The American Jewish Committee

Mission: The American Jewish Committee (AJC), www.ajc.org established in 1906 by a small group of American Jews deeply concerned about pogroms aimed at Russian Jews, determined that the best way to protect Jewish populations in danger would be to work towards a world in which all peoples were accorded respect and dignity. Over 100 years later, AJC continues its efforts to promote pluralistic and democratic societies where all minorities are protected. AJC is an international think tank and advocacy organization that attempts to identify trends and problems early - and take action. AJC's approach, tackling a breadth of interests in a deliberate and diplomatic manner, contributes to a success that gains trust, earns access, and, most importantly, produces results.

Financial Efficiency Evaluation: According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity evaluator, AJC has an overall rating of 4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following breakdown of AJC based on 990 tax returns through 2006:

Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars**
Program Expenses: 80.9%
Administrative Expenses: 7.6%
Fundraising Expenses: 11.3%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.09 (AJC spends $0.09 to raise $1)

Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars***
Primary Revenue Growth: 16.2%
Program Expenses Growth: 9.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 1.71
(AJC can sustain itself for 1.71 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.

AJC has net assets of $109,658,730. Compensation for
its Executive Director, David Harris, was $432,988 which
represents 0.90% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses. Percentage wise, these are very low figures.

Recent News: AJC Expressed Grief and Outrage Over Mumbai Terrorist Attacks: The AJC has longstanding relationships with the government and people of India and the Indian-American community, through our office in Mumbai and our network of offices across the United States. We stand in solidarity with the government and people of India and the Indian-American community at this time of tragedy.
At this dark hour, we reaffirm our determination to continue our work to combat hatred and intolerance throughout the world. “This is India’s 9/11,” said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris, “and should serve as another wake-up call for the world.” Throughout this crisis AJC has been in constant contact with those most directly involved in India and the U.S. AJC has also made a contribution to relief efforts underway in Mumbai.

Recommendations: The AJC has received the highest overall rating, four stars, from Charity Navigator. It has a high working capital ratio, 1.71 years, and is well positioned to carry on its work during the present economic downturn. For comparison purposes, Amnesty International, another non-profit that works to support human rights, has received a two star overall rating from Charity Navigator.

Next Week’s Blog: The Abraham Fund Initiatives

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Mission: Chartered by a unanimous Act of Congress in 1980, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), www.ushmm.org strives to broaden public understanding of the history of the Holocaust through multifaceted programs: exhibitions; research and publication; collecting and preserving material evidence, art and artifacts related to the Holocaust; annual Holocaust commemorations; distribution of educational materials and teacher resources; and a variety of public programming designed to enhance understanding of the Holocaust and related issues, including those of contemporary significance. The museum is America's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as a memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust.

Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, USHMM has an overall rating of 3 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of USHMM based on 990 tax returns through 2006:

Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 2 stars**
Program Expenses: 69.3%
Administrative Expenses: 17.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 13.4%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.12 (USHMM spends $0.12 to raise $1)

Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 3 stars***
Primary Revenue Growth: 6.7%
Program Expenses Growth: 2.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 2.41
(USHMM can sustain itself for 2.41 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.

USHMM has net assets of $313,350,639. Compensation for
its Director, Sara Bloomfield, was $409,543 which
represents 0.55% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.

Recent News:
1) The USHMM recently initiated a new program called
World is Witness. World is Witness, a new “geoblog” from the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Genocide Prevention
Mapping Initiatives, in partnership with Google Earth,
documents and maps genocide and related crimes against humanity. The initial entries are from a Museum visit to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to learn about the legacies of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, and the most recent entries are from a Museum visit to South Sudan and a return visit to the Congo.
2) Over a quarter century ago, the Vatican published eleven volumes of selected archival material from the Holocaust period. However, these volumes are not a complete record of the Vatican’s actions during the Holocaust. Recognizing the urgency imposed by the advanced age of Holocaust survivors who deserve definitive answers, the Museum encourages the Vatican to follow up this gesture with a decision to make full and complete access to all of its archives from the Holocaust period its highest priority. The Museum stands ready to participate in any way to achieve this goal.

