Dear friends of DJCF,
My husband and I recently traveled on a multi-stop series of flights with two young kids, facing a tropical storm in the southeastern part of the US, tornado warnings in the northeast, and ambitiously short layover timeframes. I’m regularly accused of being overly ambitious with family vacation schedules, but I digress… As we settled in on our flight from Charlotte to Dallas, I listened to the flight attendant go through the standard on-board safety guidelines, reminding us that in case of sudden loss of cabin pressure, to put our own mask on first.
For me, the last 10 months have often felt like an extended ride on a turbulent flight. Intense feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, and sorrow, mixed with fleeting moments of joy (hostages rescued!), hope (the Israeli-Palestinian Youth Chorus advances in America’s Got Talent!), pride (Israel wins 20 Olympic medals!) faith (in the IDF, in our college students, in each other), has heightened the sense of overwhelm.
Fulfilling our role as the partner in philanthropy to a diverse set of stakeholders, we constantly bring up the subject of personal values and help families craft a philanthropic “flight plan” authentic to their unique circumstances and journeys that have led them to pursue acts of generosity. Those generally aren’t limited to support of organizations within the Jewish community. I’ve found myself thinking about our mandate of Tikkun Olam – to repair the world. Part of repairing the world is ensuring that our own communities are strong and vibrant: after all, we can’t help others until we’ve “put our masks on first.” In this unstable time for the Jewish people and the state of Israel, the sustainability of Jewish institutions, places of worship, communal organizations are an important priority for many of our fundholders. The belief is that by providing that essential source of philanthropic oxygen within our community, we will ultimately bring benefit to the wide range of causes that we care about: education, climate, social change, health & well-being – for all. A community is only as strong as it treats its most vulnerable citizens, and while we are no longer “trembling Jews,” there is certainly a sense of vulnerability in the air.
As part of our “Your Legacy, Our Jewish Future” initiative, DJCF recently took on leadership of Dallas’ participation in the Jewish Future Promise, a moral commitment to share Jewish stories, values, and traditions with family and friends. And, that if any charitable contributions are made upon passing, whether that be $100 or $10 million, at least 50% will be allocated to Jewish causes and/or the State of Israel. With population estimates of 70,000 Jews in the Dallas Metroplex and growing, we are relentlessly focused on growing endowments for the benefit of our community, firmly securing a stable source of oxygen for the future of our nonprofit organizations. The Jewish Future Promise website offers a myriad range of resources, from conversation starters with family members or creating an ethical will, to how to document your personal legacy through books, videos, and other customized venues. If this resonates with you, and you sign the promise, you’ll also have the option to set up a discussion with DJCF, where we can help convert that into a formal commitment within your estate plan.
We’ve also seen an uptick in families using DAFs to connect across generations – establishing funds for children and grandchildren and creating conversation points for parents and grandparents to bring up the topic of philanthropy. This is one of the most exciting trends in our work right now – to see l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation) in action!
Did you know that DJCF also provides endowment advice and execution support for more than 50 other nonprofit organizations, both Jewish and secular? These services are provided at a 50% discount to our standard community development fee schedule, ensuring that any nonprofit, whether they have $5,000 or $50,000,000, can access institutional, quality endowment investment advice and execution. This is one of the many ways your individual DAF, scholarship, or endowment is benefitting the entire nonprofit community. And that’s not the only way we support our partners in the nonprofit community:
- DJCF serves as the complex gift acceptance arm for the entire philanthropic community. We have experience with stock gifts, closely held business interests, real estate, mineral rights, digital assets and more. Our gift acceptance policy has just been updated to reflect the modern types of assets that savvy donors are choosing to give to charity.
- You may have seen our webinar with the Dallas Jewish Historical Society and brothers, David Stanley and Ambassador Marc Stanley. We talked about charitable legacies, and how estate gifts keep organizations like DJHS operational. We also recently partnered with DJHS to establish a new scholarship in memory of longtime director Debra Polsky, of blessed memory.
- We offer short-term financing solutions for other nonprofit agencies – where there’s a mismatch in donor pledges or capital campaigns and project time horizons, DJCF is honored to serve as a financial backstop when traditional bank financing isn’t an option.
- Earlier this year, DJCF offered gift planning education in the form of a 10-week cohort with participants from the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Legacy Senior Living Communities, the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service, Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Shearith Israel. A board member, the chief executive, and chief development officer committed to regular study group meetings, where we all agreed that we’re stronger together when we approach donor endowment and legacy planning stewardship as a community effort.
- DJCF was honored to be the guest speaker at a recent Legacy Senior Living Communities event featuring DJCF Life Trustee and Legacy Willow Bend resident, Gerardo Weinstein. Melissa Orth and I had a delightful conversation about the case for giving to Legacy and how residents can structure creative gifts to support financial assistance for seniors.
- Our expertise in legacy society building is being implemented by organizations big and small – we published a thought piece in July about how to start a legacy-giving society, key considerations for managing the program, and how DJCF can be a helpful partner in those initiatives.
