By Rachel Garbow Monroe, President and CEO
Originally published by eJewish Philanthropy
Ten years ago, I found myself in a room of roughly two dozen Jewish funders and leaders, lamenting a problem we all knew Jewish nonprofits had struggled with for some time: finding and keeping talent, especially at the most senior levels.
Each of us had a story to share that exemplified this challenge across the Jewish world. For me, it was seeing how many of my fellow graduates of a national Jewish leadership development program had left the sector for roles outside the Jewish community. More broadly, we were seeing leaders of far too many Jewish organizations approach retirement without clear successors. Nonprofits were having a hard time engaging younger professionals, despite the thousands in our community who demonstrated a strong commitment to Jewish service. One estimate at the time indicated Jewish organizations in North America had experienced at least 50 executive transitions annually.
We knew this issue would affect the estimated 75%–90% of Jewish nonprofits that would need to hire new senior leaders in the next few years. Instead of continuing to complain, we set out to answer why this was happening — and to do something about it.
Last week, more than 1,300 Jewish leaders and professionals gathered in my hometown of Baltimore for JPro25. The conference, presented by Leading Edge and Jewish Federations of North America, served as the perfect opportunity to reflect on not only our success in answering that question but also the lessons learned and meaningful strides taken over the past decade to solve the problem and strengthen the Jewish nonprofit sector as a whole.
Rachel Garbow Monroe (seated right), president and CEO of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, interviewing Anne Neuberger, former deputy national security advisor and international cybersecurity expert, during JPro25 in Baltimore in May. Courtesy/Stephen Jaffe for Leading Edge
Where we began
While we knew anecdotally that we had a leadership problem, we needed to confirm our stories with data. We engaged The Bridgespan Group to conduct a landscape assessment, which involved interviews with over 160 professional and lay leaders across the Jewish world and beyond — a critical step toward better understanding the specific challenges and how to address them. The wisdom, expertise and contributions of several philanthropic and nonprofit leaders listed in the introduction of that first Bridgespan report also helped inform and drive this endeavor and its long-term success.
The report highlighted two key findings:
- The Jewish nonprofit sector was not sufficiently supporting and nurturing the talented emerging leaders it already had.
- Many organizations were failing to attract and retain potential leaders — people who considered careers in the sector, but ultimately chose a different path because they didn’t see the value in working at Jewish nonprofits.
Why did we care so much about leadership? The answer was simple: impact. One of the most important markers of any effective organization is its CEO and senior leadership. If they are superb, the organization is effective; if they are mediocre, the organization will be, too. Effective organizations are able to attract and retain staff at all levels who strengthen their work and culture — and may perhaps someday be in line to become the next CEO.
This fact, coupled with the assessment’s findings, led to the creation in 2015 of the Leadership Pipelines Initiative — which would later become Leading Edge — under the direction of the extraordinarily talented Gali Cooks.
How far we have come
Recognizing that achieving maximum impact requires effective leadership and strong workplace culture, Leading Edge began with a focus on CEOs and employee engagement surveys.
From launching its seminal CEO onboarding program (now known as Leading Executives) to developing resources like a guide for planning CEO searches, Leading Edge has equipped hundreds of executive leaders in their new roles, strengthened collaboration among senior leadership teams and provided tools for organizations to deliver better results. At the same time, Leading Edge’s workplace surveys have shone a light on the importance of supporting all employees — including staff working at Jewish nonprofits who are not Jewish — so they genuinely feel able to do their best and most creative work, as well as recruiting and retaining the best possible talent for open positions.
Today, Leading Edge has expanded its scope to become the premier think tank for leadership, talent and culture in the Jewish nonprofit world. It has trained more than 600 leaders and surveyed the workplace experiences of 53,000 unique employees at nearly 500 organizations, helping all of us better understand the key issues facing the Jewish nonprofit sector and the health of its leadership. Its 2022 acquisition of Boardified added nonprofit board development to its wheelhouse, making Leading Edge the go-to resource for executive leaders and board members seeking to grow their skills and enhance their experience — all to strengthen the impact of their organizations. On top of that, Leading Edge has produced tools, best practices and guidance that equip key decision-makers in the field; provided programs that keep professionals and board leaders connected and supported; and conducted original research and pilot programs to learn and innovate for the benefit of the entire field.
Still need proof that leadership matters? Look no further than Cooks, Leading Edge’s president and CEO. Her vision and skills have been essential in growing an initiative into a full-fledged, flourishing organization today. Cooks understands and embraces the notion that leadership matters and that, to survive, the Jewish nonprofit sector must effectively articulate its value proposition and recruit the best people to advance its collective mission. She and her talented team — now an impressive 30 strong — are undoubtedly the organization’s superpower.
Where we go from here
Leading Edge joined forces with JPro this year, once again expanding its reach to serve all staff working at Jewish nonprofits, much to the good of our sector. We should take great pride in this progression from focusing on leadership to covering the full range of professionals. Not only will we know even more about the Jewish nonprofit world as a whole, we will gain deeper insight into every level of an organization, beyond executives to entry level and middle management. This also will further develop the pool of professionals poised to eventually lead Jewish nonprofits in the United States. And if the energy and passion many of us experienced throughout JPro25 last week in Baltimore was any indication, we are already off to an incredible start.
When we started this journey a decade ago, our goal was to make a meaningful difference in the sector by strengthening leadership development. We never imagined we would be where we are today, and I consider that the greatest mark of our collective progress. My deepest gratitude goes to the many individuals who saw the potential of what we aimed to do and laid the groundwork for that success — and, of course, to the more than 120,000 dedicated professionals across the country who make the Jewish community such a wonderful place to work.
I can’t wait to see what the next decade will bring.
