SOLICITOR RESOURCES

Even if your request to meet with a donor is met with a “no”, there are still opportunities to keep the conversation going.

Scenario 1: Donor replies no need to meet, please renew my gift the same as last year or mail my card

REPLY: Thank you very much. We appreciate your support. I would still like to meet to share some of the new initiatives coming out of Federation like AgeWell Atlanta, a neighborhood connector program for PJ Library, funding for Jewish Abilities Alliance, which helps people with disabilities connect in a variety of ways.

IF: Donor says no thank you or no need.
THEN: Thank you very much for your generosity OR I will be happy to mail/email.  Are you receiving our Fed5 newsletter to keep up to date with the Atlanta Jewish community? If not, please let me know a good email for you.

Scenario 2: Donor says I don’t have time right now
REPLY: Ask when in the future might be convenient and try to make an appointment.
IF: I don’t know when I will have time.
THEN: Thank you, I will reach out in a few weeks/months to reconnect.

Scenario 3: Donor says no gift this year/cut my gift
REPLY: May I ask why not this year?
IF: Donor says financial, health, or other reason.
THEN: Is there anything we can do to help?  I am happy to connect you to one of our community partners who can assist you directly.

Scenario 4:  Donor says I am retiring/retired and need to cut or not make a gift
REPLY: Have you spoken with anyone at the Atlanta Jewish Foundation about alternative ways to continue your giving to Federation and other organizations you support?
IF: Donor replies no not interested.

THEN: Thank them for their ____ years of giving and let them know that you are more than happy to be a resource for them if you can do anything.

The best outcomes happen when your donor feels good about their gift. Get to know them and help them understand how their gift to Federation can fulfill their personal priorities and expand Jewish possibilities across Atlanta. Before you ask for a gift, LISTEN. Here are some starter questions that can help spur meaningful conversation.

• What do you think are the most important issues facing the Atlanta Jewish Community?
• What kind of Jewish community do you want in Atlanta for your children and grandchildren?
• When was your first gift to Federation? Why did you give?
• Why does Federation matter to you?
• What are you most passionate about inside or outside of the Jewish community? Why?
• What would you like to pass on to future generations?

Based on what you learn from your donor in Step 2, help them understand how an investment in our community through Federation will have an impact on the areas they are most passionate about.

For the donor most interested in sustaining community

Federation is here to care for, connect and strengthen our Jewish community. While we recognize that we need to evolve alongside shifting community needs, our core mission has not and will not change. We ensure that Jewish Atlanta is thriving with opportunities for Jewish engagement and education, and resources to care for our aging population, people with disabilities, and people facing life challenges, creating impact beyond what any individual organization can do alone.

Points to highlight:

• Core funding to MJCCA, JF&CS, Jewish HomeLife, Hillel, Breman Museum, and day schools
• Funding dozens of vital programs in our community ranging from overnight camping to PJ Library and from AgeWell Atlanta to Jewish Educational Loan Fund to Friendship Circle
• Community-Wide Security program keeps more than 70 venues safe and has helped to secure over $1.6 million in nonprofit security grants since 2016

For the donor who wants to know what Federation is doing new and different

Federation is adapting to our changing community by creating more Jewish places, inspiring more Jewish journeys, welcoming all Jews and their loved ones, and broadening our commitment to global Jewish peoplehood. We are also creating a culture of experimentation, learning, and collaboration within Jewish Atlanta to nourish ideas and help our community achieve its full potential. We are supporting new approaches to old challenges, along with models that have never been tried – within established organizations, through partnerships, and from new dreamers.

Points to highlight:

• Raised and distributed more than $4M for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
• Jewish Abilities Alliance surveyed the Atlanta Jewish community about how they can best serve the community
• Federation Innovation distributed more than $10,000 through Propel Pitch – a ‘Shark Tank’-style event where the Jewish Atlanta community voted on the best of ideas from Propel grantees.

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For the donor passionate about overseas work

Federation is here to care for, connect and strengthen our Jewish community. Not just in Atlanta, but in Israel and around the world. We are committed to both caring for Jews wherever they are in need, and to rebuilding Jewish identity in communities that are revitalizing from the brink of Jewish extinction. We are also expanding on our sense of global peoplehood by creating more opportunities for people-to-people connections, immersive experiences, and open dialogue.

Points to highlight:

• Over $2.8 million invested in impact around the world through Joint Distribution Committee and Jewish Agency for Israel
• Ethiopian absorption, disabilities inclusion and hi-tech training in our partner region of Yokneam-Megiddo
• Support for religious pluralism in Israel
• A vibrant Shinshinim program with eight recent Israeli high school graduates who bring the Israeli spirit and culture to our schools, synagogues, camps and other community programming
• Reviving Jewish Journeys abroad following the COVID-19 pandemic

Generic “Why Federation?”

