Greetings to our friends and partners around the world. 2010 has proved to be a year of many earthquakes, and here at SVG we have been watching closely the aftermath of the April 14th earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai province. Please follow us on our blog (http://blog.socialventuregroup.com) to hear the latest updates with regards to philanthropy and giving.

We have been keeping very busy here at Team SVG this spring, and we thank you for your continued support. In the last few months, we have welcomed the addition of two family foundations to our roster of clients, as well as, a local fashion design house seeking to have more social impact in the Shanghai community. 

We've also launched several initiatives in Shanghai to make it easier for donors to connect with local causes. One such even is our new bi-monthly Drinks for a Cause event, in which we platform a local cause in the community and provide a meeting point for networking and volunteering. Stay tuned for our next event!

We also recently welcomed a new intern to our team, Chris Tsang, who just graduated from Rice University and has been a great addition to our team! If you are interested in reading more information about the China philanthropy landscape, please subscribed to our blog. We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter, and we welcome and feedback or questions you may have for us!

With love,
the SVG Team: Grace, Leo, Nora, Renee, Georgia, Chris & Sam

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Summer and fall 2009 have been a full and busy time here at SVG! !Over the summer, we had the privilege of assisting a new client in Hong Kong identify a number of early stage investment opportunities in China’s social enterprise landscape. In this issue’s Social Enterprise Spotlight, we profile one of our favorite examples of social enterprise in China, Town & Talent Technologies. Social enterprise is such a hot topic now in China, and we’re privileged to have a front-row seat on the action.

In August, SVG co-hosted a call with Give2Asia on “China Emerging Philanthropic Landscape.” On the call (which is available for listening on our blog), Grace gave an overview of China’s philanthropic world, which included looking at the impact of giving in China after the Sichuan earthquake last year. In September, SVG was profiled in the New York Times in an article about the state of corporate philanthropy in China. We have been really excited about these opportunities to bring more awareness to China’s growing interest in philanthropy and charitable causes.

From September until now, we have also been helping to structure a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy for a Silicon-Valley based software company’s China operations. We have really enjoyed working with their team of earnest and talented engineers, to apply their skills and talents to helping those in need in their own community.

We have several more projects in the works. As a team we are busy preparing to launch China’s first online charity gift catalogue, in time for the 2009 Christmas season. The catalogue will feature “charitable gifts” from local grassroots nonprofit in China. We will be targeting a demographic of young people ages 18-35 who are interested in social causes and making a difference. Once we launch the site, we will be sending an announcement and asking for your help to get the word among your networks!

Finally, we’ll end with a story. Recently, SVG team member Nora Gao bumped into an influential and senior member of the nonprofit community in Shanghai who expressed surprise that she was still working for SVG. He was even more astonished that the core group of us who started the day-to-day operations of SVG in 2006 are still around as well, when most non-profit organizations in China experience rapid staff turnover. He asked her what the secret was, and she said, “It’s because we all hold onto the same vision and values.” We feel so fortunate to have a team that is dedicated and shares the same goals and ideals. Likewise, we are so thankful for your friendship and encouragement as we continue on this journey!

With love,
the SVG Team: Grace, Leo, Nora, Renee, Georgia & Sam

 Download the newsletter December 2009