Philanthropy experts to discuss their book on the art of smart giving

Charles Bronfman, Jeffrey Solomon to appear at forum in Heller School

Jeffrey Solomon

The chairman and president of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies will discuss their new book, "The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan,” on Monday, Sept. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Zinner Forum of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

The book draws on the long experience of foundation chairman Charles Bronfman and foundation president Jeffrey Solomon to offer donors and potential donors a guide to effective philanthropy. The discussion will be moderated by Andrew Hahn, who is director of the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy.

"The Art of Giving" offers reflective questions, logistical answers, and many resources for creating a business plan for giving, regardless of the scale of giving involved. It explores the differences between charity and philanthropy, the complexities of the nonprofit world and the tools for making donations so that philanthropy both can be organized in a businesslike way and be a soulful process.

As chairman of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies Inc., Bronfman oversees a family of charitable foundations in the United States, Israel and Canada that support programs that help them strengthen their knowledge and appreciation of their history, heritage and cultural identity.

In the United States and Israel, the programs funded by the Bronfman Philanthropies support the unity of the Jewish people. In Canada, efforts to encourage a stronger sense of national identity are pursued through major support of two organizations: The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, and Historica-Dominion Institute, formerly known as Historica, an organization created in 1998 and dedicated to Canadian history education. The latter was formed with a significant grant from The CRB Foundation that was matched well ahead of schedule by other Canadian funders.

Bronfman is probably best known for his role as co-chairman of Taglit-Birthright Israel. This highly successful program, created as a gift from one generation to the next, provides an educational travel experience to Israel for young Jewish adults aged 18 to 26.

Bronfman was chairman of Koor Industries Ltd., one of Israel's largest industrial holding companies, from 1997 to 2006. He also served as co-chairman of The Seagram Company Ltd. and as chairman of the company's executive committee. He was chairman and principal owner of the Montreal Expos Baseball Club from 1968 to 1990. He established the Bronfman Visiting Professorship in Jewish Communal Innovation at Brandeis, and has served on the Board of Trustees here.

Solomon previously served as the senior vice president and chief operating officer of UJA-Federation of New York.

Other past positions include executive positions at Altro Health & Rehabilitation Services, Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged and Jewish Family and Children's Services in Miami. Solomon also served in city, state and federal government.  The author of over 80 publications, he served as an adjunct associate professor at New York University and sits on numerous nonprofit and foundation boards including the FJC, a community foundation in New York, the Jewish Funders Network and Musicians On Call. He also served on the board of The Council of Foundations, where he chaired the committee on ethics and practice and served on its executive committee. He is a founding trustee of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.

Monday's program is free and open to the public. RSVP to 781-736-3772 or lainey@brandeis.edu.

“The Art of Giving” Program is co-sponsored by the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and the Fisher-Bernstein Institute for Jewish Philanthropy and Leadership.

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