Recommendations:
The USHMM could earn a higher rating from Charity Navigator if it improved its efficiency rating. This could be accomplished by directing a higher percentage of it expenses to its program expenses and by reducing its administrative and fundraising expenses. For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given the American Jewish World service a four star efficiency rating because 85.0% of its expenses are used on program expenses; only 69.3% of USHMM’s expenses are used for its programs.

Next week’s blog: The American Jewish Committee

The Museum of Jewish Heritage

Mission:
Opened in 1997, the Museum of Jewish Heritage (MJH),
www.mjhnyc.org, is a living memorial to the Holocaust.
It honors those who died by celebrating their lives -
cherishing the civilization that they built, their
achievements and faith, thier joys and hopes, and the
vibrant Jewish community that is their legacy today.
In the museum's core exhibition, personal objects,
photographs, and original films illustrate the story of
Jewish heritage in the twentieth century. In addition,
the collection provides source materials for permanent
and temporary exhibitions, and for traveling exhibitions.
Special exhibitions afford the museum the opportunity to
complement the themes expressed in the core
exhibition in greater detail.

Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, MJH has an overall rating of 2 stars (four stars is the
highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of MJH based on 990 tax returns through 2006:

Overall Rating: 2 stars **
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 70.8%
Administrative Expenses: 17.1%
Fundraising Expenses: 11.9%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.06

(MJH spends $0.06 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 2 stars**
Primary Revenue Growth: 13.4
Program Expenses Growth: -4.6%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.68
(MJH can sustain itself for 0.68 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.

MJH has net assets of $71,655,407. Compensation for
its Director, David Marwell, was $265,617 which
represents 2.07% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.

Recent News:
1)20^th annual Generation to Generation Dinner:
Director Dave Marwell wrote in his November 10 blog
on the museum’s website about last week’s dnner which
honored Rosa Stryler, who did so much to establish the
museum. Following is an excerpt from his remarks at the
dinner: “In so many ways, Rosa’s story is our story, the
story that we teach in this museum…Surely the most
profound, indeed heroic, phenomenon in the context of the
Holocaust is that those who had been confronted with
unimagined and unimaginable trauma…were able to choose
and lead lives that followed a different path than their
experience might have defined for them…That Rosa and
others found their way to distill from life an essential spirit
that looked away from dark despair and sought out the bright
light of vitality and service and the pursuit of good works
must undoubtedly be one of the most inspiring stories of the
human spirit.”
2) To discover your heritage, visit www.jewishgen.org to
learn more about your family’s ancestral heritage. JewishGen
became an affiliate of the museum in 2003 and it has brought
together thousands of individuals worldwide in a virtual
community centered on discovering their Jewish roots.

Recommendations:
In order to improve its overall rating from Charity Navigator,
MJH needs need to improve its organizational capacity rating.
It presently has a two star rating because it has experienced a
decrease in program expenses growth over the past three years.
This decrease can be reversed by spending more on its
programs. As organizational capacity is important to foundation
in awarding grants to non-profits, then improving its capacity
rating would help the museum win more foundation grants.

Next week’s blog: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Jewish Community Center in Manhattan

Mission:
The mission of The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan (JCCM),
www.jccmanhattan.org is to build an inclusive Jewish community
that celebrates the strength of diversity. We are a home for
individuals and families of all backgrounds to grow and to learn,
and to care about and deepen their connections to one another.
Rooted in Jewish values, our cultural, social, educational, and
recreational programs offer multiple pathways into the richness of
community life for members of all ages. Through our partnerships
and programs, we seek to fulfill our responsibility to the people of
Israel and Jews throughout the world, and to improve the quality of
life in our neighborhoods and our city.

Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, JCCM has an overall rating of
3 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of JCCM based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 2 stars**
Program Expenses: 69.4%
Administrative Expenses: 27.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 3.2%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05 (JCCM spends $0.05 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars****
Primary Revenue Growth: 15.3%
Program Expenses Growth: 7.5%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.80
(JCCM can sustain itself for 0.80 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.

