Google Wave as a Collaboration Tool

by Deborah Fishman An all-volunteer magazine put together by a geographically diverse, online community of young adults 22-40, PresenTense Magazine has always been a collaborative enterprise. As such, we’ve made ample use of many Google products, storing and sharing articles in Docs, communicating in Chat, and organizing and tracking article progress in Sites. Yet the lack of integration has made using all these tools in concert a challenge, and we are always interested in exploring better ways to perform these tasks. For our tenth issue, PresenTense Magazine launched the Digital Issue – the first-ever print magazine to be published entirely in Google’s new tool for collaboration, Google Wave. The platform allowed us to pioneer new horizons for journalism by seeking to address a key challenge... Continue Reading

Entitled or Enlightened?

by Miriam Bader The launch of PresenTense Magazine Issue 9: Philanthropy initiated a stimulating conversation about young Jews and philanthropy at a panel Tuesday night titled “Entitled or Enlightened?”. Cosponsored by PresenTense, The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, and ROI Community, the event, which took place at the Samuel Bronfman Foundation offices in New York, featured panelists Rabbi Andy Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim, Gali Cooks of the Rita & Stanley Kaplan Family Foundation, and Rabbi Ari Weiss of Uri L’Tzedek. Their perspectives were as compelling as those shared by the audience, a group of largely young Jews in the nonprofit Jewish fundraising world. Expertly moderated by Tamar Snyder, a staff writer at The Jewish Week, the panel explored complex issues related to Jewish... Continue Reading

Eyes to The Future

by Aharon Horwitz and Ariel Beery Scarcity. It’s a word that evokes dread in the minds of Jewish organizational professionals struggling to meet their budgets while they continue to provide for their constituents. The sustenance of thousands in need – whether elderly, young children, immigrants, the destitute or others – stands or falls on the strength of the infrastructure the Jewish people have built in Israel and around the world over the past century. Reacting to the gloomy predicament caused by the international recession, Jewish institutions and organizations worldwide have moved to reduce expenditures and focus on their core agenda: cutting pay, shedding staff, and even shortening work weeks. Some federations in the United States have even been forced to cut allocations to service... Continue Reading

Every Little Bit Counts: Microfinancing in the Jewish Tradition

by Talia Cottrell Furleiter Maimonides, writing in 12th-century Egypt, could not have imagined the extension of loans beyond the limits of one’s own community and immediate surroundings. Even 25 years ago, if a Jew living in New York wanted to personally help the people living in the poorest reaches of the globe through loans, partnerships, or helping them find jobs, it would have required intense personal and financial commitment and international travel. One who couldn’t make that type of commitment could give money to a larger charitable organization, but he would lose control and knowledge over how the money would be spent. Today, however, someone can turn on her computer and make a small loan to a clothing manufacturer in Nicaragua, all before her morning coffee. In a globalized world, with... Continue Reading

Pitch an Idea: Enjoying the Act of Giving

by David Russell Young British Jews are giving less to Jewish causes and to all charitable causes, and feel no responsibility to give more, reported the first, and thus far only, systematic study “Patterns of charitable giving among British Jews” (Institute of Jewish Policy Research, 1998). The Happy Givers, a program launched in London on September 23, 2009, will introduce what some feel is a missing factor amongst young Jews balancing whether and how to give philanthropically: peer pressure. The Happy Givers will introduce public competition into the giving process through quarterly events. For each, four projects will be selected based on innovation, need, and interest. Any charity with a Jewish connection – supporting Jews in need or Jews helping others in need – may apply, with... Continue Reading

Give and Take: Thinking Anew About Giving to Israel

by Chaim Landau Well before the founding of the State of Israel, Jews in the Diaspora were sending money to support a variety of causes in the Land of Israel. The simple model, however, of Diaspora Jews as donors and Israeli Jews as recipients, has become outdated. It is no longer axiomatic for many young Diaspora Jews that they need to send money to a successful country whose fate seems to have little impact on their own lives. Money invested in Israel, whether by the individual or the Jewish community as a whole, must benefit both donor and recipient, and needs to be seen as part of a holistic two-way relationship. Such philanthropy, instead of being divorced from Jewish life in the Diaspora, needs to enhance and contribute to it. The money that Diaspora Jews sent to Israel throughout the years was... Continue Reading

Rules of Engagement: Giving to Israel Despite Reservations

by Josh Buchin For many young Jews, the subject of philanthropy for the sake of Israel does not occupy much of their time. Whether it’s because the issue is too political or too overwhelming, the topic often gets pushed aside in favor of other forms of philanthropy. But for some young Jewish philanthropists, Israel is an area that truly speaks to them. PT sat down with young philanthropists to discuss why giving to Israel can be an important and relevant issue in our day-to-day lives. “Theodor” wishes to remain anonymous. He is an active lay leader in the Jewish community of Luxembourg. Tell us a little about how you personally choose to support Israel. I support Israel in different ways: by giving money to Israel through Keren Hayesod, the fundraising arm of the Jewish Agency; by serving... Continue Reading

A Million Points of Light: The Growing Potential of Online Giving

by Tova Serkin Never has your 18 dollars been worth so much. The way donors and nonprofit organizations relate to each other has changed drastically over the last few years, putting more power into the hands of every individual. Last year’s economic crises have brought these changes into sharp relief, as fewer donors have funds to spare and many organizations struggle to survive. Globalization, the growing influence of social media, and the unparalleled success of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign have led to an increased focus on the social impact of giving, and therefore a growing democratization of philanthropy. While these changes may sound appealing for potential donors, not everyone views these trends positively. They create new challenges, particularly for organizations and potentially... Continue Reading

Power to the People: Investing in the People Behind Projects

by Dana Raucher and Shawn Landres Over the past decade, funders and philanthropies, large and small, have invested more than $500 million in a wide range of new Jewish organizations, communities, and start-up ventures. Philanthropic investment in innovation has reflected the aspirations of funders to promote certain key values, such as pluralism, openness, and inclusion. Diverse – even contradictory – ideas and practices co-exist in an atmosphere of respectful pluralism, fostering exploration, entrepreneurship, and an “open tent” model of Jewish community, whereby anyone can enter from his or her own particular perspective. The new financial support has helped drive and nurture the emergence of a Jewish innovation ecosystem: a dynamic and interdependent network of diverse Jewish initiatives... Continue Reading

With Friends Like These: Supportive Communities Enable Creativity

by Benjamin Greene How can philanthropies most effectively invest in leaders? While investing in talented individuals has great potential to impact the community, investing in an interconnected cohort of leaders can be transformative. Over the last two decades, numerous Jewish foundations and philanthropies have sought to further their missions by supporting fellowship grants, which help the greater community by empowering select individuals to become communal agents of change. Alumni of these fellowships have played a major role in the renaissance of Jewish life and the emergence of an entire sector of innovative Jewish organizations. At the same time, many of these fellowships have also demonstrated that the long-term impact of investing in individuals can be significantly increased when it involves... Continue Reading

Next Page »