County Interfaith Council and other community leaders founded the workforce development and advocacy agency to remove barriers in education and career development.

Make Way for Books

makewayforbooks.org Fernando González, presenter SVP Tucson Together Award ($1,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) Make Way for Books provides early-literacy programs, services and resources to 30,000 Southern Arizona children, parents and educators.

Native Music Coalition

nativemusiccoalition.org Vince Flores, presenter Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Equity Award ($5,000) Maley-Schaffner Innovative Solutions Award ($5,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) Indigenous artists formed the Native Music Coalition to help tribal youth combat

By Monica Surfaro Spigelman

drug and alcohol dependence by preserving their culture. Events and workshops promote self-identity through community building, education, oral history and traditional musical arts.

Second Chance Tucson

secondchancetucson.org Daniel Howe, presenter Connie Hillman Family Foundation Impact Award ($15,000) TEP Power to the People Award ($15,000+ Startup Tucson spotlight/training features) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) Second Chance Tucson is a coalition of nonprofit, faith-based, government and law enforcement agencies that provide employment opportunities for former convicts. It focuses on reducing recidivism and increasing community awareness about reentry.

Sunnyside Foundation

sunnysidefoundation.org Patrick Robles, presenter SVP Tucson Award ($10,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) Alumni-founded Sunnyside Foundation invests in Sunnyside Unified School District education programs in fine arts, music, literacy, science, technology, engineering and student wellness.

Therapeutic Riding of Tucson

trotarizona.org Margaux DeConcini, presenter SVP Tucson Together Award ($1,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) TROT introduces thousands of individuals with special needs to the benefits of horseback riding in an experiential learning approach. TROT helps develop life skills for educational, professional and personal goals.

TMM Family Services

tmmfs.org Raymond Wells, presenter SVP Tucson Together Award ($1,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) TMM Family Services annually serves more than 3,350 individuals with housing and program support for families at risk, children in foster care, veterans, seniors and residents who are or at risk of becoming homeless.

YWCA Southern Arizona

ywcatucson.org Imelda Esquer, presenter Citi Welcoming What’s Next Award ($5,000) Steve Goulding Celebration of Life Award ($2,000) Marshall Foundation Class of 2021 Award ($500) YWCA programs and special events aims to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity.

You’re Not the Owner, You’re the Head of HR

By Jason Flax Benefits Executive, AssuredPartners of Arizona – SHRM-GT Legislative Director

You had a great idea, found the money, and the location was perfect. You convinced a couple of friends to come work for you and then launched your new business. What an amazing feeling!

The business is growing faster than you imagined. Years go by and suddenly the growth stops. Frustration sets in. You start questioning everything. What’s wrong? Why aren’t people doing their job? You have meetings to tell your employees what to do. They already feel frustrated and overworked. Employees start to quit. You have meetings about meetings. More people quit. Why is it so hard to find good people? Nothing is working.

Sound familiar? Being a business owner isn’t always the dream you thought it would be. It’s a lot of hard work. You’ve put yourself into a position you may have never been in before. You are now responsible for every person who works for you. Let that sink in for a second … you are responsible. Maybe it’s time to ask some important questions. Are you a leader or a manager? What does the business need? Who can help me figure this out?

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others,” according to Jack Welch, chemical engineer, author and longtime General Electric chairman and CEO.

What is human resources? A simple definition of HR is a person or team that oversees every aspect of the employee life cycle in an organization. As an owner, HR should be one of your closest advisers. This is because they have the pulse of the employees and can help you create an environment where employees have a high level of engagement and can thrive. This environment creates consistent growth and profits.

That environment should consist of five core items: 1. A clear vision with goals: If everyone knows where to go, they’ll figure out a way to get there. 2. Tools/technology: Does everyone have what they need to get the job done in the most efficient manner? 3. Training and development: How to do the job and especially how to be a manager/coach. 4. Career growth opportunities: No one wants to do the same job forever. 5. Compensation/benefits: Paying the appropriate wage for the job/skill level and a benefit package that accommodates all generations in your workforce.

Have a plan, hire for attitude, train/ develop skills, get out of the way and reward for excelling at the job. Congratulations! You are now the head of HR. Biz