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." |
