T
his has been a record-breaking year for the Jewish Communal Fund, the donor-advised fund of the Jewish community of greater New York. We are very pleased that our donors distributed almost $300 million to thousands of worthy charities during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. This represents the largest amount and number of grants recommended in a single year during JCF’s nearly four decade existence. Moreover, this extraordinary generosity was manifested in the midst of a prolonged economic downturn, while charities are struggling and especially grateful for the grants that have allowed them to maintain their necessary contribution to society.
On the personnel front, Ellen Israelson recently was appointed Vice President of Marketing and Donor Relations, replacing our longtime staff member Abby Tucker, who relocated after 13 years of dedicated service. Ellen will expand JCF’s marketing efforts and oversee the development of services for all donors, including enhanced services for the Private Client division. We also engaged Michelle Lebowits to lead JCF’s Center for Next Generation Philanthropy— the gateway for young Jews in their 20s and 30s to become involved in philanthropy. Michelle comes to us from the development team at UJA-Federation of New York. She is joined by Tamar Snyder, a strategic consultant and former Jewish Week staff writer who is overseeing our teen programming and assisting us with our marketing and communication efforts. JCF has also entered into a strategic partnership with Slingshot, a highly respected organization dedicated to strengthening innovation in Jewish life by developing next generation funders. Slingshot is currently located in our offices and will work with JCF to craft meaningful programming and resources to engage our Next Generation donors. As a leader in the field of multi-generational philanthropy, the Jewish Communal Fund is a valuable resource for helping you engage your children and grandchildren in philanthropy in a proactive and meaningful manner. In addition, JCF has appointed relationship managers to assist donors in creating strategies for enhancing their philanthropic activities and adopting effective succession planning. Facilitating our donor’s philanthropy is a great privilege—we thank you for your continued support and generosity,
575 Madison Avenue, Suite 703 • New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212.752.8277 • Fax: 212.319.6963 • www.jewishcommunalfund.org
Laurence W. Cohen President
Susan F. Dickman Executive Vice President
Lift
The Jewish Communal Fund is dedicated to providing our donors and their families with professional and efficient personal service—and the philanthropic community has taken notice. JCF received a four-star rating (the highest distinction possible) from Charity Navigator, an independent and wellrespected charity evaluator. We were honored to be the highest-ranking Jewish organization in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Top 400 national charities list, at No. 35. JCF also ranked third in The Chronicle’s list of most money raised among New York-based organizations.