by Josh Gressel
“I found a fruitful world, because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise I am planting for my children.”
Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 23A
That idea—l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation—is at the heart of Netivot Shalom’s legacy effort: creating a reliable source of support so our community can thrive long into the future.
What is the Legacy Committee, who is on it, and why was it formed?
The Legacy Committee is something Netivot Shalom has been trying to get off the ground for a number of years. The basic principle is to build long-term funds that can support the synagogue year after year–especially through a permanent endowment-style fund whose principal is protected and generates an annual stream of support for day-to-day operations.
Here’s the simple picture: if a fund grows to $1 million and follows a typical annual distribution policy of around 4%, it could provide about $40,000 each year for the synagogue’s budget–not as a one-time gift, but as ongoing support in perpetuity (while aiming to preserve the fund’s value over time).
While anyone can donate to these funds at any time, the general thrust is to invite people to include Netivot Shalom in their estate plans—through a will or trust, or by naming Netivot Shalom as a beneficiary of an IRA/retirement account or life insurance policy. This way, no one is out of pocket today, and donors can feel they are still supporting their community even when they are no longer physically around to do so. (And of course, if you’d rather leave a gift to Netivot’s general fund, that’s wonderful too.)
The current incarnation of the Legacy Committee is chaired by me (Josh Gressel) and includes Joel Baitch, Steven Resnick, and Barbara Wezelman. I’d also like to acknowledge Alix Darby, who helped get the committee up and running initially, and Art Braufman who served in its formative stages.
What are the mechanics of making a Legacy commitment?
It’s actually pretty simple. We’ll send you a link to a form that takes just a few minutes to complete if you have the necessary information ready. You complete the form, hit “submit,” and it goes automatically into your ShulCloud account and into the Legacy Committee’s records.
The tricky part for most people is the background work that makes a legacy gift possible—updating a will or trust, or making a beneficiary designation on a retirement account. It’s a task that is very easily and very often avoided by all of us. I like to think that my nudging is good not only for the synagogue in the eventual legacy commitment that ensues, but also for the individual member, because repeated outreach helps us do something we need to do but would otherwise avoid.
What are the funds I can choose from when making a Legacy commitment?
Basically, there are two funds to choose from: the Forever Fund and the Flexible Fund. Donations can be made as a dollar amount or a percentage of your estate (or via a beneficiary designation).
Forever Fund: This is our true endowment-style option. Once money is given, the principal is protected, and the synagogue uses only the annual distribution. People who choose this fund want to make sure their gift supports Netivot forever.
Flexible Fund: This fund is designed for major, high-cost needs–planned or unplanned—with approval of the Legacy Trustees. Examples might include a large building project we can see coming (like a roof nearing the end of its expected life) or a true emergency (like a freak storm that does major damage). People who choose the Flexible Fund want the synagogue to have the ability to respond to large dollar needs when they arise.
A word about governance: the Legacy Trustees is a board created by amendment to our bylaws at the last annual meeting to oversee these funds. It is intentionally separate from the Board and has ultimate authority over when and how funds can be used.
Other: Some people have specific causes they would like their money used for. This can be tricky, because it’s impossible for us now to know the future needs of the synagogue, and we don’t want to bind future leadership to a mechanism that won’t fit reality. Yet some designations are often workable—for example, long-term building maintenance or Jewish education. If you have a specific vision, please check with us.
My children’s needs are paramount to me. It’s hard for me to short-change them to give to Netivot.
No one on the Legacy Committee wants you to take from your children’s needs for Netivot. One way to think about it is that many of us—especially homeowners in the Bay Area—will leave estates that are substantial. If your children receive 90% of your estate, they will feel your blessing, love, support, and generosity in what they receive, just as Netivot will feel your blessing, love, support, and generosity in what it receives.
Of course, not everyone owns a home, and some people have children with special needs who will require extra support. Even in those cases, we are striving for broad participation: any commitment helps strengthen our community, and gifts of any size are valued and deeply appreciated.
I’ve already put Netivot in my will. Do you need to know about that?
Yes please! We’ll send you the link to the form mentioned above so we can record it properly. We can also recognize you (with your permission—and we’re happy to keep things confidential if you prefer) in future Legacy communications. Currently we use Shabbat Shekalim as a way to recognize our donors and raise awareness of the fund through the drash, an after-kiddush talk, and sponsoring kiddush.
Questions, comments, or a desire to make a commitment should be addressed to legacy@netivotshalom.org or joshgressel@gmail.com (they both land in the same inbox).