For Fundraisers, It’s all Israel, All the Time

James Besser writing in The Jewish Week: More on the AJ Congress – and the perils of progressive domestic activism The other day I blogged about the sad demise of the American Jewish Congress and laid much of the blame for its protracted demise on its decision to turn away from the progressive domestic focus that was its traditional bread and butter. A caller with long connections to the group took me to task. The organization, he said, had little choice but to move away from domestic issues, for the simple reason that it’s almost impossible to raise money on those concerns from a confident, secure and prosperous American Jewish community. I don’t buy his whole argument, but it does raise some interesting and important issues. It is a given in the Jewish philanthropic world that... Continue Reading

Shifting Paradigms at Federations

Among the various Jewish institutions buffeted by change, Federations may face the greatest challenges. Their value proposition is losing traction as cultural values shift, while their style of governance and management are ill-suited to reacting swiftly to change. As a result they may become victims of their own success. Federations have traditionally dominated the Jewish terrain in their communities through their size, power, and influence. They were created in response to the huge influx of Jewish immigrants that began in the 1880s, whose needs overwhelmed the small Jewish service organizations already in existence. These new umbrella organizations could coordinate available resources more effectively, and could raise money more efficiently too. Then the flow of immigrants was drastically curtailed... Continue Reading

Jewish Donors Support Boston Catholic Schools

from Boston.com: Jewish donors give Catholic schools a lift Richard J. Henken, a Boston real estate company executive, grew up in a conservative Jewish family on the south side of Newton. He attends services on the Jewish High Holy Days and considers his religion an important aspect of his identity. He also gives $25,000 to $30,000 a year to Catholic schools. He serves as an officer on the board of the Catholic Schools Foundation, which raises millions each year to help send children from low-income families to Catholic schools. … Henken, the president of Schochet Associates, which develops, acquires, and manages residential and commercial property throughout New England, is one of a number of Jewish benefactors in Greater Boston who not only give generously to Catholic schools, but also provide... Continue Reading

A Developmental Approach to Philanthropy

by Robert Hyfler, Ph.D The chart below suggests five steps in the development of the Jewish philanthropist and the maturation of philanthropic foundations and grant making/funding entities. Attention to this ladder of development can lead to strategies to move along a path of communal engagement and can be a useful tool in assessing the current mindset of funders and potential funders. Note that the “virtue” in each step is often retained as the individual or philanthropic entity progresses to the next step. Emotive Philanthropy: The individual gives to feel good or to express solidarity, reacting to the situation, the problem or the symptom begging for a solution. The act of giving is closure. “Legacy” gifts often fall under this category. Impact Philanthropy: The individual or philanthropic... Continue Reading

A Jewish Agency for Today’s Jewish People

On Tuesday afternoon, eJewish Philanthropy‘s Dan Brown sat with Alan Hoffmann, Director-General and Dr. Misha Galperin, head of External Affairs, Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), to discuss the updated direction the organization is moving towards. Here’s our conversation: A Jewish Agency for Today’s Jewish People from eJewish Philanthropy on Vimeo. [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Securing the Future: The Video

An eight minute video on the new Strategic Plan of the Jewish Agency for Israel. [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Avi Chai in Sunset: An Ongoing Case Study

As many of our readers know, the Avi Chai Foundation is in sunset – in other words, they are in the process of spending down their assets with the intent of closing the foundation. In terms of prominent American foundations, this has been a rare occurrence. As such, the Avi Chai Trustees have initiated a series of reports as a service to the entire foundation and nonprofit community. Having begun their own spend-down process at a time when there was little pre-existing knowledge to guide them, they understood the need and the potential usefulness of a publication of this kind. The first of these reports, titled “First Annual Report to The AVI CHAI Foundation on the Progress of its Decision to Spend Down,” is now available. [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Cleveland Federation Cuts Allocations

from Cleveland Jewish News: Most agencies see slight decrease in JF allocations For the second year in a row, most local, national and overseas Jewish agencies supported by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland are slated to receive less funding than in the previous year. However the cuts made in fiscal year 2010/2011 represent a notably smaller percentage of agencies’ budgets compared with cuts made in FY 09/10. … Federation’s 2010 Campaign for Jewish Needs raised $27,542,531, a decrease of $1,229,889 from 2009’s campaign total and a 4% loss in campaign earnings, compared with a 12% loss from 2008 to 2009. Prior to 2009, campaign saw steady annual increases for more than a decade. In total, national Jewish agencies will receive 4.7% less than last year. Total allocations to overseas projects... Continue Reading

Peoplehood as a Local Phenomenon

Peoplehood as a Local Phenomenon: The Case of UJA-Federation of New York’s Connect to Care by Roberta Leiner and Robert Hyfler Over the past 14 months, UJA-Federation of New York has been engaged in the development and implementation of a transformative Jewish initiative. Connect to Care was initiated as a Jewish call to action in response to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is a conscious embodiment of our commitment to one another by assisting Jews severely affected by the recession of 2008-2009. Connect to Care has transformed for the better the realities and mind-set of agencies, synagogues, clients, and service deliverers on the grassroots level. Going forward, UJA-Federation of New York has an expanded 21st-century appreciation of its leadership role, of how a community... Continue Reading

What I Learned From The Jewish Agency

by Maxyne Finkelstein What I have learned from the Jewish Agency for Israel …. I will soon be ending my tenure as CEO of JAFI North America (JAFINA). This entity is currently being transformed to meet the new structure and vision of JAFI and bring the organization on a new path. During the past four years I was responsible for developing the nascent resource development and public relations presence of the organization in North America. Part of my mandate involved bringing together the various parts of the organization which worked very much independently, into a more coherent presence and meaningful brand. While many Federations, JCCs, schools, summer camps and synagogues are consumers of JAFI services through Israel emissaries (Shlichim) and Makom, these programs are rarely linked to the overall... Continue Reading

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