August 2014 Edition

Dear all, 15 July 2014 marks the launch of AVPN’s Knowledge Centre as an ongoing effort to grow the Venture Philanthropy (VP) sector by fostering greater engagement amongst our members through capacity building and knowledge sharing initiatives. As a strong proponent of social investing in Asia, I am thrilled to take on the new role as Managing Director of the Knowledge Centre.Leveraging the latest in community management and search technologies, we will establish an online platform that will serve the information needs of AVPN members. By aggregating a broad cross-section of pre-existing sector content (webinars, trainings, publications, news, blogs, etc.) and matching this content to the specific needs of each member, we will deliver to members a customized and personal online experience. We aim for the AVPN website to be the first stop for anyone seeking tailored information on Asian philanthropy.Members will also be able to share their investment activities and resource needs through this platform, and in doing so, quickly identify collaborators or co-investors. We will also partner with other academic institutions, or commission independent research, to help members address information gaps in the ecosystem.To support members with capability development in various VP practice areas, we will create a capability maturity model relevant to the sector, and curate content to help members progress through the levels. Think about this service like a personal trainer in a fitness gym: should you choose to engage this service, you can benchmark your own practice against this model, set your goals and we will work with you to progress towards them.Through my new role, I hope to help members progress through capability maturity levels and foster greater engagement in the sector. There are many exciting things in store for our members in the coming years, so we strongly encourage all of you to tap into our network and grow the Venture Philanthropy sector in Asia with us!Best regards,Kevin