About

Peter Fleischmann, Principal

Biographical Notes

Prior to founding the philanthropic advisory firm, Strategic Giving Consultants LLC in 2018, Peter Fleischmann served as Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies for over 35 years. He directed all fundraising, resource development, grant making, investment and administrative operations for this public, charitable foundation based in Western New York. A specialist in charitable gift planning, he serves as a philanthropic advisor to individuals and families and as a development consultant to both Jewish and nonsectarian charities, providing professional support to both capital and endowment campaigns.

The Foundation, established in 1911, administers over 1,200 endowments, charitable trusts and other philanthropic funds created by donors to serve broad charitable purposes. It also manages capital, reserve and endowment funds for 32 local Jewish social service agencies, organizations, temples and synagogues. During his tenure, the assets of the Foundation grew from under $1 million in 1982 to over $200 million.

Mr. Fleischmann introduced a wide variety of creative vehicles for charitable giving which are now actively utilized by Foundation donors for the effective management of their philanthropic resources to benefit and support the organizations and caused they care about. He developed the first and now the largest donor advised fund program in Western New York. He also established the highly successful charitable trust services which provide current income to donors and their beneficiaries and which ultimately are distributed to the donor’s designated charities.

Mr. Fleischmann was actively involved in every major capital campaign, building project and development effort undertaken in the Jewish community since 1982, including the Rosa Coplon Jewish Home and Infirmary which became the Weinberg Campus, all facilities and locations of the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Family Service, Temple Beth Zion, Temple Beth Tzedek, Congregation Shir Shalom, Chabad House, the Jewish Discovery Center and many other communal agencies.

He has served on the National Campaign Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal, and in 1999 was appointed to the Financial Resource Development Task Force of the United Jewish Communities (now Jewish Federations of North America) headquartered in New York City. He is a past chairman of the National Endowment Advisory Committee, representing 150 Jewish endowment funds and foundations throughout North America and served as a member of the Senior Endowment Advisory Committee for the national system. Mr. Fleischmann and the Foundation were recognized in 2003 for excellence in the field of endowment development at the General Assembly of Jewish Federations.

He is a founding director and past president of the Western New York Planned Giving Consortium and has served as a delegate to the National Committee on Planned Giving (now the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.) He is a founding member of the Leave A Legacy Program of Western New York. Mr. Fleischmann has served as an officer and director of the Buffalo Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals, and in 1995 was named Outstanding Professional Fund Raiser.

From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Fleischmann served as chairman of the governing council of the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, the regional art museum located on the campus of Buffalo State College. He was chairman of the New Museum Committee, which developed the plans for the $33 million museum building that opened in November 2008. He returned to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2015 and currently serves as Trustee Emeritus of the museum.

Mr. Fleischmann has received numerous honors and awards throughout his career. Buffalo State College President Muriel A. Howard presented Mr. Fleischmann and his wife Ilene with the 1996 President’s Circle Leadership Award for their support of the college. In 2000, the Kadimah School of Buffalo honored him for his contributions to the Jewish community at their Annual Dinner. In 2001, he received the Esprit de Corps Award from the Burchfield-Penney Art Center for outstanding leadership. In 2003, he and his wife received the Community Relations Award from the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

Mr. Fleischmann was the recipient of the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award for Community Service from the National Federation of Just Communities of Western New York and received the organization’s Citation Award in 2009. In 2017 he received the Pugash Award for distinguished service from the Jewish Family Service of Buffalo and Erie County.

A decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War, Mr. Fleischmann served in the 25^th Infantry Division of the United States Army stationed in Pleiku and participated in operations throughout Vietnam’s Central Highlands and along the Cambodian border.

Mr. Fleischmann and his wife Ilene are members of Temple Beth Zion and reside in East Amherst, N.Y. They have two grown children and five grandchildren.