“Nothing in New York is simple,” says The New York Community Trust President Lorie Slutsky. “And nothing is ever small.”

Welcome to her world. It’s a world where problems are big—and donors are big, too. And it’s a world Slutsky knows better than anyone: with the Trust – New York’s community foundation - since 1977 and president since 1990, she has learned a thing or two about giving in New York City—from sidestepping controversy to pinpointing critical needs to working alongside donors to measure impact.

She has also learned how to work in and with her city’s dramatic scale. A consummate networker, Slutsky knows how to “reach across” the city’s five boroughs to make things happen. She has also joined forces with other foundation presidents and government agencies to unite—and amplify—their efforts. And, managing nearly $2 billion in assets from more than 2,700 donors, Slutsky knows how to combine donors’ interests and dollars in ways that multiply their impact.

“New Yorkers are just unbelievably charitable,” says Slutsky. “They give till it hurts, which is the great part about doing the work in this city.”