JGooders interns - Rachael and Cheri

The JGooders office just got a little more packed! Just before Israel’s Independence Day, two new faces joined us in the office. For the next two months, Project Otzma participants Cheri Bienstock of New York and Rachael Sonntag-Bloom of Los Angeles are working with us at JGooders for the internship portion of their 10-month volunteer service in Israel. They help out expanding JGooders’ online presence, building up our NPO database, and developing a trial run for future giving circles, among other things. Moreover they add beautiful faces, good spirit and overseas young perspective. For more about their work, let’s go straight to the source and let our two new interns tell you more!

Rachael Sonntag-Bloom – JGooders’ intern

Hi, I’m Rachael and I’m excited to officially join the JGooders staff for the next two months.

Originally from Sacramento, California, I worked at The California Community Foundation in Los Angeles for the past two years following my graduation from University of Southern California with a degree in Political Science. Coming from the philanthropic world, JGooders is proving to be an exciting new direction for me – a for-profit business with the desire to Do Good. Perfectly fusing tech savviness with making the world a better place seemed the best of both worlds, not to mention the added benefit of getting to help Jewish community. Working at such a dynamic and innovative company, I’m really excited to discover new and exciting ways to use the online marketplace to advance social entrepreneurship.

Another reason I was drawn to JGooders was the concept of ‘every little bit counts’. Being a 20-something, my generation is often overlooked for our philanthropic potential because we are not as financially established. Here at JGooders, the idea that – no matter how small, every gift matters – really appealed to me. Whether I have $10 to give or $1 million, my contribution is important. It can be matched with other JGooders to leverage its impact and together we can make a difference. For young DoGooders like myself, this approach is essential to invigorating my generation to give more and feel like we have a stake in changing the world. I’m really gratefully for this opportunity to help reach other JGooders like myself and find new ways to reach this subset.

I look forward to the next few months and keeping you updated on all our new developments.

Cheri Bienstock – JGooders’ intern

Hi, I’m Cheri and I very excited to begin my internship at JGooders. The staff has been incredibly welcoming and I hope to give as much as I gain out of the internship over the next few months.

Now a little about myself and how I ended up here at JGooders. A native New Yorker, I graduated from University of Delaware with a degree in Animal Science and have been working with my family for the past few years. In 2006, I helped my brother and sister-in-law found Dreams of Growth, a non-profit organization (NPO) based in New York. This was my first introduction into the not-for-profit world and all the hard work that goes into managing a NPO. The following summer I volunteered in Northern Israel, helping to rebuild following the Second Lebanon War. Both these experiences left a lasting impact on me and I realized I wanted to get more involved in the non-profit world, especially with Jewish philanthropy. As a result, I decided to do OTZMA, the 10-month volunteer program in Israel that I’m currently participating in.

I have now been in Israel for seven months and the decision to intern at JGooders seemed the obvious choice! By working here, not only can I help spread the word about our amazing Jewish and Israeli NPOs, but also play a role in keeping them vibrant through online donations. For my generation, so much of our time is spent online, with Facebook, Twitter and blogging mere commonplace. While at JGooders, I’d like to expand our web visibility through these and other online social networking venues. I’m really excited to see the new and different ways we can share all the great work that JGooders does with the online community.

Thank you and I look forward to an amazing next few months as part of the JGooders family!

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