Giving Compass' Take:

• In this Medium post, Andrés Spokoiny, CEO of Jewish Funders Network, analyzes Jack Wertheimer study of Jewish philanthropy, specifically the dichotomy between individual funders and collectives known as "federations." Is the rise of one at the expense of the other?

• The conclusion is that the two types of philanthropy aren't as far apart as they may seem, and both lend plenty of value to the sector. Federations can often be vehicles for individuals to realize their grander visions.

• On that positive note, here's what quality collective impact looks like.

Jack Wertheimer’s study, Giving Jewish, alongside the other work of The AVI CHAI Foundation that supports and contextualizes it, is an important milestone on our journey towards a more effective, impactful, and thoughtful Jewish philanthropy. We can’t be effective if we don’t know the field and are unaware of how it has changed ...

What’s probably the most “meaty” finding of Jack’s study is the growth of independent philanthropy, seemingly at the expense of federating giving, and the growing impact and influence of major funders on Jewish Life.

It’s tempting to blame the shift from collective to individual philanthropy on the 'excessive individualism' of donors. (And the word 'blame' requires an assumption, which should not be accepted without question, that the shift is a bad one.) It’s equally seductive to fault the federation system for its supposed obsolescence. But that belief has its own contours and boundaries of truth.

These two worlds are not as separate as we tend to think. Many (maybe most) independent foundations or their principles are also major donors in their local federations. And, more importantly, new models of partnership between foundations and communal organizations are emerging all around us. Donors realize that federations can be effective delivery systems for their programs; one has only to see the deployment of PJ Library around North America as a partnership between the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the federations; or the same model applied to Moishe House, Birthright, OneTable, and more. Those partnerships are a platform for wide-ranging collaborations on numerous issues. Funders have become keenly aware of the value of communal systems, provided those organizations are willing to work in partnership with them instead of merely soliciting them.

Read the full article about independent funders vs. federations by Andrés Spokoiny at Jewish Funders Network (via medium.com).