Eighty-five Federation and Foundation professionals and lay leaders from 26 communities gathered in Tucson, Arizona last week for the first ever Jewish Legacy Forum.

The two-day conference focused on sharing best practices and innovations to help participants build and promote legacy programs. A legacy is a gift left for the future of the community, to carry on the donor’s wishes beyond his or her lifetime. This typically includes an endowment -- a permanent fund that provides perpetual support to an organization from the income earned. This type of fund is especially important during tough economic times, when other funding sources may be decreased.

“We encourage communities to use endowments and planned gifts as a long-term strategy for building and sustaining the Jewish community,” said Joe Imberman, associate vice president of Planned Giving and Endowments at The Jewish Federations of North America.

Sponsored by The Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, the forum covered such topics as creating a legacy culture in the community, partnering with agencies to build endowments, and helping each donor fulfill their own philanthropic vision through legacy planning.

“We need to both engage the soul and engage in business planning to reach a golden age of philanthropy we could only have dreamed of a few years ago,” said opening speaker Jeffrey Solomon, president of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies and co-author of The Art of Giving. He also addressed the need to help donors be as purposeful about their giving as they are about other areas of their lives, such as education, career and finances.

The importance of nurturing relationships – both with donors and with partner agencies – was addressed repeatedly throughout the conference. This involves developing trust and confidence that the Foundation or Federation will keep faith with the donor’s wishes years down the road. Key components in this process include utilizing robust and customizable documentation, maintaining personal contact over the years, and working closely with partner agencies to create a united, community-wide approach toward endowment building.

“This was truly one of the most productive, practical and stimulating conferences I have attended,” said Jim Friedman, director of Gift Planning and Endowments at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. “The presentations by each of the communities were informative of broad spectrum best practices without being duplicative. The spirit of collaboration and free flow of good ideas was infectious. This was an excellent opportunity to bring back new and important ways to make our Create a Jewish Legacy effort even more effective going forward.”

“I never realized the extraordinary depth of creativity and experience in our smaller communities,” said Laura Lauder, Allocations Committee chair of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund of San Francisco. “The larger cities can learn tremendous lessons from the pros and dedicated lay leaders in Tucson, San Diego, and many other cities who have followed their lead.”

Keynote speaker and award-winning columnist Amy Hirshberg Lederman summed up what many of the participants sensed, “We are all here for a reason. We believe in the future of the Jewish people and we can make a difference in that future.”

Click here to learn more about Jewish legacies or contact Joslin LeBauer at 1-866-448-3852 or 678-222-3740.