The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle has launched J-Kick, a crowdfunding platform for projects serving Washington State’s Jewish community. J-Kick is an online philanthropic marketplace where project sponsors and donors can find one another swiftly, securely and effectively.
A generous startup grant from Susan and Jeffrey Brotman made the site a reality. J-Kick is a new way for organizations serving the Jewish community to connect with donors, test innovative ideas in the marketplace, and move projects swiftly from inception to implementation.
“J-Kick brings the power of digital media to Jewish philanthropy. For donors, J-Kick offers a convenient, searchable platform for supporting new and exciting projects that call to their passions and values. For the many great organizations serving our Jewish community, J-Kick is a powerful new fund-raising tool enabling them to tell compelling stories about creative projects that will make a difference in people’s lives,” said Keith Dvorchik, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation.
J-Kick is open to a wide range of projects serving people of all ages in the Jewish community, including education, human services, the arts, historic preservation, and holiday celebrations, to name several.
“Whether it’s play equipment for kids or digitizing the stories of Holocaust survivors, J-Kick opens new avenues for worthy projects to secure community support,” Dvorchik said.
Any 501(c)(3) organization or individual with a 501(c)(3) organization as a fiscal sponsor can list on J-Kick projects that: 1) serve Washington State’s Jewish community, and 2) have a fund-raising goal ranging from $1,800 to $18,000. Projects can be listed for 30, 45 or 60 days. (Projects cannot be under consideration at the same time for Jewish Federation grants. Listing organizations do not have to be Jewish organizations, but their missions cannot conflict with the Jewish Federation’s mission.)
Projects will be funded if they reach “tipping point:” two-thirds of their fund-raising goal. For a project that has reached tipping point, donors’ credit cards will be charged when the project’s listing period ends and the funds will then be sent directly to the listing organization.
Anyone anywhere with a valid credit card can donate to a project listed on J-Kick.
“We are thrilled to provide this important new crowdfunding service to Washington State’s Jewish community. J-Kick will help organizations serving our community to find new avenues of support for their projects, and J-Kick will make it easy for people to support the most innovative new ideas for making the greatest possible impact on our community,” Dvorchik said.