Azriel Ganz: The Jewish charities crisis, part two

Where do we go from here?

By Azriel Ganz

Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

In my previous essay, I suggested that in order for Jewish charities to survive the current economic downturn, they would have to do three things: Develop a strategic focus, cut costs and be more transparent. Interestingly, in addressing how we, as donors, should react to the economic crisis vis a vis Jewish charities, I think that we can employ the same tools to achieve the best results.

A note: charitable giving, tzedakah, is governed by a complex set of halachot (Jewish laws). I am not qualified, nor do I attempt here, to offer halachic guidance. I am merely suggesting a set of high level guiding principles. Each person should consult with his or her Rabbi in determining how to comply with the halachot of tzedakah.

Strategic Focus

In good times, many of us are happy to give tzedakah without much thought or focus. While this is never ideal, we are blessed to be in such a position. In difficult times, our resources are limited and our giving is more of a zero-sum game; each dollar we give to one organization is a dollar that cannot go to another. Thus, we cannot afford to be so cavalier. Like any corporation or organization, we should think before we give.

What does it mean to have a strategic focus for charitable giving? It means prioritizing. It means thinking about those organizations that mean the most to you. It could mean your shul, your children’s schools, your alma mater, a particular chesed organization with which you are associated. It could mean community first, Israel second, out of town third. It could mean organizations that are transparent and well run rather than organizations that are inefficient and opaque. Each person has his or her personal views, but it is important to articulate priorities to allocate tzedakah funds in a targeted way rather than haphazardly.

“Cost Cutting”

By cost cutting, I am not suggesting that we give less money. On the contrary, in difficult times, those who can should try to give as much as possible. Rather, in order for our tzedakah dollars to have the most impact, we should consider focusing the bulk of our donations on those organizations that fit within our strategic plan and reducing what we give to those that fall outside the plan. In our zero sum tzedakah game, we should be careful to give those dollars in a way that is consistent with our priorities.

Transparency

We all receive countless calls and approaches from organizations and meshulachim (messengers). Many of us are uncomfortable dealing with these situations. I have found that the best approach is to be transparent.

When I meet with people from organizations that are low on my list of priorities, I tell them, directly, in as nice a way as possible, that I have responsibilities to many other tzedakahs that are higher on my list of priorities and can therefore offer only a token donation. While this usually does not make my visitors happy, they usually accept my honest explanation.

In these times of economic stress, when so many Jewish charities are struggling, it is important that we give as much as we possibly can, but it is equally important that we do so in a targeted and sensible way, to maximize the impact of every tzedakah dollar.

Azriel Ganz is general counsel for a financial services trade association. He lives in Woodmere.

Related articles:

http://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/azriel-ganz-the-jewish-charities-crisis/

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