BBYO Launches $90M Fundraising Campaign To Double Growth

Image by BBYO

By Josefin Dolsten September 8, 2016

— BBYO launched a five-year, $90 million campaign — aided by two unprecedented gifts — in an effort to double the Jewish youth organization’s annual growth rate.

The “This Moment in Time” campaign will also enable BBYO, the world’s largest pluralistic Jewish youth group, to expand its workforce, increase summer program offerings and grow its endowment.

As part of the initiative, the organization set a goal of 27,000 members annually by the end of the 2022 school year and a reach of 110,000 North American Jewish teens in its programs, according to a statement. The group says it now has 19,000 members with a reach of over 80,000 teens.

The initial grants, totaling $28.8 million, came from longtime funders The Jim Joseph Foundation and The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, two organizations promoting education and Jewish identity building.

“We believe that BBYO is uniquely positioned to ensure that the Jewish future is vibrant,” said Stacy Schusterman, co-chair of the Schusterman Family Foundation.

BBYO’s CEO, Matthew Grossman, said the organization was “grateful for these significant investments, which will help position us for even greater global reach and impact on Jewish teens.”

The new initiative is based on a six-month study of how the group can build infrastructure in order to increase growth.

BBYO must raise additional funds to reach the $90 million goal.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren

We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.

With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.

Become a member today and you'll directly support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief