American Jewish World Service Names Margo Bloom Vice President for Development

NEW YORK – American Jewish World Service (AJWS) named Margo Bloom—a nonprofit professional with a long and impressive history of leadership in fundraising, management and Jewish communal life—as its Vice President for Development. Bloom, who was most recently the Senior Division Director of Development at NYU Langone Medical Center and who has led major Jewish communal organizations, brings a deep commitment to advancing AJWS’s mission as this global human rights and development organization embarks upon its next stage of growth and impact.

At NYU Langone, Bloom led a team of 26, including 14 major gift officers, whose annual fundraising goal was $60 million. During her eight-year tenure at NYU Langone, Bloom served in several senior development positions, raising a total of $80 million. Before joining NYU Langone in 2009, Bloom served as the Senior Vice President of the Birthright Israel Foundation, the Director of the 14th Street Y in Manhattan and the Director of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.

AJWS, which has an annual operating budget of nearly $38 million, is unique among American Jewish organizations in that it raises most of its funds from American Jewish donors to realize human rights and end poverty in diverse communities worldwide. Specifically, AJWS supports more than 450 grantee organizations in 19 developing countries. These organizations—many of them grassroots groups run by and for local people—work in their own countries to defend the civil and political rights of their citizens; advance the rights of women, girls and LGBTI people; protect land and water rights; and aid communities negatively affected by droughts, floods and storms associated with climate change. Moreover, AJWS aids others harmed by natural disasters such as earthquakes and humanitarian crises such as ethnic cleansing and genocide.

“We are delighted to have someone of Margo’s caliber join the AJWS team to lead our fundraising at this crucial time in our organization’s history, when we are embarking on our next phase of growth. Margo’s powerful track record in fundraising will help us ensure that we grow smartly, allowing us to increase our impact by advancing the work of our grantees worldwide,” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of AJWS. “Margo’s deep commitment to AJWS’s mission and to the Jewish value of pursuing justice in combination with her fundraising prowess is an ideal fit for AJWS and our community of supporters.”

“As the chair of AJWS’s board, I welcome Margo to the AJWS team, and I know that I and every member of our board look forward to collaborating with Margo to grow AJWS in order to do more to help some of the poorest and most oppressed people in the world fight for their own rights,” said Monte Dube, Chair of the AJWS Board of Trustees.

“I am a long-time admirer of AJWS and its mission to pursue justice for some of the world’s poorest and most oppressed people. As someone deeply committed to Jewish values and as a fundraising professional, I am grateful for this opportunity to partner with AJWS’s extraordinary staff, leadership and board, as well as its grantees around the world,” said Margo Bloom, Vice President for Development of AJWS. “Together with other communities, we will create a compassionate world in which every person’s dignity is respected and rights are upheld,” she added.

 

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About American Jewish World Service

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the leading Jewish organization working to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world. AJWS promotes civil and political rights; advances sexual health and rights; defends land, water and climate justice; and aids communities in the aftermath of disasters. We pursue lasting change by supporting grassroots and global human rights organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and by advocating for U.S. and international policies for justice and equality worldwide. Learn more at www.ajws.org.

 

For More Information

If you are a member of the press and wish to obtain information about our work or speak to a member of our global team on deadline, please contact Tanyanika Davis, Director of Media Relations, at tdavis@ajws.org.