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When Times Are Tough, People Support Houses of Worship…Even Jews!
by Robert I. Evans & Avrum D. Lapin
In our previous piece for eJewishPhilanthropy, we described a few notable trends emerging from the 2008 report of Giving USA, the highly respected and often-cited annual report outlining last year’s results for charitable giving. The study captured headlines across the country but few reporters focused on the one noticeable sector where we saw continued annual growth in overall donations: RELIGION. Giving to religion increased in 2008, and continues to constitute the largest sector of the “giving pie” in the U.S. philanthropic community. This finding has been consistent for more than a generation.
But to what can we attribute this increase in giving to religion in 2008 at a time when the arts, social services and education sectors experienced downturns? What makes religious giving seemingly “recession proof?”
Here are facts that frame the response:
* Religious donations increased in 2008 at a time when most other charitable contributions were lagging from 2007.
* Nearly 3 percent of all Americans tithe, meaning that they direct at least ten percent of their gross income to charity. But, generally, Americans who tithe do not support non-profit causes other than religion.
* There are 350,000 religious organizations (synagogues, churches, and mosques) in the United States, including about 3,000 synagogues. During times of downturn, faith related institutions are not just places for spiritual renewal and support but are also connections to financial and other assistance services for those requiring emergency help. Communities and donors understand this, and are often compelled and motivated to pitch in, financially and otherwise.
* Historically, Americans giving to religion stays stable or sees minimal impact whenever there are downturns in the economy!
We, at EHL Consulting, work closely with synagogues of all sizes and denominations so we understand that these numbers alone only tell a small part of the story and might not accurately reflect the reality of Jewish support for synagogues. We know that the Jewish philanthropic arena is an eclectic mix of vibrant organizations with diverse missions and agendas. But one thing is predictable: as Jews weather economic pressures, they continue to turn to their houses of worship . . . just as non-Jews do as well. But as the economy improves, will they - as donors - stay or will they leave?
The challenge to clergy, other synagogue professionals, and volunteer leadership is to continue to offer opportunities for impactful involvement and financial support. American congregations are positioning themselves differently in this competitive philanthropic market. We are seeing some mid-sized and larger congregations hiring development professionals and other marketing specialists. If managed correctly, these investments will return value quickly with expanded options for giving and improved professional approaches to securing charitable gifts. Even Planned Giving - a fundraising approach generally exclusive to arts, educational, and health care institutions - has found its way into synagogue fundraising vocabularies.
While 35 cents of every philanthropic dollar in 2008 was directed to faith-based institutions, other sectors are preparing to rebound. And just like everything else related to this recession, many of the “old rules” may no longer apply going forward. Therefore, now is the time for synagogues of all sizes to strengthen their fundraising capabilities and approaches to continue to secure market share. They can do that by using their limited resources wisely and investing in the tools and human assets, volunteer and professional, which will enable them to sustain and grow.
In a world where we can no longer make any assumptions, synagogues must be proactive to ensure their rightful place in the hearts and minds of donors in the months and years to come.
Robert I. Evans, Managing Director, and Avrum D. Lapin, Director, are principals of The EHL Consulting Group, of suburban Philadelphia, and are frequent contributors to ejewishphilanthropy.com. EHL Consulting is a proud member of the Giving Institute and an underwriter of Giving USA. The institute is a leader in tracking data and following trends in the non-profit sector. EHL Consulting works with dozens of non-profits across the globe on fundraising, strategic planning, and non-profit business practices. Become a fan of The EHL Consulting Group on Facebook.
http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/when-times-are-tough-people-support-houses-of-worshipeven-jews/
reviewed by Moishe Alexander, CFC canadian funding corp CEO
A model for emulation
The thousands of new immigrants from the US, Canada and Britain that the Nefesh B’Nefesh is bringing in on 14 flights this year will join the 20,000 who have arrived from these countries since the organization was founded in 2002. Most of these immigrant have been absorbed here with great success, providing us with clear proof of this country’s ability to draw in Jews living in the heart of prosperous Western democracies.
These immigrants come from personal choice, not as persecuted refugees seeking asylum - as has been the case with many who have come here since the early days of Zionism and since the founding of the state. They bring with them an abundance of skills, knowledge and creative resources - three-quarters of them hold academic degrees - which will contribute to the well-being of the collective and soon provide benefits outstripping all the costs involved in their absorption.
They also remind us of a similar reserve that would add vitality and strength to our society and state: the tens of thousands of Jewish academics - many of whom are Israeli-born and outstanding graduates of Israeli universities - scattered throughout the world.
Their immigration or return home depends, in fact, on one question alone: Will employment to match their professional training and intellectual curiosity be found for them here? Such work would serve as an anchor for building their lives within our midst, with assured mutual benefits.
Ostensibly, this question can be disregarded - not solved - by dismissing those pampered young people as “conditional” Israelis. We could say to them something along the lines of: Don’t do us any favors, we’ll manage without you. Yet in reality what’s at stake is not their whims, but a pressing national need. The State of Israel needs a serious reinforcement of academic personnel. Without such reinforcement, we will find it very difficult to maintain our place in the “First World” of developed countries, whether in the basic existential sense, the economic sense and in all aspects related to quality of life.
