Shabbat Shalom -
This week's Shabbat message is about the facts. The parsha this week is Kedoshim. Simply, this parsha also lays out the facts. G-d lets everyone know what is holy, including G-d and Israel, and what behaviors and principals are or are not holy ones. The laws put forth in this parhsa are both ethical and behavioral. In their totality they give us the framework for all that we do in our Jewish lives, including tzedakah.
Keeping this in mind, here are some more facts to share.
Of elected Federation board members with current terms, giving for the current campaign, 2009, is up 9% compared to last year.
Almost 67% of all board members have made their campaign gifts for this current campaign. Of the board members who have given, 27 people have increased, 13 people have stayed flat and only 5 have decreased gifts.
Of our major donors who have given to the 2009 campaign, which as about 50 percent thus far, the overall increase in giving is 17%.
Every Federation staff member increased his/her giving and we have 100% participation from our staff. The increase in staff giving is a 31% increase over last year.
42 people have responded positively to our major gifts event.
These are extraordinary numbers. These are facts.
Even with these increases, the needs continue to be great locally and overseas. Our agencies across the board are looking at difficult financial needs now. Every agency can make a good case why they need additional funds and all of the reasons are valid.
In the last 60 days the Dow Jones Industrial average is up approximately 20%. Perhaps things are looking better in the financial markets, but we are not out of the woods and we need to raise money for our community.
As many of us have said, it is in the most difficult times that we need our leaders to step up and lead. In looking at the numbers above, our leadership is doing just that in their giving. We need to share this information with others - both the needs and how our leadership is stepping up. There is still a large portion of the campaign that needs to be closed and now is the time to do it.
Thank you to everyone for setting such a great example. Let us continue on this path as we work toward completing our campaign assignments. Let's keep the momentum and get them finished!
Just as we gain our strength and direction from this week's parsha so too do we gain strength and direction from one another in our success.
Shabbat Shalom -
Meredith
