"People are confronting a lack of confidence" - RABBI ALAN BERG

Economy impacts campaign

Federation reports lower pledges; asks donors to act now

By DEBORAH MOON

article created on: 2009-03-01T00:00:00

Next month the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland begins the process of deciding who gets how much from the Annual Campaign, but nearly one-third of past donors have yet to make their pledge to the 2009 campaign.

Last year the campaign exceeded $4.3 million. As of Feb. 18, pledges to the 2009 campaign stood at $3,078,914.

Card for card, previous donors have pledged an average 5 percent less than last year. While many past donors have said they intend to make a pledge, they aren’t willing to set an amount in the uncertain economy.

“People are confronting a lack of confidence about what they will be able to afford this year,” said Rabbi Alan Berg, campaign co-chair with Sharon Weil and Michael Weiner.

That lack of confidence is a problem, according to Weil.

“It’s hard to allocate when we don’t know what to expect,” said Weil. “Agencies can’t make any plans. I know some of the agencies are struggling to cover costs daily. JFCS gets emergency calls every day. At Robison, money from the state is down. It’s only going to hurt all of us in the community if we can’t do something now.”

Historically, Medicaid has covered about 60 percent of the cost of a resident’s care at Robison Jewish Health Center. Currently the state reimbursement covers only about 50 percent of the care.

At Jewish Family and Child Service, calls for emergency assistance were up 39 percent in October-December over the previous year. Emergency aid covers things such as help paying for medicine, heat, food or housing in the wake of a layoff or other sudden change in life situation.

“In January there was $10,000 of need and we were only able to help 10 percent,” said JFCS Executive Director Marian Fenimore.

“The needs are strong out there,” said Berg. “I see tremendous pressure on all the budgets in town. People are increasingly turning to social service agencies, synagogues and federation. Those of us working on the campaign are trying to get the community through this year to meet those needs and hope next year will be better.”

By the end of May, the Allocations Committee must finalize how much each of federation’s agencies will receive over the coming year. While pledge payments are not due until the end of the year, campaign leaders say it is imperative that people make their pledge soon so agencies can plan how they can meet the community’s increasing needs.

The JFGP constituent agencies are JFCS, RJHC, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Portland Jewish Academy, Oregon Jewish Museum, Hillel, Maimonides Jewish Day School and the Melton Adult Mini-School.

Weil, who is co-chairing the campaign for the third year in a row, said she has never had so much trouble getting people to decide what they can give. She emphasized that payments can be made throughout the calendar year and are not due until Dec. 31.

“I know it’s hard, but it will be harder down the road if we don’t take the leap of faith and help people who have nothing,” Weil said. “People need to make a commitment.”

She said she understands people look at their investments and wonder if they will recover in time to pay for their child’s college tuition or their own retirement.“I see my portfolio is half of what it was,” she said. “Everyone is scared. But it’s people who didn’t have anything to start with who are really in bad shape now.”

“If people can go out to dinner or go on a trip, my feeling is you can take a portion and help someone who has nothing,” said Weil.

To make a pledge to the JFGP campaign, log on to www.jewishportland.org or call 503-245-6219.