Services
Philanthropists, Foundations and Social Investors
Positive Ventures works with donors and social investors to increase the impact of their philanthropic investment and to develop tailored, effective strategies for meeting their objectives. Services include, but are not limited to:
Strategy development and implementation.
Positive Ventures works with clients to define and implement the most effective strategy for investing resources (including capital, expertise and networks).
Capacity building for grantees.
Positive Ventures provides training and capacity building to grantees to complement financial support. Particular expertise is in the areas of earned income strategies, social enterprise, business planning and financial sustainability.
Assessment and launch of new ventures.
Philanthropists will often have ideas for nonprofits or ventures that they would like to launch themselves. Positive Ventures works with entrepreneurs to develop such ideas, from idea stage through launch.
Due diligence / screening of potential philanthropic investees.
Determining which organizations or social entrepreneurs to support can be a daunting challenge. Positive Ventures designs and implements due diligence and screening processes to select investees. These processes combine the rigour of a venture capitalist with the heart of a philanthropist.
Performance measurement.
It is a critical challenge to understand how the investment strategy is working, as well as how the organization is performing. Positive Ventures helps clients to develop and implement streamlined performance measures to guide strategy.
Nonprofits
Positive Ventures translates and applies business practices into the nonprofit sector to increase organizational sustainability and mission impact. Services include, but are not limited to:
Business planning and analysis.
Positive Ventures works with organizational leadership to develop business plans for individual ventures or for overall organizations. We aim to both assess the particular venture's viability as well as to train the organization on how to develop business plans.
Financial strategy and sustainability planning.
One of the key challenges facing many nonprofits is developing a financially sustainable organization that allows for growth and development. Positive Ventures works with nonprofit leaders to design tailored strategies for sustainable financial growth.
Social enterprise and earned income ventures.
A growing number of nonprofits are developing social enterprises or earned income ventures - entrepreneurial activities owned and operated by the nonprofit with the goal of creating financial and social returns. Positive Ventures works with nonprofits that are interested in developing social enterprises from evaluating organizational readiness through business planning and implementation. We also work with existing social enterprises looking to grow.
Socially Responsible Businesses
Positive Ventures works with socially responsible business on balancing the social and financial bottom lines. Services include, but are not limited to:
Business planning and analysis.
Positive Ventures works with organizational leadership to develop business plans for socially responsible businesses, with a particular focus on integrating social impact into the business model.
Positive Ventures can work with clients in a range of flexible ways. Consulting can be provided on a per project basis or by retainer. Training can be provided through individual consulting or workshops.
All services are available in English and Spanish.