A successful magazine publisher for over three decades with an impressive career, Diane Oshin has been on a mission in these past several years since she’s stopped working, to find passion projects that utilize her expertise, wisdom, and experience. The longtime JCF Fundholder spoke with us recently about the charitable causes that are important to her, imbuing philanthropic values in her two sons, and her advice for those looking to gain more meaning from their charitable giving—and their lives.
JCF: What values drive your involvement in charitable giving?
Diane Oshin: I grew up in a middle-income home in Tenafly, N.J. with the ethos that “charity begins at home” and then we give to others. My dad was a wonderful and modest man. Throughout the year, he would save brown Grand Union shopping bags lined up in our hallway. Any charitable request we received in the mail would go in the bags. At the end of the year, my parents would donate to as many of the charities as we could afford. That ethic of looking outside of one’s immediate world to help others was ingrained in me from a young age. It probably wasn’t terribly much in terms of dollars, but it was the philosophy of giving to others that stayed with me. I started giving back as soon as I was able. I feel so, so lucky in my life having had loving parents, being blessed with a wonderful partner in life, and my kids. Giving is such an important and meaningful way for me to fiscally express my gratitude. Giving back is a necessary and essential tool for me to express my gratitude and share my sense of well being with others.
JCF: How have you and your husband passed on these philanthropic values to your children?
DO: Tzedakah and tikkun olam have been core values in parenting our children. The simple notion that the world is bigger than we, and we must give back. When my children were babies, they sat on my lap as we visited home-bound elders. They grew up with Dorot. I would also take them in their strollers to do walks for causes that we supported. It was the action behind—no pun intended—walking the walk and talking the talk.
JCF: Can you share with us some charitable causes that are meaningful to you?
DO: My charitable giving falls into six categories.
1. The Holocaust. My husband is a child of Holocaust survivors. We give to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, HIAS, Yad Vashem, and The Simon Wiesenthal Center (among others), all in memory of my parents in-law.
2. Jewish Identity. I grew up with very little religion and a modest Jewish identity. We went to synagogue twice a year for the High Holidays and attended a large seder. Thankfully, through the exposure, love and commitment of my husband’s family to their Jewish identity, I have embraced my Jewish heritage. I love being Jewish. We gather as an extended family to celebrate all the holidays and we make Judaism a core part of our life experience. A few of the organizations we support include UJA-Federation of New York, The Jewish Women’s Foundation, AJC, and our synagogue, Sutton Place Synagogue.
3. The Environment. My younger son was an environmental studies major. His commitment began when he was young. As a baseball player, after all of his games, we would pick up all the soda bottles and cans and bring them home to recycle. We give to environmental causes like the National Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, and the Nature Conservancy.
4. Social Justice. My younger son’s thesis was on environmental justice; both of my sons are very committed to social justice. We are proud to support causes like The Bail Project, an offshoot of the Bronx Defender’s Fund, ACLU, and Bend the Arc. Social justice is a core value of our family.
5. Education. My husband and I both went to public school as children, and like most Jews, we believe that one betters oneself through education. We try to support all types of education, from Children’s Aid Society to our kids’ schools and the schools we attended. The Cottonwood Institute empowers challenged youth by taking them outdoors and giving them skills. Another charity we support is FoodCorps. When I was Publisher of Cooking Light Magazine, FoodCorps became our charity of choice, and we did a lot of work to promote them. Pollyanna is an incredible new organization started by a woman whose son went to Dalton with my kids. They develop curricula about racial diversity for private schools across the country. I recently gave a donation to New Heights Youth to purchase basketball hoops in honor of our older son’s friend who solicited us. The common thread here is that these are all organizations that help bring educational opportunities to those who are not lucky enough to be able to pay for their education. Education is an elemental Jewish value.
