In early November, I had the pleasure to be part of a panel conversation on Achieving High Impact Philanthropy as part of the ASU Lodestar Center's PhilanthropyMatters Speaker Series. These events are designed to share leading-edge thinking and to stimulate new ideas for philanthropy in Arizona.

Social Venture Partners Arizona Founder Jerry Hirsch introduced Kat Rosqueta, Founding Executive Director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania, to 80 attendees. She shared research and examples of high impact philanthropy from her 10 years of work. Following, Dr. Robert Ashcraft, ASU Lodestar Center's Executive Director, facilitated a conversation with Kat, Partner Jacky Alling from the Arizona Community Foundation and me, where we discussed the high impact philanthropy ecosystem in Arizona. 

Connecting with Kat was like meeting a fellow tribe partner! Just like her center at the University of Pennsylvania, SVP focuses on being a resource to help people achieve high social impact in their philanthropic giving. Kat outlined four characteristics of high impact giving.

• Social Impact — What is the positive change in the world you want to create?
• Evidence Informed — We get informed with the best available evidence to build off what is already known, pushing to create even more change.
• Bang for the Buck — We always consider the social return on investment we are trying to achieve with the financial contribution we are making.
• Commitment to Continuous Learning — We make progress because we are open to learning and course correcting, as we need to.

For me, the evening validated the important work we do at SVP. I am proud to be associated with a group of partners who are committed to creating even higher social impact. We all want to create meaningful and positive change in the lives of others that has true impact, and we are doing it!

Terri Wogan Calderón is Executive Director and Partner of Social Venture Partners Arizona (SVPAZ).

Pictured, from left: Jill Watts, Director of Capacity Building Initiatives at the ASU Lodestar Center; Jerry Hirsch, Chairman of The Lodestar Foundation; Robert Ashcraft, Ph.D., Executive Director of the ASU Lodestar Center; Kat Rosqueta, Founding Executive Director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy; Terri Wogan Calderón, Executive Director and Partner of Social Venture Partners Arizona; and Jacky Alling, Chief Philanthropy Officer of the Arizona Community Foundation. See more photos from the event on our Facebook page. The next PhilanthropyMatters event is Feb. 8, 2018, on social return on investment and the impact of Arizona's nonprofits.

• On a National Day of Service, Public Allies Arizona Makes a Difference in a Phoenix Neighborhood
• Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Can Drive Donors and Increase Volunteers