Anna Marx, executive director of the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia (Photo credit: Robin Matthews)

For Jewish nonprofit organizations, annual fundraisers often serve as the biggest sources of yearly funding. This is no less true for the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia.

That’s why it is choosing to host its fundraiser online.

Called Amplify the Impact 2026, this livestreamed “un-event,” as a news release labels it, will still feature attendees; fundraising; a special guest, “Grit” author and University of Pennsylvania professor Angela Duckworth; and a testimonial from a recipient of a Hebrew Free Loan who used the money to cover in vitro fertilization expenses.

It just won’t require a large in-person venue, food and all the other associated costs. There’s actually very little overhead for this “un-event,” according to Anna Marx, HFL’s executive director.

That will allow the organization to redirect both the money saved and the proceeds from the event toward its mission: giving out interest-free loans to people experiencing financial hardship. As the release states, “100% of ticket and sponsorship proceeds” will go “directly to HFL’s interest-free loan fund.”

The event is set for Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. Marx and the board of directors hope to raise $50,000.

Since its founding in 1984, HFL has given out over $7 million in loans to families, students and entrepreneurs across nine counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The loans have a 99% repayment rate.

“Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia is reimagining its annual fundraiser,” the release states.

The idea came together when Marx and other organizational leaders were discussing how to keep costs low. They also knew that their 2026 event would coincide with the busy High Holiday season.

The decision to go online “took away some of the scheduling challenges,” Marx said.

The executive director is confident that the fundraiser will still net “as much” as the typical annual event. It might even raise more, she said.

“I think it’s an experiment,” she added.

Marx expects Duckworth in particular to be a draw. The Penn professor and psychologist is well-known for her 2016 book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.”

Angela Duckworth (Courtesy of Angela Duckworth)

Despite its academic subject matter, it was written in accessible language, without jargon, offering lessons on the importance of sticking with pursuits. It has sold more than 5 million copies and spent 21 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Duckworth also has a new book, “Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best,” which she will discuss during the livestream. Duckworth agreed to talk because she feels that HFL’s mission is “psychologically sound,” said Marx.

“We had this connection to Angela Duckworth, who’s just an amazing scholar and public personality. She is friends with one of my board members,” Marx said.

The executive director also thinks that the borrower story during the event will be compelling.

Thanks to an interest-free loan, the recipient was able to have a baby after one round of IVF. The national average cost of a round of IVF is over $14,000.

“I believe that every person deserves a chance to rise — not just survive, but rise. And I know what that takes. It takes people willing to show up. To say, ‘You matter.’ That’s what Hebrew Free Loan did for me when I was a young father. That’s what we’re trying to do for others,” said Harold F. Marcus, the president of the organization’s board of directors, in the release.

The nature of this event might allow HFL to fund more borrower stories like that one. If it goes well, it could establish a new standard for the organization at a time when it plans to grow.

Emily Landsburg, a board member, is in the process of building a strategic plan that will take the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia from $1.5 million in lending capital to $5 million over the next five years.

That strategic plan was born out of the fact that HFL agencies in other large metro areas — like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit and Atlanta — have loan bases that are 10 to 40 times larger than the Philadelphia organization.

“This is an enormous need,” Landsburg told Philadelphia Jewish Exponent in June.

The online fundraiser could help the organization respond to that need.

“I think we’re going to see how it goes,” said Marx of this year’s event. “One of the great things about our organization is we’re really nimble. We’re small and can pivot quickly.”

jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com