Approaches to Partner Giving
What Should I Contribute?
At Kavana, we believe in building a cooperative community where everyone contributes financially in a way that is both personally meaningful and helps to sustain our organization. In an attempt to be both clear and transparent, we are sharing a few frameworks below to help guide your giving during this year’s partner renewal process. We trust each of our partners to determine what your annual partner contribution will be, using the context below.
Average Cost-Per-Household
Since 2016, in response to partner feedback, we’ve been sharing an annual “cost-per-household” amount. This number is calculated anew each year, taking into consideration our total projected budget for the coming year; subtracting out what will be covered by other revenue sources (including external donations, grants, and program income); and then dividing by our anticipated number of partner households.
This year – Fiscal Year 2027 – our projected cost-per-household amount for partners is $4,055. We are proud that, even with rising expenses, we have been able to keep this amount flat and even decrease it a little bit from last year. This is due to a continued slow-but-steady increase in the number of partner households, and also because of increased giving from external (non-partner) donors who are generously supportive of our work.
What Our Partners Actually Give
Kavana partners contribute at a wide range of levels. Everyone’s financial situation is different, and we deeply value every contribution.
Single-adult households: Fiscal Year 2026 contributions ranged from $120 to $10,000 annually.
Two-adult households: Fiscal Year 2026 contributions range from $180 to $35,000 annually.
Last year, about a quarter of partner households gave at or above the cost-per-household. The chart shows a full distribution of partner gifts from Fiscal Year 2026.
When choosing your annual partner contribution for this year, we ask you to consider:
Your current income and expenses
Your wealth and assets (savings, homeownership, inheritance)
Your access to family support or generational wealth
Your desire to support others in the community
Tithing & Percentage-Based Giving
Looking for a values-aligned approach to your partner giving? The concept of tithing comes from the Torah: that in ancient times, the Israelites were to separate out certain percentages of their income to support the priests, the Levites, and the poor (tithe = ma'aser = 10%).
Today, many Jews think about their philanthropic giving similarly, choosing an intentional percentage of income each year to designate to communal organizations such as Kavana and to direct service/social justice causes. If this approach appeals, we recommend using 1% to 3% of household income as a guideline to determine your annual Kavana partnership donation. This framework can help you ground your giving in intentionality and tradition.
Our Community for All
As you reflect on your annual partner pledge to Kavana this year, we invite you to consider the following:
If you have the ability to stretch toward or beyond this current cost-per-household of $4,055, we ask you to consider doing so — your support helps ensure Kavana remains an equitable, accessible Jewish community for all.
If your contribution falls below the cost-per-household amount, please know we are still genuinely grateful for your support, as every dollar helps cover essential personnel and operational costs.
If you’ve been renewing at the same level for multiple years now, we encourage you to consider recalibrating your contribution in light of our increased investment in personnel and programs requested by our partners, and the reality of inflation and rising costs.
Our most important priority is that everyone contributes at a level that is personally meaningful, so that we can continue building a vibrant cooperative Jewish community together.
“With my whole heart, I am delighted to contribute as a partner. Learning and leaning on ancient wisdom never felt as viscerally essential as it does now.”