Communication and Courage: AFJ's Rebranding to JEWISHcolorado

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

The Survey

The transformation of the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado to JEWISHcolorado began in earnest in 2010 with a survey of 1,200 donors, lapsed donors and nondonors, the results of which were “eye-opening” to the organization’s leadership. The survey:

Achieved a 95 percent response rate among current, lapsed and nondonors, showing a high level of interest in and care about AJF;
Showed that AJF faced many hurdles in remaining meaningful to the Jewish community;
Revealed that while 91 percent of respondents said AJF was important, 46 percent said it was only somewhat effective;
Showed openness to a name change (53 percent of current donors and 70 percent of lapsed donors supported it); and
Demonstrated a wide perception gap between what community members believed AJF is (an umbrella organization that collects and distributes dollars) vs. what they want/expect AJF to do (help Jews in need and sustain Jewish life).

By the late 1990s, the leadership of the Denver-based organization that was known as Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado knew change was in the air. For the better part of a decade, AJF sensed that the nonprofit’s presence as a “federated fundraising organization” left something to be desired — and that its relationship with donors was in jeopardy if it didn’t clarify its mission and better define its role in the community and beyond.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 All Next »

0 Comments

View Comments

Margaret Battistelli Gardner Author's page