The Charity vs. Foundation Match

Jewish Federation of Ottawa (JFO) vs. Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation (OJCF)

From the beginning of time, Charities and Foundations have been stuck in a boxing ring competing for support, money and leadership from the same pool of donors in the same community.

Tonight in the ring, sitting in the hot seat dressed in luscious white, is Team JFO and in the left wing, in all mighty blue is her “opponent”, Team OJCF.

DING DING DING - ROUND 1 - BEGIN

Did you know that if you see the word “Foundation” in the name of a NFP, it might not actually be a Foundation? The word "Foundation" has no legal meaning in and of itself. This for the average Joe is quite confusing when they are looking to donate, open a fund, buy life insurance, create a bequest, send a tribute card, etc. Today let me break it down for you, because not only did it take me a half hour to find a clear enough definition to use, I myself find it extremely confusing, so I could only imagine how you feel.

Charity - char·i·ty - Charities generally derive their funding or support primarily from the general public, receiving grants from individuals, government, and private foundations. Although some public charities engage in grant-making activities, most conduct direct service or other tax-exempt activities.

Foundation- foun·da·tion - A foundation is a non-governmental entity that is established as a non-profit corporation or a charitable trust, with a principal purpose of making grants to unrelated organizations, institutions, or individuals for scientific, educational, cultural, religious, or other charitable purposes.

In other words…

JFO- J·F·O - to preserve and enrich Jewish life in the Ottawa area, Canada, Israel and overseas, by planning for the evolving needs of the community, raising and allocating funds for communal priorities, coordinating community action and representing the views of the community.

OJCF- O·J·C·F - is a donor centered organization that receives your hard earned dollars and invests it prudently in accordance with a long range investment strategy to yield solid financial returns in both fixed income and equity portfolios. We are a communal organization for planned giving in the Ottawa Jewish Community.

In other words again (in case you are still confused)…

Picture the JFO as your “checking account” and OJCF as your “saving account.” You use your checking account daily to support your desired lifestyle. Your savings account on the other hand, is hardly touched because it was opened with the intent of securing your lifestyle for the future.

This is precisely what the Federation and Foundation do for Ottawa’s Jewish Community. The Federation allocated all money raised in our Annual campaign to our 25 funded agencies. The Foundation invests and manages funds to ensure we have a vibrant and thriving Jewish community for the future.

Why do we care?

On November 27, 2013, the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation (OJCF) was proud to open its first ever fund to specifically support the Emerging Generation Division of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. The “Fund for the Next Generation” will provide an annual allocation which will go directly into the programs, events and initiatives geared towards engaging young adults aged 18-45.

The beautiful thing about the JFO and OJCF is that they work together day in and day out to meet the needs of our donors and to educate the community on philanthropic opportunities. While legacy giving, endowments and life insurance might not be top on the priority list for young professional today, becoming educated on when and how to embark on these opportunities are. 

To sum everything up, the JFO uses our gifts today, and now with this new fund, we have the opportunity to give a little to the Foundation for our children to use tomorrow.

Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!