MJFLA NEWS

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MAY 15, 2023 - MJFLA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOB POSTING

MJFLA Executive Director Job Posting

 

Milwaukee Jewish Free Loan Association (MJFLA) is a local non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that offers interest-free loans to help people with temporary financial needs. MJFLA is a lean, one full-time and one part-time person operation that has been successfully serving the community for over 14 years. We are seeking a passionate, skilled, and energetic executive director with excellent people skills, the ability to wear many hats, extensive development and fundraising experience, and strong leadership capability to adopt this organization and shepherd it into the future.  Resumes with letters of interest may be sent to info@mjfla.org.

 

Job Summary 

The executive director is responsible for all aspects of the organization and will supervise, assist, and provide backup for one part time employee, working hand-in-hand. The executive director is accountable to the MJFLA board of directors and will work with the board to effectuate MJFLA’s mission and vision to help others. The executive director is responsible for the fiscal stewardship of the organization and acts in a fiduciary capacity in the best interests of the organization. The executive director manages the annual budget and raises operating funds to support it, and communicates with MJFLA’s established donor base and major funders to maintain and increase current financial support to grow the loan fund, thus enabling the organization to continue increasing the number of people served. MJFLA’s executive director has a direct impact on the lives of thousands of individuals and families in southern and southeastern Wisconsin. 

 

Qualifications 

• A passion to help people in need, paired with the ability to turn down requests for assistance from those who do not meet the requirements of this program

• Demonstrated leadership skills

• Eagerness for outreach and the desire to make efforts to fulfill the mission of the organization at every opportunity

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Tireless enthusiasm for excellent customer service 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including large and small group presentations; Spanish a plus

• Ability to work independently, yet aware of when consultation with others is necessary

• Ability to manage others and accomplish goals through part-time staff and volunteers

• Willingness to dive in to perform the variety of tasks needed for MJFLA to remain successful 

• Availability to attend in-person meetings and events in southeastern Wisconsin

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience in nonprofit management or related field preferred 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), Google Drive, etc. 

• Experience with QuickBooks Online, DocuSign, and CRM software a plus

• Ability to pass a criminal background check, as permitted by law 

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Compensation and Benefits: 

• Salary between $71,000 and $80,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications 

• Flexible work hours and opportunity for remote work while meeting the needs of clients and the organization

• Stipend or reimbursement to assist in securing individual health insurance coverage

• Paid time off, including Jewish holidays

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APRIL 21, 2023 - NEWS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear MJFLA Community,

As we reach the 15 year mark, Milwaukee Jewish Free Loan Association is growing and helping more people than ever! With new funds that empower people to become homeowners and to repair homes and make them more energy efficient, more funds to empower families to grow through adoption and other means, more funds for students to get an education, and larger funds to make it possible for employers to empower their employees to become financially stable, it is an exciting time!
 
With all of this excitement, it is time to bring on a passionate, skilled, and energetic executive to become my successor and take the lead in running this important community resource. After 15 rewarding years of leading MJFLA, I have decided to retire from my position as executive director sometime around the end of 2023. Rest assured that I will not be leaving MJFLA until we identify and onboard the next capable leader of this strong and thriving organization. We are planning for a smooth overlap to transfer knowledge and equip the next executive director to succeed. The MJFLA board, under the leadership of our president, Sarah Platt, has convened a search committee and we are committed to finding a caring and community-minded leader to take the baton after a sufficient transition period. This has not been an easy decision, as I founded this organization in 2009 and I have found immense joy and purpose working with the many dedicated members of our boards of directors and our development director, Felicia Miller, to serve the individuals, families, and employers of Southern and Southeastern Wisconsin to improve lives every day.

Since making the first interest-free loan in 2009, MJFLA has grown exponentially, but remains focused on a single mission - making interest-free loans to help people with temporary financial needs. To date, over $1,746,000 has been loaned, and those funds continue to be recycled into new loans, as MJFLA maintains a 99.6% repayment rate. We began with emergency and personal loans, and loans to help people avoid or escape predatory payday lenders. Over time, we added student and employee loan programs, as well as loans to help families grow. Most recently, we have partnered with Acts Housing to empower low-income families to improve their credit and qualify for mortgages so they can become homeowners, break the cycle of poverty, and begin to establish generational wealth. I could not be more proud and humbled. All of this - the immense impact MJFLA has had on the people of our community - would not have been possible without all of you, our donors. I will be forever grateful.

As we work harder than ever this year to continue empowering people in our community to improve their lives, I hope you will continue to empower MJFLA with your support. MJFLA's spring challenge appeal will be in the mail to you soon and we have a generous donor that will match every gift, up to $25,000, received by June 30!  Also, I hope you will save-the-date and attend MJFLA's 14th Annual Movie Night on October 14, so that I can thank you in person!

Sincerely,

Ginny Gendelman
MJFLA Executive Director

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APRIL 3, 2023 - SOFT PULL CREDIT REPORTS

MJFLA is now able to run all "soft pull" credit reports, which is fantastic for our clients and their guarantors!  What Is a Soft Credit Check or "soft pull"?  A soft credit check is an inquiry into your credit report initiated either by you or a company. It can occur even if you didn’t apply for credit and is primarily used to screen for preapproval financing offer or background check. The good news is that a soft inquiry does not affect your all-important credit score, which is a numerical representation of your creditworthiness intended to help creditors determine the likelihood of being paid back if they extend credit to you. [click here for more information] 

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APRIL 1, 2023 - NEW FCC RULES REGARDING SMS MESSAGING

To communicate with MJFLA via text messaging you can now text OPT-IN to 414-961-1500 to enable MJFLA to text with you.  Also, by submitting any MJFLA application or donation form, calling 414-961-1500, emailing info@MJFLA.org, or using the website chat to contact MJFLA, you will automatically opt-in to receive sms messages from MJFLA. You may choose to opt out by replying STOP to unsubscribe at any time.

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MARCH 1, 2023 - MJFLA IS HELPING MORE PEOPLE IN MKE TO BECOME HOMEOWNERS

MJFLA is working with new community partner, Acts Housing, to help people reduce their debt-to-income ratio and improve their credit score so they can qualify for a mortgage and become homeowners. This empowers people in our community to escape the cycle of poverty and begin to build generational wealth.  Visit this page for more information.

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