Between hearing about a number of new projects in the works and reading all the good news in the most recent annual report, we thought it might be a good time to check in with CEO Brooke Bowles. Can you feel the energy around here??
LJCC: How would you describe the current financial health of The J?
BB: I would say we are stable with room to grow. After losing 35 percent of our membership revenue during the pandemic, we had to rethink our business model to incorporate more fundraising and become less reliant on membership dues and tuition from the Cohn Early Childhood Learning Center.
Last year was the first since the pandemic that we did not receive pandemic-related funding. We were able to finish the year with a modest surplus while still completing major projects like replacing the roof and much of the HVAC, so that’s been good.
What’s the biggest financial challenge?
Running a JCC is like running a number of small to medium-sized businesses. We operate a preschool, an aquatics department, a fitness center, senior programs, camp, and so on.
Ensuring that each of these departments is financially sustainable while keeping the overall financial health of the organization in mind is a challenge.
Our other major challenge is the need for facility upgrades. I am thrilled that we finished some major projects last year and that we have a few more projects set to be completed in the next couple of months: new showers in the men’s locker room, renovated restrooms, new fitness floor equipment, resurfaced tennis courts, and a courtyard patio. We need to continue watching our budget closely in order to make future plans for the building.
What are The J’s financial priorities right now, and how do they align with the organization’s vision?
It’s funny: coming out of the pandemic just a few years ago our main priority was to increase development revenue — which we did. Last year development revenue made up 17 percent of our total budget.
But now, while continuing our drive to bring in development funds, we recognize that development dollars can be unpredictable. So we’ve added a major emphasis on increasing new memberships and retaining our current members. We are seven months into an 18-month plan that we hope will result in 200 more families than we’d normally have anticipated. The plan incorporates marketing, the member journey, and facility upgrades to help us reach our goal.
Over the past year you’ve added a number of staff positions. What makes that possible?
We’ve not added positions as much as rethought current positions to better situate us for growth. We have incredible talent across the organization. Making sure that our staff have the resources they need is a top priority.
What roles do membership fees, donations, and grants play in sustaining our programs?
Some programs we offer are not and cannot be self-sustainable. These programs speak to the Jewish value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world. Some of these programs include free on-site babysitting, senior programming, inclusive youth theater, veterans and disability programming, and Swim School for underserved children. We rely on membership dues as well as donations and grants to support these efforts.
How can members support these efforts?
Please consider donating to The J. For more than a century The J has been a place where people from all walks of life can find community, a sense of belonging, kehillah. We look forward to being that place for many years to come.
When you do decide to give, consider setting up for a recurring donation.