That reinforcement is need in various financial institutions, including those whose luster has been dimmed temporarily by the global economic crisis. It also is clearly needed by the academic world, by institutions of research and higher education, which are from many standpoints the breeding ground of progress and culture.
IN RECENT YEARS, the higher education system has suffered a long line of cutbacks by the state budget. The economic crisis has lowered the scope of donations which had been just barely keeping the system head above water. The results are clearly noticeable. For example, while the state’s population has doubled since 1973, the number of university positions has dropped by 20 percent. Conversely, by 2019, 2,500 senior lecturers and teachers will retire, and little time remains to absorb their replacements. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that under these conditions, the academic world is unable to serve as the engine that propels Israeli society forward. At times, one fears that it may be derailed altogether.
To handle this predicament we must imitate the heartening aliya campaign of Nefesh B’Nefesh. Our academic world urgently needs the ongoing absorption of new forces on an annual scale of hundreds of people.
Such an effort has a clear price tag. Adding one academic position requires an investment ranging between $500,000-$1 million, mainly to ensure the position recipient’s ability to work. Such an effort requires a long-term plan, at least a five-year plan, as opposed to the usual Israeli tactics of improvisation and cutting corners. Such an effort requires close cooperation and real self-examination by all stakeholders - the government, research universities and all branches of industry.
Such an effort is not simple, but it is possible. Moreover, it is a national exigency.
The writer is president of Bar-Ilan University.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443756948&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
posted here by Moishe Alexander, CFC canadian funding corp CEO
Students and alums fight to keep Ulpan Etzion in Baka
Only “a miracle” could keep Ulpan Etzion in its current Jerusalem location, the upscale neighborhood of Baka, a senior Jewish Agency official told Anglo File this week. For decades the popular intensive Hebrew-language study program has been the first home in Israel for thousands of Western immigrants.
Earlier this month the Jewish Agency announced that after Monday, when the current session ends, Ulpan Etzion will move to Beit Canada, a larger property in the close but less attractive area of Armon Hanatziv, or East Talpiot, to save expenses.
The next session begins January 15 at Beit Canada. The official stressed that Etzion will maintain its format in the new location, offering on- and off-campus students a five-month absorption program.
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After the announcement, students and alumni began trying to raise funds to keep the program in Baka, an area popular with Western immigrants.
Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Colette Avital (Labor), a member of the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Committee, told Anglo File Wednesday that while the most important thing about Ulpan Etzion is the program itself, “if new immigrants think they need to be in a place where they can best integrate into Israeli society, every effort should be made to prevent [it] from being moved.” Avital said she would call Jewish Agency Chairman Zeev Bielski to discuss ways to keep the ulpan in Baka.
“If we receive new donations, we will calculate the costs and if we can continue Ulpan Etzion and Beit Canada at the same time I will be more than happy to do it,” the director-general of the agency’s department of immigration and absorption, Eli Cohen, said. Both agency officials and activists, however, thought it was unlikely that the necessary sum of about $1 million could be raised before January 15.
“Some of us spoke with our communities in our countries of origin,” said Ariel Kogan, an Argentinean-born alumnus. “Some contacts were made with people who can donate significant amounts,” he said.
Cohen said he appreciates the activism and is himself searching for funding. Nevertheless, he said the move was unavoidable and would actually benefit immigrants in the long run. About two years ago the campus was forced to contract after the buildings’ owners decided not to renew the agency’s lease for some of the facilities. In a telephone interview from Chicago, Cohen said that cut on-campus housing from about 160 beds to 79, while Beit Canada has dorm space for 250 students.
Established in 1949, Ulpan Etzion is Israel’s oldest ulpan. All of its students are Jewish, single, college graduates between 21 and 35. Their shared experiences have resulted in countless long-term friendships and several marriages.
Ex-Londoner Louise (nee Angel) Szczerb, 28, and her husband Wolf, 25, a Rio de Janeiro native, met at Ulpan Etzion. Wolf almost didn’t get there due to a bureaucratic glitch, and ended up starting the January 2007 semester one month late.
“We met on his first day,” Louise recalled this week. “He lived on campus and I lived off-campus, and we weren’t in the same class, but we met and have been together ever since,” she said. They were married two months ago in Jerusalem and live in Modi’in. “That is just one of the reasons why Ulpan Etzion is so special, because it brings people together from all around the world,” Louise said.
“I was looking forward to seeing all of the new people coming in - now it’s going to be completely abandoned and depressing here,” said Mimi Borowich, 26, who came from New York in July for the current term. She said she heard about the move right after renting an apartment next to the Baka campus.
Borowich wrote letters to the Jewish Agency, joined the fund raising campaign and also contacted Jerusalem’s new Mayor, Nir Barkat, who has promised to make the capital attractive to young people again.
http://192.118.73.5/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=1046092&contrassID=2&subContrassID=16&title=%27Students%20and%20alums%20fight%20to%20keep%20Ulpan%20Etzion%20in%20Baka%20%27&dyn_server=172.20.5.5
reviewed by Moishe Alexander, CFC CEO