The Large City Executives are meeting (or have met) this week in Southern Florida. I am certain they discussed matters of critical importance, after all their communities are responsible for 80% or more of the funds raised by the Federations across our Continent. New and innovative programs might have been on the agenda, maybe fund raising -- it's really none of our business, after all. This is a meeting of the LCE, whom we may employ but who often have their own agenda, created by them and for them.
But I have a few ideas that might have merited inclusion on their agenda:
1. How long are each of our federations going to spend over $1 million annually (and, often, two and three times that amount) in an organization that we are supposed to own -- JFNA -- but contributes almost nothing to us, individually or collectively?
2. From which of our federations will the next JFNA chief volunteer officers be chosen? Or will the largest of our communities continue to abdicate their leadership responsibilities to a self-perpetuating oligarchy of leaders, as has been the case for the last 6 years?
3. What are our responsibilities to other federations? How can we be mentors to new CEOs without regard to City-size, not just "better mentors" (because, really, we haven't been doing much, if any) but mentors?
4. How do we encourage the best and brightest of the lay leaders in our communities to engage in our national and overseas organizations to assure that those organizations reflect our agendas, our goals, our values?
I am sure that each of you could suggest an Agenda that end up having meaning to our communities.
Rwexler
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4 comments:
There probably will be one or more execs at the table who should not be participating in the first item since they may not be sending $1 million annually for dues. (But then again one or more of those federations may not have a current exec sitting at the table either.) Another agenda item - What can we as execs of the largest cities do to mentor our new colleagues in the large cities who came to the job from outside the system?
Aren't quite a few of the LCE's the same ones who, 17 years ago, demanded the "Study" that begat the "Partnership", that begat United Jewish Communitees, that begat JFNA? Maybe it would be better, Rich, to just encourage them to have some nice meals and walks on the beach.
A rough estimate of the current execs who were involved in 1997 that are still seated include only Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis, Miami,Boston. I think all others are gone (except Palm Beach who may have retired but could be present as the "host").
One point for sure, there will be plenty of time to eat, golf and, if desired , walk on the beach or in a sand trap. Many of these new CEOs don't want mentoring -- they believe they know it all starting with "we don't need the federation you old buzzards created; we need nwe."
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