Kaufman arrived in Toledo in 1905 and began volunteering at a settlement house run by the Toledo Council of Jewish women.  She served Lucas County juvenile court as a probation officer for 31 years. 

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She practiced her belief that "there are no bad children; only misunderstood children".  She helped organize the Banner Boys Club for Jewish boys in 1907. She was a founder of the local Traveler's Aid Society and was on the board of the Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers. She was Vice President of the Toledo Girl Scouts and a local supporter of the NAACP. She was the first president of Hadassah in Toledo as well as a key member of the Jewish Federation.

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Writer Ona Russell developed a mystery series around a proto-feminist and advocate for justice named Sarah Kaufman in tribute to Kaufman.