The Benefits and Challenges of Working for a Charity Based in a Religion Different From One’s Own

IN THE TRENCHES

By Rebecca Gardyn

When visitors walk through the doors of the Addison Penzak Jewish Community Center of Silicon Valley, in Los Gatos, Calif., Danelle Rhiner is waiting to greet them with a big, welcoming smile and a warm, hearty “Shalom!” If asked, Ms. Rhiner, who juggles duties as secretary, office manager, and assistant development director, will happily answer questions about Jewish customs, religious beliefs, holidays, and even dietary laws.

“Last year, someone suggested serving baby back ribs at our golf tournament, but I told them there’s no way that’s going to fly,” she says. “That’s so trayf!”

Not bad for a Catholic girl.

Ms. Rhiner, a self-described “staunch Catholic” who has been working at the Jewish organization for three years, is by no means an anomaly. Across the country, many people, at many levels, are working for charitable organizations that are grounded in faiths not their own. While the differences do sometimes present some challenges and awkward moments for both employee and employer, those who work under such circumstances overwhelmingly say that they have found the experience to be personally fulfilling, with the positives far outweighing any negatives.

Their individual experiences, however, are part of a larger national issue: whether religious organizations that receive federal funds have the right to exclude employees of other faiths. Last December, President Bush issued an executive order that loosened restrictions on such charities, including allowing them to follow their religious views when making hiring decisions — which critics say allows for illegal employment discrimination.

When Daniel Nussbaum, who is a rabbi, became director of leadership development at the YMCA of the USA, in Chicago, about a year and half ago, he knew exactly what he was getting into: While the YMCA has diversified its staff over the years, Rabbi Nussbaum says, its roots are still very much grounded in Christian tradition. Still, he believed in the good work of the charity and wanted to be involved, because even if his religious beliefs weren’t a strong match, his values were.

“Given the choice between a secular or a faith-based organization, I actually find it more fulfilling to be in a place that at least recognizes its spiritual basis,” he says.

While 99 percent of his day is spent the same way as any other administrator’s — dealing with budgets, personnel, and strategic plans — Rabbi Nussbaum acknowledges that he has participated in a fair number of intense biblical discussions with his co-workers. But rather than find them uncomfortable, he enjoys the opportunity to learn from others’ perspectives.

“There seems to be a societal assumption that if an organization or person has a strong faith that somehow they are inherently less inclusive and more prejudiced,” he says. “But in my experience, those who are centered in their own faith very often can appreciate and respect other people’s beliefs even more so than people who have no beliefs. As a result, I think they tend to work very well together.”

The Benefits of Diversity

To that end, cultivating a diverse staff at a religious charity or foundation can be very useful for bringing a wide array of perspectives to the work at hand.

At the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, in Tulsa, Okla., which primarily supports Jewish-affiliated programs, about a third of the staff is not Jewish. Sandy Cardin, who has been executive director of the foundation for nine years and was responsible for hiring all current employees, says that is just the way he likes it.

“Jewish life does not occur in a vacuum,” says Mr. Cardin, who is Jewish. “We live within a larger world, one to which we owe a responsibility to help repair and perfect. Not only do the non-Jewish members of our team help us avoid myopia, they also provide invaluable assistance in the implementation of our secular agenda in the community in which we all work and live.”

Mr. Cardin adds that the members of his staff who come from other religions and backgrounds also provide invaluable insight into how non-Jews deal with some of the same challenges that confront contemporary Jews — such as intermarriage, assimilation, and dwindling participation at houses of worship.

And many individuals who have a different heritage from their employer find they get just as much back in return.

As one of the non-Jewish members of the Schusterman Family Foundation staff, the grants manager, Alana Hughes, says her experience working there has helped her clarify her own religious beliefs. Ms. Hughes grew up Protestant, but hasn’t affiliated herself with any religion since her teens. After five years of observing Jewish customs and traditions at her day job, she is considering converting to Judaism.

“There has been no pressure at all from the foundation,” she says. “But I’ve reached that age where I’m looking for something beyond myself, and Jewish philosophies like ‘do the right thing’ and ‘charity begins at home’ are very attractive to me. If I wasn’t working here, I wouldn’t have been exposed to the culture and seen all the things we have been able to accomplish.”

