Prominent Fundraiser Retiring After Making the ‘Best Ever’ Career Pivot 26 Years Ago

LA-based Jewish National Fund-USA National Campaign Director, Sharon Joy, calls time on her impactful fundraising career

LOS ANGELES, NY, UNITED STATES, December 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Jewish National Fund-USA today announced the retirement of Sharon Joy, National Campaign Director based in Los Angeles, marking the close of an extraordinary 26-year career defined by passion, vision, and lasting impact on the land and people of Israel.

In a professional era where long-term tenure is increasingly rare, Joy’s journey stands apart. Since joining Jewish National Fund-USA in 1999, she has played a pivotal role in the organization’s transformation—from a project-focused charity to a visionary, lay leader-driven force for population growth, economic development, and community building in Israel’s North and South.

Before entering the world of philanthropy, Joy built a remarkable career in Israel’s music industry, working with CBS Records and later Sony Music during the 1980s and 1990s. Her career saw her collaborate with Israel’s leading artists and promote international legends, including Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen. Yet it was a move to Boston—and a deep personal passion for Israel—that set her on a new path.

“What began as a part-time fundraising role quickly became a calling,” Joy reflected. “I thought Jewish National Fund-USA might be a stepping stone back to music, but the work was too meaningful to leave. It was the best ever career pivot.”

Over more than two decades, Joy helped bring to life some of Jewish National Fund-USA’s most impactful initiatives. Among them: Green Horizons, empowering youth leadership; the creation of Israel’s largest amphitheater in Beer Sheva; the founding of the Arts and Entertainment Task Force; and leading the Go North campaign, which is revitalizing Israel’s northern communities through employment, infrastructure, and quality-of-life investments.

“Sharon Joy began with the Jewish National Fund in Boston as a campaign associate,” explained Jewish National Fund-USA CEO Russell F. Robinson. “She did not come from the fundraising and Jewish communal worlds, but from the Zionist world, informed by her time in Israel, her passion, her knowledge, and her leadership.”

Robinson was impressed early on by Joy’s talent for fundraising and inspiring others to share her love for the land and people of Israel. “I propelled her from a campaign associate to an area director to a national campaign director who has inspired thousands and helped forge a connection between our people here in the United States and the people of Israel. She has helped build a nation in the same way her father and grandparents did, physically, as some of the first developers in Tel Aviv and Petach Tikvah. She continues that legacy, and her impact will be felt by our organization for years to come.”

When Joy joined the organization, Jewish National Fund-USA raised approximately $18 million annually. Today, it almost surpasses $200 million—a growth she describes as “miraculous,” driven by bold vision and committed lay leadership.

“I wasn’t blessed with children of my own,” Joy said, “but through supporting youth and building communities, I found my way to help shape Israel’s future. Being thanked by Israelis, with tears in their eyes is something I will hold close to my heart forever.”

As she enters retirement, Joy does so with deep gratitude and enduring hope. “May Jewish National Fund-USA continue to grow, build, and touch lives,” she said. “Helping build our homeland has been the greatest honor of my life.”

Jewish National Fund-USA extends its deepest thanks to Sharon Joy for her extraordinary service and enduring legacy.
ENDS

About Jewish National Fund-USA
Jewish National Fund-USA is building a strong and vibrant future for the land and people of Israel. Through its One Million Voices for Israel campaign, the organization unites supporters nationwide around its holistic approach to supporting individuals, families, communities, and regions in Israel's North and South, known as circles of impact. Leveraging its 125 years of impact, Jewish National Fund-USA is developing the most livable towns and cities in frontier communities to attract 800,000 new residents; creating a lifelong continuum of Zionist education through travel, learning, and leadership; and establishing the World Zionist Village in Be'er Sheva, a global hub for connection and peoplehood. With donor recognition and legacy giving at its core, supporters ensure their values and impact endure—yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Learn more at jnf.org.

Stefan Oberman
Jewish National Fund-USA
+1 212-879-9305 ext. 222
soberman@jnf.org

Jewish National Fund-USA's Circles of Impact

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