Benefits

Access to Materials

IAJFL partners provide marketing and outreach examples, board governance information and loan forms and procedures via the library established within the IAJFL Dropbox.  This enables member agencies to share their best practices while also being able to learn from the materials that others are sharing.

Peer Network

Relationship building and networking bring together synagogues and other service agencies that also provide services on the front lines impacting the clients/constituents of member agencies.  Member agencies share their successes so others can benefit from their experiences.

Mentorship

With over 50 accredited free loan member agencies, IAJFL’s professionals and lay leaders are very proactive in providing ongoing support and mentorship to agencies.  Areas of mentoring include, but are not limited to fundraising, loan programs and strategies, marketing, and community outreach.

Annual Conference

IAJFL holds an annual conference and member agency calls to provide value-added idea-sharing and professional support across our membership. Topics are timely and reflect the current needs of member agencies. In 2022 a successful Lunch and Learn online education component was added as well as expanded meetings of affinity groups including Canadian leadership and JFCS agencies with free loan agencies.

National/International Representation

IAJFL has attended the JFNA General Assembly, the Tribefest conferences and the Network (JFCS) conference to educate and market the member agencies of IAJFL to a broad audience.  We often receive requests from other international organizations for the IAJFL roster, so they share our free loan programs with their constituency. In 2023 fostering new partnerships with national organizations became a top priority. 

Collective Impact

The over 50 agencies oversee more than $364 million in free-loan assets, and the numbers continue to grow. As these loan funds grow and the number of agencies increases, the international recognition of IAJFL will continue to grow and expand, thus providing more impact to your affiliation with IAJFL.

Benefits of Establishing a Free Loan Agency

• Jewish free loan member agencies provide interest-free loans to community members around the globe to enhance lives with personal, educational, small business, and other types of support.
• Helping people with a hand-up, not a hand-out is the highest form of mitzvot and many donors prefer to support this type of social innovation instead of charitable services.
• Most free loan agencies have greater than a 97-percent rate of repayment and there are cosigners and other checks and balances in place to ensure the loan capital will perpetuate through the continual recycling of charitable funds. This is another feature that donors appreciate when considering their contributions.
• The branding of recycling, interest-free loan capital is easy and impressive to donors and loan recipients alike.
• Free loan agencies develop innovative programs to reach the needs of the community and create outreach, leadership, volunteerism, and a deeper sense of community engagement.
• Interest-free, Jewish community loan programs greatly enhance continuity by improving the lives of loan recipients while offering hands-on roles for volunteers.
• Collective Impact – International Association of Jewish Free Loans member agencies oversee more than $364 million in free-loan assets, and the numbers continue to grow.