About us

We, at Social Profit Network, believe that one of the most powerful ways to fuel world change is to put resources into the hands of proven social entrepreneurs. SPN defines social entrepreneurs as individuals and organizations that combine the passion of a social mission with business rigor, innovation, and determination. The social entrepreneurs with whom we engage strive to make all of their projects economically self-sustaining, and, in many cases, cash-flow positive.

We seek out and engage with proven social entrepreneurs, provide seed capital, help with strategic project development, and connect them to individuals who want to invest their resources, money, connections, skills, knowledge, in economically sustainable, socially profitable projects.

This model has resulted in our ability to help launch and scale projects that show significant social and economic returns.

Team
Advisors
FAQ

Team

Robert Levenson, Founder, Chairman
Robert founded and still runs VMI, a successful silicon valley financial planning firm. Additionally, Robert has founded several nonprofits including the If Not Now When Fund (INNW), which is noted in the Bay Area for its “money plus intelligence” model of philanthropy. INNW is also noted for its support of Bay Area environmental groups including the Committee for Green Foothills, Hidden Villa and the Peninsula Open Space Trust among others. Robert works closely with the rest of the team on money management and is deeply engaged in defining strategies for SPN and its social entrepreneurs.

Marianne Nave, CEO, CFO
Marianne has deep experience in accounting and financial management having been CFO for Rosewood Capital, a Venture Capital firm, then partner at Delagnes, Mitchell and Linder CPAs, and finally owning her own accounting practice. As CEO and CFO, Marianne ensures that funding coming into SPN and its social entrepreneurs is managed strategically.

Rob Cooke, COO
Rob Cooke provides strong business and nonprofit management skills to SPN's social entrepreneurs, and the SPN core organization itself. Rob has a broad range of experience with start-up entrepreneurial companies, nonprofits, and large Fortune 100 companies. In his latest role as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the small start-up sustainability consultancy, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), Rob had responsibility for day-to-day operations, setting the overall strategic and operating direction of the company. Over a three-year period, Rob successfully restructured the organization, created several new entities and launched a dynamic non-profit company. Additionally, Rob was instrumental in generating new business with companies like PepsiCo, Volvo, Shaw Carpet, Ford, Alcoa, BP, Steelcase and Nike.Prior to joining MBDC, Rob spent eighteen years with General Electric. While at GE, Rob held executive positions in finance, marketing, business development and general management, including the position of President and General Manager of GE's industrial computer company.

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Advisors

Rob Wexler, Silk, Adler, Colvin
ROBERT WEXLER received his A.B., magna cum laude, in 1982 from Brown University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1985, he received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Stone Scholar and Book Review Editor of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. Mr. Wexler is a member of the Taxation Section of the American bar Association. Before joining the firm, Mr. Wexler represented commercial and nonprofit clients, including healthcare institutions, in tax and business matters. Mr. Wexler is the editor of Exempt Organizations Department of the Journal of Taxation. His most recent publication is "TRA '97 Brings Charities a Little Relief . . . and Maybe a Lot of Grief," Journal of Taxation (1997). He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Nonprofit Organization Management of the University of San Francisco, and he serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation. Mr. Wexler's biography is contained in Who's Who in American Law . Rob advises SPN as well as SPN's social entrepreneurs. www.silklaw.com

Michael Glenn
Michael gained experience in electrical engineering at GTE Lenkurt and Ampex Corporation. At Townsend & Townsend, Michael counseled clients in all aspects of intellectual property law. As Intel Corporation's first Patent Counsel, Michael was Intel's "substantive intellectual property law expert." Michael served as Senior Counsel for both National Semiconductor Corporation and Digital Equipment Corporation. He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible. In addition to his practice here at the Glenn Patent Group, Michael is an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, and past chair of the California State Bar Intellectual Property Section. www.glenn-law.com

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FAQ

Q: What is a social entrepreneur?

A: Many people in the world have the common goal of improving the social and environmental state of the planet. We, at SPN, believe that one of the most powerful ways to fuel world change is to put the power of change into the hands of social entrepreneurs. SPN defines social entrepreneurs as individuals and organizations that combine the passion of a social mission with business rigor, innovation and determination. The social entrepreneurs with whom we engage strive to make all of their projects economically self-sustaining, and, in many cases, cash-flow positive. In our experience, it is these kinds of social entrepreneurs who have the most impact, faster, and more efficiently than any other group. Social entrepreneurs are, by definition, entrepreneurial—they have lean, agile, high-functioning teams that work quickly and intelligently to create and implement solutions.

Q: What is a philanthropic entrepreneur?

A: There are many well-intentioned people who want to contribute their money, skills, knowledge, and connections to improving the world’s condition. We call them philanthropic entrepreneurs.

Q: What does SPN provide to philanthropic entrepreneurs?

A: Often people struggle to find trustworthy, non-bureaucratic, truly high-impact individuals or organizations to engage with. When they can’t, they give to “safe” organizations (normally highly bureaucratic), or to none at all, never connecting deeply to a cause and never feeling that they’ve had a real, positive impact on a community or world issue. SPN provides connections to proven projects and individuals in addition to a network of other resources. People can participate at any level that they choose.

