Julie Salamon

JULIE SALAMON has become a sought-after speaker through her engaging, provocative examination of the ethical, emotional and practical issues surrounding the deceptively simple desire to do good. Her book, "Rambam's Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why it is Necessary to Give," has attracted wide attention in the philanthropic world and has recently been translated into Portuguese, Chinese and Dutch. She has been interviewed frequently on national and local television and radio programs, including National Public Radio, Good Morning America and the Today Show. She has spoken to large and small philanthropic and community organizations in at least 20 states across the country, from Maine to California, Texas to Michigan. She has been the keynote speaker for numerous conferences, often to audiences of several thousand people. A sampling of these organizations: the Ivy League MIT and Stanford Conference for Corporate and Foundation Relation fundraisers, the national convention of Boys and Girls Clubs of America, The Metro Health Foundation in Cleveland, Winston-Salem Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, dozens of UJA groups as well as churches, synagogues, libraries, universities and lower schools.

“Julie is a storyteller extraordinaire, skilled at making the teachable moment fun. Her remarks at the close of our annual conference of corporate and foundation fundraisers from the Ivy MIT Stanford consortium were universally and enthusiastically received. With wisdom and good humor, she provided a refreshing education in the stages of philanthropy; and in illustrating her points, captured our imaginations and hearts….Julie’s presentation moved our thinking and understanding forward, giving us much to take to heart, reflect upon, and carry with us, making our work more meaningful and more rewarding, too.”
— Janet C. West, Director of Faculty Foundation Relations, Columbia University/UDAR

“[Julie Salamon] provides us with a realistic understanding of what drives donors to be donors. And by so doing she gives us information we can use which is invaluable.”
—Kurt Aschermann, Chief of Marketing & Development, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

“The 125+ women who attended our fundraising event found Julie Salamon to be both a moving and engaging speaker. Her remarks helped us to achieve a significant increase in the dollars raised at our meeting, as compared to the previous year. The women walked away feeling good about themselves and their support of the community.”
—Marion Freedman, director, Women's Department, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

“In my thirty-plus years of working in the not-for-profit business, I can truly say I have never run across a book that has touched me personally as much as Rambam’s Ladder.”
—Stewart Stearns, executive director of the Community Foundation of Sarasota, FL.

“…a wonderful speaker. We were very impressed by her combination of deep warmth and keen intellect.”
—Elizabeth Stabler, librarian, Congregation Temple Emanu-El, NYC

“Julie Salamon brings that rare combination of professional and personal insights into whatever it is she writes and talks about. She has the ability to convey the emotional side of her topic even as she retains the rigorous objectivity of a journalist.”
—Fred Silverman, VP Marketing and Communications, Marin Community Foundation, Marin CA

“For days people talked of how informative [Julie’s] talk was and how she was able to speak spontaneously without notes. We loved her genuine curiosity about our area and her enthusiasm for all the events we had planned for her visit. To sum up, we were thrilled with her visit and would love to have her back!!!"
--Linda Clevering, Reference Librarian, Lawton Public Library, Lawton, Oklahoma