The board of trustees of the United Jewish Communities officially voted to change the name of the umbrella organization of the Jewish federation system to The Jewish Federations of North America, from the United Jewish Communities (UJC). The group is also adopting a new logo.
The organization also adopted a new logo, which you can see here.
Here’s the news release announcing the change.
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UJC BECOMING "THE JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA"
New Name and Logo for Stronger Alignment with Jewish Federations
Oct. 8, 2009
The United Jewish Communities (UJC) Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved a new name – The Jewish Federations of North America – and a new logo for the organization that represents 157 Jewish Federations and 400 independent Network Communities across the continent.
As part of an ongoing effort to create a stronger continental brand and market positioning for the Federation system, and based on market research, UJC is changing its name to align with and reflect the Jewish Federations’ naming.
The new name builds on strength of familiarity of local Jewish Federations, aligns with 90 percent of local Federations’ names, and reflects the best practices of other large federated non-profits.
The new logo was developed based on criteria presented at the June board meeting. Federations first endorsed the branding recommendation at the Federation Leadership Institute last January, when the market research results and branding strategy were unveiled to wide acclaim.
"Our new name makes a clear and bold statement that we embody the Jewish Federation system,” said Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America. “Further, this change enables us to work with our partners to create stronger positioning of the Jewish Federations for the future.”
The new logo of The Jewish Federations of North America – with a circular design and menorah – is a strong, innovative mark, rooted in Jewish tradition, signaling our centrality and stature, while being inviting and optimistic. Local Jewish Federations have embraced the need for greater consistency and many have volunteered to adopt the visual identity (e.g., logo) locally. The logo will also be customized for use by our 400 Network Communities.
Nearly 20 Federations have already expressed their interest, and are looking to adopt the new logo in the coming months.
"Both our executive committee and our board responded very enthusiastically to both the logo and name change to give the Federation system a unified look,” said Susie Gelman, President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
Meanwhile, some Federations with strong local brand equity and recognition will have the option to consider an endorser application of the logo, which signals that a Federation is a member of The Jewish Federations of North America, communicating the importance of being part of the continental system and creating a common branding touch-point. While several Large Federations are considering the endorser logo, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore has volunteered to pilot the endorser logo.
"The Associated is proud to pilot the endorser logo and make a strong statement that we are part of a united Federated system, while protecting the equity of our name in our community," said Marc Terrill, President of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.
The new name and logo will begin to be rolled out publicly at the 2009 General Assembly (GA) Nov 8-10 in Washington, D.C.
For more information on branding, please contact Adam Smolyar, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Communications
