‘Listening’ Is Key for New Jewish Federations Executive

NEW ON THE JOB

As an executive of Stride Rite, a company that makes children’s shoes, Jerry Silverman would spend part of his weekends helping sometimes rowdy kids try on shoes — and gauging how moms and dads liked the store.

“I would spend two or three hours on a Sunday on the floor getting spit on, getting kicked, but really, really listening,” he says. “And the value of that was immeasurable.”

Today, Mr. Silverman wants to bring that “listening culture” to the United Jewish Communities, a New York umbrella organization of hundreds of Jewish federations and other groups across North America. As the organization’s new chief executive, he hopes that approach will help bring together the sometimes divided membership.

“What we need to have first and foremost is clarity of vision and clarity of what our key strategies are going to be,” he says. “We’ll do this by really listening to our shareholders.”

Collectively, the network of Jewish charities raises and distributes more than $3-billion a year. But the organization and its members have been hit hard by the recession. Donations to some federations have dropped by as much as 25 percent, and many of the local groups are keen to decrease the dues they pay to the umbrella group. As a result, United Jewish Communities trimmed its budget by $7-million this year and laid off 39 people.

Given the economic challenges and the organization’s diverse membership, Mr. Silverman is the perfect pick to lead United Jewish Communities, says Kathy Manning, a member of the group’s Board of Trustees who led the search for a new chief executive.

“Jerry has a quiet charisma and incredible interpersonal skills,” says Ms. Manning, who will become the board’s chairwoman in November. “He’s a great diplomat, but he’s not a pushover.”

Mr. Silverman, 50 and married with five children, comes from the Foundation for Jewish Camp, which he joined in 2004 as its president after a career working at clothing companies. During his tenure at the organization, which supports nonprofit Jewish summer camps, he increased annual fundraising revenue from $1-million to more than $22-million.

He credits the financial success to forging a strong sense of partnership between the New York nonprofit group and the camps.

“We basically developed a singular mission, which was really something all the camps could connect with,” he says. “Our goal was to significantly increase the number of children attending Jewish camp.”

While the position at the Foundation for Jewish Camp was his first full-time nonprofit job, Mr. Silverman says growing up in Tulsa, Okla., and Cleveland he was surrounded by people devoted to Judaism. His father, grandfather, and an uncle are all rabbis.

“The concept of Jewish values and Jewish education was dripping in our family,” he says.

Mr. Silverman, who will commute from his home in Boston to his new job, declined to say how much he will be paid. Ms. Manning declined to disclose his salary as well, but did say that he will be making less than his predecessor, Howard Rieger. In 2007, the most recent year data are available, Mr. Rieger earned a salary of $555,000.

While the charity network’s financial problems are his immediate concern, Mr. Silverman says his priorities are to make sure United Jewish Communities and its partners remain an integral part of Jewish life and that young Jews are involved with the group’s charitable efforts.

In an interview, Mr. Silverman, who officially starts his new position September 30, discussed his goals and how he will guide United Jewish Communities through the recession.

How will you help United Jewish Communities deal with the tough economic climate?

It’s not that the UJC is dealing with a drop in revenue; the entire world is hurting with these uncommon times. We have to be extraordinarily responsible to our shareholders — all of the individual federations and networks on the continent. We have to make sure we have an organization that is lean and really delivers results. As we move through this uncommon time, we really need to position ourselves to grow and evolve and to be stronger when we come out.

Will that require more budget cutting or more layoffs?

I don’t know yet. Right now I know that the organization is working very hard and has just absorbed a blow. What we need to have first and foremost is clarity of vision and clarity of what our key strategies are going to be. We’ll do this by really listening to our shareholders. And once we know where we’re going, we will assess the organization and say, OK, what are the organizational needs going to be?

Does it hurt or help you that you have not worked at a federation previously?

It’s a two-sided coin. On one side, there is an inordinate amount of knowledge I need to be effective; that is, knowledge and language that goes on in every federation across North America today. That I’m going to have to learn. That is going to be a challenge and that is going to take some time. The good news is that many federation leaders have offered time for me to shadow, listen, and learn.

The other side of the coin is that I’m coming with a clean slate, an open lens, and an objective view. Having that clean white piece of paper can be an advantage.

What are your long-term priorities for the group?

How do we position ourselves to inspire the next generation, and the next generation? How do we motivate and inspire them to engage in the Jewish community both as great volunteers and lay leaders, but also as professionals? How do we ensure we are bringing the highest quality of professional talent to work across the Jewish community? In these uncommon times where there are signifiant shifts that are going on in various industries, it opens an opportunity to get young people to think of this as a fabulous career where you can use your passion and your energy.

How has the recession affected Jewish philanthropists?

It has allowed them to really think and strategize more about their philanthropy. It has made them think more about outcomes and theories of change and how their philanthropy could make even a bigger difference, especially when resources are a little bit more scarce.