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LEAP Organization Assessment

Taking the LEAP: Legacy Endowment Action Program

We are ready to go! What do we do now?

Deciding to launch an Endowment Program is very exciting! It might be overwhelming at first, but once you break it down into parts and follow the steps, the program will build upon itself. Start at the beginning and take it one step at a time.

The Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (JCF) is your partner. We have the experience and knowledge to guide you in building your endowment program whether it’s establishing or growing your own endowment or supporting your donors to name you as a beneficiary of their own endowment. JCF can help you establish pertinent policies and will train your volunteer leadership and staff to support this effort.

We understand that building an endowment program is not, “one size fits all.” Your success requires realistic goal setting based on your available resources. Each organization has its own personality and set of circumstances. At JCF, we believe in “one size fits one.” A deeper understanding of your available resources and needs will allow us to assist you in crafting a customized plan that meets your organization wherever it may be in this journey.

Legacy Endowment Action Program: Organization Assessment

Step 1 of 11

Together We Will Take the LEAP: ENDOWMENT PROGRAM BASICS

The most successful Endowment Programs benefit from multiple streams of passive funding year after year. These include Organization Endowments established directly by the organization and Donor-Established Endowments established by individual donors who name your organization as a beneficiary. Organization endowments allow donors to contribute directly to your fund. Donor-Established Endowments allow donors to name one or more beneficiary organizations or causes and to fund their endowments during their lifetimes and/or after their lifetimes in testamentary provisions through their estates.

Unrestricted endowments (those established by the organization and/or donor- established endowments) provide the most flexibility by allowing future leadership to make decisions about what is most needed. However, restricted endowments may resonate more with donors and meet specific current and future anticipated needs. If a donor is contemplating a restricted endowment, JCF can help you frame a conversation about the best way to structure the restriction so that it will make the greatest impact for your organization in the near term as well as long into the future.

Successful Endowment Programs have policies in place to provide your organization’s leadership and staff with guidance and best practices. Being able to refer to these policies during certain donor conversation help demonstrate the strength of your operations and internal controls.

Gift Acceptance Policy – What types of non-cash gifts will you or will you not accept?
Investment Policy – Regardless of whether your organization’s endowment is held by JCF or elsewhere, do you have an Investment policy that includes fiduciary oversight?
Windfall Policy – How do you strategically use an unexpected gift or other large revenue source to meet both current and long-term needs?

While it is fairly easy to remember to thank donors as gifts are received during their lifetimes, stewarding donors now for gifts they intend to give after their lifetimes can be more challenging. If donors are willing to share their plans for giving after their lifetimes, that is valuable information to track. Stewarding these donors is critical to helping ensure they follow through with their plans. The gifts that donors had planned to give after their lifetimes though endowments can quietly disappear if these donors are not part of your stewardship plan.