DELEGATES to this year’s General Assembly will see lots of local Colorado faces during their Denver stay some more than others. One of those on the more side will surely be Doug Seserman, president-CEO of the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado.
Not only is it his responsibility as the professional leader of the hosting federation to meet and greet executives from federations across the continent at the GA — it’s also his nature. Friendly and outgoing, Seserman embodies the warm Western spirit that Coloradans take considerable pride in.
When the subject of his conversation is federation — which, not surprisingly, it frequently is — Seserman is even more Coloradan in his approach. He is laid-back, less concerned with worrying about problems than solving them. Proud of history and heritage, he is also progressive and futuristic in his orientation.
These traits have been made manifest since 2002 when Seserman was appointed to lead the AJF, bringing considerable experience and expertise from the private sector. His tenure since then has been in many ways a roller coaster the optimistic hopefulness of the early century battered by the harsh realities and lowered expectations of the recession, followed by the current need for new vision and direction.
He has grappled with issues and dynamics very familiar to federation professionals and lay leaders across North America. How he has coped with those challenges, and how he is refocusing and rebuilding his own federations priorities, may be of considerable and timely interest to his colleagues.
In a recent interview with the Intermountain Jewish News, Seserman discussed these and many other issues, including how Colorado Jewry is both a part of and distinct from North American Jewry in general.
Q: To paraphrase the famous Jewish question: How is the Allied Jewish Federation different from all other federations?
We’re trying our best to be a contemporary federation thats progressive — one for modernity. That’s reflective, I think, of the ties to our ancient traditions and everything weve done as a federation and a system.
It’s meeting donors and community members where they are, not where we want them to be. It’s more donor-centric.
This is the land of Total Choice Tzedakah, where donors can give both to and through their federation. Thats been quite controversial but at this point its just part of how we do business.
They say the trends start on the coasts but in the Jewish world west of the Mississippi, these Western communities look more like what the future of the federation system is about.
Denver is really kind of a hybrid community. We have some fourth generation families but we have a lot of people who have moved here from somewhere else. Their giving patterns don’t really resemble that of the communities where they used to be. So we’re trying to grow Jewish philanthropy in every flavor and form.
The rest of this interview is available in the IJN’s Welcome to the GA magazine only. Contact Carol to order your copy at (303) 861-2234.