These services wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our individual fundholders. We know there are many options when it comes to choosing a partner in philanthropy and take the role very seriously. Next month, I’ll celebrate my 2nd anniversary as President and CEO of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation. I’ll reflect more on our accomplishments together in my next newsletter, but even though it can feel like we’re building the plane as we fly, we remain focused on our flight path – growing philanthropy through sustaining Jewish legacies. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey – it’s an honor to be your captain!
July Nonprofit Spotlight
Intown Chabad – The Intown Chabad brings together, engages & inspires young Jews in DFW. We do this through creating authentic personal connections, creative events & friendly Jewish experiences. Founders Rabbi & Rebbetzin Zvi & Aidy Drizin, joined by Rabbi & Rebbetzin Mendy & Mushka Plotkin, are a powerful team leading with passion, dedication, creativity and meaningful connection. Donate | www.theintownchabad.com
Dallas Chevra Kadisha – Dallas Chevra Kadisha is the primary Orthodox Jewish burial society in the DFW area. The term Chevra Kadisha literally means “Sacred Society,” a designation unique to this group. Throughout Jewish history, being a member of the Chevra Kadisha has been a great honor. Members of the Burial Society are selected for their character, integrity and personal devotion to Jewish tradition.
These men and women are on-call 24 hours a day to perform Tahara and to ensure that the laws and traditions of Jewish burial are properly provided. Their greatest concern is the dignity of the deceased. Men care for men, women care for women, Jew cares for fellow Jew. There is no better way to ensure the dignity of the body, and the peace of the soul, than to entrust their care to the Chevra Kadisha. Dallas Chevra Kadisha – Jewish Burial Society
Dallas Area Torah Association – The mission of DATA is to enhance the spiritual, educational and cultural growth of the Dallas Jewish Community through advanced Torah study, outreach programs and community initiatives. Founded in 1992 by Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried, DATA has since led 30 years of impact, served 58,000+ meals, and hosted 1.45 million hours of learning! Donate – Dallas Area Torah Association (dallastorah.org)
Temple Shalom – Temple Shalom is an integral and leading part of the Jewish community in Dallas and of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). They have a thriving Sisterhood and Brotherhood as well as programs for all ages. They are active in interfaith relations across the Metroplex and welcome interfaith families within our congregation. Online Payments – Temple Shalom (shulcloud.com)
Upcoming Programs & Events
DJCF/SWCF Open House
8/22 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
We are delighted to invite you to join us for an Open House at DJCF/SWCF’s new Byrna & Joe Funk Family Philanthropy Center offices! Please drop by to explore our new space, visit with our dedicated team members, and learn more about exciting opportunities to engage with DJCF/SWCF in the year ahead.
2024 Meyer L. Bodoff Memorial Award Reception
9/3 | 5:30 – 7:00 pm
DJCF/SWCF invites our fundholders and friends to join us in honoring this year’s recipient of the Meyer L. Bodoff Memorial Award of the DJCF, Larry Schoenbrun. We’ll also hear remarks from Russell James on year-end charitable giving. Dr. James will be the speaker at the DJCF/SWCF Professional Advisors Seminar the following day.
2024 Professional Advisors Seminar
9/4 | 7:30 am – 10:30 am
Now in its 29th year, the DJCF/SWCF Professional Advisors Seminar is one of the cornerstone annual events for the Dallas professional advisor community. The seminar offers the opportunity to learn from a nationally recognized expert, earn continuing education credits, and network with professional advisors across several fields. The content of the seminar is designed to appeal to accountants, estate attorneys, financial planners, insurance agents, wealth advisors, and other related professions. This year, the seminar will take place on September 4 at the Westin Galleria and will feature Russell James III, Ph.D., J.D., CFP®, a renowned expert in financial planning and charitable giving. Professor James is the CH Foundation Chair of Personal Financial Planning and the Charitable Giving Program Director at Texas Tech University.
To register or learn more, Click Here!
Call for Art – We are so excited to partner with the Texas Jewish Artists Association to display a rotating exhibition at our new Byrna and Joe Fund Family Philanthropy Center. If you or someone you know, is a Jewish artist in Texas, please have them contact the TJAA at info@texasjewisharts.org to learn more.
Your Legacy, Our Jewish Future: The Stanley Family Legacy – if you missed our webinar with DJHS, and brothers Marc & David Stanley, you can watch the replay here: Your Legacy, Our Jewish Future – Stanley Family Legacy Webinar – DJHS + DJCF (youtube.com).
Investment Reports & Fund Statements
The Foundation’s investment portfolio is managed by Graystone Consulting, under the guidance of the Foundation Investment Committee. This relationship has allowed us to offer seven investment models for our constituents to choose from. Graystone provides monthly investment return information on the models as a whole and fact cards for the individual models and the sub-funds that make up each model.
DJCF’s investment performance reports through July are posted on the website. These reports can be found on the Investment Reports page under ‘Tools + Resources’ tab on our menu toggle, found here: Investment Reports – Dallas Jewish Community Foundation (djcf.org)
July fund holder statements will be released in your My DJCF portal soon.
