ABOUT
Our Team & Approach
Meet Andrea Wasserman, Founder & President of ABW Partners
As Founder & President of the boutique organizational development firm ABW Partners, I have partnered with nearly 60 clients on customized engagements around the design and execution of exceptional strategic planning, advancement, and fundraising programs. I also provide an expansive array of leadership & coaching, proficiency building, and interactive learning opportunities from the c-suite and board level to development departments and cross-organizational teams.
Before launching ABW Partners (formerly Social Profit Ventures) in 2013, I strengthened the vision, strategic direction, and leadership at various high-performing local, national, and international nonprofits. I also led teams to build strong funding models to support the organizations' associated goals and objectives. My work resulted in successful cultures, systems, teams, and strategies that have yielded tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to foster vibrant communities worldwide.
I carried out this work in pivotal roles at UJA Federation of New York, Wall Street Division; United Jewish Communities (first as the Director of National Young Leadership Cabinet and then Director of National Women’s Constituency); Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School; and BBYO International.
To feed my love of nurturing the next generation, I have taught graduate level courses at Brandeis University's Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program.
Outside of work, I enjoy exercising, spending time with my fabulous girlfriends, reading historical fiction, traveling the world with my husband, Adam, and son, Zachary, and spending as much time as I can with Tucker, my loyal and adorable forever puppy.
“Since the beginning, we’ve been driven by a deep commitment to create a vibrant and impactful community. After 10+ years of excellence, we reflected and redefined our strategic vision. As a result, we meticulously curated a collaborative team of exceptional individuals with extensive experience, unmatched strategic acumen, and a passion for making a difference. The ABW Partners Collaborative features both a core team and strategic partners we work with on a project basis to ensure we provide the most valuable experience and offerings for our clients.”
— Andrea Wasserman, Founder & President, ABW Partners
The ABW Partners Collaborative
Core Consultants
Some of our core consultants work directly with our clients while others work behind the scenes, and each client engagement benefits from their unique passions and superpowers.
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My Why: Anne Frank said, “No one has ever become poor from giving.” I believe a mission-driven organization can offer donors just as much as donors offer them—through community, purpose, and meaningful philanthropy. It brings me joy and satisfaction when I know the small (or big!) part I’ve contributed results in something successful.
Before joining ABW Partners, Jenna Corman Mandel founded and built JCM Consulting after nearly 20 years working with leading organizations and change-makers in the non-profit sector.
Jenna was previously the Associate Vice President, National Women’s Philanthropy at Jewish Federations of North America, where she led a team focused on inspiring and growing women's giving, the most significant rising force in philanthropy today.
Jenna's additional prior experiences include the Birthright Israel Foundation, The Jewish Education Project, Pardes, and The Curriculum Initiative. Jenna graduated from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst with a BA in Journalism and from NYU's Robert F. Wagner's School of Public Service with an MPA, specializing in Nonprofit Management.
A New England native, Jenna is a huge Boston sports fan and lives in Hoboken with her husband Michael, their 2 delicious daughters, Alice (8) and Rosie (5) and adorable dog Squeakers.
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My Why: People are at the heart of every organization, and it’s important to me that mission-driven organizations are great places to work. I’m motivated to help ensure our workplaces not only produce high-quality products but are also financially sustainable and operate in an efficient, effective, and fun way.
Becca loves bringing order to chaos, scaling organizations, and coaching others. In addition to her work with ABW Partners, Becca serves as the Director of Operations at I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, a start-up nonprofit and social media platform that supports Jewish individuals and families struggling to have a baby.
Most recently, Becca served as the Interim CEO of KAHAL, a global travel and study abroad start-up whose program was acquired by JDC Entwine. She was one of KAHAL’s first employees and helped build the organization from the ground up, developing the systems, infrastructure, and team to execute the organization’s mission. Becca led the organization through a period of significant change, including a founder-CEO transition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and acquisition negotiations. Becca previously worked in nonprofit fundraising specializing in donor relationship management and planned giving at UJA-Federation of New York and Maryland Hillel. Becca serves as a Board Member for Thurgood Marshall Child Development Center.
Becca lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, two daughters, and dog, Frank. Outside of work, she loves Peloton-ing, perfecting her craft of decaf lattes, spending time at the beach, and playing mah jongg.
