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Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®

Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a professor at Texas Tech University where he directs the on-campus and online graduate program in Charitable Financial Planning and also teaches Charitable Gift Law at the Texas Tech University School of Law. He graduated, cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law where he was a member of the Missouri Law Review. While in law school he received the United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning. He holds a Ph.D. in consumer economics from the University of Missouri, where his dissertation was on the topic of charitable giving. He worked as the Director of Planned Giving for Central Christian College, Moberly, Missouri for six years and later served as president of the college for more than five years, where he had direct and supervisory responsibility for all fundraising. During his presidency the college successfully completed two major capital campaigns, built several new debt-free buildings, and operated in the black every year after having operated in the red for 10 of the 11 previous years.

Dr. James has over 100 publications in academic journals, conference proceedings, professional periodicals, and books including 20 on neuroimaging and neuroeconomics. He has been quoted in a variety of news sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Inside the Mind of the Bequest Donor

Combining new fMRI neuroimaging results from his lab at Texas Tech University with experimental psychology, psychological theory, and survey research, Dr. Russell James will lead you inside the conscious and subconscious processes engaged by bequest decision-making. Although many fundraisers think that legacy giving is just like any other form of fundraising, these new studies using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) show just how differently the brain reacts to legacy decisions. This lively presentation by the author of the world's first published peer-reviewed research examining charitable bequest decision-making using fMRI will provide you with intensely practical suggestions for dramatically increasing success in legacy fundraising.

Each participant will receive a free copy of Dr. James’ book.

Please Respond: Jewish Day School Survey

Please Respond: Jewish Day School Survey

To further gauge interest and understand the key factors parents consider, Federation has engaged Independent School Management (ISM), the largest consulting firm serving private independent schools in North America, to conduct a community-wide survey to determine how likely families are to support a new Jewish middle and high school.

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Supporting Lone Soldiers

Supporting Lone Soldiers

As the brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces continue to defend our homeland in Operation Iron Swords, Federation is supporting thousands of lone soldiers, individuals who have made aliyah to Israel alone and lack the support network of friends and family typically available to their native Israeli peers.

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Join a Synagogue

Join a Synagogue

With the High Holidays only a few weeks away, now is the perfect time to find a spiritual home.

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A Fun Summer For Miami-Dade Campers

A Fun Summer For Miami-Dade Campers

This summer, Federation camp subsidies enabled almost 350 Miami-Dade children and teens to deepen their connection to their Jewish heritage.


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