Last evening, I attended the Board meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. I’d been invited to deliver five-ish minutes of comments on Makom’s work to help members of the Federation Board understand the impact of the funding we receive. Put another way, I was there to offer the Board a connection between their work in fundraising for their Partner Agencies (Makom is one) and the impact of the philanthropic investments they make and solicit on our behalf. “Absolutely,” I said when asked. I love talking about the work we do (although it’s patently unfair to ask me to talk about anything meaningful in five-ish minutes!) and I’m very proud of our work at Makom.

I had some note cards on which I’d jotted down prompts to keep me on track: things like “strategic human investments,” “collective impact,” and “strengthening community.”

As I’m prone to doing, I took a quick glance at my carefully prepared note cards and promptly went freestyle. I still used some of the prompts, as they’ve become a part of my lexicon when thinking about the work we do at Makom. I’m also prone to getting a little “ginned up” when talking about our work—energized, animated, and passionate.

Perhaps it was the occasion, the opportunity to speak to about 120 people. Perhaps it was the chance, one I always embrace, to describe what we refer to as Social Return on Investment (SROI)—measured in changes in people’s lives, things and events that have, for so long, been unreachable for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Maybe it was the presence of one of Makom’s founders in the room or my amazing Board president, who was also there.

As I wandered through my five-ish minutes, I found myself in the familiar, warm embrace of deep gratitude. Nowhere on my note cards did I write “gratitude.” But there it was.

Forty-two years ago, the Federation wrote a check for $1,000 to a group of six or so families who envisioned the organization where I now work. A seed investor. In nonprofit parlance, an “angel investor.” They took a chance. They placed a bet on an idea and an ideal. I wasn’t at that table or part of those conversations, but 42 years later, addressing the Board of that very Federation, I was keenly aware of the significance of the moment. And I was so grateful, on Makom’s behalf, to be a beneficiary of their wager.

Over the last five years since my arrival at Makom, philanthropic investors have upped the ante in ways that are hard to fully comprehend. In those five years, they have placed bets of more than $12 million (yes, you read that right), catalyzing extraordinary growth across every metric—our budget has more than doubled, our team has grown by 60% to just under 500 employees, and we now support 25% more people in nearly twice (48.3%) the number of community living and other settings. We’ve added new services and supports in response to the needs and aspirations of the people we support and their families.

How can we possibly express our gratitude to the innumerable investors who have joined our cause and embraced our mission to support and empower people with IDD to achieve the quality of life to which they aspire?

Over these same five years, I’ve had the honor of working with a committed, whip-smart, and engaged Board of Directors. Ironically, the Makom Board has downsized (or, as I think of it, right-sized) from 38 to 18 members (Chai!). This is one of life’s few examples where getting smaller is growth. They are nimble, passionate, and deeply wedded to the mission, vision, and values of Makom. As I glanced at my Board president and her encouraging smile as I spoke, I felt deeply grateful for the good fortune of witnessing the Board grow into its best, most effective self.

I am also the proud colleague of 476 and growing Makom employees, on whose shoulders I am lifted each day. Every success at Makom is the result of these 476 people who choose Makom as their professional home, who live and breathe our mission, and who work tirelessly to walk alongside the people with IDD that Makom supports. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff complement has grown more than fourfold. It all happens because of their talent, dedication, and our collective belief in building a world where people with IDD share the same opportunities for a well-lived life as everyone else.

At the heart of it all are the 250 people with IDD that Makom supports and their families, who offer us one of life’s greatest privileges—to share a part of their life journeys. I am the beneficiary of their trust. They invite me to join in their celebrations and mourn their losses. I laugh and cry with them. I am entrusted with their closely held dreams and sometimes their deepest vulnerabilities. If it’s true that each of us is an amalgam of our experiences, then I am surely the richest and most enriched person alive.

I can’t tell you that all of this crossed my mind in any detail during those five-ish minutes. But it was an easy and fulfilling journey from my note cards to expressions of gratitude—deep and abiding thanks to the past, present, and future generations of supporters of Makom’s work. Investors, Board members, employees, people we support, families, and our community.

As we approach Thanksgiving, there are so many of you to whom we owe so much. And while two simple, short words—“thank you”—will never be enough, I want to extend, on behalf of all of us at Makom, my profound gratitude for everything you do. Your support, in whatever stakeholder role or roles you occupy, is what makes Makom what it is. Your steadfast commitment to our cause is a currency that is at once incalculable and invaluable, for which we are forever grateful.

From our Makom family to yours, have a very Happy Thanksgiving.