peje, eli generations la impact report

Generations LA Impact Report

In the last three years, Generations LA schools have dramatically increased their endowments, embedding endowment giving into their development plans andtransforming the way they fund their budgets.

As a collaboration of BJE: Builders of Jewish Education, PEJE, and The AVI CHAIFoundation, Los Angeles was the Nachshon of communities and stepped forwardfirst to participate in Generations LA, our premier, three-year endowment-buildinginitiative. The purpose of Generations is to strengthen Jewish day schools’ capacity to raise endowment dollars, providing long-term sustainability.

With generous funding from BJE, PEJE, and AVI CHAI, BJE also secured gifts fromWendy and Richard Kellner, Ellie and Mark Lainer, Janine and Peter Lowy, and Sheilaand Alan Spiwak, enabling the kickoff of the first cohort of Generations LA schools in October of 2011. The schools in this first group are:

n Abraham Joshua Heschel Day Schooln Adat Ari El Labowe Family Day Schooln Cheder Menachemn Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academyn The Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Amn Sinai Akiba Academyn Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day School

The partnership between BJE and PEJE is marked by mutual support and learning,which we share with the schools and the coaches. With BJE’s and PEJE’s guidance,the Generations coaches have enabled the schools to make tremendous changes intheir cultures, resulting in impressive increases in every school’s own endowment.

Generations LA Impact Report

Generations LA school teams have received training from national and local expertsin endowment building, grappled with internal and structural issues with theircoaches, and traveled across the country to learn with other Generations schools in specially designed workshops. Generations has provided each school with thescaffolding necessary to demonstrate to their donors that investing in day schoolendowment fulfills their donors’ philanthropic dreams.

Generations LA has surpassed all expectations.

Every single Generations LA school exceeded the program’s benchmarks. As of November 2014, the formal end of the program, the schools collectively have raised more than $10 million in endowment funds. This is just the beginning. TheGenerations schools’ embrace of endowment giving will enable them to continue to raise endowment funds for years to come.

We are so proud of our work together and know that the grandchildren of this year’skindergarteners will benefit from the enduring harvest of Generations LA.

Read on for moving impact stories from BJE and each Generations LA school in their own words.

Jill GoldenbergPEJE Strategy Manager, Endowment & Legacy

What are the benefits of the LA schools’ participation in a national program?Generations has allowed our LA schools to network and share both best practicesand challenges with colleagues locally and across the country. The schools havehad the opportunity to attend national development trainings and learn from phenomenal, experienced development coaches. BJE has received invaluable resources from PEJE and the other Generations communities, which we have been able to share with our schools.

What kind of unexpected benefits have you seen from working with your schoolson Generations?Not only have our schools raised a cumulative total of over $10 million in cash andlegacy pledges, the Generations LA schools also have created strong cultures ofphilanthropy through strategic, long-term development plans infused withplanned giving.

How has Generations strengthened the LA Jewish community?Generations LA built on the initial success of our five highschools in the Jim Joseph program. These efforts have not onlychanged the fundraising culture at the participating schools toinclude a focus on long-term financial sustainability, but now the leadership, both lay and professional, at the remaining BJE-affiliated schools understand the importance of creating an endowment to ensure their schools’ future. It is our vision to expand the program to include all BJE-affiliated schools to helpsecure long-term excellence and affordability.

By including endowment and planned giving into a strategic,long-term development plan, our community and its schools arelaying the foundation for an affordable, strong, and vibrant futurefor Jewish day school education in Los Angeles. Los Angeles hasbecome a national model for day school endowment develop-ment as a result of the clear culture shift in making endowmenta priority at the school and communal levels.

Not only have our schools raised a cumulative total of over $10 million incash and legacy pledges, the GenerationsLA schools have also created strong cultures of philanthropy through strategic,long-term development plans infusedwith planned giving.

