In partnership with ELI Talks, eJewish Philanthropy will be running a series over the next few weeks of responses to an ELI Talk given by video game designer Sam Glassenberg.
Glassenberg brings up many issues in his short talk, including whether our models of philanthropy-supported community institutions are at a disadvantage compared to for-profit models. For-profit businesses must, by design, be attractive to the end consumer. He asks whether there is a consumer-focused strategy that can work for the Jewish community, and he tells us that there already is a highly successful for-profit model for the Jewish community that we should emulate.
Watch Sam’s talk here and join the discussion.
The first response, by Lisa Colton, can be found here. In the coming weeks, additional responses will be posted; all will be available here.
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Jewish non-profits are often too disconnected from the end-user and get mixed business signals because they provide services to one audience while collecting money from another.
Does JDate offer a model? I’m not sure. If JDate were run to solve the problem of intermarriage, for example, would it be so popular? Part of why JDate appeals to people is b/c it puts them in control of their dating, when usually Jewish dating is a matter of being set up by others, or being pushed into dates by people whose goal of ensuring you marry Jewish overshadow your goal of marrying happily.
Nor is it clear what impact JDate has had. Intermarriage statistics don’t reveal a ‘JDate effect.’ Nor are Jews finding partners more quickly or at a younger age thanks to JDate. And of course, JDate has non-Jewish members, which would likely be a huge flashpoint if it was charitably funded.
Maybe the smartest thing we can say about JDate is this: about 50,000 Jews, mostly under 45, pay $300/year for membership. Perhaps synagogue dues need rethinking?
Isaac I like what you say
perhaps synagogues charge a membership dues for 20s and 30s and include 6 months free on JDATE
everyone loves a bargain!
The game idea is wonderful; I totally agree with going in the back door to be able to sell the consumer your product
BUT is Jews finding dates and marrying Jewish–is this communitys biggest issue?
Shalom All,
The “community’s” (assuming that’s now the synonym for the Jews of North America) biggest need is a meaningful contemporary, non Orthodox Judaism. Most North American Jews have opted out of the status quo, and those remaining continue to do so in increasing numbers. All the rest of these conversations are moot and at best of the “cart before the horse” variety. Indeed, what makes J-Date “Jewish” beyond the accident of birth that most of its subscribers are Jewish?
Biv’racha,
Jordan