ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Dear Friends,

It has been an honour to be president of Federation for the past two years. As my term comes to an end, I want to thank you for the support you have shown the organization and the community.

When I became President in December of 2019, it was a time of optimism and stability. Our beneficiary agencies were in good financial standing, our campaign was on-track to raise a record amount, and the community was prospering.

In March of 2020, our world changed, seemingly overnight and threatened to derail all that we have built together.

Despite the hardships we collectively experienced, we did what Jewish people do when times get tough -- we banded together and demonstrated our strength and perseverance.

I am immensely proud of the way our community came together and helped one another in unprecedented ways. We quickly assembled biweekly beneficiary agency meetings, where I heard first-hand how strong our community’s agencies. are. They adapted to the new environment exceedingly well and provided assistance where it was needed without question.

Our beneficiary agencies endured, despite the unprecedented operational duress and financial vulnerability they experienced over the past 18 months.

I have always been a believer in looking for the positive especially in tough situations. Going virtual offered us the opportunity to learn and be more adaptable than ever. While it is challenging to brainstorm the best ways to communicate, commemorate, and celebrate virtually, we demonstrated agility and creativity, minimizing disruption to the facets of Jewish life that we hold so dear.

As our community emerges from the greatest upheaval the current generation has seen, I am proud of all that we have accomplished together and remain optimistic about our future. I have valued the support of the Federation board and Josh Blatt as Vice President and would like to welcome Gustavo Zentner as the incoming President. The community will be in good hands under his capable leadership.

To the executive, board, staff, and volunteers of the Federation – you have my sincere gratitude and respect for the tenacity you have demonstrated despite untenable circumstances. Our community is lucky to have you.

Thank you all for the trust you have shown me over the past two years.

Zei gezunt,

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

Dear Community Members, 

Over the past year, we have felt the aftershocks brought on by the global pandemic. In the face of this adversity, our focus has always been on our community, first and foremost. 

The support of our donors helped to ensure that our work continued without interruption allowing our community to remain connected and engaged. Our resilience and adaptability have been clearly demonstrated. We built on every opportunity to be stronger; I sincerely believe we are stronger now then when the pandemic began. When we work together to achieve our collective goals, there is little we cannot accomplish. Over the past year, the level of collaboration between the beneficiary agencies has been unparalleled. 

Federation volunteers and staff together with our generous donors have dedicated themselves to addressing the most pressing concerns as our needs continue to evolve. The 2020-2021 CJA Campaign, co-chaired by Neil Duboff and Peter Leipsic, successfully raised $6,439,994. The Federation’s “Leave More Than Memories” endowment fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba has reached $5,919,829 million. 

Connecting people with Jewish life has always been central to what we do. Throughout the year, you enabled us to invest in a strong future for our community through planning, immigration, engagement, youth programming, advocacy, addressing antisemitism, and more. We accomplished this by leveraging tools at our disposal, including digital communications, social media, and virtual events. 

As you can see, we have a great deal of momentum behind us. We hope you have found inspiration in all that we have accomplished together. As we move forward, I welcome your feedback and ideas. I am always a phone call or email away. 

I would like to thank Joel Lazer, our outgoing President, for his passion, tireless commitment, and dedication. To our incoming President, Gustavo Zentner, and our board, I look forward to continuing to work with you to grow and build upon our success. 

As we embark on this next year, I once again ask for you continued support. Thank you for all you have done to build your community. 

Sincerely, 

Elaine Goldstine 

Our Mission

Acting as the representative body of the Winnipeg Jewish Community, building and sustaining a strong, secure and connected community rooted in Jewish values.

Our Vision

Building a vibrant, connected Winnipeg Jewish Community.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT

No other gift has the power to impact more Jewish lives than a gift to the Combined Jewish Appeal. Because of the CJA we can care for our most vulnerable; build and strengthen Jewish identity and education, invest in Israel and overseas, and promote Jewish/Israel advocacy. When you give through the CJA, you preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life.

The 2020-2021 annual campaign lead by Campaign Co-Chairs, Neil Duboff and Peter Leipsic raised a total of $6,451,061 from 2,096 donations. Of the amount, $2,058,017 was raised in the Women’s Philanthropy division and $165,417 was raised in the Young Adult Division. We are proud to report that CJA’s cost to raise was $412,850, or just 6.3%.

Women’s Philanthropy engages Jewish women in the fulfilling work of making the world a better place, building, and supporting Jewish life for today and for generations to come. Inspired by the Jewish imperative that we are responsible for each other and for the world in which we live, our donors come from all walks and all stages of life.

The Ben-Gurion Society (BGS) embodies his legacy - young men and women combining their vision, passion and resources to build a strong and responsible Jewish community. BGS is a donor recognition program for adults 25-45 who give a household annual campaign gift of at least $1,000.

Our Leave More Than Memories Endowment Fund is a perpetual annual campaign endowment fund held at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and created for the sole purpose of enabling donors to continue supporting the annual campaign, forever. We are happy to report that our fund rose to $5,919,829.

Lions of Judah play a vital role in creating social justice, aiding the vulnerable, preserving human dignity and building Jewish identity through their leadership gift of at least $5,000 to the Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA).

