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Sliding Downhill Fast
By spring 2009, the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) knew that
the economic downturn was creating profound hardship for many San
Diegans: seniors on fixed incomes, single parents trying to feed their
children, more families experiencing domestic violence, and formerly
middle-class households struggling to get by after job loss or home
foreclosure. The nonprofit organization Jewish Family Service (JFS) was
seeing a "whole new stream of people, most of whom had never thought
they'd need a social service agency," according to CEO Jill Borg
Spitzer. Families were being devastated emotionally as well as
financially, and the demand was overwhelming. Rabbis were even helping
congregants make their mortgage payments.
Quick Work
To help people in crisis, JCF and the United Jewish Federation (UJF) of
San Diego went beyond business-as-usual by partnering to create the San
Diego Jewish Community Economic Recovery Fund. The two groups quickly
convened a special task force that met with local leaders of synagogues
and charities like JFS to identify the most pressing needs. Together,
they launched an appeal to community members and raised nearly
$900,000 in just a few short months. They distributed the funds
quickly, without red tape. In August 2009, JCF sent checks to a broad
spectrum of Jewish organizations providing direct relief.
Getting Lives Back on Track
For maximum impact, the task force strategically divided the money into
three priority areas: emergency services, helping people move out of
crisis, and scholarship assistance. The funds went toward financial
assistance, food pantry aid, domestic violence programs, schooling, job
training, career counseling, and other critical services. This support
enabled many groups to make ends meet while serving more people than
ever. The JFS food pantry now gives out twice as much food to twice as
many people as last year. Congregations have helped struggling members
with bills like medical costs, property taxes, and rent.
Despite their current
success with the Economic Recovery Fund, JCF knows that there's still
more work to be done. Last year alone, the Foundation awarded and
facilitated $62 million in 4,700 grants locally and around the world.
What Does This Mean About Philanthropy?
By collaborating, JCF and UJF were able to reach out to a wider range of
people and raise a large amount of money in a very short time period
without a lot of bureaucratic fuss. In bringing people together, they
identified what was happening on the front lines of the crisis while also
creating a greater sense of community. As JCF Board Chair Murray Galinson
says, "By working together and responding quickly, we can emerge
from this recession stronger, more innovative and with confidence in the
future."
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