MASA Mega 2009: Israel, Your Home Away from Home

This past Sunday night, 2000 participants from current MASA long-term programs gathered at Jerusalem’s Convention Center, Binyaney Ha”Umma, for the annual Mega Event. Representing scores of programs, and countries, the crowd was on a continual high all night. The only downside – the outrageous prices charged by the Falafel concessionaire! The lead performers, The Idan Raichel Project, were an absolute hit with both the young adult participants and the visiting JAFI Board guests. Here’s a selection from their latest album, Within My Walls. about: The Idan Raichel Project burst onto Israel’s music scene in 2002, changing the face of Israeli popular music and offering a message of love and tolerance that resonated strongly in a region of the world where headlines are too often... Continue Reading

A New Level of Engagement in the Jewish Agency

How many of us can’t sleep at night because we are worried about the future of our Jewish community? I met someone this week, who told me in all sincerity, that his concern for his community’s collective future gives him no rest. So it was fitting that he, together with another two dozen participants of the Jewish Agency’s Global Emerging Leaders Forum, were given open access, and serious time, to engage with the highest ranking lay leaders and professionals of JAFI, and those affiliated with it, in order to effect change in the Jewish world’s most global organization. When I was invited as a member of the KolDor Global Executive to participate in the forum, I assumed that we would be cast in the role of many “Young Leadership” or “NextGen” forums, who are gathered to form... Continue Reading

Jewish Identities, Jewish Values and the Jewish Future

You might expect sparks to fly with topics like the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, the role of social action in Jewish life, and the tension between liberty and loyalty. But three marquee panelists – Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky, Rabbi Jill Jacobs of Jewish Funds for Justice, and Israeli music superstar Kobi Oz – largely agreed when they talked about those issues earlier this week during the Jewish Agency’s meetings in Jerusalem. Still, each speaker did have a different story and a distinct outlook. Sharansky as a Soviet dissident had faced an inescapable conflict between being Russian and being Jewish; Rabbi Jacobs found common ground between her American nationality and Jewish values. Sharansky, asked what shaped his commitment to the Jewish people, responded... Continue Reading

FutureTense NY Launches With Focus on Jewish Education

What is more important for a Jewish informational web site – being on the first page of Google search results or having credible, high quality content? Is the Internet just another tool in the arsenal of educators, or does it fundamentally change the way in which learning takes place and the power relationships between students and teachers? Is online learning over-hyped, or is it the future of Jewish education? These were some of the questions discussed at the first New York FutureTense Roundtable session held last week. Developed by PresenTense, the FutureTense Roundtable convenes a diverse group of young Jewish pioneers, or “disruptors”, to talk about what is to come in a specific field. The goal of FutureTense is to provoke and spread new thinking about key issues affecting the future... Continue Reading

What Are the Challenges to Social Network Fundraising?

Proving that social media can be used to raise significant funds for nonprofits is “the brass ring” that every nonprofit utilizing social media wants to reach. But it is quite an elusive brass ring! There are a number of challenges to overcome before social network fundraising is as easy (and fruitful) as email donation solicitation, offline donation appeals, or the “donate now” button on the website. On the other hand, social network fundraising is growing: both by adoption, use and acceptance. This post explores the existing challenges to acceptance and raising large amounts of funds using social networks – and brainstorming ideas to overcome the barriers. Here are some thoughts about the leading challenges in social network fundraising: Cultural: Social media is still primarily Social Except... Continue Reading

Do You Engage in Multiple Touch?

A recently conducted social media survey of nonprofit organizations in North America has found that 91% of respondents raise funds online, but only 58 percent of those nonprofits cite fundraising as a goal for using it. Conducted by Sage North America, the survey results list “sharing our story,” building a community, public relations and donor engagement/retention – not raising funds – as the nonprofits’ top reasons for engaging in social media. While online donations are growing, organizations are still trying to unite their social media strategies effectively with their fundraising campaigns. According to Krista Endsley, general manager for Nonprofit Solutions at Sage, “The most successful nonprofits are capitalizing on social media, not by simply tweeting a link to their donation... Continue Reading

Giving In a Time of Less

Timely and timeless – an excellent way to describe Richard Marker’s just released book, Saying “Yes” Wisely: Insights for the Thoughtful Philanthropist. Saying “Yes”, a collection of Marker’s essays written over the past ten years, lays out his vision of what thoughtful and responsible philanthropy should be. His lifetime of varied experiences has taught him that “it may be hard to say ‘no’ graciously, but it is even harder to say ‘yes’ wisely. Addressing real issues, including family legacies, Marker does not shy away from controversial topics and through this collection helps funders to be more thoughtful about the decisions they need to make. Here’s an excerpt: “If it is hard to say no graciously, it is even harder... Continue Reading

The Need to Invest in the Jewish World

from The Jerusalem Post: ‘Israel has distorted view of Diaspora’ “The government of Israel has a very distorted and shallow view of Diaspora Jewry, and this is the result of far too many gatekeepers blocking a genuine dialogue between Israeli Jews and the Diaspora,” according to Toronto Jewish Federation President Ted Sokolsky. … And Israel, he believes, bears some of the responsibility for fostering a stronger relationship with world Jews that could help reverse these trends. … Meanwhile, Sokolsky worries that American Jews are affiliating less not only within their own communities, but with the rest of the Jewish world. “There are times that I’m concerned that the great American Jewish community is an iceberg that’s drifting away, that’s... Continue Reading

What are Your Key Words? Do You Know?

Part of being a smart and effective marketing organization requires creating easy ways for people to find you even if it’s not you they are looking for. Most people search online to get information – not specifically for your organization but to find a solution to a need. Someone searching the web might be looking for a Jewish pre-school program or hospice services, or how and where to do volunteer work in your community, or simply to find a good Jewish organization to contribute to. While certainly lots of people will check out your organization’s web site – especially prior to giving to it – many people are looking online for a service or product not a web site destination. That is why key words are so important. To see how well the Jewish community performs on the... Continue Reading

Cultivating Donors: What Is It All About?

We hear the expression “cultivating donors” all the time and everyone who is involved in financial resource development and fundraising says, “It is all about the donor”. In reaching out to potential donors and working with present donors what does it really mean to “cultivate the relationship”? Is it just another way of selling the charitable cause you want the donor to contribute to or is there something else behind the familiar language that captures a different meaning than just “marketing the product” to sell it to the contributor. Whether you are a volunteer leader or a professional agency staff person or consultant in the non-profit sector, you are always in contact with people who are either presently contributing or have the potential to contribute to one or more organizations... Continue Reading

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