Deepening your giving practice takes reflection, conversation, and community. SVP Seattle’s Purposeful Philanthropy Cohort brought together four Partners to learn from one another, engage with nonprofit leaders, and explore more intentional approaches to giving.
Learning Together
Over four sessions from fall 2025 through spring 2026, a group of four Partners came together to reflect on their values, learn directly from nonprofit leaders, and build more intentional approaches to giving.
Ian Blaine, Cynthia Tee, Patti Skoda, and Robin Lorenzini each joined the cohort from a different place.
Ian wanted to be more strategic about where his resources went. Cynthia was ready to bring a more deliberate, criteria-driven approach to her giving. Patti had just become an SVP Partner and was looking to learn more about philanthropy and build her own giving plan. Robin was returning to SVP after nearly two decades away, looking to reengage with local philanthropy.
The cohort was supported through a series of peer workshops and leadership conversations with seasoned philanthropists in our region. Ian was struck by how specific the conversations got: “This got very specific in terms of methodologies and philosophies, which was great.”
Cynthia discovered a much wider landscape of giving options than she had known. “Learning about donor networks and other vehicles for community investment made me realize how much more intentional I could be.”
For Robin, a longtime philanthropist, the experience validated and deepened the direction she had already been heading. “Small groups of people who are curious about a subject and want to learn from each other is the best way to do it.”
Patti was moved by the openness of her fellow cohort members. “It was refreshing to see how unique each person’s path is. There is no right or wrong way to incorporate this into your life.”
The most durable impact happens when you invest in capability, not just outcomes.
Giving Together to BIPOC-Led Nonprofits
SVP is a place where learning can directly translate into practice. As the cohort deepened their understanding of how philanthropy can either reinforce or help address inequities in funding, the group found themselves drawn to GrowFundMe.
GrowFundMe supports BIPOC-led and serving nonprofits with budgets under $500k, that are often closest to the challenges in their communities but least likely to receive traditional philanthropic funding.
“When we all came together so quickly around wanting to support GrowFundMe, that rarely happens in a group. It was such a great fit,” Robin shared.
Together, the cohort contributed $24,500 to GrowFundMe, an investment that will go directly to organizations building momentum in our community in the form of pass-through grants.
Ian saw the giving decision as a natural extension of the cohort’s spirit: “GrowFundMe represented such a great opportunity to combine our resources towards a cohort of nonprofits that are all on the cusp of growth at varying levels, all doing really meaningful work in our community.”
Growing Impact
Each Partner left with a clearer path forward: new conversations with family about shared giving, deeper commitments to specific organizations, and continued engagement in donor networks and SVP programs.
This is what it looks like when people deepen their giving together: stronger relationships, more intentional investments, and shared action in support of community-led change.
Excited about this work? Here’s what you can do next:
- Join the next Purposeful Philanthropy Cohort! Email info@svpseattle.org for more information.
- Interested in joining the next GrowFundMe cohort? Check out the GrowFundMe website.
- Join us June 11 for the GrowFundMe: Thrive showcase event!
- Support more work like this by making a donation.
