Celebrating Elegance and Compassion in the World of Fashion and Giving
By Jules Lavallee
Jean Shafiroff is renowned for her charitable endeavors and commitment to philanthropy. A renowned author, her first book, Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life by What You Give, serves as a practical guide for both seasoned and aspirational philanthropists. Jean serves on the boards of several charitable organizations, including the New York City Mission Society, Southampton Hospital Association, French Heritage Society, Couture Council (Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology), Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Honorary Board and Global Strays. A passionate animal lover and advocate, Jean is the National Spokesperson and Ambassador for the American Humane Society’s Feeding American Program and the Ambassador-at-large for the Southampton Animal Shelter . She is an Honorary Trustee of the Jewish Board and served as a Trustee of their board for 28 years. In addition, Jean is a New York Women’s Foundation Board Alumna and remains active with the Foundation. Each year, she serves as the chair of high-profile charitable galas and uses her wide social network to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jean is committed to championing social justice and serves as a volunteer fundraiser, leader, and spokesperson for several charitable causes. Her philanthropic work spans across many issues, including improving the lives of underserved populations, women’s rights, health care, animal welfare, and resources for children in need. Jean has been honored by many charities at their galas. Some of the charity groups that have honored her include the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, NYC Mission Society, Southampton Hospital Association, Youth Counseling League, Southampton Animal Shelter, Dominican Women’s Development Center, The Jewish Board, The Hadassah, and Surgeons of Hope.
Your commitment to philanthropy has left an indelible mark. Please share your background and why philanthropy has been at the forefront of your heart and mind.
I was raised by middle-class parents. My father was a music teacher and my mother was a stay-at-home mother. Since a very young age, the importance of giving back was taught to me by my parents. The family did volunteer work at the school and church we attended. I attended 12 years of Catholic School where the nuns also taught us the importance of giving back. My higher education, travel experiences, and work experience were also key to my work in philanthropy. After high school, I continued my education at Columbia University where I earned a BS in Physical Therapy and then an MBA in Finance from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. My education played a key role in the philanthropic work I do because it taught me valuable skills that I would need to become a good leader, organizer, and volunteer fundraiser in philanthropy. Between college and graduate school, I worked for one year as a physical therapist at the inner-city hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. There I worked with patients who lived at or below the poverty level and who had serious illnesses. This experience made me see firsthand some of the suffering that exists in this world. I then decided to go to graduate school to pursue higher education. After earning an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) in Finance, I worked on Wall Street as an investment banker for a few years. There I learned a great deal about business. Soon, I realized I had to do more with my life to help those who truly suffered. I gradually got involved with different charities by volunteering, donating resources, and then serving on the board of directors of a few charities. Then, I started to volunteer at my daughters’ schools. Today I serve on 7 charity boards, and two honorary boards and one advisory board. Each year I chair about 8 to 9 charity galas. I also host and underwrite many charity events in my homes and other locations. In addition, I host a TV show on philanthropy called “Successful Philanthropy”. Philanthropy is my life’s mission and it is greatly fulfilling. I plan to stay involved with it all my life and I encourage others to get involved in philanthropy. Giving is far more fulfilling than receiving.
In September 2022, you were officially proclaimed the “First Lady of Philanthropy of New York,” What did this mean to you?
I am truly honored and humbled to be spoken about in this way. Having this title only makes me want to do more to be of help to society. It is a great responsibility, and I take the work I do very seriously. My main areas of focus are women’s rights, rights of underserved communities, health care and animal rights. In addition, I am a supporter of many other causes including the arts and LGBTQ rights. I serve on 7 charity boards, one advisory board and a few honorary boards. Some are international, others are New York based, and one is Palm Beach based. The boards that I serve on that focus primarily on causes in New York include NY Women’s Foundation, Mission Society of NYC, Casita Maria, Southampton Hospital Foundation and the honorary board of the Southampton Animal Shelter. The boards that I serve on that have more of an international scope are French Heritage Society, Couture Council of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Global Strays. Most recently I joined the advisory board of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.
You were recently the host of Times Square Fashion Week with Dee Rivera. Tell us about the exciting new designers and what it is like to work with Dee.
First, I must say that working with Dee Rivera is always a wonderful experience. As the host of Times Square Fashion Week for the past 6 years, I can truly say that I love the event. Time Square Fashion Week showcases the work of several emerging fashion designers from around the world who come to New York City to participate in a beautiful fashion show. The event takes place in the heart of Times Square, New York.This year we had hundreds and hundreds of people watching the wonderful show. The fashion designers were all very pleased to be able to showcase their work in one of the greatest cities in the world. Some of those who participated included Sierra Hotel Hoodies and Resort Wear Collection designed by NYC Dalton School student and fashion designer, Arabella Moffit. From Australia we had fashion designer Sarah Hutson with her colorful and fun line of clothing, Tatiana McGrath who showcased a beautiful silhouette collection, and Mrs. Momma Bear Workwear Collection who featured wonderful work styles .All the fashion designers who participated are very talented!
Tell us about your show, “Successful Philanthropy.”
On my television show, “Successful Philanthropy”, I have interviewed celebrities, politicians, royalty, philanthropists, and executive directors of different charities. The show gives my guests an opportunity to speak about their work, their philanthropy, and then their lives. The TV show also serves to motivate others to get involved in the philanthropic process. When others learn about what my guests are doing in the way of charity and philanthropy, they often want to get involved in doing good, too. Hosting and producing a TV show is a fascinating experience!“Successful Philanthropy” airs several times each week. It is my desire to expand the show to new markets.
Tell us about your book, Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life by What You Give.
The main message of my book is that anyone can become a philanthropist. If you don’t have large amounts of money to donate, you can become a philanthropist by giving your time and knowledge, which are very valuable resources. I do believe, however, that those that have financial resources have an obligation to give financially. Another important message of my book is that giving is greatly rewarding. By helping others, we can achieve great personal satisfaction. The purpose of writing my book was to motivate others and to also serve as a guide for philanthropic work.
What has been your proudest moment?
This is difficult to answer as all giving is highly rewarding. I obviously feel very positive about the boards I serve on, the book on philanthropy I wrote, and the TV show I host . But one of the things I especially loved doing was serving meals at Thanksgiving time to underserved people living in Harlem. For years, The Mission Society of NYC held a Neighborhood Dinner for about 350 people. I was the primary underwriter of this dinner. There was something very rewarding about serving meals to people who were incredibly grateful to eat a real Thanksgiving Dinner. We had to stop giving the Neighborhood Dinner during the covid years and then afterwards because we no longer had access to a large space for the event. But we have substituted it with sending packages out to families in need at holiday time.
I was also proud to serve as the National Spokesman for the Feed the Hungry Covid-19 program for the American Humane. This program raised $1,000,000 to feed 1,000,000 homeless animals in Shelters across the United States. As someone who has chaired many galas for different causes, I am truly honored to be able to do all of this work.
We are approaching the holidays, can you share a few charities that you will support over the holidays?
I will continue with all of the charities that I support. If I see there is a special need, I will try to do more for a particular group. Children’s charities are especially important before the holidays, and then those that deal with homelessness and catastrophes. Every year I host a few holiday parties in my home: one in support of Mission Society of NYC which serves the most underserved children of NYC and then one for NY Women’s Foundation, a charity that works to empower women and children out of poverty. I also try to support many other causes during the holidays by donating to them and purchasing tickets to their galas.
To learn more about Jean Shafiroff, go to JeanShafiroff.com
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