Hotspots Exclusive Interview with David Jobin
Over the past few years, Our Fund has been on a mission, namely to ensure that more grant money is given to LGBT organizations, and they have been wildly successful. In just four years, Our Fund has grown to become one of the largest public funders in Florida, and one of the top ten public funders in all of the United States.
With growth comes change. Founding President and CEO Anthony Timiraos, who had signed on for a five-year commitment, made it known that he wished to retire, and immediately afterwards, a nationwide search began to find his successor. David Jobin, the executive director at Stonewall National Museum & Archives, was selected and will begin work at Our Fund in December, when a new executive director will take his place at Stonewall. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Jobin had guided various non-profits to financial success in Pittsburgh and in Washington, D.C. before moving to South Florida a few years ago.
“David stood out among the national pool of candidates because of the impressive record of success he achieved at Stonewall and prior non-profit organizations he ran,” Our Fund’s Board Chair Chuck Loring said in a statement. “The entire search committee was in agreement that having someone with David’s reputation in the community would be an asset for us as we transition to new leadership.”
I had the chance to speak with David Jobin about his success at Stonewall and what’s ahead for him at Our Fund in this exclusive Hotspots interview.
How excited are you to be joining Our Fund as the new CEO?
I’m terribly excited. It’s an organization that I’ve had so much respect for ever since I moved to South Florida. I’m so happy to be part of an organization that has such an effect on so many LGBT organizations in South Florida. It’s a job that I really thought would be a great match for the skills and experience that I offer.
How would you sum up your tenure at Stonewall National Museum & Archives?
When I arrived at Stonewall, there were some challenges regarding fundraising, programming and business overview. We rolled up our sleeves and went right to work. We managed to raise our annual giving numbers from 37 households per year to over 250 households. I’m proud of that, and I’m extremely proud of the fact that we landed on Wilton Drive and opened the Stonewall Gallery. In less than a year, we were open. Stonewall is an impressive organization with a really rich history, and not a lot of people knew about it when I started. Our presence on Wilton Drive has really helped our fundraising efforts and of course our programming opportunities have expanded exponentially.
How do you think you will be able to bring your talents from Stonewall and apply them to Our Fund?
It will be a challenge for me in that Our Fund has already made such a huge impact in such a short amount of time. In just a few years, they’ve earned such a high local and national profile. There’s a lot that’s been done right, so it’s more a matter of going in, seeing what’s working so well, and how we can expand and enhance those initiatives. I also would like to see more work done to expand Our Fund’s reach and impact to Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties, more so than there already is.
Stonewall was a beneficiary of Our Fund’s grants and I know we were so grateful, so I know one thing that I really want to spotlight is the positive impact that Our Fund is making in our local community. I’m a big believer in that I don’t think there are many places in this country that are more livable for LGBT people than South Florida is, and Our Fund is playing such a big role in that.
Are you looking to surpass the high bar that Our Fund has already set for itself?
I am. I’m pretty ambitious, so if it’s a numbers game, I am very interested in ensuring that Our Fund exceeds the already impressive work they’ve done in the past. Our Fund gave almost $900,000 last year to non-profit organizations. I can’t speak for other organizations, but I know the money Our Fund gave to Stonewall helped stabilize us. I like that Our Fund has changed the way we talk about charitable giving in South Florida; they ensure that all organizations can thrive and can be successful.
For more information on Our Fund, visit our-fund.org.
