Marcie Flom can finally focus on just one thing: working with Vancouver donors to help them achieve their philanthropic goals.

Flom, who had previously worked as the vice-president of financial resource development at the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver (JFGV), will become the executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, an arm of the JFGV. The role will put her in a position to build strong relationships with donors and to hone her understanding of the Jewish community’s needs.

The newly created executive director position was established “as a strategic approach to building the assets, working with fund holders to create their legacy and creating vital resources within the community,” she said.

Flom, 55, is a Toronto native who moved to Vancouver 25 years ago to work for the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company. She has worked for the JFGV for the past 12 years, overseeing the annual campaign, special projects and corporate funding of close to $15-million annually.

One of the key issues for Flom is affordability in Vancouver. “We’re seeing the high cost of living in Vancouver force Jewish families to make decisions about how they’re living and their participation in Jewish life,” she said.

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“Decisions like whether they can continue to send their kids to Jewish day schools, participate in a shul or attend the Jewish community centre – all things that are expensive when you relate them to the high cost of living. I’d love to be able to address that through the foundation, be it in subsidies for Jewish education or housing initiatives, and I believe I can do it working with fund holders who have a shared interest in making Jewish life more affordable.”

Flom’s new role emerged from the Jewish Community Foundation’s strategic planning process.

Judy Korbin, chair of the foundation’s board of governors, said the organization is investing in resources, such as full-time staff, for the first time since the 2008 economic downturn.

“Re-investing in staff resources will enable the Jewish Community Foundation to grow, which is critical to the long-term viability of the Jewish community. The board of governors remains committed to ensuring the philanthropic goals of the foundation’s fund holders are fulfilled, that our community organizations are strengthened, and that the continuity of the Jewish community is ensured through legacy planning,” said Korbin.