Emergency Fund Appeal
We Need Your Help Now
Chochmat HaLev needs to raise $90,000 between now and June 30, 2012 to meet our operating shortfall and fix the sanctuary ceiling. We desperately need to fill our budget gap or the very continuation of our blessed community in its present form will be in jeopardy. Please donate today using Paypal Button below.
Chochmat HaLev needs to raise $90,000 between now and June 30, 2012 to meet our operating shortfall and fix the sanctuary ceiling. We desperately need to fill our budget gap or the very continuation of our blessed community in its present form will be in jeopardy. Please donate today using Paypal Button below.
| Read Rabbi SaraLeya's teaching from the Talmud, the Zohar and the Psalms about ceilings, holiness, and generosity. Read other generosity teachings from our tradition here.
The recent collapse of the sanctuary ceiling underscores our financial fragility – but our spirit and community are strong. We are looking to -- and counting on -- our members and all who love and value this community to come forward in support. We know that the Divine provides and we also know that we are all needed to help create the solution.
Our Emergency Drive starts immediately. We are asking each person reading this web page to make a one-time emergency donation. As you do so, please consider carefully: • How important Chochmat Halev is to you • That it costs an average of $1,600 per adult member to cover Chochmat’s current operating expenses • That your own financial resources vis-à-vis others in our community may permit you to be more generous than this average (and others may not have the resources to contribute this amount.) • What could be shifted in your budget to help sustain Chochmat • That our dues are the lowest of any synagogue in the Bay Area· Please use the PayPal Button on this Page to contribute right now. We also invite you to read about Jewish teachings on the topics of giving (tzedakah, terumah) and charitable responsibility. We are blessed with a tradition of generosity and gratitude. We are calling on each member of our community to live those traditions today in support of Chochmat HaLev. You might be wondering… How did we get here? The general economic crisis has hit us hard, as it has all non-profits, and we have been operating in deficit for a number of years. We have endured the last few years using up some cash reserves. Those reserves are now gone What about all I’ve already given? We are in deep gratitude to you for already reaching into your pockets to support Chochmat HaLev. We are especially grateful to our members, without whom we would not exist. Unfortunately this has not been sufficient to sustain us. We deeply appreciate and thank you in advance for the incredible outpouring of generosity we’ve already begun to see. How will we prevent this urgent situation from happening again? The Board and leadership of Chochmat HaLev is committed to sustainability. Our financial situation has not strengthened and solidified as rapidly as other aspects of our community. We have new services and programs, our school is growing, there is new energized leadership and our community and members are more committed than ever, but we need our financial situation to catch up. We made difficult lay-off decisions in November and continue to watch costs very closely as we grow our programming. We now have robust and active membership, fundraising and communications committees. We are working not only on this short-term need, but also on longer term goals. We are committed to operating in a way that sustains us with stability from year to year. Our vision is that we move to a place of financial peace and comfort, and that we are prepared with adequate reserves for emergencies like the ceiling falling in. This campaign is a crucial step in that direction. How much should my yearly membership dues be? Chochmat HaLev has a Fair Share Membership Dues Program that will help you determine your fair share. Another way to think about your dues is that when our pared down budget is divided by the number of members we have, $1,600 is the average amount needed per adult member to continue our current operations. Consider this community and where your income level falls. Please remember that many will not be able to contribute this amount, so others who can comfortably give more that $1600 must do so for Chochmat to sustain itself. What if I want to Help and am not a member? We welcome and need financial contributions from everyone who believes in Chochmat HaLev, appreciates our music and programming, and values our mission. We warmly invite your membership, but we need you to give as generously as you can even if you are not yet ready to become a member. What else can I do besides give money? · Volunteer for one of the upcoming phone banks to get the word out about our emergency drive · Give office or other help on a regular basis (we are understaffed as a result of budget slashes). You can see specific needs at http://www.chochmat.org/volunteers.html. · Invite others to join our community. Just 50 more members would relieve our current budget crisis. How can I get more information? Information on the sanctuary ceiling emergency and our budget deficit will be regularly updated on the Community Page of the Website You can reach Chochmat’s Interim Director, Jen Roitman at jen@chochmat.org. Your can reach Chochmat HaLev Board President Lainey Feingold at Lainey@chochmat.org Tradition
Thank you for visiting the Chochmat HaLev Donations page. The Jewish Tradition is steeped in teachings of generosity. Your gift to Chochmat allows you to become part of that tradition. Your contribution will support those who have found a home at Chochmat, those who have not yet discovered us, and the generations yet to come. Read more about Jewish teachings on generosity. Our tradition gives us many excuses to donate to causes and institutions we love and value. Have a birthday, graduation, wedding or other simcha to celebrate? Honoring a loved one during their Yahrtzeit? Feeling gratitude for Shabbat or a Jewish holiday? All of these occasions can be marked with Tzedakah (charitable giving). Support your Jewish community today with a gift to Chochmat HaLev. Thank you for your Generosity Chochmat HaLev could not exist without your generosity. The Chochmat HaLev Board of Directors, spiritual leaders, staff and members are committed to ensuring that Chochmat HaLev is a sustainable, vibrant and thriving Community. But we cannot do it without you! There are many ways to help support our holy community financially. Please help Chochmat remain vibrant. Please donate today. Donate Now
Thank you, The Chochmat HaLev Community |
