Steve Jobs, The Beatles and Revolutionizing Jewish Philanthropy

With the passing of the legendary Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, I was contemplating how he revolutionized and shaped multiple industries, from computers, to work style, telecom, movies, design and music. We didn’t realize where we were headed on this ride with Steve until we were already there.

This inspired me to think about our current Jewish philanthropic infrastructure, specifically the Jewish Federation, which is tasked with caring for the wide array of programs and services in every Jewish community. It is an industrial model that is indeed in trouble and needs revolutionizing – and yet I wonder, are we actively shaping a new future? Are Federations on a course to adequately support community infrastructure, the myriad social services and programs that help keep a community vibrant and growing? The answer is, not yet.

How do we learn from Steve Jobs, a man who revolutionizes multiple industries in one short lifetime?

I am a firm believer of the biblical idiom that “there is nothing new under the sun” and even someone like Steve Jobs drew his inspiration from somewhere or someone with similar success. For Jobs, he drew his inspiration for simple elegance and his business model from the band, The Beatles:

“My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”

I think the Federation system has forgotten what made it special. In short, the Federation invests in the Jewish community and with guidance from said community, funds all the programs and services that foster the growth and vibrancy of the community. Sadly, the big business and message of Federation has become so spackled, the mission is barely recognizable any more.

In the 21st century, I don’t want a polished Federation executive telling me that the Federation is the central address for Jewish life. Why? Because I don’t believe him, as I can tailor my own Jewish experience without the expensive middleman of Federation.

So here is my shot at a “Beatles” solution for the future of a Jewish Federation:

1. Move away from the “community money pot” model and annual campaign, where money is raised and then allocated each year through an allocation process. Instead, break down the community programs and services into investable infrastructure with clear focus areas and make them mutual funds to be invested in. If I ask “what does $10,000 buy me?” It should be clear what the social impact will be from that transaction. Just look at organizations like the Acumen Fund, where funds can be invested by need and by region. Check out their annual report here: http://www.acumenfund.org/investment-story/annual-report.html

2. With clear areas of social impact investing, Federation professionals and leadership can then become the authorities on sustainability for each focus area and find creative ways to make them not just tread water, but to grow exponentially.

3. Hire artistic problem solvers and advocates. Not professionals with portfolios. Turn the fundraisers into the cheerleaders and brokers for the agencies that the Federations support. Get them out of their offices and into the field, educating prospective donors and inspiring people to give by showcasing the amazing programs and services in the community. Have them send their people personal touches with REAL and IMPERFECT photos and videos from the ground. Train the development professionals how to spend 90% of their time cultivating REAL relationships and less focus on meetings and pushing papers.

4. Rebrand the Federation for a generation that is turned off by the “Jewish tax” perception into one that says “We are active investors in our community” and reinforce it by putting the investing knowledge and power in their hands.

So that’s it.

Are there flaws with this proposed “Federation of the Future”? Sure. Will it need to be refined? Absolutely. Go ahead and make it simpler, easier, and more nimble…but for G-d’s sake, get it out the door! No more ad hoc committees and task forces and Jewish dialogues…just try, fail and try again. We don’t have much time left. Too many services are being cut, and in the words of Seth Godin [NextGen:Charity 2010], “the people you serve need doors open for them. Shame on us if we are just taking a paycheck each day.”

Steve Jobs, your legacy lives on and many people will draw their own inspiration from you. Thank you for your contributions, and the ones not yet realized. You are my “Beatles” and the Jewish community is, and will always be, my “Apple”.