Annual Report 2020

Health of the Metropolitan Detroit Community

In order to best respond to the health needs of vulnerable and/or underserved residents of Detroit and the surrounding area, The Jewish Fund supports efforts to increase access to quality health care services and to improve health outcomes through early childhood health interventions.

The Leadership Experience…What are the benefits and challenges to providing leadership to your peers?

Benny Shaevsky

My experience as a Leadership Committee member on the Teen Board will ensure that I always value the importance of giving back to my community by helping those in need. This is particularly emphasized in the Teen Board through the practice of philanthropy. In the future, I plan to become involved with charitable causes that engage in this important work so that I can continue the important role that organizations such as The Jewish Fund prioritize. I will never take for granted how fortunate I am to be surrounded by terrific non-profit organizations both in the Jewish and secular communities that devote their mission to ensure that all people are assisted during times of need.

Providing leadership to my Teen Board peers has given me the ability to develop valuable qualities such as patience, empathy, and other skills I need to properly motivate this that I am leading. This experience has taught me how to become a better leader by realizing that leadership can often involve problem-solving, such as when an activity or group engagement project does not go as planned. A challenge that I encountered during my leadership role has been how to properly balance my direction so that the group that I am leading receives enough encouragement and guidance from me without the appearance that I am directing them in a forceful or overcritical manner.

What is the opportunity or challenge of making funding decisions with your peers?

Jesse Krugel (Year 2)

Being Jewish is one of the only similarities between the members of the Teen Board. We have members from all over Metro Detroit, from private and public schools, religiously affiliated or not. The Board represents many sects of Judaism as well. There are so many different perspectives on Teen Board, which makes for a fulfilling, yet sometimes challenging experience. I remember last year we had trouble coming to a final decision, there were so many opinions about each of the proposals. This year, I think our most challenging discussion was choosing a focus area. There are so many issues to try and solve in society. Many people are passionate about different things. It’s important to narrow down mission statement but leave it broad enough that we can get a sufficient amount of proposals.

Barry Sabin (Year 2)

I thought making funding decisions with my peers was a great learning and bonding experience. Discussing a conflict and coming to a collaborative conclusion can easily strike up an argument but learning how to understand the opinions of our peers helped us all to come to our funding decisions productively. I was also able to meet and come closer with people I may not have if there was not a discussion at hand, and what better way to collaborate than make a positive impact on the community?

Zoe Zaltz (Year 2)

Making funding decisions with my peers has a lot of benefits, although it is challenging at some times. Every single person has a different background, a different view on life, and a different opinion, resulting in a diverse range of ideas and opinions when it comes to making funding decisions. Since everyone on the Teen Board has a lot of prior experience with volunteering and philanthropy, we all have a good idea of the needs in the community and how they align with our values. With this experience comes great conversation and debate on where to place our funding. This can be a good thing, but it can also be a challenge since most people have a need in the community that they feel passionate about and want to support. Having these conversations with my peers has been eye opening because I have been able to learn about amazing organizations in the community that I might not have known about before being on Teen Board.

Julia Klein (Year 1)

Towards the end of Teen Board 2020, I was thankful for being a part of this process and working with my fellow peers. I loved knowing that I was a part of a group who strived to help others. This biggest decision we faced during year 1, was prioritizing the organizations. Personally, I thought each organization was special and unique on its own. I found it difficult to choose which organizations should be given our grant.

Carly Cohen (Year 1)

Working with teens from all over Metro Detroit in this grant making process provided so many opportunities along with challenges. Working with kids I had never met provided our board with so many different opinions and creative ideas, so it was a lot of diverse voices that got to be heard. The challenge with that is also that there are a lot of voices that should be heard, but in the end choices have to be narrowed down. It was definitely an amazing opportunity to have a big board, but there were points where some ideas could not be granted.