By becoming a Budding Philanthropist, donors under the age of 18 and their families can participate in acts of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repairing the world) together. Throughout the year, we hosted a variety of engaging events that are exclusive to our young donors.

IMPACT REPORT

2020 was exceptionally challenging for many members of our Winnipeg Jewish community and support was needed more than ever. Our Campaign was launched to ensure that every community member would have a place to turn – and you responded. Because of you we were able to support; food insecurity; isolation; mental health, addiction, and bereavement counselling; Jewish education; seniors’ outreach and much, much more.

ALLOCATIONS

Please click here to view the 2020-2021 Report of the Allocations Committee

Each spring, the Allocations Committee meets to review beneficiary agencies' requests for funding and recommends allocations to the Federation Board of Directors for approval. The Allocations Committee provides oversight to fulfill the Federation’s financial commitments to the community, ensuring the donors’ valuable investments are well spent. Meetings through the rest of the year are opportunities to celebrate beneficiary agencies' successes, develop closer collaborations between organizations and to offer support in other areas of expertise, networking, and services.

COMMUNITY PLANNING

Community Planning assesses the long-term needs of our Jewish community, identifies priorities, and develops action plans to involve community members across all demographics. Through a regular ongoing planning cycle, the committee gathers organizational leadership, conducts community consultation, and facilitates cross communal planning and collaboration.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS & ADVOCACY

Public Affairs & Advocacy represents our community to other communities, government and media on a variety of matters including antisemitism, advocacy, social justice, and Holocaust awareness. It serves as the local representative for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT

Connects members of the Jewish community to more of Jewish life, in collaboration with community organizations and volunteers.

PJ Library

Offers Jewish-themed books that explore Jewish culture, values, and tradition to families with young children 0-8 years of age. Federation invests $50 US per year for each child’s subscription.

PJ Our Way

PJ Our Way is the next chapter of PJ Library aimed at children 8-12 years of age. It allows them to choose their own books, create programs and develop leadership skills.

Community Outreach

Federation is dedicated to engaging the community through Jewish initiatives and events to give community members what they need to lead meaningful Jewish lives. In March, we quickly pivoted to virtual gatherings and initiatives with great success.

GROWWINNIPEG

Our GrowWinnipeg initiative increases the Jewish population of Winnipeg through recruiting and guiding qualifying candidates, facilitating social and employment contacts, and connecting newcomers with Jewish community organizations and the general community.

ISRAEL & OVERSEAS

Promotes a strong connection with Israel and overseas by supporting needs and sharing opportunities, while working with partners to provide the community with Israel education and cultural events.

Birthright Israel

Birthright Israel offers the gift of a free, educational, 10-day peer group trip to Israel for young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 32. The trip allows participants to meet new friends and make connections to Israel, its people, and the Jewish community.

Partnership 2Gether

P2G connects the Jewish communities of Winnipeg and the Upper Galil Panhandle in Israel through Gesher Chai, people-to-people exchanges involving high school students and elementary school teachers and promotes the sharing of ideas and funding of projects.

March of the Living

An educational program where Jewish teens travel to Poland to learn about the once flourishing Jewish community in Europe before the tragedy of the Holocaust. After a week of touring villages, ghettos and concentration camps, the participants visit Israel where they learn about its establishment and survival.

Missions to Israel

Federation organizes Mission to Israel where participants learn about its history, politics and culture, take part in exclusive programs and see first-hand the impact our dollars make.

NEXT GENERATION INITIATIVES

Promotes leadership by building Jewish identity through Israel related activities, programming, social action and social events.

Hillel Winnipeg is the centre for Jewish life on campus. Its mission is to provide opportunities for every Jewish student to deepen their connection to Jewish identity and community through social, social justice, and cultural/holiday programming.

Genesis YWG engages community members between the ages of 24-45 in events, through networking and volunteering opportunities designed to engage young adults in our Jewish community.

CREATIVE & COMMUNICATIONS

Engages viewers and readers in the Jewish and general communities from Winnipeg and around the globe in a creative, informative way. Using a variety of social media platforms, email marketing tools and our newly refreshed website, we keep the community up-to-date on the latest from Federation and beyond.

FINANCE

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

View our 2020-2021 Audited Financial Statements approved by our Board of Directors.

WHO WE ARE

Chief Executive Officer 

204.477.7427

 

 

jfw logo 4x3.jpg

Hillel Post-Secondary Engagement Coordinator 

204.480.6561

Chief Financial Officer 

204.477.7402

 

 

Chief Development Officer 

204.477.7403

Community Planning and Allocations Director 

204.477.7422

Engagement Team Associate

204.477.7424

Education & Engagement Director

204.480.7559

AR21 Florencia.jpg

Administrative Associate

 

Jordan Lazareck »

Office Support 

 

Public Relations & Communications Director 

204.477.7423

Campaign Associate 

204.477.7428

 

 

Creative Director 

204.477.7404

 

Donor Development Director

204.477.7426

Executive Assistant

(on leave)

Donor Relations & Programs Manager 

204.477.7407

Accountant 

204.477.7401

 

Interim Executive Assistant  

204.477.7421

Development Associate

204.477.7473

 

GrowWinnipeg Director

204.477.7470