by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin Following last Friday’s posting, “Saying Thank You in the Social World”, we felt compelled to elaborate on the importance of this subject and how non-profits should be incorporating donor recognition into their fundraising program. No two words have created as much consternation today for nonprofits as “thank you.” This is a topic that is always important, and punctuated during the difficult economic times when gifts may be more difficult to secure or when other pressures set varying priorities. Donors at all levels and from all walks of life want to feel appreciated and be assured that their contributions are making an impact. While some may think that the time-worn mandate to express appreciation is almost “old news,” we are regularly … Continue Reading
The Sweetness of Giving
by Ruth Andrew Ellenson When I was little, my father would begin every Shabbat by having each person in my family donate money to the bright blue and white tzedakah box we kept in our dining room. We would collect coins and deposit them into the little metal slot one by one, listening to each one drop with a satisfying metal clink. I wish I could say that I was pious enough as a child to have truly enjoyed this act of charity - this small bit of tikkun olam foisted upon me in a valiant attempt to form my good character. But I did not. Instead, with each dropping coin, I lamented in my heart the money that was going to strangers instead of my candy supply. With each quarter that vanished into the void, visions of chocolate, sugar and other tasty treats filled my head with longing and … Continue Reading
Skin-In-The-Game Commitments
by Sarah Kass Who can forget December 11, 2008? On the day Bernie Madoff was arrested, millions if not billions of (Jewish) philanthropic dollars went up in smoke. Since then, surviving Jewish philanthropists have rearranged their investment strategies and surviving Jewish nonprofits have rearranged their donor bases. As we approach the first anniversary of that day, we remember the devastation and think about how it has changed us. It is possible that December 11, 2008, launched the transformation of the Jewish third sector. Imagine you are in synagogue and the Torah reading has just ended. As the magbiyah lifts the Torah aloft, you and your fellow congregants stand, holding your right pinkies in the direction of the raised Torah; each of you is, as it were, putting your skin in the game. … Continue Reading
It’s Time to Get Off the Dance Floor
Gary Rosenblatt, in his article “The Push & Pull of Jewish Philanthropy” in this week’s Jewish Week, writes: "Start-ups look to federations and foundations for funding but don’t want to be associated with federations (too old school for them); federations may support the new start-ups as part of their effort to attract younger donors and be innovative, but resent that the start-ups keep their distance; and family foundations may play in both camps but are seen as unpredictable, and maybe too independent. Meanwhile, these three key groups are interdependent as well at times, relying on each other for funds, ideas and/or credibility. And the dance goes on." This delicate dance between federations, family foundations, and start-ups reveals a distressing set of fraught relationships in … Continue Reading
South African Philanthropist Mendel Kaplan Dies
South African philanthropist and communal leader Mendel Kaplan died yesterday at his home in Cape Town. Kaplan, 73, suffered a major stroke earlier this week. He will be buried on Sunday. Kaplan who has been involved in communal projects for over 50 years was an honorary president of Keren Hayesod, a former chairman of the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors and of Keren Hayesod's World Board of Trustees. According to Ambassador Avi Pazner, World Chairman of Keren Hayesod, "He was a giant in the Jewish world. He had very deeply rooted Jewish and Zionist feelings and he knew how to get what he wanted and what he wanted was always for the good of the cause." Here's more from The Jerusalem Post: He was a major figure in the world of Jewish organizations, especially renowned for promoting … Continue Reading
Another Set of Layoffs at Hadassah
According to yesterday's JTA philanthropy newsletter, "Hadassah laid off another 17 employees this week, amounting to another 5 percent of its work force. The organization laid off a quarter of its staff last winter. It isn't clear where the cuts were made, but Hadassah is still insisting that they are part of a long-planned restructuring process that while pushed forward by the recession, was not caused by the recession. ... It's certainly been a rough year for Hadassah. First it was a major victim of Bernard Madoff. Then the woman who helped manage the organization's relations with Madoff wrote a tell-all book describing her affair with the swindler. And a couple of weeks ago, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported in its annual Philanthropy 400 that the organization's fund raising was … Continue Reading
Israel Providing Direct Support to JAFI: What Might It Mean?
by Jonathan Strausberg [Yesterday's] Jerusalem Post reported that a deal is in the works for the government of Israel to provide direct financial support to the Jewish Agency for Israel. This could be a game changer, because Israel previously only provided support to specific programs that JAFI operated, such as MASA. As Federation contributions to overseas causes, including JAFI and JDC, have declined over the past few years, JAFI has seen its budget cut by nearly 25%. The result has been a cut in staff and services, including camps in the FSU, aliyah support services, and helping youth at-risk in Israel. These are programmatic areas that are typically funded with core dollars, not designated giving. Obviously, the increase in funding will have a direct impact in reversing the contraction … Continue Reading
Funding for Overseas Jews In Disarray as Agencies Duel
JDC Rejects Decades-Old Agreement as Irrelevant by Nathan Guttman Threatening to shake the fragile structure of the American Jewish federations’ umbrella organization, one of the key partners for overseas funding has turned down a proposed agreement on distribution of funds, putting the system in a state of disarray. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee announced that it has rejected a decades-old understanding that gave it only a quarter of all money raised in the United States for overseas causes, while leaving the lion’s share for the Jewish Agency for Israel. The decision illustrates not only a new phase in the competition between the two agencies over dwindling American funds, but also their struggle to reposition themselves in light of a changing philanthropic reality … Continue Reading
Cultivating Donors for the Long-Term
Some advice on whether to focus more dollars on your donors, the life-blood of every organization. by Misha Galperin One needs to have a long-term view. There are short-term problems and issues to be overcome always, and there is the immediacy of the moment and the pressure to give out money right away. But if you’re running an organization that you think is here for the long haul - and we’ve been here for the long haul and we expect to be here for a long time - you need to be thinking beyond the horizon of the next year or the next five years. In purely business terms, there are three considerations that argue in favor of building your donor base, even if you don’t have an immediate financial return on investment. One part of what is happening in the world is much of the wealth … Continue Reading
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