Former journalist finally finds his calling

Glendale — John Jansen tried his hand at a number of jobs and never could quite find the right fit.

He worked in journalism, was the communications director for two different organizations and did some freelance writing before taking on a part-time job at Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee, an umbrella agency for 49 local charitable organizations.

That job turned to a full-time position and then, in February, he became the organization's executive director.

"It was all interesting, but it didn't really feed my soul and Community Shares did," he said of his previous jobs.

Sarah Blackwell, the president of the Community Shares' board of directors, said the Glendale resident impressed the board with his grasp of the need to increase private giving campaigns to fund the organization's various charities.

"Fundraising is our business both for our own budget and for our members," Blackwell said. "He understands how to approach private businesses."

Fall is a prime fundraising season and Jansen hopes to persuade more private businesses to allow their employees the option of donating to Community Shares.

Donors have more flexibility

The organization differs in several ways from United Way, which also collects donations and distributes the funds to multiple agencies.

The 49 agencies that are part of Community Shares include social justice, animal advocacy and environmental groups.

"We encourage and allow people to designate 100 percent of their gift for a particular group," Jansen said.

Community Shares does not require the funds to be spent on specific projects and instead allows the group to determine its most pressing need for the money.

"We think donors are the best ones to decide where the money goes and organizations are the only ones who know their needs," he said. "The donations make a difference between making it or not, in some cases. They can be used to pay the heating or light bills, buy equipment."

Jansen first learned about Community Shares at one of his previous jobs when he read about Project Return, a group that works to help former inmates return to society.

"I gave a few dollars a week and got their newsletter," he said. "Now I work with them. I bring one of them along when I speak to groups. They are people who made a mistake and paid for it, and now need help to get started over."

Blackwell said Jansen has recruited 40 private businesses to allow employee participation in the last four years.

"When you make a payroll contribution of, say, $2 a week, most people end up giving five times as much as they would by making a single donation of say $25," Jansen said.

A different mission

Blackwell said she does not see competition between United Way and Community Shares because they serve different groups.

"Many of our Community Shares groups, such as the Urban Ecology Center and the animal groups, don't qualify for United Way funding," she said.

Jansen said Community Shares hopes to raise $500,000 with its fall campaign, a 10 percent increase from last year.

"Everyone has been doing some belt-tightening," Jansen said of the challenges faced by donors.

He hopes that more businesses will allow employee participation in Community Shares and that those small weekly donations will add up.

FYI

For more information about Community Shares and a complete list of its agencies, visit MilwaukeeShares.org