Federation is built for this. In ordinary and extraordinary years, we care for, connect and strengthen the Jewish community. We are philanthropic champions for the community, providing ways for everyone to give back to causes they care about and to find meaning and purpose. Federation has the reach, relevance and impact to go beyond what any individual organization can do alone, and provides the satisfaction of participating in something bigger than one’s self. Last year total philanthropy surpassed $21.4 million thanks to you!

Points to highlight:

• Philanthropic champion raising vital funds to empower Jewish Atlanta
• Community incubator and amplifier, creating and nurturing partnerships among organizations to enable projects to move forward in a bigger way to best serve the community
• We use the knowledge and data we have through community planning to identify gaps and create a vision to best move Jewish Atlanta forward, and we help new projects get started through funding, mentoring and other capacity building.
• Wayfinder linking people to services, resources and events and helping them navigate our community

An objection from a donor is often really just a request for information that can be overcome if you keep the conversation going. If someone hesitates or objects, validate their concerns and empathize.

• “I’m glad you brought that up…”
• “Yes, I’ve felt that way myself…”
• “I’ve never thought of it that way; however…”
• “I’ve been personally affected by COVID-19…”

Visit the frequently asked questions/concerns (FAQ) section to help you respond to your donors. If you don’t have the answer, it is ok to tell the donor you will get back to them. Federation professionals will be happy to provide you with any additional answers you may need.

Through conversation, hopefully you have inspired the donor to invest generously in Jewish Atlanta. Now it’s time to make the ask. Your request for a donation is a response to the conversation you just had. For example: “You’ve just shared that _______ is important to you. Please consider making a gift of $X to the Partners Fund to ensure that programs such as ___________ can continue to thrive.” Don’t be afraid to pause and wait for the response!

After they make a donation to the 2022 Community Campaign, it’s also a great opportunity to remind them about legacy giving. You can thank them for their donation and follow by asking questions such as:

• Have you thought about how you can continue to support the causes you care about in the future?
• Do you think the next generation will support the causes you care about?  If not, do you want to talk about ways to help ensure those organizations can continue doing what they do best?
• Did you know that you can give to lots of special causes you care about through a donor advised fund?

Whatever the outcome, thank the donor for their time and gift. After your meeting, make sure to report the results, along with any notes of what you learned about your donor, back to Federation at www.jewishatlanta.org/solicitors, or via phone or email. And, don’t forget to call/email the donor once again to say THANK YOU.

We’re so sorry to hear about your situation. Our partners at Jewish Family and Career Services are well equipped to help you through this difficult time. Please contact them at 770-677-9300 or visit their website at jfcsatl.org.

The Jewish Partners Fund is the engine that powers all of Jewish Atlanta and the most impactful gift you can make. Through this fund, you support the whole – enabling us to continue to provide the programs and services Jewish Atlantans depend on. With one single gift, you ensure the vibrancy of foundational organizations like Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, Jewish Family & Career Services, Jewish HomeLife, Hillels of Georgia, The Breman Museum, day schools, and more – totaling 70+ Jewish organizations & programs that nourish our people here and abroad. This is what Federation is built for.

Targeted Philanthropy provides you with the opportunities to enhance your giving through community priority projects that align with your interests and values This year, our priority projects are AgeWell Atlanta, Jewish Abilities Alliance, Jewish Camp Initiative, Jewish Innovation Fund, and PJ Library. Through Targeted Philanthropies, we continue to focus on programs where we are seeing great success deepening Jewish engagement and connecting with a new generation, and we re-evaluate the most pressing needs of the community each year.

Atlanta Jewish Foundation can help with the tools you are seeking. Please visit the website at AtlantaJewishFoundation.org or contact foundation@jewishatlanta.org.
Would you like me to introduce you directly to a Foundation professional?

Yes, you can give monthly and you can charge your gift by credit card on our main donation page. For additional payment inquiries, please contact Jessica Johnson jjohnson@jewishatlanta.org.

We encourage you to speak with a Federation or Atlanta Jewish Foundation professional to review the various giving vehicles available to match your needs.

Federation supports programs that inspire Jewish journeys, enable us to rise up to strengthen ourselves & our world, create a radically welcoming Jewish Atlanta with many different Jewish places, provide security and other important community-wide services, and deepen our connections with global Jewish peoplehood. For a summary of where money was allocated last year, please visit the fiscal transparency page on our website.

Federation is committed to helping Jews in need wherever they are. The programs we fund help people, not government. We know that Israel is a complicated modern nation, and we are committed to convening respectful, open dialogue where we truly listen and learn from each other. While some may struggle with Israel’s politics, we remain steadfast in our support of Israel as the Jewish homeland, and we recognize that we need Israel’s spirit and know-how as much as Israel needs us.

We’re so excited you want to become more involved with Federation. Can we find a time to sit down with a professional from Federation to discuss the best path for your involvement?

What we used to call “missions” are now called Jewish Journeys, and they remain a critical part of our work in Israel and around the world. You can sign learn more about the 2023 Journey to Israel here.

Federation is relaunching a full schedule of Jewish Journeys. Learn more here.