Kostiner shuffles fund-raising ideas to up the ante
By Toshio Suzuki
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As the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland's chair of financial resource development, Priscilla Kostiner acts as community stimulus, prodding all aspects of fund-raising and ricocheting ideas off other ideas to increase output effectiveness.
"If you put up a sign and offer coffee and a bagel, people will come," said Kostiner, casually remarking on an approach to finding unaffiliated members of the Jewish community, one of the many challenges she is well aware of.
In many ways, the intricacies of operating a $4.1 million non-profit organization are just as shrewd and involved as the classic American corporation model that answers to stockholders.
People who donate to JFGP are "investors" who deserve their appropriate respect and attention, and the ultimate goal of the FRD is to increase "profits" that will enrich not just domestic Jewish programs but international ones too.
"When you give to federation, it just has the ability to reach more people," said Kostiner. "I know when I give my donation to the federation I'm helping the elderly from the former Soviet Union get their medication and make it through the winter."
"We're headed towards 4.5 million and we can't afford to take nine years" to get there, said Kostiner, adding that because of the community's growing needs, "Just producing the same amount is not OK."
Last November the Review ran a similar story documenting Kostiner's new position as FRD chair, in which she her main agenda was to "change strategy." Now two years in, adding to her three decades of JFGP service, Kostiner said the FRD is still in strategy mode.
"This process is based on as many voices as possible," said Kostiner. While looking at the needs of the community, Kostiner said her approach is to ask "here we are, here's what we do, what do you need?"
Besides two consecutive record campaign years, the FRD established a number of task forces that are producing brick and mortar type results. All consisting of five to 20 people, Kostiner said the short and long-term planning groups are addressing all things donor related: cultivation; outreach; giving; recognition and solicitor recruitment; training; and the FRD task force itself.
Kostiner said all of these groups are centered on the concept of making JFGP fund-raising a more "donor philanthropist centric kind of operation than before." The final outreach report is expected soon.
Kostiner's dogged approach can emit an aura of dissatisfaction but she said the FRD is doing really well; she just wants it to be doing great.
"I would like to jump ahead but you can't," she said. "I wish I could win the lottery; that would do it."