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  • The Next Generation of Jewish Philanthropists

The Next Generation of Jewish Philanthropists

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

David Heilbron

by David Heilbron, Director of Youth Philanthropy & Connection at the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis

The Jewish High Holy Days season began in earnest a week and a half ago on Sunday evening, September 30 with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Leading up to Rosh Hashanah, Jews traditionally spend the month of Elul in deep introspection, contemplating the past year in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and ten days later Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. As Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso noted in a previous issue of this newsletter, “[Yom Kippur] marks a time of deep personal introspection…the twenty-four hour [Yom Kippur] fast is a period of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.”

Introspection is a core element of the Jewish fall holidays and remains central throughout the year in my work with teens. A core part of the YoPhI Teen Board (Youth Philanthropy Indy), a grantmaking program for Jewish 11th and 12th graders in the Greater Indianapolis area, focuses on introspection for the Teen Board members and their peers in the broader community. Adolescence is a time of intense growth and identity-building and no matter the forum in which they are participating, teenagers are sorting through a flurry of opinions, emotions, and connections.

While engaging teenagers through the lens of grantmaking and philanthropy, there is an incredible opportunity to develop and inspire a next generation of philanthropists. The 13 members of the inaugural 2018 – 2019 YoPhI Teen Board cohort explored the world of philanthropy through an immersive experience: developing a mission statement to support the youth of greater Indianapolis through education, soliciting and reviewing proposals from a wide array of local organizations, and allocating nearly $5,000 to support their mission. As part of the program’s collaboration with Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Jewish Teen Funders Network, all 13 teen board members earned Certificates in Youth Philanthropic Leadership, identifying these youth as the next generation of leaders and changemakers in the community.

Group of teens talking with leader

Much of the feedback received through surveys from teen participants highlights the importance of recognizing that the process of philanthropic decision-making impacts not only the broader community but also the individual teen participant.

These comments reinforce the findings of an extensive study by the Jewish Education Project called Generation Now, a broad study of Jewish teen engagement programs, in which researchers identified four core questions that adolescents are attempting to answer in any forum in which they are participating:

  1. Who Am I? – developing a strong sense of self and pride

  2. With whom and what am I connected? – experiencing learning that is challenging and enables active participation in their community

  3. To whom and for what am I responsible in this world? – developing significant relationships with family, peers, mentors and values

  4. How can I bring about change in this world? – inspiring and empowering the ability to make a positive impact in the world in which they live

These four questions offer a tool through which leaders can assess the impact of their programs and relationships. Through our philanthropic work, are we expressing our sense of self while also challenging ourselves? Are we working to deepen connections between individuals, communities and personal values? Are we empowering philanthropists that feel connected to their various communities and have the tools to stay engaged? Are we creating opportunities for philanthropists to make a measurable impact in world in which they live? While these core questions connect to the development of adolescents, they can serve as a guide for all philanthropists as they assess their own impact. As young people are more connected to the broader world than ever, the work of philanthropy must do just that – provide an avenue through which teens and young adults can deepen connections to their various communities and to their own sense of self.

Throughout the period of the Jewish High Holy Days, a recurring theme is teshuva, a word which is often translated as repentance but is more appropriately translated as returning since linguistically it is based on the word “return.” 

Group of teens gathered

Returning provides an opportunity to reflect on past actions and also think about how those actions can be changed moving forward. As this New Year begins, take the opportunity to return to the core questions that philanthropists can ask themselves. Use a period of introspection to reflect on how our institutions, organizations, and structures are working to create not just the next generation of knowledgeable philanthropists, but the next generation of connected and empowered humans, ready to make a positive impact on their communities in the world.

Shana Tova! (Happy New Year)


David Heilbron serves as the Director of Youth Philanthropy & Connection at the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, the central philanthropic, planning, community engagement and unifying partner for the Indianapolis Jewish community. Originally from the Washington D.C. area, David has served in a variety of formal and informal education roles in the Jewish and broader communities. David is a founding resident of the Moishe Pod Indy, a community for Jewish 20-somethings to create a vibrant and meaningful Jewish experience, and is studying towards a MJEd/MAJS at Hebrew College. He can be contacted at dheilbron@jfgi.org.

Questions for Reflection

  • How can you use the four questions David cited to assess the impact of programs and relationships in your own organization?
  • What holy days in your tradition might lead you to an opportunity to reflect on the ways you are developing and inspiring young people?

Expanded Perspective

by Anne Brock, Program Manager

The four questions David mentions in his article got me to thinking about the function of short-term mission trips from my days in youth ministry. The longer I was in youth ministry, the more I struggled with short-term mission trips. We raised large amounts of money to transport youth and volunteers to a different state, sometimes a different country. That money could have been used to help support and grow assets already present in the location we traveled to “help.” And yet, these trips helped youth explore questions like "Who am I?" and "How can I bring change in this world?"

Anne Brock

Several years after an overseas trip, I saw a young woman who traveled with us to Kenya become an advocate for vulnerable children. I saw her go back and care for those that were dying, offering warmth and compassion during their final days. 

Another young woman is working to cure AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria globally. Still another is fighting to end solitary confinement in prisons. They are raising money for Riley Children’s Hospital at dance marathons and taking pilgrimages to DC to speak out against inequality. 

I’ve seen former youth become nurses and educators and activists. I’ve seen them come home after college, return to their childhood church and volunteer in the very room where they once sat as teens. 

While I didn’t have Generation Now to reference, I did have resources like this about exploring one’s calling, which gets at many of the same questions David lifts up in his article.

Teens don’t often have the resources to make financial contributions toward the causes for which they are passionate. However, they have something even better than money – they have passion! As they are discovering who they are and how they want to make an impact in the world, they inspire others to help them reach a goal or accomplish a dream.

Giving youth opportunities to learn, grow and explore helps them discover the answers to these vital questions. Is traveling to a distant community to repair a roof worth the money we invest in the trip? If it means youth are gaining necessary experiences to help them discover their place in this world…maybe. I’m still not completely convinced short-term mission trips are the best use of our resources, but when I see all the ways those former youth are making an impact on today’s world, I think it may have been the right choice after all.

ECRF Alumni Invited to a Day of Renewal in Indianapolis

We invite ECRF alumni to a day of renewal and reflection on Thursday, November 21 at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Program Manager, Anne Brock, will lead us in small and large group conversations and creative activities to help us consider the role shame plays in our relationships to money. There is no cost to attend this one-day event. Space is limited, so we will receive registration on a first come, first serve basis.

Register today

National Study on Congregations' Finances Now Available

Most research on charitable giving, particularly faith-based giving, has focused on individuals (the givers) rather than institutions (the recipients of the giving). We can now provide an overview of how congregations receive, manage, and spend their financial resources. Delving underneath the numbers, we begin to show how congregations regard financial resources: how their theological, cultural, and practical orientations toward money relate to finances and economic practices.

Download report

National Study of Congregations' Economic Practices logo

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