Venture philanthropy is a blend of capital and business advice to help entrepreneurial organizations achieve their ambitions for growth and development. They achieve this through three distinct characteristics. The first is an investment-minded approach where an organization supplies multi-year support to ambitious social ventures with tailored financing and sustainability and scalability. Second, they engage in an active partnership by building capacity and infrastructure and bringing non-financial resources to the ventures. And third, it is performance-based through milestones, transparency, social impact, and means of exit strategy.

The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) is an organization that promotes venture philanthropy across the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network is interested in promoting philanthropy through broader philanthropic and social investment communities, with strategies tailored to the needs of the Network’s members. They are based in Singapore and are supported by grant funding, sponsors, and partner organizations. Their backers include organizations and individuals from the finance, business, and social sectors.

The AVPN is taking venture philanthropy and multiplying the impact of financial capital through advisory services and high engagement. The AVPN is a hub for news and events focused on venture philanthropy to develop shared learning and agreed-upon best practices. They are trying to develop active country groups throughout India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and mainland China.

They are working to undertake and develop field-building activities in Asia. The AVPN is modeled off of the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). The EVPA was originally conceived as a modest and informal association to stimulate productive discussion, capture good practice, and encourage new philanthropic funds. The AVPN’s vision for Asia is a philanthropy landscape that responds to the resource needs of high-potential social purpose organizations. They encourage and facilitate the development of venture philanthropy and social enterprise across the Asia-Pacific region.

– Caitlin Zusy
Source: AVPN