Reflections on the Jewish Funders Network 2016 Conference

Editor’s Note: The Jim Joseph Foundation was represented at the Jewish Funders Network conference by eight members of its professional team, four members of its board, and its incoming President and CEO. Below, three members of the Foundation’s professional team share their reflections on the conference—what they learned; what they enjoyed; what surprised them; and how the entire experience will inform their work moving forward. We share these insights with the belief that understanding what individuals take away from conferences and convenings helps all in our field plan and design meaningful, impactful face-to-face opportunities to learn and to share knowledge.

If there was ever an event that combined the simcha of a wedding and the camaraderie of camp, I’d say it was the Jewish Funders Network Conference. My first Jewish communal professional conference – and being a representative of one of 500+ Jewish funders – was at times intimidating and exhilarating. Being part of a large Jim Joseph Foundation contingency made conversations easy. Above all the joyous hugs and kisses, however, what I found most telling was the sense of optimism in the meetings, workshops and conversations. One of my favorite sessions was on Jewish Wisdom, led by the esteemed professionals of the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah. The beautiful outdoor setting in the crisp Torrey Pines air certainly added to the bliss, as we discussed the relationships of gratitude, blessings and memory. The workshop weaved together various themes throughout the conference, including those of Jewish values, that struck a chord with me at this time in my life. I feel so fortunate to work in a profession and with a team that shares these same values.  I wake up each day privileged to interact with and support talented Jewish educational professionals, many of whom I met for the first time in San Diego.

One of my takeaways was that while Jewish values of simcha, Shabbat, and tikkun olam infuse my personal life, it is more often the case that discussions of budgets, sustainability, and program outcomes dominate our professional discourse. What if we found a way each day to include a gratitude blessing, or began our meetings with a short D’var Torah—as we do sometimes, but not all the time? These are little things, but given the honor we have to shepherd another’s fortunes to improve the lot of the Jewish people, it is something I hope we as Jewish funders can be more mindful of ourselves. I learned a lot from the JFN Conference – the power of big data, the challenges of Jewish leadership, the opportunities of scaling ideas – yet my biggest lesson learned is the ability to turn inward, to appreciate, to give thanks, and to remember what brought me here in the first place.

– Seth Linden, Program Officer

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As a newer member of the Jim Joseph Foundation team, the Jewish Funders Network Conference contributed to my continued onboarding as a foundation professional. From the thought-provoking plenaries to the informative breakout sessions to the ample networking time, I left the conference better prepared to perform the duties of a foundation program officer. Though I could touch on any number of moments that for me made the conference a success, I will focus here on the people in attendance – both those I knew and those I met.

Upon seeing the names and organizations of the more than 500 people who were present, I had two opposing reactions. First, everywhere I went, I interacted to some degree with professionals whom I have worked with on co-funded projects, foundation teams who had spent a day visiting our offices, or grantees who are in my portfolio. The conference was a unique opportunity to deepen relationships, learn together, and discuss existing or potential projects. And, for those I had not met prior, I was able to put faces to names and learn more about the professional and personal backgrounds of so many whom I will likely work with in the future. Given the number of people I already knew, the conference had a familial feel. As a colleague from another foundation put it, “this is great, we’re with our friends!”

I credit the Jim Joseph Foundation’s emphasis on collaboration for much of the reason why I, as a newer team member, arrived at the conference knowing so many people and feeling at home among my Jewish funder peers. But, I also noticed how many funders I didn’t know. And, how many funders with whom the Jim Joseph Foundation can still develop relationships. This demonstrated an incredible opportunity for the Foundation broadly, and me specifically, to develop new relationships with foundations, big or small, to better understand shared strategic priorities and potential synergies. As new foundations emerge, existing foundations evolve, and new professionals join the field, deepening relationships with other funders remains a priority.

– Aaron Saxe, Program Officer

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It didn’t take long at JFN before I learned something new. In the Pre-Conference Seminar: Scaling Up on the role funders have served to support – and sometimes hinder – successful scaling I learned a new word. The word fructify. What you ask, does the word fructify mean? It is defined as to make something fruitful or productive. Indeed, as a first time JFN attendee as a foundation professional working for the Jim Joseph Foundation, perhaps no word captures the spirit of the three days I spent in San Diego than this word.

What does JFN stand for? Quite literally, Jewish Funders Network. In San Diego at this particular convening, as I would imagine others would agree, the concept of the “Network” was a central, guiding principle. And for good reason. Now 16 months into my work at the Foundation, the relationships that my colleagues and I build are key to the success of the Foundation’s work. At JFN, I met with and fostered relationships with familiar faces, and had the opportunity to connect with individuals and organizations for the first time. Given that this work is fundamentally relational and that the Jim Joseph Foundation sees itself as a relational grantmaker where rapport and knowledge sharing between partners is pre-eminent, Jewish Funders Network provides deep value to me and the work that I do.

I see the JFN Conference as a place continuing to construct, as MIT systems theorist Peter Senge notes, a “field of shared meaning” – a safe space where funders and professionals can reflect on and have conversations about the work in which we all are engaged. Reflecting after the conference, I’m struck by how intimate this space felt, while also thinking how as Jews and foundation professionals—operating with overlapping identities—we as a field co-create value, meaning, and common understandings of who we are as Jewish Funders. Certainly this is an open-ended topic, but I found JFN so refreshing because we were able to learn from individuals and organizations who have neither the word “Jewish” nor “Funder” in their bio. Indeed, I think the future saliency of the JFN conference is to continue to cross boundaries and provide learnings from a big tent being constructed.

– Jeff Tiell, Program Associate