Addressing the need for greater endowment giving in Jewish Louisville, nine local Jewish organizations – synagogues, schools and social service agencies – have been selected by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for a four-year, incentive-based program to increase so-called “legacy” donations here.
The LIFE & LEGACY endowment program will offer the chosen entities the guidance and resources needed to secure legacy giving. It will also release grants to the organizations once they achieve certain levels of financial
commitments.
The nine organizations are: Congregation Adath Jeshurun, Jewish Learning Center (Chabad), Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family & Career Services, Jewish Federation of Louisville, Keneseth Israel Congregation, Louisville Beit Sefer Yachad, Temple Shalom and The Temple.
Each organization will receive a $5,000 grant if it secures 18 legacy commitments and another $1,000 when it secures 25 commitments each year for the first two years of the program.
They also are invited to four workshops taught by Grinspoon Community Consultant Christine Kutnick, a certified fundraising executive. In addition, LIFE & LEGACY Coordinator Jennifer Tuvlin will be working with the entities.
“It’s a four-year program,” Tuvlin said. “The first two years are about securing society commitments; the final two are about finalizing them. Then there’s the hope that Jewish Louisville will continue asking for legacy gifts after the Grinspoon involvement is over.”
Though the program was announced last December, it will begin in earnest in April.
According to Tuvlin, legacy giving must grow for Jewish Louisville to remain vital.
“Legacy solicitations have not been a primary source of funding for Jewish institutions,” she said. “By bringing the LIFE & LEGACY program to Louisville, JCL (Jewish Community of Louisville) hopes to change the charitable narrative for participating organizations.”
She added that all interested local Jewish organizations are invited to attend Kutnick’s workshops, whether they were selected for the program or not. Tuvlin can be reached at (502) 238-2735.
LIFE & LEGACY has a proven track record in helping organizations build endowments. Nationally, 391 participating organizations have secured more than 11,000 legacy commitments with a total estimated value of $450.5 million during the program’s first five years.
The program stresses community teamwork. By coming together, the nine organizations are expected to create synergy that will benefit the whole community and secure their own futures. A legacy commitment from an individual can result in endowment gifts to multiple organizations.
Through LIFE & LEGACY, the JCL is working with organizations to pay it forward and leave a legacy for Jews in the future, Tuvlin said.
“Legacy giving is not focusing on what you are leaving for today. It’s what we are creating for a generation of Jewish people who might not even be born yet.”