Joel Horowitz, a member of Congregation Beth Israel’s winning Super Sunday team, was in charge of feeding the volunteers at the mega fund-raiser on Jan. 27. The CBI volunteer team won $1,818 for their synagogue in the Go for the Gold contest. Photo by Elaine Durbach
February 07, 2008
Volunteers from Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains won the $1,000 “pot of gold” drawing at the communitywide Super Sunday benefit on Jan. 27.
The Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey offered a total of $10,000 in prize money to encourage volunteer participation in its annual fund-raising phonathon. Synagogues and institutions fielding 10 or more volunteers were eligible for the $1,000 top prize drawing and a share of the remaining $9,000.
The 11 teams that qualified each received a $818.18 share of that pot, with the Beth Israel group adding that to their $1,000 prize.
The Beth Israel team had more than 60 members, according to Ira Smelkinson, president of the Conservative congregation. He said the money will be used for temple programs and to provide additional support for federation programs.
In all, 476 volunteers brought in pledges totaling $457,000, a 14 percent increase over the amount raised on Super Sunday 2007. The event is the largest single-day fund-raiser for the federation, which supports Jewish life, education, and social services in the local community, Israel, and around the world.
Debbie Rosenwein, director of planning and allocations, said the federation was still tallying the results to determine if the first-ever “Pot of Gold” contest met its goals. “But I think it was successful,” she said. “I think it helped motivate organizers to enlist more volunteers.”
Federation planners are now focusing on follow-up calls to potential donors who may not have been reached during the first round of calling. While volunteers have staffed the follow-up calls in years past, this year the calls will be handled by a call center in Israel run by IDT, the Newark-based telecom giant. Its staffers will also make reminder calls to those who made pledges on Jan. 27 and haven’t yet sent in their money.
Rosenwein said enlisting the call center was a way to ease the burden on volunteers and maximize gifts.
Campaign chair Toby Goldberger and federation executive vice president Stanley Stone last week issued a joint message of thanks to the participants.
“On Super Sunday, we saw a true cross-section of our community, from our youngest to our oldest members. More teens showed up than ever before, representing our ties to the future,” they wrote. “ Every stream of Judaism and agency was present, with strong participation from our synagogues.”
They congratulated the chairs, Amy Kasson and Scott Spector, and vice chairs, Suzanne and Rob Tucker, their committee, and the federation staff.
“It’s no surprise that Super Sunday is deeply satisfying for all of us,” wrote Stone and Goldberger. “It’s not only a chance to catch up with our friends but to reach out to help our neighbors and bring a sense of comfort to the thousands of individuals that depend on federation services here, in Israel, and around the world. When we work together like this, we are indeed ‘A Light Among the Generations’ — a caring, connected, and inspired community. This year, let’s make a real effort to keep the spirit of this special day alive throughout the year.”