While she worked on her social work degree, she knew she did not wish to be a clinical social worker, but wanted to utilize those skills and the understanding of people in a holistic way to aid in her daily work and interactions with others. Alexi shared, “at its core, this is fundraising 101 – people and relationships. This degree definitely helps with donor communications, buy-in, support, and trust.”

Her studies gave her a great baseline for how the Jewish nonprofit world has changed and evolved, and what it takes to be a leader who can create change in their own community. She learned that supervision is imperative to success in the workplace and this is something she holds dear within her role at Federation.

Who else remembers some of Alexi’s favorite memories? “Richard Siegel z’’l’s fundraising class – he brought in every single piece of solicitation mail that he got that week. He said, ‘we’re going to open these and read them all. Tell me what works and what doesn’t land well. How many did I get from the same organization?…’ Wacky Wednesday – our class drove around LA every Wednesday during the summer to visit different nonprofit organizations. We would learn how they work and build a broader understanding of the LA landscape, all while eating special treats. The Federation’s Valley office had strawberry shortcakes to educate about The Valley and how the Jewish community is rooted in that area.”

Alexi will leave us with some words of wisdom she has learned and lived. “We do really important work and while it can be challenging at times to navigate the Jewish nonprofit space and complexity of organizations, at the end of the day, it’s important to remember we have impact and that is what is most important.”

To learn about this program and others within Zelikow, visit: zsjnm.huc.edu