Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life

Mission:
The largest Jewish campus organization in the world,
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
(http://www.hillel.org/) provides opportunities for Jewish
students at more than 500 colleges and universities to
explore and celebrate their Jewish identity through its
global network of regional centers, campus foundations
and Hillel student organizations. Hillel is working to
promote a renaissance of Jewish life. Hillel's mission is to
enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate
students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the
world. Hillel student leaders, professionals and lay leaders
are dedicated to creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive
environment for Jewish college students, where they are
encouraged to grow intellectually, spiritually and socially.

Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, Hillel has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of Hillel based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 76.8%
Administrative Expenses: 10.5%
Fundraising Expenses: 12.6%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.13
(Hillel spends $0.13 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 7.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 11.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.97
(Hillel can sustain itself for 0.97 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.

Hillel has net assets of $31,646,752. Compensation for its President,
Wayne Firestone, was $275,000 which represents 0.98% of
expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the
President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger,
was $191,00 which was 0.79% of expenses.

Recent News:
1) Hillel Celebrates Its 85th Anniversary:
Leaders of B'nai Brith and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life joined together in Washington, D.C., on
September 8, 2008 to commemorate the two organizations'
historic partnership as Hillel kicks off a year-long celebration
of its 85th anniversary. The leaders unveiled a plaque honoring
B’nai B’rith’s role as Hillel’s sponsor from 1924-1994. During
70 years of B’nai B’rith sponsorship, Hillel grew from a single
group founded at theUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
in 1923 to a global campus organization. Hillel separated from
B’nai B’rith in 1994. Today Hillel is the largest Jewish campus
organization, serving over 500 campuses around the world.
2) Georgia Hillel Supports Conflict’s Refugees:
Shortly after the outbreak of fighting on the border of Russia and
the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Tbilisi Hillel Director
Moris Krikheli responded by helping relocate families that fled
their homes in Gori, a city hurt by the fighting. In the days that
followed, dozens of Hillel student activists joined his efforts to aid
in the refugee’s plight. Hillel is cooperating with the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for
Israel to address the immediate needs of refugees in Tbilisi. Hillel
activists are volunteering on rotating shifts at the Jewish House,
which is the city’s community center, to play games with the
teenagers, take them on field trips to water parks and swimming
pools, as well as to organize sporting and painting competitions.

Recommendations: Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus
Life is a very efficient Jewish non-profit in that 76.8% of its
revenue reaches its target – enriching the lives of Jewish
undergraduate and graduate college students. It has demonstrated
a high organizational capacity in that its revenue and program
expenses are both growing. It can sustain itself over time. Hillel
could earn a four start efficiency rating from Charity Navigator by
slightly reducing its administrative and fundraising expenses so
that they are each less than 10% of expenses. For purposes of
comparison, Charity Navigator has given the Whitney Museum of
American Art in New York City an overall rating of two stars.

Next Week’s Blog: Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education