(Courtesy of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest) Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ has announced that, thanks to the generosity of the donors in their community, they have exceeded their projections and raised a total of $23.6 million, an increase over last year’s total. This amount includes more than $20.6 million in unrestricted gifts and nearly $3 million in designated gifts.

UJA campaign chair Ira Steinberg said, “I am so proud to work with such a passionate and dedicated team of professionals and lay leaders. The increase in our campaign this year is a direct result of our collective effort and commitment to innovative strategies and to focus on welcoming new donors, reconnecting with lost donors, and inspiring long-time donors to reach new levels. We are definitely moving the campaign needle in a positive direction and I am beyond optimistic that we are well-positioned to achieve even greater success in 2019.”

This year’s campaign numbers include gifts from 9,576 donors, including more than 1,000 new and recovered gifts. The average gift increase was up 1.6 percent over last year. The women’s campaign raised more than $6.8 million, including double the number of new and recovered Lion of Judah gifts ($5,000 or more) and a gift-for-gift increase of 5.3 percent.

“I feel a tremendous sense of pride in the relationships we’ve built and the money we’ve raised in Women’s Philanthropy,” said outgoing Women’s Philanthropy President Rebecca A. Gold. “We’ve been nurturing a culture of warmth and inclusivity, working to maintain and attract new donors for years, and in this campaign year we really hit a sweet spot. I’m confident that this remarkable group of donors, volunteers, and leaders in Women’s Philanthropy will continue to flourish in the coming years.”

Thanks to the increase in dollars raised, Federation’s Unified Allocations Council has been able to allocate even more to the local and international programs they support, as well as the programs and services Federation offers, impacting the lives of even more individuals this year.

“We have focused on reaching out to more and more members of our Greater MetroWest Jewish community to let them know about the important work that Federation and our partner agencies are doing. They understand the role we play in caring for those in need, building a strong foundation for the future of our community, and literally saving lives,” said Federation President Scott Krieger. “What we do and what we accomplish, we all do together. Part of our educational process is to demonstrate Federation’s power to leverage dollars raised to achieve the greatest impact for the greatest good. Promoting such understanding achieves greater results.”