Community Innovations helps foundations, nonprofit organizations, corporations and government agencies enhance their effectiveness by training their employees and grantees to create more enthusiasm and involvement in their community work. As president of Community Innovations, Jeff Bercuvitz trains and coaches community builders and activists around the world, helping them to discover ways to make their efforts more successful as well as more personally rewarding and sustainable.
Through lively and entertaining workshops, Bercuvitz trains people to set meaningful and achievable goals and then move effectively from vision to action. He stimulates people to “think big” and “start small” with simple, practical initiatives that produce tangible results. These small successes boost people’s creativity, teamwork, confidence and energy, getting them beyond talk and building momentum toward their broader goals.
Known as North America's leading “community animator,” Bercuvitz motivates people by telling inspiring success stories, while also providing them with the necessary “how-to’s” to enhance their own lives and strengthen their neighborhoods and towns. He helps people avoid burnout by discovering ways to simultaneously learn what they need to learn to be effective in their work and accomplish their organizational objectives, while putting energy into activities which are personally meaningful to them. Bercuvitz has worked in more than thirty American states, throughout Canada and in numerous countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. During the past twelve years, he has introduced his innovative six-point approach to community building, downtown revitalization, leadership training, wellness, economic development, crime prevention, fundraising and environmental regeneration to thousands of people around the world. Bercuvitz has trained activists, educators, business executives, community development experts, leaders of civic and religious groups, wellness professionals, young people, police officers, government officials and concerned citizens. His approach has been widely lauded for its simplicity and effectiveness. In addition to his extensive work in cities, Bercuvitz has worked with people in rural communities throughout North America and overseas to help them discover ways to simultaneously preserve their environmental health and strengthen their local economy through innovative ventures. Prior to his founding Community Innovations, Mr. Bercuvitz served as the Executive Director of the Working Land Fund, a private non-profit organization that integrated sustainable agriculture and community economic development. From 1986 to 1989, Mr. Bercuvitz was the Director of the Regeneration Project of Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Mr. Bercuvitz is the Vice-Chairman of Chittenden Bank’s Socially Responsible Banking Fund. He recently returned from six months in East Africa where he worked with community groups and completed his book Sparking Community: How To Make A Serious Difference Without Taking Yourself Too Seriously. Originally from Montreal, he now lives in Bristol, Vermont.
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