Organizations participating in the Create Your Jewish Legacy program now have an additional incentive to gather promises for legacy gifts: a $5,000 incentive grant, which is in addition to the $10,000 they will already receive from the LIFE & LEGACY program, if they reach set goals.

The twelve participating organizations each set out to secure 18 legacy commitments from their supporters this year – and by July, the vast majority had already blown through that goal. Given their early success, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, with ongoing support from The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, decided to provide additional incentives to continue the momentum through the end of the year.

Organizations that have secured 18 “letters of intent” – or declarations from donors expressing their intention to leave a legacy gift–are eligible for a $10,000 incentive grant from the LIFE & LEGACY program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The organizations must now add an additional 10 legacy commitments to whatever number they had secured as of August 1 to receive the additional grant.

“We know how powerful incentives can be, and we also know how capable our teams are. But ultimately this is about garnering support for our community’s future,” said Danielle V. Minson, Chief Development Officer at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.

So far, Cincinnati has secured over $10 million in estimated future legacy gifts from a total of 300 commitments – in just one year. “I am truly impressed by how many of our fellow community members are stepping up to ensure the future sustainability of our organizations, day schools, and congregations. It’s an investment we all feel good about,” said Bill Freedman, Create Your Jewish Legacy Chair.

The Create Your Jewish Legacy program is modeled on a program founded in 2002, and replicated in over 40 Jewish communities around the country. The national program’s success inspired the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to launch LIFE & LEGACY, an initiative that provides training, funding, grants and other support to 21 communities across the United States, including Cincinnati, to help build sustainability for Jewish communal organizations.

Create Your Jewish Legacy is run by the Jewish Federation and is also supported by The Jewish Foundation and seven private families. The organizations currently involved in this effort are: Adath Israel Congregation, Cedar Village Foundation, the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, Cincinnati Hillel, Congregation Beth Adam, Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati, Jewish Family Service, K.K. Bene Israel/Rockdale Temple, the Mayerson JCC, Northern Hills Synagogue, and Rockwern Academy.

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati hopes to continue the program’s momentum, and to provide support for all of our Jewish community organizations and their legacy giving initiatives. The additional $5,000 incentive grants that are now available will help motivate organizations to build on their successes and obtain new commitments between now and December 31, 2015.