Design & Impact News - Summer 2014

Center for

Designed philanthropy

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Event panelists Mindy Freedman, Cathy Siegel Weiss and Beth Friedman

Design & impact news

Talking About Passion & Philanthropy Transforming Your Personal Passion Into Reality At The Foundation, we have seen so many people step forward as thoughtful philanthropists—putting their hearts, minds, experiences, expertise and passion into their giving.

Combining what matters to you most in the world with inspired ideas that come from a lifetime of experiences and values can unlock the potential of philanthropy to transform lives.

Valuable first-hand insights on “Transforming Your Personal Passion Into Reality” were shared at a recent Center for Designed Philanthropy event, held at the home of Foundation trustee Lisa Greer and her husband, Joshua. Three inspiring role models—Beth Friedman, Mindy Freedman and Cathy Siegel Weiss— offered unique philanthropic strategies for supporting the people and projects most important to them. Each has created an expanding network of like-minded people who are pooling their energies to amplify their transformative power to make a positive difference in the world.

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summer 2014

Pathways to

Effective Philanthropy “There are new challenges we face today in making meaningful philanthropy a part of our lives, because society moves so much faster today than ever before,” began trustee and former chair of The Foundation Cathy Siegel Weiss, who moderated the conversation and has juggled parenthood and a career as an attorney with community leadership and a lifelong passion for philanthropy.

“Our two panelists have built new roads to give themselves and like-minded women a launching pad for philanthropy,” Cathy said, introducing Beth Friedman, a Foundation donor and trustee, who has launched a series of salons that connect the philanthropic community with thought leaders on topics in education, women’s rights, and advancing medicine; and Foundation donor Mindy Freedman, who created the L.A. Women’s Circle of Giving, a group of philanthropic women who collaborate to support local causes, most recently, family and youth programs. “Beth and Mindy show us that creativity and networking are still powerful tools in philanthropy today, inspiring others to join them in giving back,” Cathy explained.

a larger pool of funds to distribute to important causes in the community that impact women, children and families.

She brought her idea to The Foundation,“…and they said, ‘Wonderful, we’ll support you!’” Mindy created a Donor Advised Fund at The Foundation to house these funds in support of the goals of the giving circle.

“The L.A. Women’s Circle of Giving is about much more than writing a check,” Mindy said. “It is for peers to come together to face the issues in our community and make a meaningful difference.” The group put out a call for proposals and together, reviewed and vetted multiple applications.

“We hadn’t realized the extent of the problems in our own community, such as human trafficking and the foster care issue. It was eye-opening reading these proposals and hearing from organizational leaders. This was high-level engagement, learning first-hand about the challenges, how to best apply the money, and understanding the outcomes from giving.”

A Women’s Circle of Giving “I loved the idea of pooling charitable dollars to make a more meaningful gift,” said Mindy Freedman, whose philanthropic vision was inspired by real-world experiences as a consultant for micro-lending programs in Latin America, as well as Los Angeles businesses and nonprofits. Mindy’s goal was to reach out to 20 women and collectively create

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When we engage in philanthropy, we have an extraordinary opportunity to engage others along with us—as well as the next generation, which is so important to our collective future.

– Cathy Siegel Weiss

Former Foundation Chair and moderator of the panel discussion on Transforming Your Personal Passion into Reality.

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Mindy said she and the women in her giving circle were inspired by many great causes and had important conversations to make their giving decisions. “We ultimately gave to the organizations that had the capabilities to make a meaningful difference with our funding, and whose missions pulled at our heartstrings the most.” The L.A. Women’s Circle of Giving supported CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to advance their advocacy work for abused and neglected children in the L.A. foster care system. The award was for $30,000 for their Transitional Age Youth Program.

The second grant was to No Limits which teaches deaf children in underserved populations to succeed in school and in life. The $20,000 grant went to the Pay It Forward program, which empowers parents to be advocates for their deaf children and guide other parents in the process. The grant will also support a one-of-a-kind parent handbook which will be disseminated across the country and serve as a comprehensive resource for families with deaf children.

“We are so excited about our involvement in the community and proud of the meaningful impact our gifts will have in supporting foster kids and deaf children,” said Mindy, “and our giving circle is already preparing for its next cycle of giving.”

OUR PANEL Cathy Siegel Weiss (Moderator) A member of The Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 1994 and a former chair, Cathy has also held numerous leadership roles in the community, including currently serving as co-chair of the Board of Trustees of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Beth Friedman Foundation trustee Beth Friedman completed a successful career in corporate banking at Bank of America, is a former president of the Zimmer Children’s Museum, and currently focuses her time on philanthropic activities, devoted specifically to improving education and advancing medicine.

Mindy Freedman Mindy Freedman has worked as a consultant for diverse businesses and nonprofit organizations and is active in many organizations in Los Angeles. She recently created the L.A. Women’s Circle of Giving, a group of philanthropic women who have pooled their charitable resources to support programs serving women, children and families in L.A.

