Q & A with SVP Partner Janet Levinger

If you had one paragraph, how would you describe yourself?

I am passionate about children and education. Children don’t have a voice so we need to speak for them. The education system in the United States is deteriorating. Somehow the “contract” we had between generations – where one generation pays for the education of the next – has been broken. So I spend most of my time helping organizations improve our education system.

I am a bit crazy. I currently serve on eight nonprofit boards (clearly my biggest weakness is an inability to say “no”). My husband and I have been SVP partners since 1997 shortly after SVP started. I serve on the SVP board and will be board chair starting next year. I also chair the Outreach committee and co-chair the Fund Development committee. I am board president of the League of Education Voters Foundation board. I am on the United Way King County board and chair their campaign to support home visiting for at-risk families. I am on the boards of Thrive by Five Washington, Child Care Resources, and the Bellevue Schools Foundation. I am a founding board member of Eastside Pathways, a new collective impact initiative in Bellevue that seeks to build community-wide commitment to ensuring all children are ready for success in life. Finally, I was a founding board member of Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland.

I do like to have fun too. I love to cook and read. My husband and I do distance bicycling on a tandem. And our family travels a lot. I have two kids: my son is a junior in college studying physics. My daughter is a senior in high school. Both kids have participated in SVK. I am both looking forward to and dreading being an “empty-nester” next year.

What are you currently working on, and how do you personally decide which projects to work on?

I decide which projects to work on based on whether I think I can add value. I have a marketing background, am good at fundraising and strategic planning. So, I am currently helping to strengthen SVP by focusing on the continuum of outreach to retention to renewal. The Outreach Committee is creating tools and opportunities for all partners to be SVP Ambassadors. I just joined the PEG which focuses on retention, making sure partners have a good experience. The Fund Development Committee looks at renewals. Beyond SVP, I am helping LEV enter its second decade by looking a both corporate structure and strategic focus.

What is one book/blog post/article you would recommend to those interested in social betterment?

Do I have to limit myself to just one?

I am very interested in both philanthropy and education. On the philanthropy side, I read Uncharitable by Dan Pollata. Dan spoke at the SVPI conference. His presentation and book have really made me re-examine how I think about nonprofits and figure out what makes a good nonprofit. Another is the Non-Profit Strategy Revolution by David La Piana, which advocates an iterative approach to strategic planning rather than creating a three or five year plan which is put on a back shelf and forgotten.

On the education side, I would recommend:

The Flat World and Education, by Linda Darling-Hammond. This book provides a good overview of the problems with our education system and provides some solutions.

The Global Achievement Gap, by Tony Wagner. A big fear of mine is that we’ll reform our schools and still end up not being competitive globally. This books makes the case.

If SVP could solve one problem in King Country, what should it be?

We have to work on how we can make nonprofits the most effective. In tight economic times, we all must be smart about how our philanthropic dollars are used. This includes overhead – we have lots of small nonprofits that could share back office services, for example. But we should be looking mostly at outcomes. Are nonprofits having impact?

What has been your most interesting experience thus far at SVP?

As someone who has been a partner for a long time, I’ve done so many things with SVP that it is hard to identify one most interesting experience. But I think going to the SVPI conferences are the most inspiring. Meeting with other like-minded people from all over North America (and Japan) gives me optimism that we really can help individuals, organizations, and communities reach their potential.

How should other like-minded Partners/people get in touch with you?

I enjoy meeting with partners and am happy to have coffee with anyone. I have a broad network and like to help people make connections. Send me an email: JanetL@JL.com.