Haley Lipman (Year 1)

One challenge of working with my peers to make fundraising decisions is that we do not all have the same values. What we bring to the table is all so different and unique, and it may be challenging to try to find a common trend that will work as a mission statement. With all this being said, it is an amazing opportunity to be able to work with such amazing teens who have the same passion for learning and giving as me.

How does your Jewish identity intersect with your grantmaking?

Josh Schreiber (Year 1)

My Jewish identity greatly entwined with my grantmaking decisions over the last year. Coming from a reform-conservative background, I’ve always been taught the importance of Tikkun Olam and helping others within our community. This year, I was able to see these come to life with my Judaism playing an influential role in my grantmaking decisions. Seeing many of these non-profits reflecting the same values of my Judaism genuinely showed me how the impact each of us make on this world is larger when we’re a collective. Each of these decisions lined up perfectly with my Judaic background, and I’m truly happy to look back and see the direct impact and evolution of the concepts we we are obligated to fulfill as Jews, become a reality.

Joey Schwartz (Year 2)

My Jewish identity has given me a strong cultural foundation in helping others. This identity stresses the importance of our community.

Isabel Zaltz (Year 2)

My Jewish identity greatly intersects with grantmaking because I believe that tzedakah is an essential part of the Jewish experience. I have always been taught that helping others is just as important in being Jewish as going to synagogue and celebrating shabbat. In Teen Board, I learned even more about how to apply Jewish ideals to help better the community. This year, we used Jewish core values to guide our grantmaking decisions and determine our mission statement. During my Teen Board experience, I have learned the specifics of philanthropy through a truly Jewish lens.

What values drive your grantmaking?

Matthew Doctoroff (Year 2)

Being a Jewish organization, we initially NEED to look out for our community. I strongly believe that since not many people are going out of their way to help the Jewish Community, we need to take initiative and do so for ourselves. However, we shouldn’t only help our religion. It is the ability, to, in the end, help all groups of people through tough times, and try our best to make their problems less of an issue.

Elliot Kaftan (Year 2)

There are many values, both Jewish and secular that drive my grantmaking decisions. One overarching value that does this is the Jewish value of Tzedakah, or giving charity. Another value that drives these decisions is the idea of helping others and performing acts of kindness or Gemilut Chasadim.

Jesse Krugel (Year 2)

When debating on whether to fund a proposal, many values guide our choices. These values are closely related to our lives, what we see in society, and many are even rooted in Judaism. We give with kindness, intelligence, and in pursuit of justice. We carefully peruse each proposal, study the organizations, and think critically about how our contribution can make a difference. During site visits, we ask insightful questions to learn more about organizations and how they cater to our mission statement. Each Teen Board member has different opinions about what is most important to try to change in society. Sometimes it can be hard to come to an agreement. We try to resolve this by actively listening to each other and not criticizing each other, afterall, everyone on Teen Board is there because they want to make a difference in the world.

Logan Edelheit (Year 1)

The main values that drive my grant making process are: how urgent does this organization need our funding, who will it help, how many people will be impacted. I look to get the most out of our money and make sure it is helping and impacting as many people as possible. I also look if the idea they have will work in real life, not just on paper, therefore, I was more devoted to the organization I had the opportunity to visit, like Common Ground.

Noah Goldberg (Year 1)

One of the main values that drove my grantmaking decisions was that I wanted to prevent people from suffering.

What are the pros and cons of using consensus to make decisions?

Gabe Singer (Year 2)

Using a consensus philosophy when making grant-making decisions was definitely beneficial within my time at the Teen Board. Everyones’ opinions were valued equally, which allowed everybody to be equally invested and informed with the decision we were making. However, consensus can often be challenging to obtain, which means healthy debates were prevalent. Ultimately, using consensus led to the best possible decision in the eyes of our Teen Board.

Barry Sabin (Year 2)

When using consensus to come to a decision, there are obvious flaws in that some people’s hopes may not have been followed through. However, by majority vote after long hours of discussion, it is safe to say that the decisions made after a consensus vote are what is most representative and best for the group.

