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Monthly Learning Session #12: Impact Investing
Wednesday, February 9 at 5:00pm

Session Handouts

Monthly Learning Session #11: Trust Based Philanthropy
Tuesday, January 18, 12-1:30pm EST

Shaady Salehi, Director, The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project 

Shaady Salehi is a strategist, facilitator, and network builder who has dedicated nearly two decades to the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the director of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, a learning and advocacy initiative to make trust-based practices the norm in the philanthropic sector. She is also Principal and Founder of Skyview Strategies, a social impact consultancy for nonprofits, foundations, and changemakers. Her work in the nonprofit sector has spanned many roles -- from department head, to executive director, to board member -- and her main body of work has centered on using film, media, and strategic communications to advance social change. 

Previously, Shaady was Managing Director of Distribution and Impact at ITVS, where she led a team to advance the reach and impact of documentaries on public television. Prior to ITVS, she was Executive Director of Active Voice, a pioneering organization that uses storytelling to catalyze social change. Shaady is a 2014 Aspen Institute Fellow and sits on the board of Let It Ripple, a nonprofit that experiments with collaborative filmmaking for the common good. She holds an M.S. in Strategic Communications from Columbia University, and an M.A. in Anthropology from UC Davis.

Caitlan Cole, Collaboration Coordinator, The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project


Caitlan Cole serves as Collaboration Coordinator at the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, where she cultivates partnerships, manages programming logistics and assists with internal operations. She began her career as an AmeriCorps VISTA supporting the development of a Project-Based Learning/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) model at a PreK-12 public charter school in Atlanta. She joined the school as Grants Manager, securing and managing both public and private funding and working to bring a community-centered approach to fundraising. This experience catalyzed her professional interest in reimagining the field of philanthropy. She is originally from Louisville, KY, and holds a B.A. in English from Centre College.

Monthly Learning Session #10: Strategic Planning
Wednesday, November 11, 5-7pm EST

Pre-Readings

Session Worksheets

Speaker Bios

Coby Lerner, Slingshot Board Co-Chair and Strategic Planning Lead

Coby Lerner is the Director of Strategy and Organizational Effectiveness at American Jewish World Service and Board Chair of Slingshot. With a background in design thinking, strategy consulting, and facilitation, Coby brings a varied toolkit to his work helping organizations understand their most intractable challenges in new ways. As a consultant, Coby has worked with leading universities, technology companies, and cultural institutions, taking an integrated approach to space, service, and strategy design. This work is anchored in deep research, user-centric thinking, and co-creation, ensuring both realistic aspirations and increasing the likelihood of adoption. At Slingshot, Coby helped create the organization’s first strategic plan, supporting it's growth beyond its earliest successes. Coby studied Communications, Consumer Psychology, and Art History at the University of Pennsylvania. After school, he moved to New York City, where he currently lives with his wife, Nadine, and their dog.

Karen Green, HIAS Board Member

Karen Green is a nonprofit governance consultant. She spent 20 years in the philanthropic giving sector in positions including Vice President of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, President of the Healthcare Initiative Foundation, and Associate Director of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. Early in her career, she directed refugee resettlement efforts in Singapore and Indonesia to bring Vietnamese refugees to the U.S., and led business advisory services for the U.S-China Business Council. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a M. P. A. from Harvard University. An active volunteer, Green currently serves on the global board of HIAS (Mission: Welcome the stranger and protect the refugee) and chairs its Governance Committee. At Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, MD, she is on the Social Action Committee focusing on refugee resettlement. Her mother and grandparents were resettled by HIAS.

Mark Hetfield, HIAS CEO & President

Mark Hetfield first joined HIAS in 1989 as a caseworker in Rome, Italy. He has worked for the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a large law firm as an immigration attorney, and has held multiple roles at HIAS over the years. Since being named HIAS’ President and CEO in 2013, Mark has led the transformation of HIAS from helping refugees because they were Jewish to helping refugees because we are Jewish. Mark is proud of HIAS’ role in assisting and resettling refugees of all faiths and ethnicities and as a major implementing partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency and the U.S. Department of State. He is a frequent commentator and writer on refugee issues on television, radio, newspapers, and other media outlets. Mark holds both a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University.