The success of the Generations LA schools would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of those who have directly managed the program:

Suzi Schuller, Senior Program Manager, Endowment & Legacy, PEJE

Francine Shron, Development Manager, PEJE

Miriam Prum Hess, Director, Donor & Community Relations, BJE

Rebecca Spain, Coordinator, Generations LA Legacy and Endowment Program, BJE

Rachel Slaton, former Associate Director, Center for Day School Education, BJE

Outstanding outcomes like these are also the direct result of the support, wisdom and commitment of:

Dan Perla, Program Officer, Day School Finance, AVI CHAI

Dr. Gil Graff, Executive Director, BJE

Amy Katz, Executive Director, PEJE

Sharon Haselkorn, Strategy Officer, PEJE

Jim Blankstein, Strategy Manager, PEJE

Geoffrey Gee, Generations LA coach

Janet Levine, Generations LA coach

Amy Schiffman, Generations LA coach

Farrah Noah, Program Assistant, Generations LA Legacy and Endowment Program, BJE

Solomon Flax, Program Assistant, Endowment & Legacy, PEJE

ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL DAY SCHO

How has Generations strengthened the culture of philanthropy at your school?

Generations has helped us present to the communitythe importance of giving in order to secure the future.We have been able to introduce endowment fundingin many solicitations that may or may not be centeredaround endowment, such that a family deciding tomake a programming gift may consider making an integrated gift that includes endowment, and a familymaking an endowment gift may also consider makinga multi-year commitment to our annual campaign.

What skills did your school leaders improve through your participation in Generations?

Our school leaders, both lay and profes-sional, have enhanced their fundraising,marketing, and communications skills inmany ways. We learned to make a casestatement that supports our ask. Welearned to solicit for integrated gifts, which often combine an endowment gift with an annual gift or a capital gift. We received coaching that helped us solidify our development committee and its tasks and outcomes.

Generations has helped us presentto the community the importance ofgiving in order to secure the future.

OOL

What have the funds raised through Generations made possible at your school?

Heschel’s endowment fund is an important tool in ensuring the sustainability of the School. Wehave spent our development resources raising funds for the endowment pool, striving to maximizeour principal, and have not as yet directed any of the dollars earned as annual interest to any of ourprograms or projects.

We have successfully secured many endowment gifts as a component of other gifts. Donors makingmajor gifts are choosing to set aside a portion of their gift to the endowment fund in order to ensurethe long-term maintenance and enhancement of that capital gift or program.

We also have introduced a planned giving program to the School which gives families the opportunityto leave a legacy to Heschel. This is important because many young families are unable to afford cashgifts to endowment and the ability to make a bequest is an important way for them to participate ina legacy program.

ADAT ARI EL LABOWE FAMILY DAY SCHO

What have the funds raised through Generationsmade possible at your school?

The funds raised through the Generations programwill fund our Holocaust education program for ourfifth- and sixth-grade students. The funds also willsupport the expansion of our integrated arts andmusic program, as we add to our current S.T.E.M. program, resulting in a robust S.T.E.A.M. program.Generations also is enabling us to provide additional financial aid to families.

What skills did your school leaders improve through your participation inGenerations?

Our leadership now understands that development is a process; it's not just “the ask.” They have seen the results ofcultivating, soliciting, and stewardingdonors. This process takes time, and theyappreciate how it benefits our school.Working as a team, the creativity used in building our endowment ensures the future of our students.

The Generations program is helpingus to create a closer community, towhere we are proud of our school and financially support it.

OOL

How has Generations strengthened theculture of philanthropy at your school?

Building a culture of giving is an ongoingprocess that takes years to create. TheGenerations program has helped our leadership understand that philanthropybegins with them. They have to own theprocess in order for others to do so as well.Along with our ongoing endowment program, we are strengthening our annualcampaign. Recently, our school's namedbenefactor passed away, and our teachingstaff honored his memory by teaching theimportance of giving in each classroom.The Generations program had helped us tocreate a closer community that our donorsare proud to support.

CHEDER MENACHEM

What skills did your school leaders improve throughyour participation in Generations?

The Cheder was introduced to many excellent speakersand thought-provoking seminars that focused on organizing our development efforts. The programprovided new avenues and concepts for our fundraising team to improve our results.


G-d willing, the funds generated by endowment and legacy giving will help usalleviate the 92% full and partial scholarshipenrollment that the Cheder faces on anannual basis.

Generations has made us moreaware of the multiple options available to us for fundraising andprovided a broader focus for ourpresentations to donors, trusteesand parents.


Generations has made us more aware ofthe multiple options available to us forfundraising and provided a broader focusfor our presentations to donors, trusteesand parents. We are working on openingthe doors to endowment and legacy giving as an established culture in ourcommunity.

HARKHAM HILLEL HEBREW ACADEMY

How has Generations strengthened the culture of philanthropy at your school?

