January 27, 2020
Cambridge, MA
Photo by Allen Woods // Kelli Camille Films
The Cambridge Community Foundation has named Michal Rubin, a development executive with 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, as vice president of development. Rubin will play a key role in helping the Foundation address the social challenges Cambridge faces by strengthening partnerships with donors and nonprofit partners and advancing the organization’s strategic direction in the new decade. She assumed the role in early January 2020.
A world-class center for innovation and education and a growing economic powerhouse, Cambridge is well known for its assets. But the city also grapples with unintended consequences of growth: escalating real estate costs, the displacement of artists and nonprofits, increases in evictions and homelessness, a disappearing middle class, and pervasive poverty. The Foundation seeks to support equity and opportunity in the city through civic leadership, grantmaking to 150 nonprofits, and collective giving in partnership with generous donors. As the local giving platform for Cambridge, the Foundation supports three visionary goals: shared prosperity, social equity, and cultural richness.
“The Cambridge Community Foundation harnesses the power of philanthropy to change lives and build a stronger community,” said President Geeta Pradhan. “With her experience and creative approach, Michal will be an incredible partner to donors seeking to realize their philanthropic goals in this city.”
“The Cambridge Community Foundation embodies, and acts upon, the core values of this city – such as kindness, inclusion, equity, and the pursuit of social justice,” said Rubin. “Working in concert with our committed donors, I look forward to amplifying our collective impact at a time where our mission has never been more relevant.”
Rubin has a wide range of experience in leading the development functions of notable nonprofits and growing organizations. Most recently, Rubin established the strategic partnerships department of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Jerusalem. She created an in-house fundraising function to support the organization’s operating budget, sat on the Center’s three-person senior management team, and played a key role in five-year strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation. She also co-created and oversaw the implementation of guiding organizational policies—including the Center’s first diversity & inclusion policy.
Previously, Rubin served as Vice President of Development at Minuf Consulting Group, a boutique firm for nonprofits and foundations. Earlier in her career, Rubin worked at the Shimon Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, where she served in the international relations department for 5 years. Rubin’s role included high-profile conference and event planning, board and donor relations, as well as project design and management.
In parallel to her professional roles, Rubin volunteers with a range of non-profits. She has served the advisory board and audit committee of Peaceplayers Middle East for a decade.
Rubin earned her Master’s in Public Administration and a certificate in Management, Leadership and Decision Sciences from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government last May. She also earned a Master’s in Sociology and Anthropology, with a concentration in social change organizations, from Tel-Aviv University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at UMass Amherst. She lives in Watertown with her husband, and two children.
The Cambridge Community Foundation is the local giving platform for Cambridge, supporting our city’s shared prosperity, social equity, and cultural richness, with roots that go a century deep. The Foundation is a convener and catalyst for transformative change in Cambridge, supporting equity and opportunity in the city through civic leadership, grantmaking, and collective giving in partnership with generous donors from the community. The Foundation identifies emerging and critical needs, convenes all sectors of the city, and directs resources where they can make the greatest difference. In 2020, the Foundation and its donors infused $1.7 million into 150 organizations serving local residents and addressing hunger, homelessness, elder services, workforce training, housing challenges, youth and early childhood services, education, and the arts.
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