COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES EXTRAORDINARY $55.7 MILLION TO FEDERATION
We are thrilled to announce that several thousand donors have contributed a record $55.7 million during the organization’s 2023 campaign year, marking a tremendous 31% increase from $42 million in 2022. This remarkable growth signifies the community’s commitment to addressing diverse and developing needs, both local and globally. It also reflects the Palm Beach Jewish community’s significant recent and anticipated population boom.
As one of the largest nonprofits in Palm Beach County, Federation is considered the local Jewish community’s central philanthropic organization and “City Hall,” attracting support from individuals, businesses, foundations, civic institutions and government agencies. For its many accomplishments, Federation is a nominee for Nonprofit First’s coveted Hats Off Large Nonprofit of the Year award.
Collectively, Federation and its partner organizations care for people in need, protect and stand up for the Jewish community, inspire children and teens with powerful Jewish experiences, and connect people to the joys of Jewish life. Notable among the many programs and services it creates and supports, Federation has mounted significant efforts to strengthen community security and support organizations working to educate, advocate and protect people against antisemitism and all forms of hate.
Highlights from the campaign include nearly $30 million in donations for immediate needs, including $19.4 million to the Annual Campaign. Notably, nearly 50 percent of contributions to Federation’s 2023 Annual Campaign came from women who generously support Federation through Women’s Philanthropy. Federation also reported $10.2 million in targeted giving to Federation programs, partner organizations, and emergency relief campaigns.
“This extraordinary amount, contributed in such a short period of time, is truly a testament to the dedication and generosity of Jewish Palm Beach,” shared Michael Hoffman, President and CEO, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. “We are in the midst of historic population growth, and we are grappling with a surge of new community needs on top of existing challenges. Our ability to take on emerging issues comes from a position of strength that we have worked hard to achieve at Federation. We are focused on strengthening our community today, tomorrow and forever.”
Federation also continues to focus on future planning, reflected in prioritizing multi-year giving to enhance upcoming Annual Campaigns, which saw a remarkable 75 percent increase compared to the previous year. Federation is also providing opportunities to make a lasting impact by creating new endowments at Federation’s William A. Meyer Jewish Community Foundation. These commitments, amounting to nearly $26 million, will unfold in the long term as they are funded by donors’ estates.
Additional highlights during the 2023 campaign year included several commitments from community visionaries with Federation’s Campaign for the Future, the largest fundraising effort in Jewish Palm Beach’s history. This comprehensive fundraising campaign seeks to grow annual fundraising to meet today’s needs, increase the number of multi-year pledges to sustain vital programs and services tomorrow, and create new endowments to forever meet the needs of our growing community.
Heading into the 2023-2024 season, Federation is planning a robust schedule of events. This includes the highly anticipated Celebrating Philanthropy on Monday, December 4, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, hosted by Susan Shulman Pertnoy, William A. Meyer, and Federation’s Board of Directors. This elegant, annual event represents a unique opportunity for the community’s stakeholders to gain insights into the future of our growing Jewish community and actively participate in shaping it through Campaign for the Future. The event will feature Mayim Bialik, acclaimed actress, TV host, and author known for iconic roles in “Blossom,” as well as speakers including Robert Kraft, founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and owner of the New England Patriots, and the co-creator and co-star of the Netflix hit series Fauda, Avi Issacharoff.
The season also features the first of the Business & Professionals (B&P) Speaker Series on Thursday, October 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Venture X at The Square in West Palm Beach, featuring Brian Bandell, real estate editor for the South Florida Business Journal, who will share his insights on the remarkable real estate transformations unfolding in the Palm Beaches, aligning with Federation’s strategy to shape our community’s future by propelling our local community as a hub of Jewish life, leadership, and innovation in North America.
The Kohl Jewish Volunteer Center also will be seeking volunteers for its annual 8 Days, 8 Ways of Giving Back events throughout December to honor the miracle of lights by volunteering to help people in need in all corners of Palm Beach County.
Federation’s network of local and global partners, which Federation fuels through its annual campaign, includes Alpert Jewish Family Service, Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, Kramer Senior Services (MorseLife Home Care), Mandel JCC, Meyer Jewish Preparatory School, Birthright Israel, JDC, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Friedman Commission for Jewish Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Kohl JVC, Meyer JCF, and Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism & Hatred.
To learn more about Federation, its impact, upcoming 2023-2024 calendar of events, visit jewishpb.org/upcoming.
