Life & Legacy Conference Offers Local Delegation Key Insights
- JCF
- May 21
- 3 min read
The following is a reprint of the JCF's Money Matters column, published in the May 14, 2025 issue of the Jewish Community Voice, titled, "Life & Legacy Conference offers local delegation key insights":
Picture this: An innovative and ultra-successful entrepreneur who has survived cancer, created a substantial, eponymous foundation to benefit Jewish causes, and signed The Giving Pledge, dedicating the majority of his wealth to philanthropy. Further, this individual is 95 years young, yet started creating massive sculptures along with poignant poetry within the past 10 years. This briefly describes Harold Grinspoon.
From April 27-29, six representatives of the Southern New Jersey Jewish community: Adath Emanu El Board member Jessica Chasen, JCF Board member Jodi Levine, JCF Assistant Director Mike Staff, Federation Chief of Philanthropy Leah Wolf, Federation Development Associate Sarah Zalcmann, and me—attended the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s (HGF) Life & Legacy Conference in Springfield, MA.
HGF launched Life & Legacy in 2012. Since then, over 32,000 Jews across over 70 North American communities have been inspired to commit to leaving a gift in their will to benefit Jewish organizations. In all, an estimated $2-billion in expected future endowment fund assets will benefit Jewish organizations. Incredible!
This year’s conference had many highlights. First, a group of us had the opportunity to meet Harold at his home, a very exciting and memorable occasion. Harold also participated in the conference, listening to many of the expert speakers, and happily interacting with some of the 220 volunteers and professionals in attendance. We are all so grateful for Harold’s generosity and vision, and we thank the HGF leaders for coordinating a fantastic conference. Here are some takeaways:
Endowment Funds Reflect Jewish Values: Keynote speaker Yossi Prager of the Jewish Funders Network shared that when you contribute to endowment funds, you are helping to pass along many Jewish values, including education, tzedakah, and wisdom to future generations. In addition, he noted that since endowment funds provide consistent annual income for Jewish organizations, it allows these organizations to be more creative and proactive than they otherwise would be if this money were not available to them. Have you considered supporting any local Jewish organization( s) that you love by committing to a legacy gift?
Professional Advisors Can Play a Key Role: A panel of legacy giving experts discussed how accountants, estate attorneys, and financial planners can guide their clients on the best way to create a Jewish legacy, whether through one’s will, via an IRA or life insurance policy beneficiary designation, or other asset. Many advisors may not feel experienced enough to have these conversations with clients, but that’s where the JCF can help. If you are an advisor or work with one for your plans, please reach out to me to discuss this important topic.
Let’s All Engage the Next Generation in Philanthropy: Broadly speaking, each generation has its own tendencies when it comes to many aspects of life, including philanthropy. A panel of speakers discussed how to engage younger generations in tzedakah, while meeting their goal of seeing the impact of their gift. For example, children of any age can use a B’nai Tzedek Fund (BTF) to start them on the path of annual giving; a BTF acts as a mini-donor advised fund (online charitable giving account). Secondly, young adults in their 20s and 30s often start an endowment fund in smaller amounts to grow over time. And thirdly, those in their 30s and 40s may enjoy joining giving circles, where donors pool their gifts and decide jointly on charitable grants. The JCF can assist with each of these options.
To learn more about these topics, please contact me today at (856) 673-2571 or dsnyder@jfedsnj.org
Thanks to Life & Legacy and Harold Grinspoon’s vision and inspiration, we can all be philanthropists at any age or giving level.
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