New LACF Executive Director Rachel Kizielewicz. Courtesy photo
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
When Rachel Kizielewicz looks at her new position as executive director of the Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF), one of the things that excites her most is the foundation’s energy and enthusiasm for philanthropic work.
“I love that such a key part of the foundation’s mission is to help strengthen nonprofits in Los Alamos and I am looking looking forward to help the fundraising services to nonprofits and work with them across the board… and help them better serve the populations in the community,” Kizielewicz said.
This is the first official staff hire for LACF and marks a pivotal time in the foundation’s growth.
“In hiring Rachel, I was impressed not only by her experience and credentials, but also by an infectious energy for helping the nonprofit community and a passion for strengthening our foundation’s presence as an integral community resource,” LACF Board President David Izraelevitz said.
Before coming to Los Alamos, Kizielewicz said she worked for a wide variety of non profit organizations. In fact, she brings more than 15 years of experience in fundraising and philanthropy in the nonprofit sector. She served as the director of constituent relations with the University of Pittsburgh and was a key fundraising staff member for the university’s capital campaign. Kizielewicz was instrumental in establishing strong relationships between the university and its constituents, helping to increase the donor base and strengthen ties to the community. Kizielewicz obtained a Master’s Degree in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
“I spent a significant part of my career fundraising for nonprofits of various sizes. From a small institute in the Virgin Islands … to a large university in amist of a $2 billion capital campaign and I think that exposure to all different types of institutions has given me a real appreciation for the variety of donors out there … so I look forward to working with individuals in Los Alamos who are interested in increasing their philanthropic impact and helping to facilitate that in the community,” she said.
Kizielewicz added, “What drew to me to the position (in Los Alamos) is that I view this opportunity as a wonderful culmination of the work I have done…in terms of philanthropic impact and in terms of being a central hub for philanthropic organizations in the community and the opportunity to work alongside a board so energized about the potential of this organization is a thrilling concept and I look forward to working with the board and increasing the foundation’s presence.”
Furthermore, Kizielewicz stated in a press release, “I look forward to getting to know the members of this community, and to helping the foundation reach its next level of success in promoting local philanthropy and empowering nonprofit organizations in Los Alamos. The Board of Directors has paved the way for an exciting future for LACF and I am honored to have been chosen to serve in this role.”
She added, “I just would like to say in working at the University of Pittsburgh I was fortunate to work with a lot of highly educated donors and I look forward to using that same experience amongst the individual donors in the Los Alamos community and I love nothing more than a really thoughtful philanthropic person who is looking to have the biggest impact on their community possible and a community foundation is well positioned to help increase their charity impact exponentially.”
As a community foundation, LACF is a grantmaking public charity dedicated to improving the people’s lives in Los Alamos. Through LACF, individuals can create donor advised funds, endowments, and general funds to direct their philanthropic support to the community. Nonprofit organizations can house their endowments at LACF to expand their asset base and grow organizational capacity in the long-term.
The Los Alamos Community Foundation exists to facilitate and promote local philanthropy by Los Alamos residents and those with strong local connections, to highlight unmet needs and investment opportunities within our community, and to meet these needs through financial and organizational support to local nonprofits. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.