Monthly Learning Session #9: New Philanthropic Approaches
Tuesday, October 12, 12pm - 1:30pm EST

Jaimie Mayer is a Creative Producer, Social Entrepreneur and Innovator, and avid Philanthropist. She currently serves as the Chair of The Nathan Cummings Foundation, having previously served on the board for over two decades, and Vice President of the Mayer-Rothschild Foundation. Jaimie served as the President and Founder of The Buddy Fund for Justice through the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for five years, as well as the final Chair of the Council on Foundations Film Festival and the Film and Video Festival and Film and Video Task Force. Jaimie’s background in the arts spans two decades in both theatre and film. Jaimie has produced on Broadway and off and had films premiere at Sundance and on Showtime. Most recently, she ran Magic Theatre in San Francisco, as Managing Director. With Magic, she had the privilege of producing works by Taylor Mac, Paula Vogel, Mfoniso Udofia, and many more. She previously served as the Producing Director of COAL, a musical meant to catalyze and spark individuals and communities to find their voice in the climate change movement. In the philanthropic realm, Jaimie runs a consulting business working with philanthropists in their 20s and 30s looking to create their philanthropic footprint, with families trying to integrate the next generation, and with non-profits cultivating individuals in their 20s and 30s. She has worked with a number of individuals, foundations, and non-profits in the United States, Canada, and Israel and past clients include Reboot, America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and the EcoHealth Alliance. Jaimie holds an Executive MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University's School of The Arts. She is the Vice Chair of ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) and sits on the board of The Vineyard Theatre.

Speaker: Becky Silverstein

Becky Silverstein (he/him) believes in the power of community, Torah, and silliness in transforming the world. He strives to build a Jewish community and world that encourages and allows everyone to live a life that reflects their inherent divinity / dignity. Becky is a Schusterman Fellow, co-initiator of the Trans Halakha Project, and SVARA Fellow. He currently serves as the chair of the boards of SVARA and the Jewish Studio Project. Becky grew up in New York, holds a B.S. in Engineering from Smith College and Rabbinic Ordination from the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. Becky resides in Jamaica Plain, MA, with his spouse, Naomi Sobel, and kiddo, Edie Gefen, for whom he makes pancakes almost every Sunday morning.

Monthly Learning Session #8: Fundraising
Sunday, September 19, 1pm -3pm EST

Speaker: Jenna Weinberg

Jenna Weinberg is a trustee of the Nathan and Lillian Weinberg Family Foundation, a board member of the New Israel Fund, and a founding board member of the Abrahamic House. Jenna has also served on the boards of Slingshot, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and Hillel International She is currently an MBA candidate at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University where her studies focus on impact investing. Previously, Jenna was Vice President of CHV, a social impact consulting firm, where she advanced quality jobs and access to benefits for domestic workers, encouraged institutional investors to increase investment with diverse managers, fought white nationalism, and more.  Jenna is a proud Baltimore native and graduate of the University of Michigan, where she majored in International Studies and Judaic studies. She was a recipient of a Dorot Fellowship in Israel in 2013-2014. 

Monthly Learning Session #7: Financial Analysis
Tuesday, August 11, 5pm - 7pm EST

 

Speaker: Jonathan Crystal

Today, I am a private investor focused on businesses at the intersection of insurance and technology.

Most recently, I served as an executive of Alliant Insurance Services, the nation’s leading specialty insurance brokerage firm. In 2018, I combined my family’s insurance brokerage firm, Crystal & Company, with Alliant, bringing together two great companies and successfully capitalizing on the strengths of each firm.
During my tenure at Crystal & Company, I served in a number of capacities, driving the growth and strategy of the company. As the firm’s Chief Financial Officer, I was responsible for the firm’s general and field operations and previously led the firm’s national Private Client Services group.
As a third-generation family business owner, I have presented to audiences across the country on topics of family risk management, including a number of organizations serving the needs of family enterprises, including YPO, Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises, Family Business Network, Family Firm Institute, Family Office Association, Family Office Exchange, and Institute for Private Investors. I also served as the Learning Officer for the YPO Global Family Business Network. I began my career as a management consultant and project manager with Oliver Wyman, where I focused on risk management and strategy work with financial institutions in Europe and North America.

