metro
Helping Sustain Jews
And Jewish Life
Local agencies' needs, Israel assistance are top beneficiaries
of Federation's annual fundraising.
Robert Sklar
Contributing Editor
ews in Israel and Kiev will receive
32 percent of the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit's 2012-2013
support allocations. But local agency needs,
pushed hard by Michigan's economic crisis
of the past few years, will capture more
than double that amount — specifically,
67 percent. National agencies support will
account for 1 percent.
This year, Federation's 21-mem-
ber Planning and Allocations Steering
Committee (PASC), with an assist from
Federation staff, had $31,263,332 to divvy
up for the new fiscal year: $29.4 million
from the Annual Campaign, $2.4 million
from the supplementary Challenge Fund
plus other reserves and bequests. The
PASC anticipated $927,000 in uncollected
pledges.
Last year's divvy-up total was $620,776
higher. That 2011-2012 total of $31,884,108
broke down to $29.3 million from the
Annual Campaign and $3.335 million from
the Challenge Fund plus other reserves,
minus $1,044,388 in uncollected pledges.
More people are paying their pledges and
doing it faster, thus the decreased shrinkage
allowance.
"In a challenging financial environment,
because of the generosity of our donors and
the extraordinary efforts of our volunteers
and professionals," said Federation CEO
Scott Kaufman, "we were able to both meet
the needs of our community members as
j
By The Numbers
The Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Campaign/
Challenge Fund allocation breakdown:
• Israel and Overseas assistance and
services: $9,924,962
• Local agencies support: $21,062,344
— $3,733,943 for Jewish education.
— $3,179,046 for Jewish identity
building and continuity
— $5,002,905 for Jewish advocacy and
to aid at-risk populations.
— $9,146,450 for other local support
including Federation's operating budget,
support services, community security,
capital infrastructure needs, direct pro-
12
September 13 • 2012
well as invest in building a vibrant Jewish
future for our kids and grandchildren here,
in Israel and around the Jewish world."
Added Federation President Douglas
Bloom, "We think about the entire Jewish
community and its individual parts at the
same time. We didn't want to abandon Jews
elsewhere."
School received a $10,000 increase from
Challenge Fund donor designations.
Jewish advocacy and at-risk population
groups aid will go up $186,353, mainly to
benefit young-adult programs and Jewish
Community Center camper scholarships.
Based on a variety of factors, some agencies
in this category will see their allocations
rise while others will see them drop.
What Is Earmarked
Thanks largely to increased donor des-
ignations, Federation projections for the
2012-2013 Campaign year put Israel and
overseas support via the Annual Campaign
and Challenge Fund at $247,878 higher
than last year. Local support — providing a
safety net of services for Jews in crisis, pro-
viding Jewish learning and Jewish experi-
ences for children, attracting and retaining
young adults and connecting them to the
community, and embracing older adults so
they can live independently and with dig-
nity — remains virtually the same.
The capital needs reserve, again pegged
at $995,000, funnels grants to local agen-
cies for equipment replacement and facility
repairs.
Challenge Fund fluctuations will cause
local Jewish education to lose $100,000
in congregational-school scholarships,
a loss that will partially be offset by
fewer students and a Campaign increase.
Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education
is working with the synagogues to develop
new congregation-based models for Jewish
education. Day schools are at the same
or higher levels than last year. Hillel Day
gram costs, and agency support to cover
rent at United Jewish Foundation-owned
properties.
In order to take advantage of new
technologies that create new revenue
streams and increased connectivity with
community members, Federation invest-
ed in technology, including more Web
and social networking capabilities.
• National agencies support: $276,026.
Federation's Annual Campaign from
last year, 2011-2012,which totaled $29.3
million, not including the Challenge Fund,
ranked No. 1 in per-capita giving and
fifth in total yield, according to Jewish
Federations of North America; this year's
rankings are not yet available.
❑
Israel Commitment
Even as local needs have climbed dra-
matically, Federation remains committed
to funding Israeli Jews in crisis though
through a smaller percentage of the Annual
Campaign than years ago. The cutback in
part has been offset by Federation's success
in partnering with Israeli funding sources.
"We remain very com-
mitted to the support of
programs in Israel," said
Howard Neistein,
Federation's chief admin-
istrative officer. "In
recent years, we've given
high priority to local
Howard
agencies' support; but
Neistein
we've not taken an inor-
dinate amount away from
the overseas piece."
The Israel and overseas allocation histor-
ically not only helps needy Jews around the
world, but also specifically strengthens the
people-to-people exchanges between Jewish
Detroit and the Central Galilee, Federation's
Partnership 2Gether region.
Israel and overseas core allocations
— Federation's portion of its collective
responsibility with all North American
federations to support basic overseas
needs — are distributed through the Jewish
Agency for Israel (JAFI), the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (the
Joint), ORT and the Jewish Federations of
North America (JFNA). Detroit support for
JAFI, the Joint and ORT totals $6,826,130.
Support to JFNA totals $957,832.
Detroit's elective allocations are for spe-
cific projects funded in the Central Galilee,
Netanya and, to a lesser extent, in Kiev in
the former Soviet Union. This year, the
elective programs, totaling $1,251,000 in
Detroit support, also will receive $3.1 mil-
lion in additional support from private
donors, Israeli government ministries and
local municipalities.
Federation is holding $73,000 in a
reserve for future support of overseas proj-
ects.
Also allocated was $515,000 for the Israel
offices in Detroit and Jerusalem, which sup-
port Federation's mission and local Detroit
programs that promote a connection to
Israel and people-to-people exchange
activities.
This year, Federation's Israel and
Overseas Department organized 15 Israel
visits or exchanges involving 550 people
of all ages moving between Detroit and
the Central Galilee. Another 17 visits or
exchanges, involving 700 people, are sched-
uled for next year.
"Our overseas alloca-
tions underscore our
community's responsibil-
ity as part of the global
Jewish world:' said Marta
Rosenthal, co-chair of
Federation's Israel and
Overseas Committee
with
Jeffrey Schlussel.
Marta
"While
economic condi-
Rosenthal
tions have improved in
Israel in recent years, the rise in living stan-
dards has not been enjoyed by everyone,
particularly in the peripheries of the coun-
try, including the Central Galilee and
Netanya, where Detroit has been providing
vital supports to underserved families and
youth!"
The 2012-2013 Budget & Allocations
Report explains that in the peripheries,
where most of Detroit's activity is focused,
40 percent of adults are out of work and
one in three children is living below the
poverty line. The government estimates
that 15 percent of all Israeli youth are at
risk.
In terms of Taglit-Birthright Israel, which
offers free 10-day trips to Israel for Jewish
18- to 26-year-olds who have never been
to Israel primarily with peers, Federation
not only makes an annual allocation to the
Israel-diaspora organized program (cur-
rently, $211,790), but also maintains a pri-
vate donors fund to support local Birthright
trips and move Michigan students from the
waiting list. .
Helping on page 14