Life & Legacy
The LIFE & LEGACY program is a partnership between the Jewish Community Foundation, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and a select cohort of community based organizations. The program is designed to ensure the financial future of local Jewish institutions through growing the endowments benefiting each of us.
Legacy Case Statement
You Belong Here . . . , today, and for all tomorrows.
B’nai Aviv is the soul of our Southwestern Broward County Jewish community. The place we gather for shared Jewish experiences, just as the generations before us.
Here we share experiences that mark the moments of our lives - the bursts of joy as we rejoice the births of children and grandchildren, the accomplishment we feel at our own bar/bat mitzvah, and our deep pride as we watch our children, recognizing the 13 years have flown by in an instant and that our children have been blessed with a “pintele yid” – the Jewish spark that can flare up in every Jew with the light of Torah. The beauty and understanding we feel under the Chuppah that, in love, we are embarking on a life together and, G-d-willing, that we and the Jewish people will be perpetuated. And, ultimately, we remember and recount our time with our loved ones and how they have touched and influenced who we are and how we live our lives. Our community thrives because here Judaism is living generation to generation.
Whether we were raised at B’nai Aviv or joined as a young adult or later in life, we are all seeking a connection in our lives to our past, present and future, and to living Jewishly in a world of many demands and distractions. At B’nai Aviv, we gather together for the day to day experiences that shape our lives and our relationships with our families, friends and community: The safe and nurturing Jewish environment we provide our very youngest; the foundational Jewish education and socialization we offer through our religious school and youth programs; and the connections and understandings that blossom through B’nai Aviv’s myriad of educational and other offerings, which inspire us to think of our Jewish family worldwide. While we flourish in the spiritual growth and comfort we derive from our religious services, clergy and fellow congregants, we are mindful of and practice tikkun olam, and support Israel and the United States of America by taking action to effect change beyond the confines of our individual lives and our synagogue’s calendar.
We have all benefited from the vision and actions of B’nai Aviv’s founding families that established our Conservative synagogue as the anchor of Jewish life in Southwest Broward. Now, we too have the opportunity and obligation to ensure that this Jewish community we helped build will endure for generations. Safeguard the future by making a meaningful legacy gift to sustain B’nai Aviv, the Jewish community and the traditions you cherish.
And through your gift, You will Belong, and be, Here – today, and for all tomorrows.
Top Ten Legacy Giving Myths
10. I already give money annually. Thank you so much! Regular giving is an important part of how nonprofits keep their doors open. But what happens to the organization you have supported when you are no longer here to make that gift? A legacy gift can help ensure that your support continues.
9. I don’t want the publicity associated with Legacy Giving. Part of our philanthropic practice involves thanking those who have made a legacy commitment. Publishing a list of names and offering special opportunities to legacy givers can inspire others to participate in this important program. But if you’re not the kind of person who wants the world to know about your generosity, you can choose to remain anonymous.
8. Only seniors can leave a legacy gift. Seniors are an important and influential group, but any person—no matter their age—can support the causes and organizations they cherish after they are gone. If you have assets, you'll want to be the one to decide how they should be divided... at any age.
7. I will need to hire a lawyer. There are many Legacy gift vehicles that don't require hiring an attorney. Consider making your favorite nonprofit a beneficiary of a portion of your life insurance policy or retirement fund. This change can usually be made with a single phone call and a signature, no attorney necessary.
6. I won’t get to decide what happens to my gift. Even though you won’t be here to see the impact your legacy gift will be making, you can predetermine where your dollars will go and stipulate how they should be spent. If you’d like to fund a technology upgrade, purchase books, or make sure extra scholarships are available, just stipulate that as part of your gift. Don’t imagine that you have to restrict your gift though… sometimes general funding the thing that an organization most needs.
5. If the organization dissolves, so will my money. It’s hard to predict where any of us will be in 10, 20, even 50 years. If you are worried that your organization might not be around when your gift is ready, you can indicate that you’d like it to go to a particular cause (Jewish education) as a second choice.
4. My children are getting all my money. Every parent wants to make sure their children are financially secure. Consider leaving just a portion of your estate to charitable causes. A gift like this will leave your children with both financial support and an ethical lesson in the importance building a better world.
3. I might need my money. It's true, you might. And it'll be there for you if and when you do. This type of gift represents what you want to give once you are no longer here to need your assets.
2. I want my money to go where it’s most needed. Sometimes it’s not an organization that moves us, but the idea that we can make a difference in the world. If you have a mission that you’d like to accomplish, We can help you plan your legacy gift around accomplishing that mission. Contact …
1. I have to be a millionaire to leave a legacy. The beauty of legacy giving is that you can make a gift of any amount of your estate. Whether your estate is worth a few shekels or a few billion, your gift is your legacy. And your legacy should live on!
