What is an endowment? An endowment is a pool of funds that an organization invests to provide long-term financial support. The original donated gift amounts increase in value, while a portion of the investment earnings are used each year to support programs, operations, or specific purposes designated by donors. Over time, a well-managed endowment can grow through additional gifts and reinvested earnings, creating a sustainable source of income that helps ensure stability for future generations. Endowments differ from other types of fundraising. While a capital campaign is about immediate impact for a tangible need, like our new kitchen or upgrading our sanctuary seating, an endowment is about permanent support. While an annual fund supports the current year’s operating budget for things like program costs, salaries and special projects, endowment funds are invested for long-term growth while its earnings support the annual budget. And while sponsorships and underwriting are applied to programs and events now, the endowment supports our future.
Part 1: Why Endowments Matter
The Temple Shalom Endowment is powerful because it creates a predictable revenue stream, reducing reliance on uncertain year-to-year fundraising, and giving you, our donors, confidence that Temple Shalom will be able to sustain its mission over time. A strong endowment can help us weather economic downturns, take advantage of new opportunities, and plan strategically for the future. In short:
Annual fundraising or special fundraising = raised and spent for immediate needs
Capital campaign = raised and spent for a specific project
Endowment = invested for permanent income
Each plays an important role in Temple’s financial health—but the endowment is the gift that truly keeps on giving.
Building Our Future Through Endowment
For sixty years, Temple Shalom has been the spiritual, educational, and communal home for Jewish families across generations. Ensuring that this sacred legacy continues for future generations is at the heart of our endowment fund. The Temple Shalom Endowment Fund was created with a vision: to provide long-term financial stability that would allow our congregation to grow, innovate, and care for our members for generations to come.
Rabbi Paley explains, “The gift the founders of Temple Shalom gave to their children and generations since is a sacred home, a center for Jewish life and living that requires love, care, and support for future generations to experience that same gift. Now, as we approach our seventh decade, it is time to look forward, through our new campaign, to expand our Endowment Fund, enabling our hopes to rise up to the sky and allowing Temple Shalom to thrive for another 60 years.”
Our current endowment fund is $4 million and consists of eight separate funds, some with very specific directives on what they support at Temple Shalom.
The Temple Shalom Endowment Fund is a separate 501(c)(3) organization and a proud partner of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation. Separate from the Temple Shalom Board of Trustees, our Endowment Board is composed of eight Temple Shalom members, and one ex-officio staff member, each with financial and community leadership experience. They serve as the stewards of these funds and ensure that gifts are invested wisely, that a portion of annual earnings supports Temple needs, and that transparency guides every decision.
This year, as we celebrate our 60th anniversary celebration and Blueprint 2030, we have also launched our 60th Anniversary Endowment Campaign, led by three devoted Temple members: Mike Hirsh, Raelaine Radnitz, and Rodney Schlosser, each of whom brings unique leadership and passion to the effort.
Over the years, the Endowment has helped fund clergy support, education programs, and facility improvements—quietly but powerfully shaping the Temple we know today. We are now undertaking the most ambitious endowment campaign in Temple Shalom’s history. With a $10 million goal, the campaign will provide sustained funding for the vision outlined in Blueprint 2030: a second clergy member, an Early Childhood Center, expanded family and engagement programs, and stronger financial footing for generations to come.
We hope you will want to learn more about it. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].