I graduated cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. from the School of Public & International Affairs and with a certificate in Latin American Studies.

I am a Wexner Heritage Fellow and have participated in educational programs at Harvard Business School and in association with the Western States Center.

I live on the Upper East Side with my wife, Rabbi Darcie Crystal, and our three children. I currently serve as Trustee and Executive Committee member at Central Synagogue and on the board of The Jewish Museum. Darcie previously chaired the board of Princeton Hillel/Center for Jewish Life and currently chairs the board of Moving Traditions.

Monthly Learning Session #6: Data, Impact & Evaluation
Tuesday, July 13, 12pm - 1:30pm EST

Presenter Bios

  • Rella Kaplowitz, Senior Program Officer, Evaluation and Learning, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies: Rella Kaplowitz is the Senior Program Officer for Evaluation and Learning at Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Rella helps to make sure the organization has the right information to gain insights to inform its work, and works with grantees and partners to enhance their capacity for data, metrics, strategy, performance and evaluation. Rella is the author of the Schusterman Family Philanthropies’ Data Playbook, an online resource for organizations looking to enhance their use of data for decision-making and storytelling. In a volunteer capacity, Rella is a board member of Elijah’s Journey, a Jewish nonprofit based in New York that promotes mental health and suicide awareness in the Jewish community. Rella also serves as a peer support counselor for the National Capital Region chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Rella holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is a Six Sigma Green Belt.

  • Lesley Matsa, Chief Strategy Officer, Honeymoon Israel: Lesley leads strategic planning, measurement and evaluation. Before joining Honeymoon Israel, she was Program Officer for Jewish giving at the Crown Family Philanthropies for 12 years.  Her previous work experience includes strategic planning for non-profit organizations as a Consultant at Wellspring Consulting, management consulting work in the for-profit sector, and engaging young adults as Program Coordinator at UC Berkeley Hillel.  Lesley holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelors degree with Highest Honors in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. Lesley is a recipient of the JJ Greenberg Award, awarded to one foundation professional internationally each year for extraordinary leadership in Jewish philanthropy, and is a Wexner Field Fellow.

  • Tobin Belzer: Tobin is an applied sociologist who develops research and program evaluations to support the work of non-profit organizations and philanthropists. She is a Contributing Fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) at the University of Southern California and a Research Affiliate at Stanford SPARQ.

Additional Resources

  • The Trust Based Philanthropy Project: The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project is a five-year, peer-to-peer funder initiative to address the inherent power imbalances between foundations and nonprofits. At its core, trust-based philanthropy is about redistributing power—systemically, organizationally, and interpersonally—in service of a healthier and more equitable nonprofit sector. On a practical level, this includes multi-year unrestricted funding, streamlined applications and reporting, and a commitment to building relationships based on transparency, dialogue, and mutual learning.

  • The Equitable Evaluation Initiative (Discussed in the Article and During our Session): Equitable Evaluation Initiative's mission is to build a sustainable field of leaders who are reimagining the purpose and practice of evaluation to advance equity and expand notions of objectivity , validity, rigor and embrace complexity.

  • Grantee and Applicant Perception Report (Rella mentioned yesterday)

  • Partner with CEP to bring the candid perspectives of your grantees to the table. Through an easy-to-implement, confidential online survey, the GPR allows funders to learn from actionable insights based on truly candid and reliable grantee feedback. The GPR is the only grantee survey that puts your results in a comparative context with your peers.

  • Grantmakers for Effective Organizations: They have a whole host of things to look at, this page linked is about evaluation.

