World
COMMENTARY
Engaging Young Philanthropists
Editor's Note: The New York-based United
Jewish Communities, umbrella for North
American federations, held its annual
General Assembly Nov. 11-13 in Nashville.
New York
A
s part of the annual General
Assembly of the United. Jewish
Communities, I have been asked
to reflect on the challenge of engaging
younger Jewish philanthropists in commu-
nal life. As a member of the next genera-
tion, I have wrestled with this question for
more than a decade.
Approximately five years ago, at
the Andrea and Charles Bronfman
Philanthropies, we created a division
called 21/64 to focus
on this very chal-
lenge.
"Engaging the
next generation"
used to signify the
transference of lead-
ership, like passing
a baton from one
generation to the
next.
Sharna
Today, with the
Goldseker
average
life span
Jewish
increasing
from 47
Telegraphic
years
old
in
1900
Agency
to 78 years old in
2000, there are now
four generations above the age of 21 in
American society and four generations of
adults who want to be engaged in Jewish
life.
Therefore, "engaging the next genera-
tion" actually means engaging multiple
generations at once.
In the Jewish community, our institu-
tions are often led by Traditionalists
— those born between 1925 and 1945
— whose worldviews were imprinted
with World War II, the Depression and the
Holocaust. In giving back, they have built
many of the institutions that are pillars of
our communities.
Baby Boomers, born between 1945 and
1964, outnumber Traditionalists and now
represent the majority of our communal
leadership.
Their generational personalities were
formed by the founding of the State of
Israel; television brought the secular world
into their Jewish homes.
Post-World War II economic opportuni-
ties led some to the suburbs, where they
built synagogues and JCCs while others
contributed to the social movements of
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December 13 • 2007
the 1960s.With these distinct experiences
come divergent lenses into Jewish life.
Add to that picture the different life
experiences and styles of philanthropy
of Generation X, born between 1965 and
1980, and Generation Y, born between
1981 and 1999. No wonder we are strug-
gling to understand and accommodate
additional generations, making our com-
munications and planning even more
complex.
The Next Generation
Through 21/64, I travel to different com-
munities in North America, consulting
with families, foundations and federations
about multigenerational philanthropy. My
experiences across the United States and
Canada — and affirmed by research —
tell me my peers are self-confident about
their Jewish identity, yet remain hungry
for ways to connect.
I have started to comprehend that the
question isn't whether the next generation
is prepared for its communal responsibili-
ties. The question is whether the commu-
nity is prepared for the next generation.
Some communities are just now real-
izing it is time to add more seats to their
boards and allocation tables for members
of Generation X. Those more forward-
thinking communities that already have
begun to engage the next generation are
realizing the very act of engagement actu-
ally changes the shape of those tables.
Post-Baby Boom
The post-Baby Boomer generations in
America have grown up with access to
opportunities across race, religion, class,
sexual orientation and even global bound-
aries that previous generations did not
have. Technology has become more than
TV in the living room but a way in which
community is formed, connections made
and communications conveyed.
The experiences these 20- and 30-some-
things bring, the vocabulary and skills
they draw on, the diverse social circles
they move in, the questions they pose, all
require a shift in the way our federations
operate. Are we willing to adapt how we
operate for the sake of who we want to
engage?
If we endeavor to engage them on their
terms and not just change the window
dressing on what already exists, we will be
planting the seeds of long-term relation-
ships and our own Jewish future.
For example, this year I worked with
a community that has made the engage-
ment of 20- and 30-somethings a priority.
However, when I asked what "engagement"
meant to members of the community, I
heard four different answers.
To a Traditionalist, engagement meant
creating an agency for young adults. To a
Baby Boomer, engagement meant creating
outreach activities for 20-somethings.
Gen-X And -Y
When I asked the Gen-Xers what they
thought engagement meant, they envi-
sioned seats at an allocations table. For a
Gen-Yer, engagement signified a meaning-
ful experience of Jewish life having noth-
ing to do with allocating dollars or attend-
ing social events.
Eventually, this community commit-
ted to involving Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers
Jewish tradition and next-generation
innovation, we will be focusing on the
right goal.
If we can "go to the balcony:' as author
William Ury offers, and see from our
historical perspective that we are talking
about the continuity of a people and not
of an organizational model, the better
prepared we will be for our community's
long-term survival.
Echoes Of Tradition
In the Jewish world, I have witnessed this
approach among a group of 20- and 30-
somethings who envisioned Slingshot and
The Slingshot Fund.
The founders, committed to Jewish
tradition and their family legacies of phi-
lanthropy, seek to highlight and
support ways in which the tradi-
tion is resonating with the next
generation.
With the help of 25 Jewish
funding professionals across the
United States, 50 innovative and
effective Jewish organizations and
projects are featured annually
in Slingshot: A Resource Guide to Jewish
Innovation. Then the 50 organizations
are invited to apply to the Slingshot Fund
for resources to build their capacity for
engaging the next generations. In its
inaugural year, nearly $400,000 was raised
and allocated by these next-generation
funders.
The real lesson in this example is how
it was set up. We gave the next generation
the proverbial keys to the car and, in the
end, they have taken better care of it than
we could have ever imagined.
I have never experienced a more
thoughtful and meticulous process where
The question is whether the
community is prepared for
the next generation.
in structuring allocation decisions that
affected themselves and their peers. But
more important, I would ask us all to con-
sider how members of Gen X and Gen Y
can help the whole federation system. In
the 21st century, wouldn't we want experts
in 21st century management, technology
and communications — those who grew
up with it — to help lead?
Continuity is not merely repeating what
we have been doing with Traditionalists
and Baby Boomers because that is who is
leading now. If we can take the long view,
reflect on our centuries of Jewish life,
and from there hold the paradox between