Monday, December 12, 2011

GLOBAL PLANNING TABLE -- UPDATE

The Global Planning Table (the "GPT"), as all of you know, was approved by the few federations voting, at the GA. So much has been written about the GPT, I thought I would offer an update:

     ~ The only bit of good news was last week's announcement of the naming of Washington's David Butler as the GPT Chair. David, if permitted, will do an excellent job. Now, will David also Chair the multiple other smaller Tables including the critical Executive Committee?

     ~ It appears that the Board Chair has determined that she will vet the names of all those named by their federations to sit at the various smaller tables (Partnership, Executive, etc.) and the "big" Table. Guess you wouldn't want anyone "not JFNA" infecting the non-existent "process." Inasmuch as the GPT is really about control, not about "planning" after all, what else would you expect?

     ~ The first meeting of the big "Table" was originally set for December 19, face-to-face. Now, that's been changed to some kind of massive telephone conference call. Expect more rhetoric and nothing accomplished.

     ~ One of the more comprehensive Comments on the GPT, albeit long after the fray, former long-time CJF professional, and past Director of the Fisher-Bernstein Institute, now a consultant, chimed in at great length. Writing A Different Slant on the Global Planning Table --http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/a-different-slant-on-the-global-planning-table/ -- if you could get through the convoluted thicket of Carl's reasoning (I asked a friend whether he had read it  and he responded: "No, I didn't read it because I never understood him live and in person."), I think it boiled down to the national system needs a strong planning function. As a former Chair of the CJF Planning Committee when Norb Fruehauf, Joan Strauss and a great group of pros led that effort, I couldn't agree more. But, Carl, let's be clear, the GPT is the planning wolf in sheep's clothing. It's not about planning in the pure sense that Sheingold envisions, it is, at the end of the day, JFNA leadership's grab of allocations control -- first of the federations' overseas allocations and then of their national agencies' allocations.

More to follow.

Rwexler

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From the November 10 issue of the Forward:

“One of the things we’ve lost over the years is the understanding of what our partners do, how they use our dollars to make a real impact on the needs that they deal with,” Manning said.

For seven years Manning has sat on JAFI's Board of Governors and on it's Executive!

How dare she sit on JAFI's Dais at meetings!

JAFI is too polite to kick her off.

Get off the JAFI Dais, Manning! You embarrass all who have worked so hard for JAFI and UJC.

Anonymous said...

Kathy Manning is also on the Board of the JDC. If she does not know what impact the JDC has on those who do not have enough food or health care then it is her own gross incompetence. Is she too busy looking in the mirror? Or trying to figure out how to control everything from Greensboro

JFNA has buried overseas needs in "Global Planning" on their own flat earth. Years of neglect and zero attempt at advocacy by a bloated beuracracy.

I declare that JFNA's over.