Vancouver campaign raises record $8 million

The 2014 Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver campaign leaders are pictured at the campaign’s opening night in September. From left are Israeli Consul General DJ Schneeweiss; Judith Cohen, women’s philanthropy chair; Harvey Dales, campaign chair; and federation CEO Ezra Shanken. RHONDA DENT PHOTO

The Vancouver Jewish community punches well above its weight, said Ezra Shanken, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver after the federation announced it had raised a record $8 million in its 2014 annual campaign.

The total, which is $290,000 more than was raised in the 2013 campaign, will go toward supporting programs and services within Vancouver’s Jewish community and several Jewish communities and causes abroad.

Federation attributes a key part of this year’s campaign success to the revival of a match fund that it hadn’t used for several years, which saw gifts from first-time donors and those increasing a donation matched dollar for dollar by several major donors. 

Shanken, who has held the position of federation CEO for just a year, noted that the $150,000 that was raised using this system “really drove the campaign and helped us to get to $8 million.”

Most of the full amount raised – 65 per cent – will go to the 35 local agencies the federation supports and address causes such as Jewish education and assisting vulnerable Jews in the community. 

The rest will go overseas to help organizations such as the Jewish Agency for Israel and to bolster partnerships the federation is engaged in in northern Israel. 

Campaign chair Harvey Dales said in a statement that he was “amazed and inspired by this community and the support received from thousands of donors and hundreds of volunteers.”

He stressed that 93 per cent of the total was raised by volunteer canvassers who contacted and met with members of the community.

Shanken said 250 volunteers went out and met with anywhere from three to 10 individual donors each to talk to them about needs within the community. 

“It’s really quite remarkable to see how many volunteers go out year after year to have these incredible conversations with people,” he said.

Vancouver is the third-largest Jewish community in Canada and the westernmost major Jewish hub, with about 30,000 Jews. 

“In many ways, we take on the individual personality of being the Jewish centre of western Canada, but we also have a connection to other Pacific northwest Jewish communities like Seattle and Portland,” Shanken said. “Seattle has twice as many Jews as we do, but our campaign is much stronger than what we’re seeing south of the border. The infrastructure we have on the ground here is quite extraordinary for a community of 30,000.” 

He said it’s been a strong year generally for the federation, which raised $250,000 for Israel during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge and additional funds for special projects undertaken both locally and globally, such as an initiative to help Jews in Ukraine. 

“It’s been a real banner year for our Jewish community,” Shanken said. 

He emphasized that Vancouver is a particularly unique and dedicated Jewish community. “It’s a very special place. If the physical beauty isn’t enough for you, the warmth of the community is incredible. You can see how warm and generous they are by how they’ve stretched themselves to reach this record campaign,” he said.