Decline in Fund-raising Reported Halted by Jewish Federations

For the first time since 1948 the declining trend in funds raised by central Jewish community campaigns was reversed last year, it was reported today by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.

“Latest information from 127 Spring and Fall campaigns reveals a percentage increase of 0.8 percent over 1954,” the CJFWF report said. Although both Spring and Fall communities showed increases as groups, strong impetus was given to the upward swing by the results reported in five of the largest Fall Campaign cities. Boston, Montreal, Rochester Toledo and Youngstown all reported increases ranging from 1.6 to 15.4 percent.

The 127 cities raised a total of $65, 696, 341 in 1955 against $65, 145, 191 in 1954, the report revealed. Well over half of the reporting communities said that they raised the same or more in 1955. Of these, 67 were increases while 3 remained the same. Of the increases, 26 cities reported gains of 5 percent more. On the negative side, almost half of the cities which raised less this year than in 1954 reported losses of under 5 percent.

Major factors in the general campaign success were: careful study and reexamination of existing campaign organizations and techniques, a willingness to change or modify old approaches to fit new conditions, attention to basic campaign fundamentals, individualized approaches to big givers, and early recruiting and training of campaign workers and overall, the favorable economic climate, the CJFWF explained.