The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati is proud to announce that the 2012 Community Campaign has exceeded the $6 million goal, bringing in a total of $6.3 million! This achievement is thanks in large part to the dedication of the campaign co-chairs and a partnership with The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, whose 1-to-1 matching grant inspired the generosity of individual donors.

The 2012 Community Campaign co-chairs were Andy Berger, Tedd Friedman, Louis Guttman, Fred Kanter and Dina Wilheim. Together they have decades of volunteer experience in the Jewish community, have served on dozens of different boards and have made giving back a focal point of their lives.

Andy Berger and Tedd Friedman are both attorneys at Katz Teller Brant & Hild and serve on the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati board, Berger as President and Friedman as Vice President of Development. Louis Guttman is a partner at Hills Developers and a longtime volunteer and philanthropist in the Jewish community. Fred Kanter is a partner at Rookwood Properties and is also a Jewish Federation of Cincinnati board member, as well as serving on the board of the Mayerson JCC. Dina Wilheim, a dedicated volunteer, is the current PTA President of Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, Corporate Liaison for Rehab Services of Communicare Health Services and Vice President of the Cincinnati Community Mikveh.

Andy Berger

Fred Kanter

Tedd Friedman

Louis Guttman

Dina Wilheim

 

This is the third year as a campaign co-chair for Tedd Friedman, whose leadership has been instrumental in developing a more strategic and effective community-wide fundraising plan, which he and the other co-chairs implemented with the 2012 Campaign.

Immediate Past President Bret Caller, who oversaw the 2012 Campaign during his term, said, “This team of campaign leadership was instrumental in our success. Understanding the needs of our community and what it would take to address them, they put everything they had into making sure we met our goal, and I commend them for it.”

The co-chairs worked tirelessly to oversee a team of 195 volunteer solicitors and to spread the word about the generous matching grant provided by the Jewish Foundation. Thanks to their hard work, the community responded: 1,163 donors made a new or increased gift, a 24% increase in participation over the 2011 Campaign.

These funds go to programs that work to improve the lives of Jews in Cincinnati, in Israel and around the world, providing emergency assistance, feeding the hungry, transporting seniors, offering financial aid for educational experiences and more.

“When we kicked off the campaign, I knew it would be important to focus on helping our donors—the stakeholders in our community—understand the impact of their contributions,” said Tedd Friedman. “I think we did that. We showed them the transformative power of their generosity. And they responded by exceeding our goal.”

In addition to the Community Campaign, the professionals and volunteers of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati also raise money for special supplemental projects at the six partner agencies (Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, Cincinnati Hillel, Jewish Family Service, Jewish Vocational Service, the Mayerson JCC and Rockwern Academy). This year has seen over $1.6 million in gifts for such projects.

They also work to sustain the future of the local Jewish community through planned giving and gifts to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s endowment or that of its partner agencies. In the past year, endowment bequests have brought in an additional $1.5 million in cash. 

With the close of the 2012 Community Campaign, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati will move its focus to the allocations process, in which 83 volunteers will make sure that community dollars go where they are needed most. They will spend hundreds of hours thoroughly assessing and evaluating agency and congregational programs that apply for funding from the campaign. Stay tuned to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s website or Facebook page for updates on the process and, in the fall, a detailed accounting of where the money will be allocated.