Kissing the Gala Dinner Goodbye? By CAROLYN SLUTSKY, Staff Writer · June 18, 2009
When Rabbi Mordechai Suchard began planning this year’s annual dinner for Gateways, the nonprofit Jewish education and outreach organization he founded 12 years ago, he searched tirelessly for an honoree, someone who could make a significant donation and reach out to his or her friends to do the same. But in this worst economy in decades, Rabbi Suchard had so much trouble finding the right person that he decided to cancel the dinner altogether until everyone’s financial straits were less dire.
as well as a new base of support for SAJES. The dinner, which cost around $25,000, netted $100,000.
“We found people, but the problem is they don’t want to be hitting up their friends,” said Rabbi Suchard of potential honorees. “I believe donors really want to help, but at a time like this, when everybody’s scared for their life, everybody’s trapped due to the current financial crisis.”
Deborah Friedman, SAJES’ executive director, said fundraising brings in about 20 to 25 percent of the organization’s annual revenues.
Rabbi Suchard’s Gateways is not the only nonprofit to cancel its largest annual dinner or otherwise employ radically different fundraising techniques this year. Indeed, as the economy has continued its rocky decline, a number of Jewish charities have found themselves brainstorming new ways to make ends meet and stay in business another day. SAJES, the central agency for Jewish education in Suffolk County, typically has a major fundraising dinner with an honoree. Sherry Gutes, SAJES’ director of communications and a local religious school principal, said that because the organization could not find an honoree this year, it began a search for different models. “We were brainstorming what’s good in Jewish education,” Gutes said. It was decided that instead of continuing the search for a longtime donor, SAJES would approach 20 people in their 20s who are making a commitment to Jewish life in various ways. Each young person was asked to help raise money through friends on Facebook and other social networks. Rather than making typical “adult” donations of $250, $500, $1,000 or more, the 20 young people and their friends gave $18 or $36 each, and the donations added up, with each of the 20 people contacted directly by SAJES raising at least $1,000. The 20-somethings were then honored as a group at a dinner packed with their families and friends, who made up an enthusiastic crowd
"We’ve learned in Jewish education over the last few years that most successful religious schools are looking at new models of Jewish education," said Gutes. "It’s the same in philanthropy; people’s giving is different now. So of course you still go after the large donors, but those large donors may not be your biggest base of support anymore.”
“When we saw the economy readjusting we lowered our expectations [for fundraising], and we met our lowered expectations,” she said. Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life typically holds a gala fundraising dinner at the Plaza Hotel or another swank venue. But this year, as it celebrates its 85th birthday, the foundation decided not to arrange a fancy party, saving itself some $200,000. Instead, Hillel decided to hold around 30 “birthday parties” across the country, with each party raising at least $15,000 for Hillel. While the galas generally brought in more than $1 million, the expectation for the smaller birthday party dinners was $850,000, another nod to the big birthday. So far, Hillel has exceeded that goal, according to Diane Wohl, a board member and chair of the 85th birthday celebration. “This is a pretty clean deal to [raise] money without having to hire an event planner or caterer,” said Wohl. “It was really only because of the economy; everybody had to look at different ways of fundraising.” Many other organizations are lowering financial expectations, as well as changing the format of their largestscale fundraising efforts. The Ramaz School in Manhattan has scrapped its seated dinner in favor of a cocktail reception, as well as producing an online journal instead of a costly printed one. “This is in response directly to the economy; we want to