Community Foundation ups support for SVP Fast Pitch with $33,000 check

The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay showed its growing support for Social Venture Partners Tampa Bay’s Fast Pitch program Wednesday with the presentation of a $33,000 sponsorship check, presented at SVP’s annual holiday party. The 2020 sponsorship is a 10 percent increase in support from 2019.

SVP Tampa Bay is the local chapter of a global network of community leaders and philanthropists that seeks to increase the impact of nonprofit organizations through investment funding and mentorship. SVP hosts its Fast Pitch program annually, helping nonprofits develop social enterprises, a model that combines the social mission of a nonprofit with the market-driven approach of a business venture.

The Fast Pitch program begins with a six-week intensive training and mentoring program, in which participants are trained by SVP Partners in skillsets such as marketing, leadership, finance, fundraising and more. The participants also practice distilling their message with their mentors for the ultimate culmination of the program, a startup style pitch night.

This upcoming year’s event will be held Feb. 20 at the Tampa Theatre. That night, each of the participating nonprofits will have three minutes to share a high-energy presentation about their mission, vision and model for social and environmental impact in front of an audience of hundreds of community members, donors, foundations and corporations. Participants have already been selected and include: Feeding Tampa Bay, Saving Our Seniors, Preserve the ‘Burg, The Little Saint Nick Foundation, Ready for Life, Inc to Inc and LiFT Academy.

Through Fast Pitch, nonprofits have the opportunity to raise the profile of their organization in the Tampa Bay community and vie for funding. The funds provided by the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay help SVP Tampa Bay give unrestricted cash prizes given out for first, second and third places, as well as the audience and past participant favorites. “The continued support of SVP Fast Pitch by the Community Foundation sends a very positive message to our not for profit community,” said Irv Cohen, Chair of Social Venture Partners.

Get 2020 SVP Fast Pitch tickets here.