Just say “Yes” to the 2024 Campaign

Greetings Jewish Nashville!  As you read this, we should be in the thick of the High Holidays, always a special time of year for us. And, as it so happens, it is the last three months of our 2024 Annual Campaign for Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.   
 
Traditionally, the last quarter of the year is our busiest time, as generally 35-40% of our campaign pledges and donations are paid in the 4th quarter.  So, no pressure, it all relies on that those last couple of months to fund all the great work that we are able to do around our community and overseas. Currently, we are ahead of where we were last year at this time, which is exciting!  And shortly after this point in 2023 was when our community stepped up and donated an additional $1.2MM for our Israel Crisis Fund. 
 
It has been interesting to see how so many people approach their giving in a myriad of ways. I’ve discovered that some people don’t want to be asked to give, and just prefer to give on a monthly or annual basis automatically. Ironically, this is how I support one of my favorite services in this area, Nashville Public Radio. But the truth is that typically, our needs increase year-to-year, between inflation and other forces outside our control. So, it can be challenging to have those conversations in that scenario.  

Some people prefer to give anonymously, and while our records generally reflect that, from time to time we make a mistake there, which is always a humbling experience. 
 
There are donors in our community who prefer to be asked, and sometimes they prefer to be asked by a peer instead of someone on our professional staff. And when I reach out to some of our lovely community members, I discover that the reason they didn’t give is that they simply have forgotten or weren’t asked, sometimes for many years. I’ve also spoken to philanthropists that want to talk in greater detail about the work we are doing locally and overseas – I always relish those conversations, because everyone has a right to know what their donation is doing to help others. 

This has been a really challenging year to be a Jewish non-profit.  As I speak to my peers around the country, they all express it too. To be fair, while we have all experienced the challenges of the aftermath of the horror of October 7th, and an increase in antisemitism from all directions, not all of them have dealt with the challenges that we have seen in and around Nashville. The rise of hate groups openly marching through our streets was not something I could have predicted, but we are working hard with state and local government to find solutions there.  

We are also working with school systems like Metro Nashville Public Schools and individual private schools as students face challenges in those spaces.  And all the while that is happening, we are making safe spaces for our growing Jewish community to connect and dare I say, thrive.   

For all of those who have given to us this year, thank you so much for supporting our community! We have experienced the first significant growth of new donors in many years, and even more exciting is that we have seen existing donors step up and give more to support our work. For all of those that haven’t given yet, or worse, haven’t been asked yet, don’t worry, we will be reaching out.  And my simple ask is that when you do get that call, please say “Yes” – it means so much to our community here, and everywhere around the world Jewish Federation helps support those in need. 

Say Yes here: https://www.jewishnashville.or...