Legacy Results through May 2010 (pdf)

At the conference, Gardner and Nomberg presented a best practices workshop on Create a Jewish Legacy branding and marketing. The forum focused on sharing expertise and innovations to help build and promote legacy programs in Jewish communities across North America. 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, which is a permanent fund that provides perpetual support to an organization from the income earned. This is especially important during tough economic times, when other funding sources may be cut back.
“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 Planned Giving and Endowments at the Jewish Federations of North America, which co-sponsored the forum with the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego and the 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. Eighty-five professionals and lay leaders from 26 communities attended.

“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.

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

To learn more about how you can leave a legacy to benefit the charities of your choice please contact Robert Nomberg at 545-8656 or visit here to learn more about Create a Jewish Legacy.

PHOTO CREDIT: Martha Lochert Photography

Over sixty Foundation and Federation representatives participated in the Create a Jewish Legacy Community Showcase at the Jewish Federations of North America (formerly United Jewish Communities) General Assembly earlier this month in Washington, DC. Richmond’s interim executive director, Robert Nomberg joined Joslin LeBauer from the Jewish Federations of North America and Greensboro’s endowment director, Susan Gutterman for the session.

In November 2006, Richmond was named the first Create a Jewish Legacy pilot site for United Jewish Communities. After one year of planning and two plus years of training and marketing 70 families have promised to create over 140 legacies for an estimated $10 million.

Create a Jewish Legacy is a community public awareness campaign designed to help individuals and families support the Jewish causes they care about; building a strong, vibrant community, now and in the future with bequests for permanent endowments. The program promotes the message that all of us have the ability to make a difference in the lives of future Jewish generations.

Our community’s Book of Life was introduced for the first time during the Richmond Jewish Foundation and the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond joint annual meeting. Twenty-two wonderful statements were presented to the community. This Book of Life interactive DVD was made possible by funding provided from the Elizabeth and Edward Hirschler* Endowment Recognition Fund.

Create a Jewish Legacy Rosh Hashanah Ad (pdf)

Our community’s Book of Life was introduced for the first time during the recent Richmond Jewish Foundation and Jewish Community Federation of Richmond joint Annual Meeting. Twenty-two wonderful statements have been written thus far. I’d like to share one of the statements written by Hedy Lapkin. Her statement about her late husband, Eddie, tells a wonderful story about how someone’s passion has been turned into a lasting legacy affecting future generations.

“In 1975 Edward Lapkin fell passionately in love for the second time in his life. He volunteered to house (of course I agreed) two lovely Israeli scouts and he was hooked. In November 1975, we took our first trip to Israel and were in turn graciously hosted by the families of the two scouts we hosted. For the next 25 years Eddie put his heart and soul into planning and executing the most wonderful 3-4 day stay in Richmond for the Israeli Scout Friendship Caravans that came to Richmond every year.

Through his devoted efforts he fostered more lasting relationships between Richmond families and Israeli families than even he imagined would be possible. His commitment to this program created a love and understanding of Israel for Richmond’s Jewish community that is beyond measure. The first few years the Scouts performed at the JCC only a few dozen people attended. Today, this event is viewed by hundreds. The legacy that Eddie created continues to touch the lives of hundreds of Jewish people in Richmond. He also was responsible for Richmond hosting an Israeli Scout at camp Hilbert each summer.

To this day, my children and I have a profound love of Israel and maintain many of the deep relationships with the youngsters that came into our lives so many years ago. Eddie passed away in March of 2002. Later that year I was in Israel with a small group from Richmond. One evening, along with 300 other American Jews, our group was entertained by the Israeli Friendship Caravan. As the tears streamed down my face I knew I had found the way to keep Eddie’s love of Israel and all those wonderful Israeli teenagers in the hearts and minds of our Richmond community. My family established the Eddie Lapkin Israeli Scout Fund at Richmond Jewish Foundation to honor Eddie for all the years of devotion to this program and to support the program in the future.” ~ Hedy Lapkin

Anyone, regardless of age, wealth, or affiliation, who commits to secure the future of Richmond’s Jewish community, either through a current gift to a permanent endowment fund or through a deferred gift to any of the Create a Jewish Legacy partners, Israel, or any charity, will be presented with a page to inscribe with their own thoughts and to tell, in their own words, the meaning behind their gift in their Book of Life page.

The Book of Life page, along with a family photograph, will then be added to those written by others. These pages will be collected and placed in an interactive display at the Weinstein JCC. Together, these stories will tell future generations our story— the story of Richmond’s Jewish community. You can transmit not just your funds, but your family history and legacy to the next generation. These legacy gifts help ensure the future of our Jewish community, guaranteeing that the strong and vibrant agencies, congregations, museums, and schools that our parents and grandparents worked so hard to build will be here for our children, our grandchildren and generations to come.

We’re here to help you tell your story. What will be your legacy?

When we attend High Holiday services, we ask that our name be written in the Book of Life. What would you say if you could write your own page? This ancient tradition has now become the inspiration for a new one: the Richmond Jewish community’s Book of Life.

Through this special new project, on display for the first time during the Foundation and Federation June 3 Joint Annual Meeting, anyone, regardless of age, wealth, or affiliation, who commits to secure the future of Richmond’s Jewish community, either through a current gift to a permanent endowment fund or through a deferred gift to any of the Create a Jewish Legacy partners, Israel, or any charitable organizations, will be presented with a page to inscribe with their own thoughts and to tell, in their own words, the meaning behind their gift.

The Book of Life page, along with a family photograph, will then be joined with those written by others. These pages will be collected and placed in an interactive display at the Weinstein JCC. Together, these stories will tell future generations our story— the story of Richmond’s Jewish community.

If you or your family have already created an endowment or included any of the Create a Jewish Legacy partners in your will you are eligible to write your Book of Life page.

Representatives from a dozen Richmond area Jewish agencies participated in Create a Jewish Legacy’s 9th Legacy Institute on Wednesday, February 11, at the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Jewish Community Center.

Chabad of Virginia representative, Marty Ross, welcomed the participants to the workshop and introduced the session’s speaker Wayne Olson.

Olson is the Vice President of the Charitable, Foundation, & Endowments Group at The Trust Company of Virginia. He has enjoyed planned giving roles with the American Cancer Society and the University of Richmond. He earned his JD from Stetson University. The Trust Company manages endowments, trusts and gift annuity programs for local, regional and international charities and non-profit organizations.

Olson writes for a national planned giving publisher and is a frequent speaker, most recently to the International A-F-P Conference in New Orleans and the Practical Planned Giving Conference in San Diego.  He is also a regular contributor to Planned Giving Today, with his most recent article appearing in the November 2008 issue.

Olson’s session focused on what motivates a donor to make a gift.  The session explored the thoughts, motivations and needs of donors and why they make, or don’t make, a gift.  Participants were given practical examples of how to attract more donors and win their loyalty and their support, along with looking at the donor’s decision-making process and how charities can create an environment that is friendly to this process and makes it easier for donors to decide to give to our organizations. 

Richmond Jewish Foundation president, Debra Gardner, closed the session by thanking Wayne and announcing the latest Create a Jewish Legacy results. Additionally, Gardner announced that the community’s donor recognition Book of Life will be presented during Richmond Jewish Foundation’s Annual Meeting May 18. 

The next Legacy Institute is scheduled for April 22. The topic will be Donor Relations the Disney Way with Wayne Olson.  

Donor Legacy Plan (PDF)