Leading Edge

Great talent to lead organizations is cultivated, supported, and valued. Historically and today, the field of Jewish funders and nonprofits contains some of the finest minds, all working to advance missions that foster the best in Jewish values and ethics.

Founded in 2014, Leading Edge—formerly the Jewish Leadership Pipelines Alliance—is an unprecedented partnership between Jewish foundations and federations dedicated to cultivating the next generation of leaders for Jewish non-profits. It is a direct response to the reality that Jewish non-profits across the country have an increasing amount of senior level positions, including CEO level positions, that are vacant. Filling these positons with talented, dedicated professionals is critical to maintaining vibrant Jewish communities across the country with a range of Jewish engagement and education opportunities.

Jewish life has benefitted enormously from decades of generous support by its members. Community leaders have built durable institutions, and a thriving network of young start-ups is galvanizing a new generation. However, like the general nonprofit sector in the United States, the vast majority of Jewish nonprofits—75% to 90% by some estimates—must find new executive leadership in the next 5-7 years. Finding the right leaders to move immediately into these openings is already proving difficult.
– From “Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders for Jewish Nonprofits,” a study by The Bridgespan Group commissioned by Leading Edge, March, 2014

Leading Edge has studied this challenge, understands the urgency to affect change, and has a concrete course of action. Its three flagship programs are a CEO Onboarding program to help new CEOs ease their transitions and set them up for long-term success; a Lay leadership Commission to engage the philanthropic community in understanding how they can best support efforts to build a vibrant and solvent Jewish nonprofit sector; and its Leading Places to Work initiative that helps organizations cultivate the attributes and assets that attract and retain the best talent.

As Barry Shrage, longtime CEO of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Boston Jewish Federation, noted, “To the extent that we… position ourselves at the leading edge of Jewish history, we will attract the best and brightest people…”

Through research, advocacy, facilitating collaboration, and galvanizing investment by others, Leading Edge is answering this call. In fact, Leading Edge sees the field’s growing change as a tremendous opportunity to bring leaders together and to leverage their ingenuity and passion that has characterized the best institutions in the field. The groundwork to address this challenge now is set. Leading Edge is ready to cultivate and support the next generation of talented Jewish leaders who help create our vibrant and diverse Jewish communities across the country.

The Jim Joseph Foundation awarded a grant to The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore Inc. to launch the CEO Onboarding program, in cooperation with Leading Edge and other funders. The Foundation previously awarded a separate grant to The Associated to support Leading Edge (at the time the Jewish Leadership Pipelines Alliance)