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May 2, 2002/Nisan 30, 5763 Vol. 55, No. 36
Letters to the EditorMay 2, 2003
Federation needs new fund-raising tacticsEditor:I do share Irv Fellner's frustrations in his letter to the editor regarding the annual campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix ("Federation failed 'to ask,' " Jewish News, April 25). I too have had similar experiences in the past years. I have not been gone for a while and am not relatively new to the community. A resident since 1971, having a retail store, being involved for a short term with the Jewish Community Center as a board member, having been a member of a temple for several years, I have hardly been invisible. I have made several unsuccessful calls to the people that were involved in solicitations, including the federation executive vice president, offering my annual pledge, but no one had bothered to call me back to register it. Finally, I have contacted one of the most active members of the Jewish community in Phoenix who, after two tries, convinced the "right" person to call me and to accept my pledge. Yes, I had to ask and ask again to have my pledge card dusted off and have someone make that phone call. I don't think that this type of "modus operandi" is conducive to a successful fund raiser. Frank Neuman Scottsdale Editor: I read with interest your commentary titled "If you don't ask..." (Jewish News, April 18) While it is true that asking new people will probably get a few more federation donations, the reason people don't give is that they are not interested in the cause. Quite a few years ago I was asked by the director of federation to take Horace Goldsmith around to some of the agencies and then bring him to the federation office to ask him for his pledge. Later that day, when the director asked him for his pledge, he promptly responded: $1,000. The director's jaw almost hit the floor. I told the director that he should not have been shocked because that pledge meant that Horace was not interested in the federation's agencies. His main interest was having buildings named after him in universities both here and in Israel. The moral of my story is that it is far more important to get your prospective donor interested in your project before you ask for his/her donation. So the formula is simple: If interest is low, the contribution will be low. If interest is high, you will get the maximum contribution based on a prospective donor's financial situation. Morrie Feller Phoenix Editor's note: The late Horace and Grace Goldsmith, who maintained a home here, were internationally known philanthropists whose charitable foundation has distributed millions of dollars to building funds and special projects.
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