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S.F.-based JCF and United Jewish Communities rank among the top philanthropies in the U.S.

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Message: If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/14922/full/14922/s-f-based-jcf-and-united-jewish-communities-rank-among-the-top-philanthropi/ S.F.-based JCF and United Jewish Communities rank among the top philanthropies in the U.S. Friday, January 26, 2001 | by JULIE WIENER The S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation placed 175 this year in the Chronicle of Philanthropy's top 400 charities, moving up from No. 208 last year. "For the JCF's ranking to go up significantly nationally, among our peers, is a great tribute to the philanthropy of the Jewish community here," said Phyllis Cook, director of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund. "I'm seeing [donors of] all age groups, lots of younger people and those people new to the area, as well as those who have lived here for years," Cook added. The recently released Chronicle, a well-respected annual report compiled monitoring the activity of the charity world, had other good news for Jewish organizations. United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization for North American Jewish federations, is now the seventh largest charitable organization in the United States. This marks the first time in recent years that a Jewish organization has ranked in the top 20 of the Chronicle's annual listing of the 400 not-for-profit organizations with the largest revenues from individuals. And, had the tabulation been done differently—to include all dollars raised by federations, instead of only those allocated to overseas needs—the ranking would have been considerably higher, say officials of the umbrella group, known as the UJC. According to the Chronicle, the UJC raised $524.3 million in 1999, but UJC officials say the federation system actually raised close to $2 billion. The United Jewish Appeal, the largest of the three organizations that merged to form the UJC last year, regularly appeared on the Chronicle's top 10 list until 1996, when it ranked No. 6. However, it was later removed from the list when the publication adopted a now-abandoned policy of excluding umbrella organizations, such as the UJA and United Way, groups that receive their money from other organizations on the list. Gail Hyman, the UJC's vice president of marketing and public affairs, said she is pleased the charity has been recognized in this year's listing, noting that "we are among the leading and best fund-raising organizations nationally." But UJC's high ranking comes as the overall number of Jewish organizations on the top 400 list has dropped from 27 to 25. In addition most Jewish groups, particularly federations, slipped in rank since last year, even if their overall revenues increased. This indicates that other philanthropies—which, according to the article, are enjoying average increases of 13 percent this year—are growing more rapidly than Jewish ones. Among the few Jewish groups to increase in rank this year are some undergoing major endowment campaigns, like the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit; the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological Seminary, which is in the middle of a capital campaign; and PEF Israel Endowment Funds, a group that funnels donor-designated gifts to a variety of Israeli organizations. Observers of Jewish philanthropic trends say the overall drop is not surprising, given that, as American Jews assimilate, they are contributing more money to secular causes and less to Jewish organizations. "I suspect the greatest growth is into non-Jewish giving by Jews," said Bruce Arbit, co-managing director of A.B. Data, a firm that assists many Jewish organizations in direct marketing campaigns. American Jews, said Arbit, "feel less connectedness to the Jewish people" than they used to. In addition, intermarried households—which are growing in number—tend to give less to Jewish organizations than other Jewish families, said Arbit. David Mersky, a senior lecturer in Jewish philanthropy at Brandeis University's Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service, said the general decline in ranking for Jewish groups results from the relatively weak campaigns of Jewish federations. Federation campaigns, in which donors contribute to a general pool, "have not kept pace with the rate of increase of other philanthropies," said Mersky. Federation annual campaigns increased 4 percent on average in 1999. But more than half of total federation giving was not to the annual campaign, but to endowments. Mersky said endowments and other campaigns that allow designated giving, in which donors can choose exactly where their money goes, do better—which may explain the success of PEF. However, philanthropy experts caution against reading too much into fluctuations that occur from year to year. "Fund-raising, organization by organization, is very cyclical," said Mersky. He pointed out that a major campaign one year may be followed by a drop the following year, and that in any given year, a one-time major gift like a bequest can "make all the difference in the world" and "rocket you forward." The rankings—in which 12 federations and communal funds appear, compared with 15 last year—are also consistent with trends away from federation giving and toward more specialized causes, like specific institutions and "friends of" Israeli organizations. Ironically, one of the Jewish groups enjoying the most dramatic increase in ranking is one that does not do any fund raising at all. "We never asked anybody for a dime. We have no fund-raising dinners. It's just word of mouth," said B. Harrison Frankel, president of PEF Israel Endowment Funds. It ranked 279 this year, up from 351 last year. The organization channels funds to more than 1,000 non-political organizations in Israel—ranging from the Magen David Adom relief agency to the Israel Women's Network—and raised $38.5 million in 1999, up from $12 million in 1991. Run almost entirely by volunteers, PEF allows donors to earmark their contributions. After the UJC, the New York, Chicago and Detroit federations were the largest Jewish organizations on the list. Following are the Jewish charities that made the Chronicle's top 400, with their ranks noted in parentheses: United Jewish Communities (7); UJAFederation of Greater New York (53); Jewish Communal Fund (61); Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (110); United Jewish Foundation and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit (151); Hadassah: the Women's Zionist Organization of America (170); S.F.-based JCF (175); Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (188); The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore (223); Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles (231). Also: Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (248); Brandeis University (252); Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland (254); American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (260); Yeshiva University (264); American Society for Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (273); Anti-Defamation League (277); PEF Israel Endowment Funds (279); National Jewish Medical and Research Center (292); American Friends of Hebrew University (322); Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County (353); Jewish National Fund (358); American Jewish Committee (359); United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (376); and Greater Miami Jewish Federation (394). Julie Wiener reports for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Alexandra Wall is a staff writer at the Bulletin.

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