  • Classes/Webinars

    • Planning for Monitoring and Evaluation with Philanthropy U: How will you measure your project’s success? This free online course will help you answer this question by introducing the basics of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). In this course, you will learn how successful projects plan for data collection, management, analysis, and use. As you complete the course assignments, you will create an M&E plan for your own project. Learners who complete this free online M&E course are eligible to receive a Certificate of Achievement through the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley Haas).

    • Webinar Recording "Evidence-Based Approaches to Grantmaking": (Membership Required) What is evidence-based practice and how does it increase impact? How can philanthropists apply it to grantmaking strategies and does it make a difference? Learn more about the Casey Foundation’s Evidence2Success model and other approaches that invest in the development and use of rigorously evaluated programs.

    • Social Impact: Planning for Success with Philanthropy U: How can we serve our beneficiaries effectively, sustainably, and at scale? In this social impact course, Shashi Buluswar, CEO of the Institute for Transformative Technologies, explains his nine-part framework for creating social impact. You will use his framework to assess your organization’s current level of success, identify upcoming risks, and make plans to achieve maximum impact. You will also meet a variety of innovative leaders working on social impact programs and learn how they have achieved such stellar success. Whether your goal is to increase efficiency, scale your model, or spark change in your sector, this course will help you make a plan to get there.

Monthly Learning Session #5: Mentorship Kickoff
Wednesday, June 16, 5:45pm - 7:30pm EST

Monthly Learning Session #4: Open Space Conversation

Tuesday, May 18, 12pm -1:30pm EST

Monthly Learning Session #3: Storytelling

Speaker: Jon Adam Ross, Managing Director & Founding Artist, In[heir]itance Project

Sunday, April 11, 1pm EST

 

Jon Adam Ross Headshot (1).jpg

Jon Adam Ross is a founding artist of The In[HEIR]itance Project, a national arts organization that creates space for communities to navigate challenging civic conversations through collaborative theater projects inspired by inherited texts, cultures, histories, traditions, customs, and beliefs.. Jon has spent nearly 20 years making art with communities around the country as an actor, playwright, and teaching artist. Jon has served as an artist in residence at Union Theological Seminary, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and many other religious and educational institutions. He was a Spielberg Fellow in Jewish Theater Education with the Foundation for Jewish Camp and received a Fellowship from the Covenant Foundation to create The In[HEIR]itance Project in 2015. As an actor, Jon has performed in over 90 cities around the globe. His stage credits include: a dog, a 2,000-year-old bird, an elderly orthodox Jew, a spurned housewife, a horse, a British naval officer in 1700s Jamaica, a goat, Jesus Christ, a lawyer, a wrestler, a hapless police chief, and a cyclops. Jon holds a BFA in Acting from NYU/Tisch.

Monthly Learning Session #2

Navigating Wealth and Privilege Across Generations with 21/64

Wednesday, March 17, 5pm EST

RSchein Headshot.jpg

Robyn Schein is an expert facilitator, speaker and trainer on multigenerational and next generation philanthropy. She uses her skills to lead individuals, families and the advisors that serve them through values-based discussions on money, philanthropy, and navigating dynamics across generations. As Senior Director at 21/64, Robyn uses tools, thoughtful guidance and meaningful dialogue, to help her clients reach their goals now and to set the stage for future generations.

Robyn comes to this work after 12 years at The Minneapolis Foundation. Most recently she served as Director of their Family Philanthropy Resource Center working directly with multigenerational families on their charitable giving. Robyn also created Fourth Generation, the Minneapolis Foundation’s program for next gen donors. Robyn frequently led workshops and talks as the local expert and resource on family and next generation donors.

Robyn has spent her whole career in the nonprofit sector, including several years in New York and Washington, D.C, as a consultant to non-profit organizations focusing on fundraising and capacity building.

Robyn is a skilled listener, animated storyteller and community volunteer. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three kids and is active in the local Jewish community.

Monthly Learning Session #1

Leadership Circle Part 2

February 9th, 12-1:30 PM EST

 “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?” 

Pirkei Avot 1:14

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