New Media, Old Solutions

The recent study of the “Jewish Web” by 4WallMedia sees that Israeli online news sources are much more popular than American-based Jewish sites, and concludes that the “takeaway point is that the American Jewish media needs (sic) to coordinate and combine their assets online.” That’s a nonsequitur, given the data reported in the study. The most popular Jewish-oriented site, the Jerusalem Post’s, draws over 1.4 million total unique visitors per month; all U.S. news sites combined attract only 800,000. Significantly, JPost.com is not an integrated consortium of information sources; it’s a standalone company with compelling editorial content. Haaretz.com, with nearly 700,000 unique monthly visitors – almost as many as all the American sites – is also a single-source site. ... Continue Reading

21st Century Touch-Points: Changing How We Communicate

from the Nonprofit Technology Network: The Shrinking Generational Digital Divide The gap between older and younger digital users is rapidly diminishing, especially as boomers explore the vast array of uses for the Internet. Imagine a typical Internet surfer and your first thought might be of a teen or young adult, not a grandparent or retiree. But studies over the past decade show the age gap between who’s online and who’s not has narrowed significantly. A recent study by the Center for the Digital Future, in conjunction with AARP, revealed that 41 to 46 percent of Internet users, spanning all age ranges, cited the Internet as “important or very important” in maintaining social relationships. The same study showed that among older Internet users who are members of online communities,... Continue Reading

The Time for Social Marketing Is Now

Groundswell has just published their third annual Social Technographics Profile, “The Broad Reach of Social Technologies”. from the groundswell blog: Social technology growth marches on in 2009, led by social network sites …in 2009, more than four out of five online Americans are active in either creating, participating in, or reading some form of social content at least once a month. In a bit more detail: In the US, social technology Creators and Collectors grew slowly, and Critics didn’t grow at all. Creator activity appeals only to those who like to create or upload content, and regardless of the ease of blogging and YouTube uploading, this doesn’t apply to everybody. If you believe in the future that everybody will be creating or organizing content, we disagree –... Continue Reading

Sharansky Slams Shas Minister Over Funding Comments

Late yesterday afternoon, the Jewish Agency made public a letter to Religious Affairs Minister Ya’acov Margi from JAFI’s Chair Natan Sharansky concerning a pre-Shabbat interview with the Jerusalem Post. According to the paper, Margi is quoted as saying: “I recommend to those organizations that do not want to accept [Orthodox] halacha to build their own mikvaot and their own synagogues according to their own halacha. According to the law for Jewish Religious Services, the Chief Rabbinate is the sole body responsible for providing religious services. And they do this in accordance with halacha. Since the Conservative and the Reform do not conform to halacha they are not eligible for state funds. Nor do they have the right to use existing mikvaot and synagogues.” Here’s the... Continue Reading

Blogging, Facebook and Twitter Have Increased the Chatter on the Jewish Web

from The Baltimore Jewish Times: How Social Networking Impacts the Jewish Community …social media is making it easier to be Jewish. For a people who have fretted over a loss of identity for generation after generation – especially in America – innovations like Twitter and Facebook are nothing less than, dare we say, a godsend. “Much of the extra-organizational innovation you see in the Jewish world has been made possible by the Internet,” says David Abitbol, founder of the Web’s most popular Jewish blog, Jewlicious.com, where posts by Jewish bloggers quickly become vibrant conversations connecting Jews all around the world. “The Internet has made it easier for Jews to find each other. Jewlicious itself would not have existed before the Internet.” First and foremost, social... Continue Reading

New Guide Sheds Light On Exciting Advances in European Jewish Life

Compass, the first-ever guide to more than thirty of Europe’s most innovative and effective Jewish organizations and programs, has just been released by the Westbury Group, an informal network of international Jewish philanthropic organizations and individual funders. The handbook highlights a revival of activity and engagement in the Jewish communities of Europe and the former Soviet Union. Copies of Compass are now available online in a downloadable PDF on the Compass Website. According to Sanford R. Cardin, president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and chair of the Westbury Group, “Reading Compass will help everyone deepen their understanding of what is happening today in Jewish communities throughout Europe and, we hope, lead to new sources of support from those who... Continue Reading

NewsBits: Birthright Israel in the News, Again

from The Forward: Largest Outreach Effort for Alums of Birthright Raises Concerns Taglit-Birthright Israel… has carefully tended its image as pluralistic and inclusive. But the religious slant and political orientation of the largest, most well-funded organizer of follow-up programs for Birthright alumni is raising concerns, even among top Birthright officials. The Jewish Enrichment Center, which some people characterize as a kiruv, or Orthodox outreach organization, has been given a virtual monopoly on reaching out to the tens of thousands of Birthright alumni who return to the New York Tri-State area. This large pool of young adults represents one third of all those who have gone on Birthright trips, a majority of whom are non-Orthodox Jews. The center is the official New York partner of Birthright... Continue Reading

Dos and Don’ts for Nonprofit Credit Card Compliance

a guest post by Douglas Schoenberg Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance refers to a set of security standards for protecting cardholder data. Here are some basic Dos & Don’ts for any organization that is accepting (or considering accepting) credit card payments. Don’ts Don’t think PCI doesn’t apply to you – Most non-profits process fewer than 20,000 transactions per year and are thus considered Level 4 Merchants. Currently this means that certifying PCI-compliance is not mandatory, however they are still responsible for the security of cardholder data and still subject to fines if the data is breached. Don’t ever keep account verification data – This includes the 3 or 4 digit CVV security code on the card, PIN #s or data stored on the magnetic stripe... Continue Reading

New Online Fundraising Site from Virgin Money Promises More for Charities

As we first wrote late last Fall, the Virgin Group has launched ‘Virgin Money Giving’, an independent not-for-profit organization designed to facilitate widespread UK fundraising and help charities receive more of their charitable donations. From today charities will be able to publish their own pages by visiting the site and registering. Once registered, charities will be able to customise their pages in their own brand colours, promote them to supporters, send out email alerts and manage their fundraising events. As a not-for-profit business, Virgin Money Giving will only look to cover its costs, through a 2% transaction fee on donations and a one-off £100 set-up fee for charities. No charge will be made on administering Gift Aid. As a result Virgin Money Giving will cut the cost to charities... Continue Reading

Circle Power

Tamar Snyder writing in The Jewish Week: Rochelle Kleter never pictured herself as a philanthropist. The first-generation American, born to parents who grew up in the Ukraine, had a hard time finding her place in the Jewish community. “I was one of the only Jewish kids in the public school system” in East Hanover, N.J., she said. “I didn’t know what it meant to keep kosher for Passover. And when I took Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur off as personal days, I was made fun of.” …Kleter is one of a growing number of Jews – men and women, both young and old, the über rich and those who do not consider themselves wealthy – who are joining giving circles, where like-minded individuals pool their money and other resources and decide together where these resources should be distributed.... Continue Reading

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