Philanthropy in the Jewish World

[Saffy]

Listed below are a few questions following up with our NY discussion on Philanthropy in the Jewish World:

1. Federation oriented giving to democratic giving: Is there really a paradigm shift occurring and is this the trend in which philanthropy in the Jewish world should be moving towards?

2. Should every person who makes a contribution, in the paradigm of democratic giving have a say as to where exactly each contribution should be made -- can this be beneficial or adversely affect non-profit organizations -- should this be in the hands of a professional organization or the individual donor?

3. Tova discussed how online giving has become the one of the main forms of contributing funds in the early 21st century. If this is the case, how can online donations be strengthened without the face-to-face aspect, previously considered necessary in order to initiate contributions?

[Jonny Cline]

Hi Saffy,

I was not part of the discussion, but if I may offer a reply:

1) the paradigm shift that is occuring is not one from federation to an alternative to federation, it is a shift away from federated giving. The Federation system is trying to reinvent itself, but has not got there yet. The issue of the organizational overhead of a federated system has led to donors questioning how much bang they are getting for their buck, so to speak. Democratic giving is a developing field, but one of many.

2) Should they have a say? I am of the opinion that they should absolutely have the right to have a say, but should also have the choice not to exercise that right. An organization can choose to offer a say to those in certain giving categories, or to offer dedication opportunities, but at the wnd of the day, a donor who wants a say and is not offered an avenue of influence will not remain a donor for long.

3) A question to ask is whether online giving is a strategy or a tactic - are you cultivating the donor and making the ask online, or merely facilitating a digital system for transferring funds. Yes, there is now a growing group of those who are so digitally and virtually minded that they can be cultivated and involved online, but on the whole there is still no more powerful show of appreciation and cultivation that the face-to-face meeting... Having said that, following the f2f, the amount given online is proving to be larger and more frequent that that given by check.

Jonny