As faith communities across the U.S. face diminishing congregations, Judea Reform Congregation (JRC) is growing in the Triangle. Anticipating 1,000 new Jewish families arriving in Durham and Chapel Hill in the coming years, JRC is readying to embrace them.
Given the critical role of Rabbinic leadership, JRC could not remain a one rabbi congregation and meet all of its community’s needs. But funding a second rabbi had long been a challenge.
So, a campaign was conceived to build an endowment that would provide a sustainable approach to not just a “second rabbi,” but to address the longer-term clergy team needs for generations to come.
The Campaign:
The “From Strength to Strength” campaign, “Chazak Chazak,” was launched to raise $3.2 million, and is now more than halfway toward meeting that goal.
As the JRC witnesses growth in its membership across the age spectrum, it is sees members of all ages who recognize that their rabbi needs help. Many of them are making significant gifts in recognition that it takes more than any one rabbi to serve this active, growing congregation.
These are transformational gifts in a campaign that will have long-lasting impact for the JRC and its community.
Campaigns cannot be successful without dedicated leadership. The JRC campaign credits the leadership of its Development Committee, chaired by Carrie Sloan Norry, and the JRC’s former president, Heidi Tyson, who all stepped up to help make this all possible.
With many lead gifts now secured under the guidance of CapDev Senior Counsel, Kristye Brackett, and leadership of Campaign Co-Chairs, Ziva Starr Raney and Steve Simon, JRC is now entering into a phase of parlor meetings for one-on-one follow-up with potential major donors. This will be followed by a marketing blitz which will lead into the campaign’s final wrap-up phase.
Testimonials:
Here’s what Justin Steinschriber, Director of Operations & Senior Program Officer for The Leon Levine Foundation had to say about the campaign:
“Judea Reform Congregation has become a trusted partner to The Leon Levine Foundation in recent years. Building a strong sense of community for hundreds of families requires the collective efforts of clergy, professional staff and lay leaders. In a time when relationships are critical to connection, meaning and purpose, forward-thinking congregations must continue to invest in their ‘human’ capital.”
Campaign Co-Chair, Ziva Starr Raney said of the campaign:
“I am so proud of what we are doing to build relational experiences that strengthen our community today and well into the future. In our conversations with our members, we can see and feel the incredible value Judea Reform Congregation brings to our community. The success we are experiencing is a testament to the impact we can have and the culture of philanthropy our leadership has worked to build over the last few years.”
Lasting Impact:
The end-result of a campaign like this is more than simply funding a new rabbi position for JRC; it is a demonstration of the congregation’s commitment to support for a clergy team that will provide nourishing experiences in every facet of communal engagement, enabling valuable clergy touch points across this growing spectrum.