The Generations program allowed us to position theendowment conversation at the forefront of ouragenda with donors and parents. We believe our efforts for 100% participation from our parent bodyhave significantly shifted our paradigm toward amore strategic, forward-thinking, and proactive approach in envisioning and sustaining the Hillel oftomorrow.


The process of encouraging participationfrom our parents and constituents using theGenerations platform took the conversationabout the endowment from a vision andturned it into a reality. As a mature organi-zation with a rich and deep history, we arewell aware of the benefits of endowmentsand have attracted some significant bequestsover the years. The Generations programhelped our Board and faculty engage in theendowment experience in a fun, supportive,and collaborative forum. In addition togrowing our endowment fund, this sharedexperience will be pivotal in supportingour momentum as we move forward from the Generations program toward our ultimate goal.

The Generations program helpedour Board and faculty engage in theendowment experience in a fun,supportive, and collaborative forum.


The most valuable acquisition that came out of ourparticipation in the Generations program was theconfidence our team acquired through the training. Formany members of our team, having the endowmentand bequest conversation felt uncomfortable and intrusive. Speaking to donors about endowment andlegacy seemed to touch on the end-of-life conversa-tions one might prefer to have with his or her Rabbior spiritual advisor.

Generations provided the context for thisconversation and empowered our team tosee "the ask" from the donor's perspective.Our team grew to understand that a legacyconversation done in the right way is themost meaningful shared experience, andone that allows for bonding, rather thanalienation. As such, and in the words of oursages, "Ta'amu U' Ra'u" (“taste and you willsee”): The “taste” provided through the experience facilitated by Generations hasindeed created the intended vision for our endowment initiative.

THE RABBI JACOB PRESSMAN ACADEMY


The Generations program helped us balance our needto address current needs with the importance ofkeeping an eye on the future. Our leaders are betterequipped to analyze data and evaluate financial projections. We also have learned that each prospect,regardless of the depth of their involvement, must betreated with the utmost respect. We have a greaterunderstanding of the continuous process of movesmanagement and that only connecting with someoneto ask for a gift once a year is not acceptable. Wehave always championed that idea, but Generationshas given us the tools to ensure that it is properly implemented. In addition, we are in the midst of acapital campaign and many ambassadors were hesitant to do combined asks. This program reinforcedthat it is about the donor’s wants and wishes, and thatthe ambassador is making the process as easy forthem as possible. Often, the combined ask is significantly better for a donor.

Generations helped our community realize that, without a robust endowment, our future may be in peril; with it, our future is strong and guaranteed.

Y OF TEMPLE BETH AM


Through our participation in Generations, we haveraised over $1.52 million with approximately$900,000 in cash gifts. The spend rate will immediatelyinfuse our operating budget with $50,000 annually.These funds will allow us to provide more scholarshipsto families in need, helping to ensure that we neverhave to turn anyone away from the outstanding dual-curriculum of Pressman Academy due to financial reasons. These Generations funds have enabled us to allocate more money toward professionaldevelopment for teachers and to enhance the technologywe use to enrich our students’ experience. The fundsalso allow us to develop and implement innovativecurriculum to make the Pressman experience one ofthe best in Los Angeles.

In addition, the Generations program inspired a newdonor to our community to make their single largestgift ever to any institution, which also helped serve asthe springboard toward launching an agency-wide$20 million endowment campaign. Generationshelped our community realize that, without a robustendowment, our future may be in peril; with it, ourfuture is strong and guaranteed.


Through our participation in Generations, werealized that we needed to do a thoroughevaluation of our current support network.What we found was alarming; over 45% ofour annual donations come from donorsover the age of 75. This information provided the data and motivation that we needed to address this donor base immediately and made us focus on our efforts to secure legacy giving. In addition,the participation in various trainings helpedus enhance the relationship between theDevelopment Department and Admissions,as well as reinforced how the annual campaign, and endowment campaignswork together. The trainings also helped us provide a message to our communitythat endowment is important for membersof all ages to consider.

SINAI AKIBA ACADEMY


The funds raised through Generations have helpedstrengthen Sinai Akiba Academy by growing our existingendowment (now over $11 million) by almost 40%.We learned how to implement a more sophisticatedfundraising infrastructure while maintaining the otherfundraising needs of the school. Generations helpedus transition a new Head of School in the area offundraising and created opportunities to bring ourcommunity together. Our overall fundraising increasedeach of the three years in the program, despite a decrease in enrollment and an extremely challengingeconomic environment.