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Event hosts Lisa and Joshua Greer

Salons Elevate Social Impact “I find topics that interest me and curate them to likeminded women who might not hear about them otherwise,” explained Foundation donor and trustee Beth Friedman of her salons – well-attended educational events that introduce topics of critical importance to women and families. “It’s easy to become insular when you’re raising your children and immersed in daily practical matters,” said Beth, who raised three sons, had leadership roles in nonprofit organizations and managed a successful career in banking. That is why hosting salons made sense, Beth explained, “because given the chance, so many of us are hungry to interact around local, global, educational and philanthropic ideas.”

Beth’s most recent salon raised awareness and funding for victims of sexual violence in the military. She worked with filmmaker Amy Ziering—also a Foundation donor— who screened her 2013 Academy Award-nominated documentary on the subject, The Invisible War. “Many women I spoke with were not informed about this issue,” Beth recalls, “but several took action once they learned the facts. I was surprised at how many other women, like me, wanted to get more deeply involved.”

Beth’s next salon is in the works. “I want to shine a light on the horrible epidemic of sexual assault and rape on American campuses. I think there’s an educational opportunity here for young women to mobilize and make a meaningful difference to address this issue.”

“This panel was so interesting!” enthused 18-year-old Shalva Lipman, who attended the event with her mother, Sarah Lipman, and her grandfather, Foundation donor and Advisory Board member Alan Lipman. “I am always looking for ways to help others and get involved with the community,” said the teen. “It’s so interesting to hear about new ways that groups of friends can work together to make a difference in a thoughtful way.”

Sarah added, “I am grateful to attend an event like this, alongside both my daughter and father-in-law. I admire The Foundation for presenting new models of giving for our consideration, and for facilitating discussions about ways to maximize giving and have an impact. It’s an exciting time for philanthropy, and we’ll be continuing the conversation with our family and colleagues.”

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1. Linda Janger, Leah Bishop 2. Morton & Sally Kirshner with their daughter, panelist Mindy Freedman & Douglas Freedman 3. Sarah, Shalva & Alan Lipman 4. Ken Weiss & Cathy Siegel Weiss 5. Jill Rosenberg, Neal Krone

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6. Janet Papkin 7. Lorin Fife, Douglas Williams 8. Cathy Siegel Weiss, Jessica Nazire

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www . j e w i s h f o u n d a t i o n l a . o r g

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Recently seen at other events hosted by The Foundation’s Center for Designed Philanthropy

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RECENTLY SEEN...

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1. Peter Weil, Marvin Schotland, Lynn Bider, Rabbi David Ellenson, Dan Rothblatt 2. Herb Glaser, Joel Shapiro 3. Clive & Larraine Segil 4. Deborah Levine, Allyn Levine 5. Jerry, Lorraine & Steve Factor 6. Dan Rothblatt, Marion & Lou Lipofksy, Larry Rauch

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7. Evan Schlessinger, Julie Bram, Brian Shirken 8. Aliza & Marc Guren 9. Theresa & Brad Luster 10. Nancy & Jonathan Glaser 11. Elliot Kristal, Karen & Barry Mason 12. Robin Kramer, Marlene Bane 13. Janet Morris 14. Marvin Schotland, Raymond & Karen Zolekhian

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In the Spotlight ANNOUNCING

The Center for Designed Philanthropy helps donors shape meaningful, personalized philanthropic strategies, build consensus among family members, and develop creative solutions to magnify the impact of their giving.

(323) 761-8705

Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts

www.jewishfoundationla.org/center

Celebrating our city’s cultures through music, dance, art and food

Center for

Designed philanthropy

The Krupnick Festival of the Ar ts

Voices of LA is a citywide collaborative An Initiative of the summer series bringing together Jewish Communit y Foundation of Los Angeles artmakers from diverse communities.

It features musicians, dancers, spoken word and visual artists throughout summer 2014. The Culminating Festival is an all-day family-friendly celebration on Sunday, September 14 at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown.

All events and performances are FREE and open to the public.

Online RSVP is required for all events except for the Culminating Festival.

Lawrence Rauch

Elliot Kristal

Marvin I. Schotland

Baruch Littman

Dan Rothblatt

Susan Mattisinko

Chair

President & CEO

Senior Vice President, Philanthropic Services

Vice President, Charitable Gift Planning

Vice President, Development

General Counsel

Michael J. Januzik

CFO/Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration

Full schedule and RSVP at www.voicesoflafest.com

Editors: Bonnie Samotin Zev & Lewis Groner

More info at www.jewishfoundationla.org/festival

Design: Maxine Mueller

Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts is funded through a grant from The Harry and Belle Krupnick Endowment Fund at The Foundation, and is presented by Wilshire Boulevard Temple and produced by Community Arts Resources.

© 2014 Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.

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