Thursday, August 20, 2015
Bronfman Cultivates Programs for Next Generation Donors
Fifteen years ago, as Charles Bronfman and his late wife Andy were ushering Birthright Israel into its toddler years, they inherently understood that next generations would have new ideas about Jewish life and new energy to contribute to it. One strategy they supported began in 2002, when Jeff Solomon, president of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies (ACBP), hired me to encourage next generation donors to bring their own ideas and resources to bear on the Jewish world.
After spending a few months surveying the landscape and exploring best practices across the country, we set up a collaborative giving process for next generation donors who wanted to give beyond tables to benefits by more directly funding critical issues in the Jewish world. With initial financial support from ACBP, the Samberg Family Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation, I helped to launch a next generation giving circle – called Natan – initially for Generation Xers, largely financial-types in New York whose members wanted to support start-ups catalyzing new Jewish life in North America and Israel....