Abby Foltyn (Year 2)

There are many pros and cons to making decisions using a consensus. They vary based on the personalities of those in the group. For example, those who are more outspoken have more of an effect on the decision that is made than those who tend to be quiet and shy. Also, those who have differing beliefs often don’t get to see the decision they want because the majority of the group disagrees. Using a consensus to make decisions allows for a discussion where many voices are heard, and debates can be very interesting and intellectually rewarding. Having the opportunity to hear how my peers view certain issues and responses helps give me a clearer perspective on the issue as a whole.

Cara Lopatin (Year 1)

A pro of using consensus is that it helps guide the path that the majority of the group wants to lead. It eliminates choices quickly, allowing the Teen Board to move forward in a timely manner. Another pro of using consensus is the inclusiveness that it provides. It includes all members of the group participating and everyone’s vote is equal. A con of using consensus is that its quick timing leaves little room for groups to debate their side. This can lead to bad ideas being passed and will only lead to worse decision making in the future. Another con is the possibility of members not caring for the topic/idea being voted for. They will give more support to one side, most likely the group that already has more people.

Noah Eaton (Year 1)

The pros of using consensus are that everyone’s opinions are incorporated in the final decisions. Even though not every single opinion is included when consensus is made, everyone can feel that they contributed to decisions made and the results of those decisions. However, the cons of consensus are that sometimes people feel very strongly about a certain view or cause, but not everyone in the group agrees, and some are very opposed to it. In that case, because consensus has to be made, some people are going to lose out because either the cause will or will not be incorporated into the final decision.

Max Adamczyk (Year 1)

There are various pros and cons of using consensus. Pros are that a majority decision will be made, empowers the group, and creates a share of understanding which is very important to a group. Cons are that is evades all individual opinions, struggling to find a consensus causes disturbance among the group, this is not good for the group.

What have you learned during your time on the Teen Board that you would like to pass along to other grantmakers?

Gabe Singer (Year 2)

I have learned many skills and ideas over my two years as a member of the Jewish Fund Teen Board. One of my most prevalent takeaways which I would like to pass along is to never disregard a proposal or request without actually taking the time to learn about it before hand. Often times I found myself uninspired by a grant proposal, based upon a 2-3 sentence description of it, but once I actually met the people whose lives would be changed should we grant the money, my entire outlook on the grant would change.

Haylie Polakoff (Year 2)

Personally, I have learned that there is so much good in this world. Before doing Teen Board, I was not aware of all of these both local and global organizations to help solve our world’s problems. And knowing that I played a role in helping others is an amazing feeling. I am so grateful to everyone who has taken it upon themselves to take action, and fight for what they believe in.

Matthew Doctoroff (Year 2)

As teenagers, having this responsibility to select organizations to give money to is extremely significant and should not, under any circumstance, be taken lightly. Because of this, approaching the grant-making process with a mature and open-minded mindset is mandatory. Life is short, but having the ability to positively impact people’s lives is something that not many have the chance to do. The Jewish Fund Teen Board, a philanthropic organization, taught me to focus on open- mindedness, compassion, and diligence when it comes to the grants that we look at. As stated before, we truly do have a big responsibility in our hands throughout the year, and it should be addressed with thought and care.

Emily Abrams (Year 2)

A major takeaway from Teen Board for me is that it really redefined what philanthropy is and who a philanthropist is, and gave us hands-on experience with working to help make a lasting change in the community. It made the realm of nonprofits, community outreach, and giving back much more realistic and tangible to me. Learning that the stereotype of a philanthropist is far from the truth of what real philanthropy is was very impactful to me, and it’s exciting to know that everyday people who are benefiting the community can be philanthropists, too. Teen Board is so unique in its mission, because it’s a valuable and rare opportunity for teens to be able to make such an impact in their community and learn so much about the nonprofits that work to improve people’s lives every day.