Danielle V. Minson — Raising the Bar
Cincinnati 2020 in 2015: Q&A with Dr. Chaviva Randolph: Guest Post by Barbara Miller
This guest post series is to let you know a bit more about Cincinnati 2020, the Jewish community’s visionary plan for building an exceptional future. This week, our Director of Community Building at the Federation, Barb Miller, talks with Dr. Chaviva Randolph, Past President of Cincinnati Community Mikveh. —Shep
How did you first get involved in Cincinnati 2020?
Back in 2010, I was asked to be part of the Jewish Learning and Identity Team that was coordinated by Rabbi Coran and Rabbi Jaffee. The strategic planning process was just beginning to take shape under Andy Berger. Currently, I am part of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Innovation Council, which is in its infancy, and will be a strong signal to Jewish Cincinnati that innovation is a valued and critical ingredient in actualizing the potential of Cincinnati 2020.
Why is the work of Cincinnati 2020 important?
It brings the community together around common values and goals. By focusing our efforts on Cincinnati 2020, we will be able to deeply enrich our lives, our children’s lives, and the lives of future generations. The take away: we all can—and must—be a part of actualizing the potential of Jewish Cincinnati.
What is Shared Business Services (SBS)? Where did the idea of it come from?
Shared Business Services is an example of the high degree to which the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation have their pulse on the needs of our community and on the latest understandings in the field of organizational development. Each of our community organizations meets unique, specialized, and critical needs within our community. It requires tremendous expertise and energy to provide these community services, and nonprofit organizations just can’t do everything with greatness. We want them to be able to focus on their core missions, be great at that, and be able to strive for a vision even beyond what they are today—that is enough of a feat!
Under the Jewish Federation umbrella, Shared Business Services partners with organizations in Jewish Cincinnati to support their success by providing best-in-class nonprofit finance/accounting, HR, and IT services that inform sound business decisions and allow organizations to strive for excellence in their mission-driven endeavors. SBS gives our community organizations the capacity they need to be able to achieve mission-driven success and even reach beyond their current successes, taking the steps necessary to bring Cincinnati 2020 to fruition.
How has Cincinnati Community Mikveh benefited from the work of SBS?
Because of the expertise of SBS, we have been able to build a financially sustainable model from day one in our beautiful, new facility. The staff and board find SBS indispensible. And it’s not just Cincinnati Community Mikveh singing SBS’s praises. My husband and I have personally witnessed the power of SBS to positively impact five organizations in Jewish Cincinnati, each with a unique and critical mission.
Did anything about the collaborative effort surrounding Cincinnati 2020 and the formation of SBS surprise you?
I have been surprised that Cincinnati 2020 has felt so organic and almost “grassroots.” That’s pretty remarkable given the resources and expertise behind its development, and it has enabled individuals and organizations to “find their place” within Cincinnati 2020, and thus feel invested in its success. With both Cincinnati 2020 and SBS, I have observed individual ideas become shared goals and grow into realities that make a big difference … already. I’m excited to see what is ahead—what more can be accomplished!
What do you hope the community accomplishes through Cincinnati 2020 in the next 5 years, both in terms of SBS, and otherwise?
I envision a future where we are all at the forefront of innovative efforts that enrich the Jewish experience and lives of our community members, through Cincinnati 2020 collaboration. I’m excited to watch that collaboration continue to bolster the successes of our individual organizations. Those organizations and our community as a whole are becoming a flagship for the greatness that can be achieved when a Jewish community seeks to actualize its unique potential.
