New IRA Legislation Aids Charitable Gift-giving

To donors planning to make a gift from their retirement assets--as well as to the charities that stand to benefit--the new Pension Protection Act of 2006 presents a wonderful giving opportunity. Under the new act, IRA holders over the age of 70-1/2 can roll over up to $100,000 directly into public charities, including day schools, for the tax years 2006 and 2007. There is no income tax deduction, nor is the gift considered taxable income, though it is counted toward the donor's required distributions. Furthermore, with an IRA rollover to charity, there may be potential favorable tax benefits due to a lower adjusted gross income. The catch? The window of opportunity lasts only 15 months, until December 31, 2007.

Read a good overview from Simpson Thatcher, one of the leading exempt organization law practices in the country, or from the Council of Foundations.

Last Chance for 2006-2007 Challenge Grant for Day School Growth RFP

Until November 30, 2006 PEJE is accepting applications for its three Challenge Grant for Day School Growth programs: School Improvement Journey, Pipeline, and New School. Download grant details or an application. Grants will take effect in 2007.

PEJE offers several tools to help schools understand our grantmaking philosophy, the various grant programs, and the application process. Schools are encouraged to read "A Window Into PEJE's Grantmaking Philosophy" as well as "Twelve Characteristics of a Good Proposal."

PEJE Conferences: Development

PEJE Conferences help day school leaders get a running start with new strategies in key areas and serve as "knowledge labs" where best practices are identified and shared by leading speakers and coaches. Participants leave a PEJE Conference with multiple ideas and action steps that can be implemented immediately.

Beyond the Usual Suspects: Vision, Strategies, and Tactics for Your Annual Campaign, running December 10-11, 2006 as part of the Solomon Schechter Day School Association Biennial in Boca Raton, FL, is open to all day schools, regardless of denominational affiliation. This sepcial Development Track addresses key steps in implementing a successful annual campaign. Strengthen your school's annual campaign with help from PEJE experts Josh Elkin, Rae Ringel, Herb Tobin, and Harry Bloom.

A $200 stipend is available for MATCH recipient schools to help defray the costs of a Development Director or Board Member attending the Development Track. Contact Sheila Alexander or Mark Blechner for details.

Register now for the PEJE Development Track >>

MATCH Success: Impact and Implications

The final tallies on MATCH are in! This year, 300 new donors helped infuse a total of $26 million into 165 day schools and educational projects. Sponsored by PEJE and the Jewish Funders Network, with the generous support of a team of visionary funders, the MATCH program provided matching funds for first-time gifts to day schools of $25,000 to $100,000.

MATCH proved that untapped donors exist in every community. Day school leaders have adapted the model of matching gifts to target donors on a local level, says Sim Herring, Director of Development at SAR Academy in Riverdale, NY. After his school maxed out on the MATCH program by collecting $200,000 in new gifts this year, Herring identified another donor to make a local match incentive gift, thereby replicating the MATCH model. "Many potential donors viewed the idea of a matching grant as a smart way to make use of a philanthropic opportunity," says Herring, who adds that the leveraging model appealed especially to a younger cohort of donors in their 30s and 40s. "It gave us a compelling reason to call people. And it gave us a justification to talk to them about a major gift."

PEJE hosts a Community of Practice for MATCH recipient schools. The CoP focuses on helping schools cultivate relationships with major donors, using stewardship strategies to encourage first-time donors to become long-term supporters. For more information about the CoP or about ways your school can use the MATCH model to attract major gifts, contact Sheila Alexander. The CoP's next conference call will be Wednesday, November 15 at 3 pm.

As soon as we know about any future matching grant opportunities, we'll let you know.

More about the success of MATCH:

Read "As Interest in Day Schools Grows, Funders Emerge to Aid Education" (JTA) >>

Read "Surprise! New Day School Money Source" (The New York Jewish Week) >>

MATCH is a project of JFN and PEJE, funded by The AVI CHAI Foundation, Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, and the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation. Additional support came from PEJE partners: the Jesselson Family, The Gottesman Fund, Brad and Robin Klatt, Bobby and Fran Lent; and two anonymous donors.

Leadership CoP Conference Call

In addition to the MATCH CoP, PEJE sponsors five other networking groups. PEJE's Leadership Community of Practice invites day school board members, development directors, and heads of school to participate in an upcoming conference call on Thursday, November 16 at 7 pm EST with Sandi Goldstein, Principal of The Goldstein Group. The Goldstein Group specializes in conducting annual, capital, and endowment campaigns in the Jewish community. They conduct feasibility studies and design and implement fundraising campaigns. Sandi draws on 25 years of experience in strategic planning and direct solicitation, working on behalf of Jewish federations in Cleveland, Miami, Houston, and Long Beach, CA, where she served as the federation's executive director for ten years.

To register for the call and get call-in details, please send Mollie Aczel your name, email address, position, and school name.

Support for Jewish Education: Latest Developments in the News

Read "Grant for Baltimore Day Schools May Set Precedent for Other Areas" (JTA) >>

Read "$100 Million Gift To Yeshiva University" (The New York Jewish Week) >>

Read "Legacy For A Jewish Future" (The New York Jewish Week) >>