BBYO Launches $90m Campaign with $30m of Support

Gifts totaling $28.8 million from two long-time funders lead effort for BBYO to expand its capacity and double its growth rate over the next five years

BBYO has received an unprecedented $28.8 million in support from two long-time funders toward its newly launched $90 million five-year “This Moment in Time” campaign. The campaign will enable BBYO to double its annual growth rate, with the goal of having 27,000 members annually by the end of the 2022 school year. BBYO will also expand its workforce, increase summer program offerings, better support its volunteer advisors, and grow its endowment. Ultimately, BBYO’s compelling year-round experiences will be able to reach approximately 60% of the accessible Jewish teen audience in North America, totaling 110,000 teens annually.

The two initial gifts, provided by the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, came after a six-month capacity building study by Wellspring Consulting that focused on ways in which BBYO can build its infrastructure to support and accelerate its growth. The resulting five-year plan outlines key initiatives to accomplish those goals and the financial resources needed to make it happen.

“Our research included more than 3,900 data points and concluded that we are having a deep impact on our members,” said Matthew Grossman, BBYO’s Chief Executive Officer. “Rather than make major shifts to strategy, we were advised to scale our operation so that many more teens can experience all that we have to offer. We are grateful for these significant investments, which will help position us for even greater global reach and impact on Jewish teens.”

A 2011 Impact Study showed BBYO’s significant long-term impact on the ways in which its alumni gravitate toward leadership positions, build community and participate in Jewish life. These alumni have been key partners in BBYO’s growth in recent years and will be asked to join with some of the Jewish community’s leading philanthropists in helping BBYO reach its $90 million campaign goal.