Social Venture Partners Arizona’s Annual ‘Fast Pitch’ Event Sets Record Attendance, Raises $100,000 for Local Nonprofits

Social Venture Partners Arizona March 8, 2016

Social Venture Partners Arizona (SVPAZ) hosted its sixth annual Fast Pitch on March 1, attracting a record 600 attendees to an event where social entrepreneurs compete in front of a live audience to “pitch” grant funders and donors so they can better fulfill their missions and grow their reach.

Held at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, eight Phoenix-area nonprofits and one student group from Arizona State University competed for $60,000 in cash awards and grants. Further, community leaders, business executives and philanthropists in attendance donated an additional $40,000 after hearing the pitches.

“This event is exhilarating and inspiring. It’s a wonderful example of how just a few members of our community are capable of effecting change on such a large, powerful scale,” said SVPAZ Executive Director Terri Wogan-Calderón. “Each year, the nonprofit leaders raise the bar, and this year was no different. Our winners are creative, cunning and will no doubt make a life-altering impact in Arizona and beyond.”

Winners of the 2016 Fast Pitch include:

SVPAZ Award, which includes a year of business mentorship from SVP partners ($25,000) – ONe TRUe LOVe
Judge’s Award ($10,000) – Homeless ID Project
Kiita “Get Up & Go” Award ($7,500) – Resilient Me
Audience Choice Award ($2,500) – Homeless ID Project
Mentor’s Choice Award ($2,500) – Resilient Me
ASU Rob & Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Award ($2,500) – ONe TRUe LOVe
ASU Student Award ($2,000) – Literacy For All, Inc.

The live event is a culmination of an eight-week program in which 20 nonprofits received coaching and technical expertise from the business and philanthropic community to help hone their message and build a foundation for future success. The finalists each had three minutes to pitch a panel of judges. Fast Pitch dares to ask the question: “How can you change the world in three minutes?” The eight finalists who competed for funding on stage included leaders from the following nonprofits:

For additional information about Fast Pitch and Social Venture Partners, visit www.svpaz.org.

About Social Venture Partners Arizona:
Social Venture Partners Arizona (SVPAZ) is an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy. It offers partners an innovative way to give of their time and talents, as well as donate funds to non-profit organizations focusing on children and education. The “partners” who join SVPAZ operate like venture capitalists, providing infrastructure building skills and resources to promising non-profit organizations. www.svpaz.org.