Danielle Ames Spivak of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Lead A Nonprofit Organization

…Nonprofit work is really about connecting with individuals. It’s so important that we don’t see people as just potential donors, but to cultivate genuine relationships. Working in the arts nonprofit sector is all about fostering deeper human connections — after all, that’s one of the greatest gifts of experiencing music and art in general. But that lesson is relevant to any successful nonprofit. In the big picture, we are all working to build an engaged community for our nonprofits.

As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Danielle Ames Spivak.

Danielle Ames Spivak is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to having found her professional calling in the arts nonprofit sector, luxury travel, gourmet cooking, and art are some of Danielle’s interests — but most of Danielle’s time spent juggling the balls of executive leadership and motherhood, as the proud mother to 5 kids ages 9 and under. Danielle grew up in Vancouver and has lived in Jerusalem, Montreal, New York City, and Philadelphia — but is happy to now be based in sunny Los Angeles.

Thank you so much for doing this with us. Before we begin our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”?

I grew up in Vancouver, Canada and have lived in many other cities including New York and Jerusalem — before settling in Los Angeles. Living in so many vibrant cities throughout my life has greatly shaped my passion for arts and culture. I also have five children ages 9 and under. Everything I do is for them, working towards a vision of the type of world I want them to inherit.