Legacy giving empowers YOU to support your passions
By Dana Rubin • Development Director
Just last month I had what I would describe as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the man, the legend, Mr. Harold Grinspoon. For those of you who don’t know who I am talking about, Mr. Grinspoon (pictured above, second from left) is the founder and donor behind PJ Library and now the Life and Legacy Program. He is funding programs that engage the newest members of our Jewish community to ensure the legacy left by those that are no longer with us.
At 90 years old, Harold Grinspoon continues to travel, remain active and share his love of the Jewish people and Jewish continuity with all those he meets. When Mr. Grinspoon started the Life and Legacy program, a program that we have now adopted in the Twin Cities with our local name, It’s Your Legacy, he did so with the intention to make sure that our Jewish institutions, synagogues, social service agencies, etc. remain steadfast and strong, long after the current supporters are gone. He was fearful that so much money was going to universities, the arts and the secular community, and not flowing back into the Jewish community. He was intent on ensuring that all across the world, Judaism continued to flourish.
The Twin Cities became the fourth cohort of the National Life and Legacy Program and we are just wrapping up Year 2 of this program. Together, as a community, we have worked together to talk to our donors, volunteers, potential donors and so many more about their vision for the future, how they want to ensure the ongoing strength of our Jewish institutions, and what legacy they want to leave or be remembered by as an individual or a family. Along with several of my colleagues at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, we have had hundreds of conversations with donors or groups about legacy giving and have seen much success. The idea of legacy giving is certainly daunting for some. Thinking about our mortality might be unnerving, yet this conversation is really about empowerment. It empowers you to make a decision while you can about your philanthropic support, it empowers you to let an institution you are passionate about know your passion, and it empowers you to do good without having to spend any money right now.
We hope you will consider leaving a legacy to an agency/school/synagogue or any non-profit that you support and care about. If you are interested in leaving a gift to JFCS, please contact us to have a conversation, and if you have already named JFCS in an estate plan or other bequest, please let us know. For 108 years, JFCS has been Here For All. Always. With your current and future support, there are no limits.