Rachael Perice, 37, understands relationships.

In her personal life, she’s the wife of Rabbi Michael Perice of Historic Congregation Kesher Israel in Society Hill, and she describes herself as “a pretty active rebbetzin.”

As a professional, she has spent the last 10-plus years working for Jewish organizations, first the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, then Moving Traditions and now Tribe 12, and her role has often involved some version of “relations,” “fundraising” and “managing a grant portfolio,” according to her LinkedIn profile. But really, those are just professional terms for the process of building and maintaining key relationships.

In April, Perice became the senior director of strategy and development for Tribe 12, the Philadelphia organization that works to connect Jews in their 20s and 30s to Jewish life. Perhaps not surprisingly, her impressive title really alludes to relationship-building.

“We definitely needed someone to take fundraising to another level, as well as sourcing and writing grants,” said Ed Rivkin, a Tribe 12 board member and the organization’s treasurer.

In her time as senior director, Perice has already “patched up a couple of relationships,” “shored up a couple of grants” and “gotten a couple of new grants,” Rivkin said. Her early efforts have helped put Tribe 12 back on solid footing after the departure of its previous executive director earlier this year. (Tribe 12 is searching for a new executive director and hopes to have one in place by December.)

“Fundraising is about relationships,” Rivkin said. “We’re not transactional. If you want to have deep fundraising relationships, you have to have relationships. Rachael understands that.”

Perice understands that because she had to seek out relationships herself when she moved to the Philadelphia area for college at Rowan University. Coming from Arizona, she found community through the school’s Hillel chapter and at Congregation B’nai Tikvah-Beth Israel in Sewell, where she became a member.

“The Jewish community really embraced me and helped make this my home,” she said.

Perice’s first two jobs were in Glassboro and Cherry Hill, respectively. Both were within a half-hour drive of B’nai Tikvah-Beth Israel. But when she landed a role with the RRC in 2015, she had to move to Horsham, nearly an hour north of Sewell.

“My synagogue, connections and friends were now an hour away,” she said.

So she found a group for Jews in their 20s and 30s in Montgomery County.

“That helped me get adjusted to living in a new area,” she said.

That group wasn’t Tribe 12, but Perice’s new employer does something similar.

“Tribe 12 was the organization I wish I had when I first graduated from college,” Perice said. “A lot of people who support us say, ‘I wish I had this when I was in my 20s and 30s, a group of people to hang out with and be Jewish around.’”

Now, Perice can help provide that opportunity for community to young Jews like her former self.

Tribe 12 is known for its Shabbat dinners, happy hours and matchmaking, among other activities. Next month, it will bring its matchmaking capabilities to synagogue life by connecting young Jews interested in shuls with the congregations that might be right for them. Individual participants will get to attend High Holiday services at participating synagogues.

The organization launched a strategic plan last fall.

“We are established. What could we do to be more established?” Perice asked.

According to the new senior director, Tribe 12 has to brand itself better so more people know what the organization does; take the pulse of the community through surveys, informal conversations and internal data to better understand and respond to community needs; and cultivate the resources to make sure those needs are met.

“One of the things is being able to tell the story of Tribe 12. I’ve been surprised when I’ve told people about my role, how many have said, ‘Wait a minute, what’s Tribe 12? There’s nothing in between Hillel and when I send my kids to preschool,’” she said.

To accomplish those goals, Perice will have to build relationships.

Rivkin said that in a couple of years, a major Tribe 12 donor will “turn off the spigot, probably to the tune of about $85,000 a year.” The treasurer estimates the organization will need to raise more than $100,000 to support its existing programs and possible growth.

But he thinks Perice understands the challenge in front of her.

“I’ve never been a great fan of depending on a person or a couple of people for a chunk of your business. Hiring Rachael should help diversify our donor base,” he said.

The new director wants Tribe 12 participants to become supporters.

“We need to make sure people have a strong relationship with us. We want them to say, ‘I hope this keeps going as I age out of the program,’” she explained. “We’ve had people who have moved into the area who have met their friend group or met their spouse as part of our program. We have to say, ‘We’re happy you have this great Jewish Philadelphia story. Would you help other people connect with us so they can have this great Jewish Philadelphia story as well?’”

jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com