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My Why: I’m motivated every day by the ability to leverage my clear communication superpower to do what I’m meant to do: help people. You mean what you say; let me help you say what you mean.
Elyse Goldberg has nearly 15 years of experience working across communications, marketing, brand, and strategy for corporations, nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals. She earned her MS in Integrated Marketing Communications with a specialization in Consumer-Centric Brand Strategy from Northwestern University and her BA in Communication Studies from The George Washington University.
The skill sets she’s developed throughout her professional and educational endeavors (strategic thinking, information synthesis, writing, editing, project management, collaboration, asking thoughtful questions, research & more) make her a strategic communications professional with a unique perspective — one who can connect dots that may go unnoticed by others.
For brands and individuals alike, Elyse believes knowing your audience is key and that a solid understanding of mission, vision, values, and personality is critical to strategic positioning and communication.
She collaborates with ABW Partners behind the scenes to ensure all client work is clear and polished. She also manages ABW Partners website and content.
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My Why: To famously quote Ted Lasso, “I believe in believe.” I am passionate about living a life of purpose and meaning, and modeling for my children that life, and work, are about constant possibility.
Originally from Toronto, Jaime has worked both inside and outside of the Jewish community, on both sides of the border. Jaime received her MA and MBA from Brandeis University. Upon graduation, she worked in Jerusalem for a year, followed by two years at UJA Federation of New York. Leveraging her fundraising and organizational development skills, she then went on to serve as the first Development Director at JDub Records in Los Angeles. After her daughter was born on the west coast, she decided to move back home and spent a year as the Director of Women’s Philanthropy at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
Jaime was then recruited to the private sector and worked at a small consulting company, where she built volunteer, advocacy, and fundraising campaigns for nonprofits and corporations. Longing to return to the community in a position where she could use these new abilities, she seized an opportunity at Hillel Ontario.
For almost six years, Jaime served as Hillel Ontario’s Chief Strategy Officer. She led and authored Hillel Ontario's inaugural strategic plan, built a communications department and Hillel's first brand strategy, and raised its first seven figure gift to develop a talent platform and leading a pandemic-driven scenario planning process. Jaime is the recipient of Hillel International's award for Innovation in Fundraising in 2016 and the Richard M. Joel Exemplar award in 2018.
Before joining ABW Partners, Jaime was a Senior Manager, Talent Partner at TD Bank, and subsequently the VP of Organizational Effectiveness at the Schwartz/Reisman Centre and Prosseerman JCCs. In this role, she led the organization's strategic planning process and oversaw its implementation.
“Andrea and her team brought tremendous energy and expertise to our project. With patience, focus, and a deep understanding of our work, they helped set us up for change and ultimate success.”
— Leslie K. Pomerantz, Former Chief Development Officer, The Associated
Strategic Partners
Our select strategic partners have distinct yet overlapping expertise, and we collaborate with them on a project basis to ensure we provide the most valuable experience and offerings for our clients.
Our Values
Pursue Aspirational
Excellence
We go the extra mile to exceed expectations and uphold the highest levels of professionalism, providing custom solutions that follow through on commitments while staying grounded in reality.
Embrace Growth &
Well-Being
We foster a mindset of curiosity and continuous learning, consider diverse viewpoints, and support professional & personal development and health for the betterment of our partners and clients.
Nurture Strong
Relationships
We build trusting and mutually beneficial relationships through collaboration, open communication, empathy, and respect for each other and our client-partners.
Enjoy The
Process
We know the work can be challenging, so we bring perspective & humor to our engagements to infuse hard & purposeful endeavors with joy.
Our Approach
We forgo a one-size-fits-all approach to any engagement and instead inspire leaders to reimagine, revamp, and drive organizational, communal, and societal transformation through our interconnected process. The six main phases of the ABW Partners approach anchor, but do not constrain, an iterative engagement. Our process enables each customized client engagement to yield not only an actionable strategy but also an organization and team primed for effective implementation.
With us, it’s about generating big ideas with solid, tailored strategy & actionable implementation plans. We care deeply about our clients’ visions, missions, and success, and we bring joy and levity to hard but consequential work. Our clients and their stakeholders receive a holistic approach to our services, which enables us to collaboratively design and implement effective strategies for organizations to achieve deeper sustainable impact.
