JCF Hosts Donor "Thank You" Events Twice in November

In recent years, the Jewish Community Foundation, Inc. (JCF) has hosted complimentary donor "Thank You" events, and this November the JCF held two such programs during the Festival of Arts, Books & Culture of the Katz JCC.

First, on November 2, the JCF hosted community members who have committed to a legacy gift through the Life & Legacy initiative of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) or established an endowment fund with the JCF.

Some 30 donors, including many current and past agency and synagogue leaders, enjoyed Israeli-themed light bites from Soups & Sweets (a program of Jewish Family & Children's Service) and heard updates from JCF leadership.

Life & Legacy Committee Chair Jodi Levine announced an exciting matching gift campaign to support the JCF’s PJ Library Endowment Fund, to sustain HGF’s PJ Library in South Jersey.

Then, newly-installed JCF President Susan Olinsky shared some updates about the JCF, including noting that the JCF provided $1.9 million in support of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey & its family of agencies in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, thanks to the hundreds of endowment funds and donor advised funds that the JCF manages on behalf of donors, some of whom were in attendance at the event. Olinsky also noted that the Federation provides an impressive $20 million in community-wide support, and of that amount, the JCF receives less than $100,000 via in-kind support, reflecting the JCF's success in becoming self-sufficient to ensure that more dollars are provided to the community, rather than relying on outside support.

Following the Legacy Thank You Event, guests received a pass to the Festival's program featuring authors Jordan Fontheim and Doron Keren focusing on the topic of "The Third Generation Panel: Grandchildren Remember" with the Katz JCC's Sarah Sellers as moderator.

Then, on November 11, the JCF partnered with the Federation to host a Silver Circle Society Breakfast to thank and recognize Federation’s most loyal donors who have given for 25 or more years.

Nearly 60 Silver Circle donors attended and heard updates from Federation President Ivy Brown Rovner and CEO Jennifer Dubrow Weiss, followed by Q&A about Federation initiatives. JCF Executive Director David Snyder closed by sharing details of the PJ Library Endowment Fund, and Jodi Levine shared her story about why supporting this fund is so important to her. Breakfast by Soups and Sweets was served.

Following the gathering, guests were welcome to join the Katz JCC's Festival program featuring author Gayle Feldman who discussed her book about publisher Bennet Cerf.

The Board and staff of the JCF thank donors who give annually or establish sustaining endowment funds to make this such a welcoming, dynamic, and engaging Jewish community.

About the JCF's PJ Library Endowment Fund and Special Matching Gifts

HGF administers PJ Library, delivering Jewish-themed children's books every month to families across SNJ and throughout the world, at no cost to the recipients. For many families, this is a child's first interaction with Jewish-based themes and lessons.

In SNJ, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey provides an annual allocation to fund this initiative which reaches approximately 1,000 families per year. To help sustain this initiative locally for future generations, the JCF has partnered with HGF for an exciting campaign, launching the new PJ Library Endowment Fund in 2025.

Jodi and her husband, Neil have committed to a 50% matching gift of $100,000, while HGF has committed to a 25% matching gift up to $1 million for donations that go into the endowment fund. So, if a donor gives $100 to the fund, it can be matched by an additional $75, thus expanding the reach of their gift.

Further, when an individual or couple commit to and formalize a legacy gift to benefit PJ Library in South Jersey, HGF is offering additional, generous incentives:

When a new Letter of Intent that includes PJ Library as a beneficiary is submitted by a legacy donor, HGF will provide $1,000 for the Federation, up to $36,000

Similarly, when a new Legacy Gift Confirmation Form that includes PJ Library as a beneficiary is submitted to the JCF, HGF will provide another $1,000, up to $36,000 in total.

If both $36,000 goals are met, HGF will provide a bonus of $10,000 to benefit Federation's PJ Library initiatives.

Thank you for your consideration in supporting PJ Library in South Jersey. You can make a lasting impact on future generations of Jewish families in our community, thanks to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation's generosity and the Federation's ongoing commitment to providing Jewish-themed books to local families.

For questions about this exciting opportunity, please contact JCF Assistant Director Mike Staff at 856.673.2528 or mstaff@jfedsnj.org.