Advance Team Toolkit
Messaging Guidebook: What exactly does the Jewish Federation do? This piece offers is an overview of Federation’s core area of focus. Learn how we respond to urgent needs and take care of vulnerable populations, and how we build Jewish Identity, Community and Philanthropy.
Solicitors Toolkit: A how-to guide for conducting an effective solicitation. Learn all the dos and don’ts as well as some helpful tips that will make your fundraising efforts for Federation easier and more successful.
Our Impact: An in-depth look at Federation’s local and overseas agencies as well as our community programs. Find out what each organization does, who it helps, and what its core priorities are for the coming year.
The Case for Increased Annual Campaign Donation
Why Increase Your Annual Campaign Donation?
Historically, Jewish Detroit has been one of the most generous and supportive communities to be found anywhere. This has never been more true than in recent years, as our Campaign has continued to be among the largest per capita in North America, despite the recent recession. We have seen growth in our donor base for the past six years in a row, with more of our community becoming actively engaged as donors, leaders and Jewish participants.
Despite our successes, however, growth in our Campaign lags behind the increase in critical needs facing our community. Several factors have contributed to this rise in needs:
- Seniors: Jewish Detroit has a very large population of elderly individuals, many of whom rely on Federation agencies for support. Demographically, our average age is higher than most communities, and we are seeing individuals living far longer and requiring more years of care than previous generations. This population includes the local Holocaust survivors that currently receive support. A larger Annual Campaign is essential for providing the necessary resources to fund essential senior services throughout our community.
- Cuts in Government Funding: Recently, state funding for a number of social service areas has declined, threatening the viability of a number of our agencies’ key programs. This includes programs for individuals with disabilities, people with mental illness, older adults and children with special needs. The Annual Campaign is one of the few sources of revenue available to close the budget gaps following these spending cuts, keeping these critical programs functioning for those who rely on them.
- Global Instability: As our world becomes more complex and unstable, the security and wellbeing of Israel, as well as Jewish communities throughout the world, become more tenuous. A recent historic rise in Aliyah, following the resurgence of Anti-Semitism, has created more need for the resettlement and integration work of our global partner agencies. Isolated Jewish communities, such as those in Ukraine and other parts of the FSU, are experiencing a rise in urgent needs. Locally, our campus Hillels are on the front lines in the fight against the BDS movement that threatens to legitimize anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic efforts. All of the work of our campus Hillels and overseas partner agencies is supported by our Annual Campaign.
- Jewish Education and Camping: The requests for scholarship assistance for day school, congregational school and Jewish camping tuition and fees continue to remain at a high level despite an improvement in the economy over the last few years. The reality is that many families never recovered their previous levels of economic stability and continue to need assistance to provide their children with a Jewish education and camping experiences. An increased Campaign will help ensure that no Jewish child is denied these opportunities.
- Infrastructure: For the first time in our history, the community has not continued expanding outward and has remained relatively ‘in place.’ As a result, we are using our buildings much longer than in the past, and we are facing critical infrastructure issues at a scale far beyond previous needs. Capital needs requirements at our agencies, Jewish schools, camps and other facilities are enormous, and directly affect the health and safety of our community. Growing our Annual Campaign is essential for allowing us to continually invest in the upkeep of our communal properties.
- It is clear that without growth in our Annual Campaign we will struggle to meet these and other needs in our local and global Jewish community.
Please consider doing your part to grow our Annual Campaign, so that we can continue to effectively support our community today, as well as be prepared for the inevitable challenges of the future.
Today, our goal is to grow the Annual Campaign by 10%. Would you consider increasing your campaign contribution by 10%?
