David Harris
New “Each One Reach One” Program Creates Stronger Jewish Future
A new campaign will bolster Cincinnati’s Create Your Jewish Legacy (CYJL) initiative, which has encouraged legacy giving, or giving through a will or trust to an organization in the Jewish community, since 2014. CYJL in Cincinnati is already leading the nation with more than 1,800 legacy commitments, but the work isn’t finished yet. Through a new LIFE & LEGACY campaign called Each One Reach One, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati is once again partnering with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) to increase the number of donors participating in the CYJL initiative.
This new effort encourages committed legacy donors to share their stories and motivations for leaving a legacy with family and friends, helping others understand their passion for the Jewish future and their communities. By sharing these stories, it is hoped that others will be inspired to leave a legacy, too.
Marsha and Mark Barsman are legacy donors who made a commitment to Jewish Cincinnati. They wanted to do something that will have an impact long into the future—and that is the beauty of a legacy gift. “Jews have always taken care of each other,” said Marsha. “We are a little island in a very big world, and it’s important to pass on the importance of the Jewish faith, culture, and religion, so we never lose that connection to our shared past.”
Cincinnati was the first community to reach a thousand legacy commitments, and in the last year, secured 40 more legacy commitments than any other community. Of those commitments, many have designated multiple organizations, which is why there are 1,828 legacy commitments today.
“Legacy giving allows everyone to be a philanthropist, to acknowledge the impact local organizations and programs have had on their life and make it possible for future generations to have a similar experience,” said Arlene D. Schiff, National Director of the LIFE & LEGACY program. “We are so thankful that to date 18,000 donors across North America have stepped up and made a legacy commitment to one or more valued organizations. Imagine if each of those people reached out to one other person, shared why they left a legacy and encouraged their friend or family member to join them. We would double our numbers and the Jewish future would be twice as bright.”
The Each One Reach One campaign was launched at LIFE & LEGACY’s Virtual Legacy Donor Appreciation Event earlier this year, where donors from across North America shared their stories. During the event HGF’s founder, Harold Grinspoon, encouraged everyone to imagine what the Jewish future would look like if 18,000 legacy donors became 36,000 or 360,000 or 3.6 million. “Providing Jewish communities with proven tools and training to help them secure their long-term financial goals is absolutely vital,” said Grinspoon. “Through the LIFE & LEGACY program, I’m hopeful that we will be able to help sustain vibrant communities that allow future generations to enjoy our rich Jewish culture and heritage.”
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation is investing $30 million over a ten-year period to preserve vibrant Jewish life for future generations by ensuring the long-term financial health of Jewish community organizations in cities across North America, including here in Cincinnati. There are incentives at the individual, organization, and community levels, including a $10,000 award for the top-performing community.
Cincinnati’s CYJL program helps train and support 23 local Jewish agencies, congregations, and day schools in the area of legacy giving. The ultimate goal is to build endowments to help sustain these organizations and ensure a vibrant future in our Jewish community. Funding for CYJL came in part from the HGF Life and Legacy program, along with funding from The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Federation.
The HGF initiative is a highly selective grant and, since its creation, it has motivated 18,000 donors in 69 communities—including Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and Washington, DC—to commit more than a billion dollars in current and after-lifetime assets to the Jewish organizations that shaped their lives.
“Legacy giving,” said Federation’s Director of Planned Giving and Endowments and Create Your Jewish Legacy, Debra Steinbuch, “will assure the continuation of a family’s annual giving and enable the Jewish community and other organizations dear to that family to benefit from their generosity into the foreseeable future. It will also allow the Jewish Federation to continue to provide programs for the community and funding for partner agencies, as well as continue to provide a strong, vibrant, and caring community for future generations.”
The CYJL program helps support the Federation’s mission of bringing together diverse groups to build and sustain a Jewish community, while developing and connecting leaders, contributors, organizations, and ideas to help people in need, support Israel, and assure a vibrant Jewish future.
To learn more about Create Your Jewish Legacy, or to make your legacy commitment, please visit createyourjewishlegacy.org or contact Joshua Rosen at jrosen@jfedcin.org.
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