JFGV campaign update

Given the questions raised in Ben Feferman’s new documentary (see this week’s cover story), the Independent is printing the portion of Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver chief executive officer Mark Gurvis’ weekly e-mail message from Oct. 5 that, by pure coincidence, responds to some of the issues raised in Sha Shtil.

Thanks to the hard work of our campaign leadership and volunteers, and the generous response of more than 800 community members, we have raised $2.7 million towards our $8 million goal for this year’s campaign. We are one-third of the way towards our goal. In and around the holidays, I’ve had the opportunity to meet individually with a number of our donors to talk about this year’s campaign, and I thought I’d share some the questions they’ve asked me, along with answers. I’m guessing some of you have similar questions.

Why not give directly to the organizations I care most about?
We all have specific things that are important to us and, of course, you should support them. However, our community campaign is the only way you can make sure that a wide spectrum of Jewish needs are met across our community, and across our Jewish world. Many people who need help in our community need to access that help from multiple organizations – and the annual campaign funds a whole network of programs and services for them. For example, a family that needs a scholarship for their child to attend Jewish day school likely also needs programs subsidies at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and services for an elderly parent. There are also many small organizations that play critical roles in meeting community needs that aren’t widely known or popular, but which rely on community support. And, the really big things in Jewish life – sending thousands of young adults on Birthright, or resettling immigrants from the former Soviet Union or Ethiopia – can only be done through collective efforts supported by Jews across North America.

But aren’t I just feeding more community overhead?
Actually, the Federation annual campaign is a very efficient way to support a broad range of needs. Our operating costs for the annual campaign are 12.5 percent of what we raise. If you research the fundraising costs of most charities, you will find that they are generally higher, often much higher.

How are the capital campaigns active in our community affecting the Federation annual campaign?
There is no question they are having an impact. Capital campaigns are important because they address the long-term infrastructure needs of our community, which have to be dealt with from time to time. In fact, Jewish Federation works with our local organizations, often quietly behind the scenes, to support such efforts. However, our community won’t fully benefit from these great new facilities if the resources those organizations count on for day-to-day operations are diminished. We have to ensure our community’s ability to meet its ongoing needs.

How are decisions made about where the funds go?
Volunteers – community members like you – serve on the various committees that develop the allocations recommendations that are ultimately approved by our Federation board. Our allocations planning committee focuses on the distribution of funds to our 25 local partner agencies, while our Israel and overseas affairs committee guides our international allocations. For more information about how these processes work or where campaign funds are allocated, visit the Report to Donors at jewishvancouver.com.

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