After nine years, the LIFE & LEGACY™ program in Nashville has experienced many changes. One of the most recent changes occurred when the Harold Grinspoon Foundation introduced a new representative for our community, Nicole Caine.
Caine provides support for the Nashville community as we continue to implement the program locally. She recently visited Nashville and shared more about the program.
Observer: Can you tell us a little bit about your professional background?
Nicole: I’ve been working in philanthropy for over a decade, and about eight years ago, I started focusing more on Jewish fundraising. I earned my master’s in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management, and during that time I took a course on faith-based philanthropy. That’s when it really clicked for me: Judaism, and the support and community I’ve experienced within the Jewish community throughout my life, have been an important part of shaping my values and who I am, so working in this space felt like a natural fit.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to give back to a community that has given so much to me personally, and to help others connect with the deep Jewish history and traditions that tie into the important of Jewish philanthropy today.
Observer: You recently joined the staff at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, working on the Life & Legacy program. What appealed to you the most about working at HGF and on the L&L program?
Nicole: What really drew me to HGF is how closely the work aligns with my own Jewish values. The Foundation’s mission -- helping people connect to Jewish life and build vibrant communities -- is something I live in my daily life, so it feels deeply meaningful to be a part of it.
Before joining HGF, I saw Life & Legacy in action during my time working at a local Hillel. I watched how it helped donors reflect on the causes they care about, why they supported this particular Hillel, and the impact they wanted to make both now and in the future. By encouraging people to think about giving today and creating a legacy for tomorrow, the program made a real difference in our community.
Now, I have the honor of working with Jewish communities and organizations helping them build permanent endowments through current and after-lifetime giving so their communities will be strong and vibrant for generations to come.
Observer: Are you able to share any details about what our community should expect next?
Nicole: Life & Legacy is in a moment of transition and we are taking this opportunity to reimagine the program, to better support where Jewish communities are now in endowment work, and take what we've learned over these past 13 years to further grow the already incredible success they've achieved.
We’re maintaining our commitments to our current communities and leaning into the incredible accomplishment of having secured a future estimated value of more than $2 billion for the Jewish community nationwide. In Nashville alone, we’ve secured $29.3M in future commitments and $5M in realized commitments, through 886 gifts, after eight years of the program.
We’re also planning an incredible conference for the fall, starting our search for a new director, and gearing up towards the next phase of work in our communities, all while keeping up the momentum on endowment building to help secure the Jewish future.
Observer: In your brief time with HGF, have you seen common threads in the communities for which you are a resource?
Nicole: There are several that can be grouped within one larger sentiment: Legacy work is cultural. It can take a long time to change culture to help ensure the organization is set up towards legacy success.
Sometimes this manifests as staff or lay-leader turnover, which can be high in nonprofits. With that level of leadership transition, it can be hard to sustain long-term plans. The flip side of that, though, is burnout and momentum loss. Jewish nonprofit employees wear so many hats. They often have so many responsibilities and not a lot of capacity to take on projects that are not thoroughly baked into the annual plan.
Volunteers, especially ones who have been leading legacy work in their respective organizations since the early years of Life & Legacy, can also face burnout as well. Many times, this is due to there not being a community plan to energize the lay leaders that help keep this work running.
That brings us to the next thread: Development goals are often not structured around long term or decade-long goals, but rather quick wins or specific campaigns. To further help secure the current and future stability of Jewish programming, organizations need to integrate legacy giving into their fundraising conversations and asks consistently, year-round.
Our partnership better supports executives and boards to lead with legacy in mind and integrate legacy giving into overall development strategy.
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Observer: One of the L&L goals moving forward is to promote multigenerational philanthropy. Can you tell us more about how HGF views this goal and how HGF is approaching it?
Nicole: The work Life & Legacy is doing is unfolding amid a historic intergenerational wealth transfer—an estimated $84 trillion expected to flow to charities in the coming decades as baby boomers pass away, and their philanthropic commitments are realized. Our goal is to help communities take advantage of endowment building through current and after-lifetime giving so that as this opportunity unfolds, organizations and communities are prepared to work together to ensure the money is being used towards the Jewish future.
Through our work, we also stress the importance of multigenerational philanthropy, providing skills and knowledge that help people at every age and income level understand the value of a legacy gift. What we’ve learned is that legacy giving is for everyone – major donors, smaller donors, young and old; anyone can make a legacy commitment at any time.
Observer: What advice would you give to individuals who are considering a career in the non-profit world (as a Jewish professional or more generally)?
Nicole: Go into it because you care. This is an incredibly purposeful and personal line of work, and in a moment of incredible upheaval in the world, it’s meaningful and gratifying to be able to make a difference through your job.
When thinking about an organization you may want to work for, make sure to prioritize organizations where you believe in the mission and vision, and feel connected to the impact you would be making.
Last, I recommend you meet as many people as you can. Network through in-person and online groups. Volunteer on boards and with organizations that are meaningful to you and get to know how nonprofits generally work and function.
Reach out to people in roles you’re interested in. Ask them for a 30-minute informational interview, which will not only give you the opportunity to learn about their career path and the work they do, but also create a new connection for you in that field.