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The Jewish Theological Seminary

Inspiring donors to see and shape the future

Campaigns
Education
Faith-connected

The Jewish Theological Seminary needed to engage supporters in their vision for the future.

This isn’t your typical ask.

With over 130 years of groundbreaking innovation and history, The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) has earned its chops as a cornerstone of Jewish leadership, life, and imagination. In 2017, JTS broke ground on the future, embarking on an ambitious nine-figure campaign. The capital campaign sets the stage for their next century of growth as an organization, funding a new campus, library, and more. Our job was to help donors see themselves in that future.

The Crossroads Campaign

The Jewish Theological Seminary has been growing and evolving for years. They were ready for donors to join them at this key juncture (symbolized in the name, “The Crossroads Campaign”) and invite them to share the enormity—and urgency—of their vision. Big Duck leveraged JTS’s brand and an inspiring case for support written with Graham Pelton’s guidance to create a modular capital campaign suite.

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mock ups for each campaign concept
We created mock ups for each concept exploration, enabling the JTS team to choose the strongest direction to communicate their message with confidence.
JTS shot list
JTS: The Crossroads campaign logo
Big Duck developed a unique name and logo to pair with the final concept that builds off JTS’s master brand.

Customize the conversation.

The modular system we developed to house JTS’s case statement—a series of bound books ranging from Jewish Leadership to Imagination—allowed fundraisers the flexibility to customize cases for giving strategically, based on each potential donor’s top motivations.

As a result

The future takes shape at The Jewish Theological Seminary. By framing today’s Judaism at a crossroads and JTS at the center of the Jewish future, Big Duck created a case for giving to match their high-end ask, build on their new brand, and jumpstart their next era of expansion. The modular folder, book, and insert system allows the case statement to take shape in the hands of major donors, prospective students, and potential partners, who are responding with gifts as planned.

 

Big Duck’s strategic and creative direction was thoughtful and unique, building seamlessly on the work we’d done with fundraising counsel and in-house. The resulting materials bring the campaign, and our brand, compellingly to life and help our team jump start meaningful conversations with our donors. They truly express who we are and where
we are heading.

— BONNIE EPSTEIN, VICE CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Related Service

Campaigns

We develop campaigns that recruit participants, attract donors, raise awareness, and generate engagement every step of the way.

• Persuasive messaging
• Campaign planning and identity
• Campaign copywriting and design
• Case statement development
• Recruitment campaign materials
• Fundraising campaign materials
• Anniversary campaign materials
• Advocacy campaign materials
• Digital presentations
• Microsite strategy and design

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