Jewish Philanthropy Podcast · Dovid M Cohen

Topic: Leading in Challenging Times Guest: Maayan Aviv

·52 min·3 clips

On October 6th, Natal was planning a Yom Kippur War PTSD story; on October 7th, everything changed.

1. Jewish Philanthropy Podcast centers this episode on leading in challenging times through Maayan Aviv’s work at American Friends of Natal. 2. David M. Cohen hosts as rabbi, lawyer, fundraiser, therapist, and author, and Maayan Aviv appears as CEO of American Friends of Natal, which supports trauma care in Israel. 3. The episode asks how a nonprofit explains invisible trauma, builds donor support, and leads when October 7 changes public understanding overnight. 4. Aviv says she grew up in both the U.S. and Israel, with time in a yishuv in the Galil, New Jersey, and Israeli high school and army service. 5. She links that cross-cultural upbringing to her ability to adapt to both American and Israeli settings in professional life. 6. She describes IDF service in Unit 8200, a year as an officer, and later work in international relations at the end of her service. 7. Aviv says the IDF experience was shaped by Pironut, a three-week initial training with 50 other girls who became close friends and confidants. 8. After the army, she went to Hebrew University plans, then stayed in the U.S. during the early 2000s when suicide bombings made life in Israel feel different. 9. She says that period and her work at the Claims Conference strengthened her commitment to work that benefited Israel. 10. Aviv found her first nonprofit job through jewishjobs.com and spent 12 years at American Friends of Alin Hospital, starting as a database financial administrator. 11. She says she deliberately learned roles across the organization before becoming deputy executive director and later executive director, which helped her understand donor flow from the check to the program. 12. A course at NYU on fundraising professionals gave her what she calls the most useful lesson in managing boards. 13. She says board members are volunteers who give time, skill, and expertise, so leaders should adapt to them and manage expectations. 14. She argues that recruiting board members is about mission fit and about understanding what each person can actually bring, such as legal review or strategy. 15. Aviv describes Natal as a calling after she met its leadership, knew the organization from after her army discharge, and eventually left a role she loved when she felt ready. 16. She says Natal had been focused before October 7 on raising awareness about mental health stigma and on showing how Yom Kippur War veterans were still coping with PTSD. 17. She says October 7 made Natal’s mission click for donors because national trauma became visible and immediate for many Israelis and supporters abroad. 18. Aviv says Natal’s helpline runs 24/7 with outgoing calls, six months of volunteer training, social worker supervision, clinical referrals, support groups, and career development help. 19. The interview style is conversational and practical, with David M. Cohen asking detailed follow-ups about board leadership, philanthropy, and trauma services. 20. People interested in Jewish nonprofits, Israel-focused philanthropy, and trauma recovery will find this useful, while listeners avoiding donor strategy and nonprofit operations may skip it.

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