One unfortunate mistake that a lot of philanthropic organizations make is that they choose — either willingly or accidentally — to exist in a silo.

That is to say, their founders and organizational leaders have a bit of tunnel vision. They’re so focused on their own values and goals that they fail to see how they fit into the bigger picture. They’re (rightfully) so focused on their own actions in terms of pursuing their mission that they miss opportunities to collaborate with other organizations with similar goals and to create force multiplication by doing so. 

Adam Milstein hopes to inspire as many like-minded philanthropists to invest their resources (time, money, vision, experience, and connections) into organizations that are fighting antisemitism and supporting the State of Israel and the U.S.-Israel alliance.  

Milstein strongly believes in active philanthropy, strategic force multiplication and philanthropic synergy. When he supports a group or organizations, he wants to make sure they are open to partner with others and work in synergy to amplify their impact. “Anytime an organization wants to our support, we want to make sure that that organization is collaborating and cooperating with others in our network. When we everyone on the same page, we can get so much more [done]; we can get synergy between organizations, we can help each other, we can create a force multiplier. Then, one plus one suddenly equals five,” Milstein said during a recent sit-down for the Center for Entrepreneurial Jewish Philanthropy.

Adam Milstein states, “If we do it alone, we fall alone, but if we do it together, I think it’s clear that we can accomplish much more.” 

The Journey of Adam Milstein

 Adam Milstein was born in Haifa, Israel to Jewish parents who migrated from Argentina and Mexico. Adam recognizes the diverse backgrounds of the Jewish peoples and has always felt a strong connection to his Jewish and Israeli identity. In the 1970’s  he joined the Israel Defense Forces where he served in combat duty during the  Yom Kippur War. After his service, he married Gila, and had two daughters before moving to  the United States to pursue his MBA at the University of Southern California. Once he had completed his education, he began his career in commercial real estate, a career that he enjoys a tremendous amount of success in to this day. He welcomed a third daughter while living in the States and expanded his real estate business. 

About 20 years into his career, Adam discovered a passion for giving back to causes he believes in. Over the years, he and his wife started a number of charitable organizations, including the Milstein Family Foundation – a foundation dedicated to supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism. 

Adam and Gila share the same values of giving back to the Jewish community and strengthening the State of Israel and US-Israel alliance. As Israeli-Americans, they are rooted in protecting the image of Israel as well as supporting Jewish and American values in America. 

The Power of Synergistic Partnerships in Philanthropy

The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation is the focal point for bringing together proactive nonprofit organizations to form synergistic partnerships. MFF supports a diverse range of organizations with similar goals: to combat antisemitism and support the State of Israel. The more connected these organizations become, the more impact they can achieve.  

One example of MFF interests is encouraging young Jewish students to be more active in pro-Israel advocacy. Organizations that support young Jewish Zionists, like Club Z, or Students Supporting Israel can promote Jewish and American values. 

MFF is dedicated to doing its part to furthering not just Jewish and American values, but also the alliance between the United States and Israel, the state of Israel as a whole. 

The Milstein Family Foundation believes in empowering a network of organizations in a way that expands the capabilities of each organization.  To do so, Milstein helps to connect not just organizations with the philanthropists that might be interested in supporting them, but those same organizations to one another. 

That’s what synergistic partnerships are all about. Organizations join together in developing strategic programs that align with their own values and with the larger goals of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation. It gives each of them the strongest possible foundation through which to further their own goals, while also supporting the values of the MFF: to create as much pride and courage in the Jewish people as possible, to strengthen the resolve of the aforementioned Israel/U.S. alliance, and to fight hatred in all of its forms in the United States.

Through the MFF, Adam and Gila Milstein provide funding for, and offer guidance to, charitable organizations all across the United States. They do so in a way that helps all of them magnify the influence they have on those around them, as well as the impact that they’re ultimately able to make. The Milstein’s do what they can to encourage communication and collaboration between groups, especially those with complementary goals and values.

Ultimately, synergistic partnerships have made Adam Milstein a successful visionary and a venture philanthropist.  He recognizes that the only thing better than supporting one charitable organization is empowering a network of them, all working in tandem to help make the world a better place. The mutual goals and values of partnered organizations are the determining factor of their ability to create impact. 

The concept of synergistic partnerships is  an approach that has had a tremendous amount of success since the founding of the MFF. Since its inception, it has been able to help hundreds organizations all over the globe. It has facilitated numerous different collaborations among these groups. MFF also has connected with more than 250,000 Americans on various social media platforms.

None of this would have been possible had Adam Milstein not been able to embrace the concept of synergistic partnerships with open arms. Because when one of us succeeds, we all succeed — and if there is one mantra that philanthropists out there choose to live by, let it be that one. 

Adds Milstein: “I love what I do, I do what I love, and I feel very, very satisfied and fortunate with everything that I’m doing. So, I think I’m lucky to have been introduced to philanthropy at a relatively young age and [in a way] that I can actually not just donate money, but get more involved in creating programs, building projects, making an impact, really [seeing] how I am inspiring and influencing other people and creating a legacy.”