Tidewater Jewish organizations secure more than $20.6-million in legacy commitments through
LIFE & LEGACY® initiative
Three hundred and twenty-five local donors have made 550 legacy commitments to support the Tidewater Jewish community since LIFE & LEGACY began three years ago. These commitments are part of a collaborative endowment building effort that includes eight Jewish organizations and congregations, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY initiative, the goal of which is to provide future financial stability.
“We have been thrilled with our participation in the LIFE & LEGACY program,” says Linda Peck, executive director of Ohef Sholom Temple. “The training, along with the program’s structure and resources helped us build a case, train solicitors, hold ourselves accountable, and get results. To date we have 77 new gifts which will increase our endowment over $3-million in time.”
In less than eight years, LIFE & LEGACY has motivated more than 17,000 donors in 63 communities across North America, including Tidewater’s Jewish community, to commit more than $1-billion in current and after-lifetime assets to the Jewish organizations. In challenging times like these, endowments provide the financial stability to meet evolving needs. Legacy commitments ensure that organizations that are providing impactful programs and services, during both calm and turbulent times, have the necessary resources to adapt.
“The cooperation and collaboration fostered by LIFE & LEGACY as local organizations work to a shared goal of endowment building is especially critical now,” says Arlene D. Schiff, national director, LIFE & LEGACY. “Even in the midst of so much disruption and uncertainty, we are witnessing many generous and committed donors stepping up to give back to the Jewish organizations that have played and are playing an important role in their lives.”
A complete list of Jewish Tidewater’s LIFE & LEGACY participating organizations and the donors who support them can be found at jewishva.org/life-legacy.
“Providing Jewish organizations with a strategy to help secure their long-term financial goals is absolutely vital, especially now in the middle of an economic crisis,” says Harold Grinspoon, HGF founder. “Supporting our Jewish institutions is critical to ensuring future generations are able to enjoy our rich culture and heritage.”
To learn how you can be part of securing Tidewater’s Jewish future, call Kaitlyn Oelsner, Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s director of philanthropy, at 757-965-6103, koelsner@ujft.org, or visit foundation.jewishva.org.