Vision 2020: An Extraordinary Community. Built by You.
Take a look at Jewish Orange County today. Thanks to you, amazing things have happened. With your help, we’ve exceeded all expectations. But have we reached our potential?
As we envision our shared future, does our community have • the organizational and financial leadership to ensure a thriving Jewish OC for decades to come? • institutions operating at capacity? • the resources for every Jewish individual and family to connect, discover and engage? • affordable Jewish learning for all? • the ability to fully serve our rapidly-growing senior population, and all of our Holocaust survivors? • access to services for every child and adult in need?
With your help, the answer can be “yes.” Vision 2020, a strategic framework developed by Jewish Federation & Family Services in response to community needs, is the gateway to an extraordinary destination: the future of Jewish Orange County.
Our goal is nothing short of an extraordinary community, a community of extraordinary learning, leadership and Jewish living. A model for all Jewish communities in North America for the 21st century and beyond. Admittedly, our plan is ambitious. And it won’t be cheap. Excellence at this level never is. We will reach our destination by 2020, thanks to your vision, your commitment and your philanthropy.
You answered “no,” didn’t you?
Why now? • Approximately 70% of OC Jews are un/under-affiliated. • Only 44% of OC Jews feel the importance of Jewish connection. • All of our Jewish institutions struggle to find new, skilled leaders. • 33% of young adults seek leadership development opportunities. • An estimated 7,000 Jewish children under age 9 live in OC. • Some 26,000 Jews under age 22 live in OC. Many are unaffiliated. • We retain only 37% of Jewish kids post-B’nai Mitzvah. • Youth participation in Jewish experiences = 60% greater chance they’ll sustain a lifetime Jewish connection. But we say no as often as yes - for lack of funds. • 34% of young OC Jews surveyed couldn’t define the significance of Israel. • Nationally, over 40 million baby boomers reached age 65 in 2010. • In OC, the 65+ older adult population will increase 94% by 2030. • The number of Holocaust survivors we serve has grown 124% in 3 years.
We could go on. But we’ll stop here. The consequences of inaction are clear. Data Sources: JFFS Strategic Planning Surveys, JFFS Client Statistics, US Census, Jewish Federations of North America, National Jewish Population Survey, OC Supreme Court, OC Bureau of Jewish Education.
You spoke. We listened. Following the merger of Jewish Federation & Family Services in 2011, we began a series of dialogues with some 300 community members — a cross-section of major stakeholders, lay leaders of our Jewish institutions, clergy and congregational leaders, Jewish communal professionals, young adults and students. This two-year process produced the findings that underpin Vision 2020, some of which are highlighted below.
What did you tell us? • Un/under-affiliation (particularly by young families) is our community’s greatest challenge. • Our second greatest challenge is the training, mentoring and educating of leaders. • We must make Jewish educational experiences — from preschool through college — affordable and accessible to all. We’re far short of the mark at present. • We’re reaching only one-fifth of the estimated 3,000 Jewish young professionals in OC. • Over 70% of Next Gen leaders cannot participate in Israel missions or conferences without generous subsidies. • 41% of students and young leaders seek expanded peer-to-peer Jewish networks. • Our programs and services must reach every corner of Orange County, through every community institution, particularly our congregations. Engagement with the broader community is essential to reaching the under-served. • Everyone who needs our help should be served.
And thanks to you, we have a plan.
Vision 2020: Community Participation Jewish Communal Professionals
13%
Major Stakeholders
15%
Young Adult Leaders
13% Lay Leaders (JFFS and Community Partners)
25% Student Leaders
17%
Rabbis Congregation Leaders
17%
It’s a $10 million plan. But without your help, it’s just a great plan.
Connect & Strengthen Connect our community to Jewish life and ser vices. Strengthen it for today and the future. GROWING:
Passport to Jewish Life®: more youth having more Jewish learning experiences Impact Grants: Community Partners, congregations & Jewish organizations
SUSTAINING:
Community Partner Core Grants: TVT, Hebrew Academy, Merage JCC, Hillel, BJE
ENVISIONING:
ShalomOC: virtuateway, community ambassador, low-threshold programming Capacity-Building in Technology, Marketing & Social Media: JFFS and Community Partners Jewish Community Council: collaborative planning, funding, issue response Endowments: planning and funding our future Community Advocacy: expansion of Rose Project beyond the campuses
Engage & Inspire Engage the Jewish community across the age spectrum. Inspire and develop new leaders. GROWING:
Shalom Family: new and expanded engagement for families with young children NextGen Initiatives and SKILLSETnpo®: investing in leadership, ensuring our future
SUSTAINING:
Rose Project: creating self-sufficient Jewish student leaders Engaging Community: Women’s Philanthropy, Solomon Society, Young Leadership, Family Philanthropy, Real Estate Council, Montefiore Society, Laguna Woods Region Orange County Jewish Historical Society: preserving our past to inspire future generations Zechter Music Center: inspiring Jewish youth through music
ENVISIONING:
Israel Center: maximizing local and global engagement with Israel
Serve Provide exceptional ser vices for all ages, faiths and ethnicities. GROWING:
Jewish Residential Home for Adults with Special Needs Senior Care & Connect: Silver Streak Transportation, TrueNeighbors Village, Holocaust survivor services, care management
SUSTAINING:
Counseling, Support Groups and Chaplaincy Employment Services: Women Forward / Career Coaching for Men Lifelines Emergency Assistance / Adopt a Family Chasin Micro-Enterprise Loans: small business development Reading Partners: helping OC K-3 children learn to read, so they can read to learn
ENVISIONING:
Family Resource Center
We bring together the people, partners and resources to care for people in need, to build a vibrant community, and to sustain and enhance Jewish life. We connect, strengthen, engage, inspire and serve. This is our mission. And together, we do the extraordinary!
YOUR GATEWAY TO COMMUNITY 1 Federation Way, Suite 210, Irvine, CA 92603-0174 949-435-3484 (office) • 949-435-3460 (Family Services) JewishOC.org • FamilyServicesOC.org