Awkward Moments

Yet even though the benefits are apparent, to both the diversity of the organization and to the personal growth of the people involved, there are certainly some down sides for employees who work for religious charities with which they do not share the same faith. One executive assistant at a Catholic-oriented charity in Portland, Ore., who asked to remain anonymous, says that he has often felt excluded by co-workers because he is not Catholic. He currently subscribes to no religion.

“Even though I consider myself ‘spiritual,’ I find that people don’t see me as being ‘really’ spiritual because I’m not Catholic,” he says. “Often I am treated like an outsider.”

Catherine Onyemelukwe, a Unitarian-Universalist, says that she is very happy in her job overall but has also endured a few uncomfortable situations during her two years as director of development at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, in New York City. About half of the 82 member organizations with which she works are Roman Catholic, and Ms. Onyemelukwe has found it somewhat awkward when she has had to communicate directly with them. For example, earlier this year she had difficulty composing an appeal letter to the Roman Catholic communities of Sisters because she felt uncomfortable using the strong religious language that was required. She ultimately asked her group’s executive director, a nun, to write it for her.

“I also find staff meetings where we are asked to have a silent mediation or prayer a little uncomfortable,” Ms. Onyemelukwe says. “I don’t pray, at least not in the conventional sense.”

Yet despite a few awkward moments, Ms. Onyemelukwe would not dissuade anyone from taking a position with a nonprofit organization grounded in a different faith from one’s own. She does, however, advise those job seekers who are considering it to be sure to spend some time taking stock of their own values. It is more important for those values to be consistent with the organization’s, she says, than for employees’ religious beliefs to line up with their employers’.

“I believe that this kind of situation can only work well if you are clear about your own values, and know that you will not violate them in any way by taking the position,” she says. “If your values in any way contradict those of the organization, don’t do it.” She also advises that employees never hide their faith affiliation from a religious organization to which they are applying. (For more detailed information on posing and handling such questions, see “Nonprofit Managers and Recruiters Offer Tips for Interviewing Job Candidates.”

Unlike other employers, it is legal for religious organizations to discriminate in hiring based on candidates’ religion. Although the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employers from discriminating against people because of their religion, the law provides an exemption for religious organizations that do not receive federal funds, and President Bush’s executive order now exempts religious groups that do receive federal money.

However, unless a position requires in-depth knowledge of a particular faith, religious groups will often chose not to discriminate. To the contrary, many encourage diversity. “Our hiring practices have always been based on a single principle: Identifying the best possible person to fill the position,” says Mr. Cardin. “The religious beliefs of our staff, as well as other matters of personal choice and private practice, is not a concern.”

Mission and Values

During the interview process, it is also a good idea to ask some direct questions about whatever potential conflicts you think might arise as a result of the religious differences, advises Mary Coleman Spring, director of human resources at Volunteers of America, in Alexandria, Va., a nonprofit organization with roots in Christianity. Ask specifically about things such as what kinds of religious practices are adhered to in the office, what holidays will be celebrated and how they will be celebrated, as well as how often prayers will be voiced during company meetings.

“You need to trust yourself to make the right decision as to whether you think you can thrive personally and professionally in the organization’s culture,” says Ms. Coleman Spring, who is Jewish.

Ultimately, however, an employee should choose a job based on the merits of the position, rather than whatever religious orientation may be attached to it, says Paul Little, an Episcopalian, who is director of communications at the Claremont School of Theology, a United Methodist graduate school in Claremont, Calif. “I was attracted to this job because I think the overall mission of the school — to train leaders for church, community, and educational work — is an important one, and one I wanted to help promote,” he says.

As for Ms. Rhiner, the opportunity to work in a team environment and to interact with people daily in a relaxed, casual atmosphere keeps her very content at the Jewish Community Center of Silicon Valley. Despite the cross dangling from a chain around her neck, she has no problem fitting right in. “These people are my second family,” she says. “When my daughter is sick, everybody worries. It’s so wonderful to have that support. It’s like she has a dozen bubbes.”

Is it important for employees of a religious charity to share that particular religion, or are there benefits for those organizations to having a religiously diverse work force? Share your views in the Job Market online forum.