JCCM has net assets of $47,748,138. Compensation for
its Executive Director, David Black, was $232,511 which
represents 1.06% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.

Upcoming Events:
November 10: Kristallnacht Commemoration: A story
of music & spiritual resistance during the Holocaust:
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conflagration that
engulfed Jews all over Germany and marked the beginning of
the end for European Jewry. We commemorate this event with
a remarkable story of hope sustained during those nightmarish
years. Sonia Pauline Beker, author of Symphony on Fire will
tell the story of her parents who shared their music with inmates
of the Vilna Ghetto, concentration camps, and finally, as part of
the Displaced Person’s Orchestra of the St. Ottilien DP Camp.
Beker will also screen Creating Harmony, the documentary film
based upon her family’s story.

Recommmendation:
The JCCM has a four star organizational capacity rating (the
highest rating) and is thus well situated to sustain its programs
and services during the present economic downturn. Its efficiency
rating, however, is only two stars. In order to earn a four star
rating from Charity Navigator, the JCCM would have to increase
the percentage of revenue spent on its programs from 69.4% to at
least 80%. This can be accomplished by reducing its administrative
expenses from 27.2% of expenses to approximately 15%. For
comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given the AJWS an
efficiency rating of four stars and the AJWS spends only 7.1% on
administrative expenses.

Next Week’s Blog: The Museum of Jewish Heritage

Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America

Mission: The Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America (BTJFA), www.boystownjerusalem.org raises funds for the development of a comprehensive education program for disadvantaged boys, mainly at the large campus in Israel. Founded in 1949 in response to the Holocaust, and dedicated to providing an outstanding education for Israeli children, regardless of race, class or socio-economic background, Boys Town Jerusalem is a residential school located within Israel's pre-1967 borders. It encompasses grades 7-12 and a two year College of Applied Engineering. The curriculum, which is monitored and approved by Israel's Ministry of Education, combines the timeless values of the Jewish heritage and advanced technology, while inspiring students to serve the State of Israel, as both soldiers and responsible citizens.

Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, BTJFA has an overall rating of
2 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the followingbreakdown of BTJFA based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 2 stars **
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 1 star*
Program Expenses: 69.4%
Administrative Expenses: 12.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 18.3%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.35

(BTJFA spends $0.35 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 3 stars ***
Primary Revenue Growth: -7.9%
Program Expenses Growth: 10.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 4.60
(BTJFA can sustain itself for 4.60 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.

BTJFA has net assets of 34,737,996. Compensation for its
Executive Vice President, Rabbi Ronald L. Gray, was $265,000 which represents 4.15% of expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,000 which represents 0.79% of expenses.
t position of management, and therefore who would normally be responsible for carrying out the mission of the charity and leading the organization on a day-to-day basis.)

Recent News: 1) Tons of Help for Rosh Hashana: The entire student body of Boys Town Jerusalem volunteered to pack 2000 boxes of food for pre-holiday distribution to needy families in the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv regions. Among the students packing boxes were 20 recently arrived immigrants from Ethiopia, who are living in the Boys Town dormitories and studying in a special program designed to help them integrate into Israeli life.

2) Helping Sderot Boys Celebrate Their Bar Mitzvahs:
13-year-old Sderot resident Rafael Elbaz celebrated his
Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem recently, the second such occasion
hosted by Boys Town Jerusalem. To aid Sderot’s embattled
population, Boys Town Jerusalem has been inviting families
from the war torn city to celebrate their Bar Mitzvah simchah
at the school’s Bayit Vegan campus. Boys Town provides a
festive meal, plus musical entertainment by the students and faculty, free of charge.

Recommendations:
1) In order to earn a higher rating from Charity Navigator,
BTJFA needs to spend more of its revenue on its program
expenses, disadvantaged boys of Israel, and less on
administration and fundraising.
2) BTFA has a good working capital ratio (4.60 years).
Publicizing this fact may help its fundraising efforts.

Next Week’s Blog: Jewish Community Center in Manhattan