By Richard Friedman, Executive Director

At The Birmingham Jewish Federation, we are blessed with an exceptional staff, and it is my pleasure to begin the new year with some exciting news that will make us even stronger.

For starters, Daniel Odrezin, a third year law student at the University of Alabama, will be joining our staff full-time in August after he finishes law school and takes the bar exam. Daniel interned for The Birmingham Jewish Federation after his first year of law school and has worked part-time for us since then. He also spent a semester at Tel Aviv University's law school through an exchange program.

Daniel's responsibilities will include managing our annual campaign; soliciting campaign gifts and campaign endowment gifts; developing new Federation donors and leaders among his peers; participating in management decisions; writing and speaking on behalf of The BJF, and developing initiatives that draw upon his law school background. His title will be Assistant Executive Director. Daniel also will be given opportunities to develop his executive leadership skills and learn about every facet of our organization.

Funding for Daniel's position will come from reductions we've made and money we've saved over the past few years and a donation we've received through "Our Next 100 Years," a historic Jewish community initiative geared toward building for the future.

TWO MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

As we start the new year, I also want to share the following two items.

BJF staff member Lauren Klinner, who currently holds the position of Executive Coordinator/Special Projects Director will be promoted to the position of Director of Operations. Lauren, who has been with us eight years, is deeply knowledgeable about our organization and universally respected by our staff. As Director of Operations, she will oversee all aspects of The BJF other than fundraising and programming (which I will oversee). In addition, she will work with Daniel managing the annual campaign and continue to handle special projects.

I am also pleased to announce that we have hired Amanda Weil, one of our outstanding young volunteers, to come to work for us professionally. Effective March 1, Amanda will join our staff as a fundraiser, helping us raise money beyond our annual campaign.

Amanda's fundraising responsibilities will involve foundations, corporations, special gifts, special campaigns, corporate sponsorships, Our Next 100 Years, out of town families with Birmingham ties, our Christian community and other fundraising areas. I will mentor and guide her. She also will work with The Birmingham Jewish Foundation's Executive Director Sally Friedman to solicit endowment gifts.

We are very excited about Amanda coming aboard. She is passionate about The BJF, serves on our Executive Committee and Board, helps edit Update, is a participant in our new Leadership Writing Project and has done a great job as co-chair of our Jewish Community Relations Coalition. She has worked as a United Way Loaned Executive and is currently a fundraising professional at Children's Aid Society. Her title will be Strategic Fundraising Associate.

Money to fund this new position has come from special donations people have made in addition to their annual campaign gifts. Enough money has been raised to cover this position for three years. After three years, money for this position will come from our anticipated fundraising growth, gifts from additional families and/or Our Next 100 Years initiative.

FOR THE FUTURE

Five years ago, I was asked by our Personnel and Executive Committees and Board to begin laying the groundwork for the future, while continuing to provide current staff members with opportunities for growth. I am pleased to report that in consultation with our lay leadership this is being accomplished.

The above staffing announcements regarding these three young adults are one more reflection of The BJF's multi-generational approach and outreach to younger people in our community. In addition, Daniel, Lauren and Amanda are all deeply committed to Birmingham and building their careers at The BJF as are our other wonderful staff members who have helped make our organization what it is today. I am proud to say we have a superb staff at The BJF and I feel good about the future.

These announcements also reflect a new BJF strategy called LIFT -- Leadership Initiatives For Tomorrow. Our BJF President Jimmy Filler and I, along with our other volunteer leaders, are deeply committed to ensuring the future and building an organization, both at the professional and volunteer levels, that will continue to be strong, creative, effective and dynamic. It will be an organization that donors can have faith in, now and in the future. And, I'm additionally excited that as this new model takes hold, it will position me to devote even more of my time to fundraising, including Our Next 100 Years, and telling our Federation's story.

So as 2012 begins, please enjoy this exciting news. Those of you who support The BJF financially have helped bring us to the dawn of a new tomorrow filled with promise, passion and possibilities. As always, we say thank you and remain deeply grateful.