The Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix 2015 campaign was a great success and the 2016 campaign is underway. We are so appreciative for every one of our donors who helped us achieve another growth year: our 2015 campaign was up more than 15%, which brought in an increase of nearly $500,000 to help us enrich lives here in Phoenix, in Israel and around the globe.
At the time I wrote this, total federation fundraising was nearly $5.2 million in 2015. The annual campaign raised more than $3.5 million. More than $1.5 million was raised to help maintain the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, and $110,000 was raised for special projects to impact our community. While we are grateful for our success, we are not resting on our laurels. We have set another aggressive goal for 2016; a 15% increase over 2015 so we can impact more Jewish lives.
Though actual dollars are important, the campaign is also about the joy of giving and the collective impact we as individuals can make. At our recent Mega event, attended by nearly 800 people, I mentioned just a handful of services and programs supported by the federation and asked people to stand if they or someone close to them had been impacted by those services. Within 30 seconds everyone was standing! Your gifts really do make an extraordinary impact, whether it is directly through our campaign, or through the collective of federations across North America.
So, when planning your level of support for the 2016 campaign, please consider that your gift will:
- directly impact and enrich the life of someone you know
- touch the lives of Jews around the world, who, without our support, could not survive
- support our NowGen initiatives to engage young Jews, who truly are today and will be the leaders of our community tomorrow
- enhance innovative Israel Advocacy programs on the ASU campus, a senior services concierge, Jewish education and so much more!
Through your support, the federation is here to ensure the vibrancy of our community, plan for the future, respond to emergencies, support our community organizations and to be a convener of diverse opinions, interests and needs.
I invite you to attend our campaign kickoff March 9 to celebrate our community, and hear how together we can make a difference. Watch for details coming soon on the federation’s website jewishphoenix.org.
Stuart Wachs is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