With 31% of our students currently receiving tuitionassistance and with rising tuition costs each year, asizeable endowment is crucial to provide a supple-mental revenue stream to help make a day schooleducation obtainable and a Jewish future possible.We also enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate withother day schools in Los Angeles and across the countryto share our challenges and learn what was working.We joined a movement, and that has been powerful.


Generations provided a unique learningopportunity for our lay leaders and profes-sionals to work together. We created afundraising plan and put together a coregroup of dedicated leaders to form ourcommittee. We set goals, identifiedprospects, cultivated potential donorsthrough moves management efforts, andlearned what the word “stewardship” actually meant. We developed a casestatement and created brochures. We implemented Planned Giving and learnedwhy it was worth doing. These efforts allhelped us take our fundraising program tothe next level, and we secured some majorgifts for other projects along the way. Welearned to show our donors the impact oftheir gifts and to properly acknowledgethem in a variety of different ways. Welooked for opportunities to share what wewere doing and to leverage existing eventsto gain further visibility for the program.The program provided valuable tools thatbenefitted our entire team.

Our work is far from done, but wehave definitely enhanced the overallculture of giving at the school as a result of participating in Generations,and we are determined to keep building on what we have accomplished.

How has Generations strengthened the culture ofphilanthropy at your school?

Generations helped us articulate how endowmentand annual giving differ. We helped our communityunderstand the impact a large endowment wouldhave on Sinai Akiba’s future. Our leadership invested inour staff and allocated funds to the development andcommunications department to handle the increaseddemands. Our donors made larger, multi-year pledges,but they maintained their other financial commitmentsto the school. We created a Generations pin with theofficial Generations logo and gave it to our 62 donors.Those wearing the pin use it as a chance to have anendowment conversation with our prospects. Ourwork is far from done, but we have definitely enhancedthe overall culture of giving at the school as a result of

participating in Generations, and we are determined to keep building on what we have accomplished.

We want to thank all of the various partnerswho made Generations possible. We aregrateful to have had this opportunity to participate and proud of what has collectivelybeen accomplished.

VALLEY BETH SHALOM HAROLD M. SCH


The funds raised through Generations LA are enablingour school to work toward our goal to provide a Jewisheducation to all those who are seeking it through tuitionassistance. In the past few years, we have seen a rise inthe need of tuition assistance and the interest accruedfrom our endowment funds have been very helpful inaccommodating these needs.

With the proper training, our cultureof philanthropy has changed — ourleaders are now comfortable withapproaching prospects with more thanone funding opportunity in mind.


Generations LA has helped our schoolleaders strengthen their fundraising abilitiesspecifically in the areas of solicitation andcultivation. Our leaders have learned thatthere is more to fundraising than makingan ask; rather, it entails developing a lifelongrelationship with our donors and supporters.Additionally, our leaders have improvedtheir public speaking skills as well as theirability to listen to our donors and understandwhere their interests lie within our school,making it possible for us to provide themwith the opportunity to make the mostimpactful gift possible.

HULWEIS DAY SCHOOL

How has Generations strengthened the culture ofphilanthropy at your school?

One of the greatest outcomes of Generations LA hasbeen the re-engagement of alumni parents andgrandparents in reconnecting with the school. Theseindividuals have gotten involved both as donors andsolicitors. The endowment campaign has provided anavenue for engagement and a way to support theschool on an ongoing basis. The training our school hasreceived through Generations LA has also strengthenedour leaders’ abilities to fundraise, changing the cultureof philanthropy at our school.

Prior to our participation, our leaders had atendency to shy away from integrated asksand focused on just one portion of thefundraising needs within our school. Withthe proper training, our culture of philan-thropy has changed — our leaders are nowcomfortable with approaching prospectswith more than one funding opportunity in mind. They no longer shy away from approaching our donors with the differentways that they can impact the school. Additionally, our leaders have seen thevalue of being lead donors and thus theyhave begun to step up their own giving,whether for the annual fund, the endowmentfund or special capital campaigns.

peje, eli generations la impact report

Documents

la schools participation

generations coaches

generations communities

single generations la

purpose of generations

generations la impact

thegenerations schools

jewish day schools capacity