As the impact and philosophy of Venture Philanthropy gains momentum in Australia, elsewhere it has taken so many paths that both newcomers and old hands need a map.

And CharityVillage.com has come up with an on line resource that offers directions in the form of VenturePhilanthropy.org.

The site describes itself as a navigational map for on-the-ground professional fundraising practitioners, which charts the Who, What, Why, When and Where to the world of Venture Philanthropy…well to the US, Canada and the UK at least!

The site points out that a web search for Venture Philanthropy can result in anything from 700 to 1700 returns but VenturePhilanthropy.org provides an easy navigational map of VP, strategic philanthropy and its close ally, social entrepreneurship.

It also aims to build a bridge between the two worlds of traditional philanthropy and Venture Philanthropy.

It offers a wide variety of definitions and discussions from the experts and links to the most recent articles and published reports on the topic.

Here are just a few of the Social Entrepreneurship & Venture Philanthropy organisations:

Community Wealth: An on line collection of case studies, models, tips and news about well-known and little-known entrepreneurial efforts to generate resources to promote social change.

Entrepreneurs Foundation: Has a mission to change the culture of the entrepreneurial sector in the Silicon Valley/Bay Area so they incorporate community involvement as a core element of their company. Make the community stronger by applying venture capital principles to scale-up successful non-profit organisations.

The Robin Hood Foundation: Robin Hood has a single objective: end poverty in New York City. It has a straightforward approach. Invest in good organisations. Give them top notch management support. Hold them accountable. Learn from their results. Duplicate their success.

World In need: Provides seed funding to social entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom and supports these investments with a blend of skills, advice and networking.

Check out the site at www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/ires11.html