6. Personal/experiential. This last category involves giving directly to family members and friends to alleviate an issue that affects them personally. A good example of experiential giving was when my husband and I visited our older son in Rwanda two years ago. We spent a day at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, an organization that supports, houses and educates youth from challenged homes to build lives of dignity and contribute to a better world. I was so inspired, I started giving to them.
JCF: Any advice (wisdom to relish) for those first getting started with philanthropy?
DO: Look for something that has personal meaningfulness and take that first step. It will feel so good to know that you can make a difference. I have a three-pronged philosophy about life: 1. Make a difference. Anyone could pack a lunchbox. I always tell people—whatever you do in your life, you want to feel that it mattered that you were there because you bring something unique. 2. Know your truth. When I worked as a publishing executive, I would often talk with those who were up for a top job. I would tell them that there are lot of terrific No. 2s; not everyone has to be No. 1. 3. This is not a dress rehearsal. This is it. If you’re not happy, you have the opportunity to change your situation to make it better. I think this philosophy applies to charitable giving as much as it does to all other aspects of life.
JCF: How did you hear about JCF?
DO: I served on the board of Dorot for many years. I learned about JCF then. It has made the whole process of giving so easy. I am thrilled to be able to look a charity up online, push several buttons, and in a seamless, convenient and effortless way, give to others. I’m sure I give more because of it. Anytime anyone asks me to support a cause, I can push a few buttons and easily contribute. Another thing I enjoy about JCF is the opportunity to have my charitable money invested by experienced investors. The funds selected by JCF from its investment platform are solid companies, and there is fiscal oversight in the curation of investment choices. I sleep well at night knowing that my money is safe, so I will always continue to be able to give.
JCF: How does JCF make your philanthropy easier?
DO: I’ve had a JCF fund for over 15 years. I like to say that I’ve made a lot of stupid decisions with my financial strategy, and a few smart ones. The smartest decision I ever made was creating this fund at Jewish Communal Fund. I love JCF because it fits with my life philosophy of giving back and provides convenience and ease in doing so.
JCF: You recently attended a JCF lunch and learn featuring Goodnation’s philanthropic advisory service, one of the many resources and tools JCF makes available to its Fundholders. What are your thoughts on Goodnation?
DO: I was fascinated by [Goodnation founder] Rob Hansen. At the lunch, I asked him what his inspiration was. He told a heart-wrenching story of working at a charitable organization in the Bronx, sitting around the table with kids dressed in suits, ready to start summer internships. Then the grant was pulled, and the program ended just like that, and he was left wondering how he could help those kids. At Time Inc., I took a course offered to senior executives on charitable board service. I was already on a board, but figured I could always be better. It dawned on me how inefficient charity is in our country. There are 6,000 breast cancer organizations, for example. Why can’t we create an uber charity so we can streamline all of the overhead and administrative costs? What Rob has done with Goodnation is fantastic! Goodnation is facilitating more efficient and effective giving.I filled out the initial Goodnation survey to identify the charitable causes and strategies I prefer. I also had a long call with Goodnation’s philanthropic advisor, during which we discussed my goals. She sent me a list of organizations to match my interests, which I am in the process of reviewing. I’m extremely impressed and intrigued by what Goodnation has to offer. I am not lacking in causes to give to, or a philosophy about giving. Rather, I am looking for an engaged way of utilizing my skills in an organization which I can also support financially.For example, after attending a site visit with a friend at Children’s Aid, I made a donation and am now working with them to identify site directors and principals of schools for whom I can provide career counseling on a volunteer basis. I enjoy leveraging my skills to genuinely help people in need.
JCF: What has been your most meaningful gift?
DO: That’s a tough question. It would probably be the gift we made to the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. We were in Rwanda for eight days, and visited the Village on December 28. Happily and coincidentally, it was the day they were inducting the new class of 9th graders. We had young people helping translate the speeches. It was an incredible ceremony and a moving experience. Providing funds to this organization, knowing that it helps to feed, educate, and prepare a young person for a better life, is both meaningful and gratifying.