Q: How was SPN formed?

A: History: Robert Levenson, the founder of SPN, spent most of his life running a successful financial planning firm. In 1991, Robert formed the If Not Now When Fund (INNW Fund) which proactively partnered with organizations more deeply than conventional philanthropic organizations would. They worked with organizations over the long haul, offering knowledge, experience, strategic help, seed money and contacts at critical junctures, helping organizations become self-sustaining and independent. By experiencing with this new model for philanthropy, Robert realized that the philanthropic system as a whole was failing. Organizations were spending the majority of their time raising money—and spending all of their money to raise more money. As a result, organizations were not nearly as effective as they could be if they were to have ongoing access to funding and were structured in ways that would make them economically self-sustainable within a reasonable timeframe.

Based on his learning at INNW, Robert created SPN in 2000 as a new model for philanthropy where capital is applied to socially-beneficial ventures to get solutions off the ground and later scale them. A network of social entrepreneurs and philanthropic entrepreneurs is now forming where best practices can be shared and where people engaged in solving social issues can apply their strategic skills, knowledge, and connections to making social solutions successful.

Q: Why should philanthropic entrepreneurs work with SPN?

A: SPN provides valuable support to its social entrepreneurs. With Robert's background in financial planning, he and his team are able to work with social entrepreneurs to make the most of the money that comes to them—and to manage it wisely in launching and scaling solutions. Additionally, the core team at SPN provides substantial help to social entrepreneurs on strategy, operational effectiveness, and communications activities. The core team also searches out and researches the potential effectiveness of the social entrepreneurs around the world with whom we engage so that philanthropic entrepreneurs can be sure that their donations will have substantial impact.

Q: How are social entrepreneurs selected?

A: Nearly all of the social entrepreneurs with whom we work have come to us via recommendations from the other social entrepreneurs within SPN. We research their organizational structure and assess the effectiveness of the work they've done to ensure that they are or have the potential to be high-functioning organizations, and have the ability to become economically self-sustaining within a reasonable period of time. SPN then chooses to invest in and work with social entrepreneurs who have a proven track record of success as well as those whose projects address a defined and understandable set of objectives.

Q: What other projects has SPN spearheaded? Can you demonstrate success?

A: SPN has been involved in a number of successful and ongoing projects all spearheaded by social entrepreneurs. These include Benetech, an organization founded by scientist Jim Fruchterman to create and disseminate technology for humanity; David Green's Project Impact; ANAI and the Talamanca Initiative which helps local communities in southeast Costa Rica become economically self reliant while preserving the region's biodiversity; and Dr. Venketaswamy who founded Aravind Eye Care System, an economically self-sustaining eye care group that started in India and is now spreading throughout the developing world. You can learn more about these and other projects in our case studies section.

Further, SPN is affiliated with other non-profits including the INNW Fund of which Robert Levenson is a principal. INNW is noted in the Bay Area for its “money plus intelligence” model of philanthropy and was recently honored at Bay Area's National Philanthropy Day celebration for outstanding Foundation. INNW is also noted for its support of Bay Area environmental groups including the Committee for Green Foothills, Hidden Villa and the Peninsula Open Space Trust among others. SPN is also affiliated with the Self Starters Fund of the Peninsula Community Foundation. SPN works with PCF to minimize the bureaucracy often associated with philanthropic ventures.

Q: What mechanisms does SPN use to evaluate progress?

A: SPN maintains deep involvement in each of its social entrepreneurs projects providing strategic guidance, financing and planning every step of the way. That said, once social entrepreneurs and their work are researched, a foundation of trust is established between SPN and the social entrepreneurs—we believe that the social entrepreneurs are the experts, and closest to the issues they are working to solve. We exist to support their efforts and fuel their success.

Q: How does SPN differ from other philanthropic or social venture organizations?

A: SPN differs in three ways:

• Speed: We find our social entrepreneurs through our existing social entrepreneur network with whom we have already established strong working relationships and a solid base of trust. Our decisions about strategy and financing are made within days or weeks instead of the months that most organizations require.
• Strategic expertise and connections: The core team at SPN has substantial operational, organizational and financial management skills—things we see as key to ensuring that projects can achieve their potential. We stay deeply engaged with our social entrepreneurs throughout each stage of growth.
• Lack of bureaucracy: When SPN decides to act, we do it quickly, with minimal paperwork and formality. We rely on the strong reciprocal level of trust that has been built with our social and philanthropic partners and believe strongly in the work they are doing.

This vision means that we want our model of supporting social entrepreneurs to self-proliferate and hope that it is replicated by others.

Q: How does funding actually work?

A: Philanthropic entrepreneurs can fund SPN or a particular SPN social entrepreneur's work they are interested in. A small percentage of funding, normally less than 10%, goes to SPN's operational capacity (the percentage varies depending on social entrepreneurs' needs and philanthropic entrepreneurs' desires) to enable us to continue to grow our network of highly-effective social entrepreneurs and to provide them with strategy, legal advice, communications, and other resources. The remaining money is disbursed to the social entrepreneurs. All funds are tax deductible.

Q: Are donations to SPN tax deductible?

A: Yes, all donations to SPN are tax deductible.

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