The Human Services Relief Matching Fund FAQ & Resources

Fundraising Support Materials  

Use this appeal letter template to inform your donors about this fund.

Use this Case for Giving one pager to give potential donors an informative overview of this fund.

FAQ

 

The goal of the Human Services Relief Matching Fund is to support Jewish Federations across North America to increase their funding necessary to support Jews in need through local human services agencies and programs. By creating a national fund that can be accessed at 1:2 basis (50 cents on the dollar), we can collectively drive significant additional resources to support these critical needs. This $18 million will help stimulate $36 million in additional local gifts, creating a $54 million dollar increase in funding for human services.

Federation should complete this form to indicate their interest in participating, willingness to meet the requirements, and their proposed list of beneficiary agencies and/or programs.

Federations will receive a preliminary assigned reserved amount, based on the size of their community and assuming the participation of 146 Federations. Final allocations will take into account your community analysis needs, the allocable amount, and the amount you believe you can raise. If communities indicate at any point in the process that they are unable to use their final reserved amount, those remaining funds will be further allocated.

No. Federations will be required to demonstrate that gifts were raised to satisfy the criteria.

Gifts are eligible if a donor’s intention is to support human services, and donors must be either increasing their existing gift, be a first-time donor, or not have made a gift in at least 18 months. The matching fund will count only the increase and not the maintained gift amounts.

Money is disbursed to your Federation and then it is your responsibility to allocate the dollars to local agencies and/or local programs. During the initial sign up process, you will be asked to name and briefly describe the agencies and programs you intend to fund so that we can ensure they meet the criteria set by the funders.

Local service agencies that serve primarily Jewish community members with:

  • Emergency financial aid, including cash grants for housing, food, medical care and other essentials for individuals and families.
  • Increased food assistance, including expansion of pantries, grocery gift cards and meal programs.
  • Mental and physical health and safety, including enhanced staffing, trauma counseling and personal protective equipment in residential programs and other caregivers serving seniors and people with disabilities.
  • Community stability, including emergency operating support and professional expertise for local Jewish human service and educational agencies, as well as job/professional skill training services.
  • Services and resources for employees of Jewish communal organizations who have been laid off or furloughed.

The Fund will match gifts raised between September 1 and December 31, 2020.

Federations must share monthly updates on their progress toward achieving their reserved match amount.

  • Donor Name (This information will remain confidential and will not be circulated)
  • For returning donors: Last gift information, including when the gift was made and the gift amount.
  • For new donors: gift amount. Gifts from donors (including vehicles controlled by said donor such as DAF’s, supporting foundations, etc.) who have not made a gift since 2018 will be considered a new gift for the purpose of the match.
  • Amount of the gift that is eligible for the matching fund.

Once the monthly updates have been submitted from Federations to JFNA, matching funds will be provided as quickly as possible. We anticipate disbursing funds from JFNA monthly. Disbursements will be made directly to Federations and not to their partner agencies.

Federations are expected to allocate the funds as soon as possible, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

No, funds will only be distributed to individual Federations who may then allocate dollars to their partner agencies and programs.

Yes, this program is open to all North American Federations and we encourage their participation.

No. The intention of this match is to increase dollars for human services specifically during this time of need.

The matching fund is based on pledges.

JFNA has established a committee, comprised of members of its FRD Cabinet, that are prepared to support communities in their Human Service Match Fund fundraising efforts. These leaders are willing to speak in your community, solicit with you, or even just strategize how best to incorporate this match into your major donor conversations. Additionally, we have included campaign materials on this site to support your Human Service Match fundraising efforts.

For Additional Information or Fundraising Support

Contact Irit Gross.