Watching the unfolding events related to the Susan B. Komen for the Cure’s decision (and subsequent reversal) to stop funding Planned Parenthood, one couldn’t help but realize that we were watching our own revolution of the masses. Unlike Tahrir Square and the Occupy movement, however, this latest chapter in our era of mass mobilization never really moved from cyberspace to the streets. It didn’t have to. As the nation of pink ribbons turned into a sea of red faces, Komen realized the rebellion in its midst and decided to change course. There is no question that there are many lessons to be learned from Komen’s unplanned Planned Parenthood experience. Politics aside, even while assessing all of the steps and missteps Komen has made (and, we hope, continues to learn from), the Pink … Continue Reading
The Natan Fund Announces 2012 Grants
New York, NY February 6, 2012 - The Natan Fund today announced $973,500 in 47 grants to 48 emerging nonprofits organizations and individuals in Jewish communities around the world. The 2012 grants reflect Natan members’ unwavering commitment to supporting innovative initiatives that are transforming 21st-century Jewish life. “In our ninth annual round of grants, Natan’s grantmaking has grown both broader and deeper,” said David Steinhardt, chair of Natan’s board of trustees. “Natan continually takes risks on new ideas, new people and new initiatives, while at the same time remaining committed to current grantees that are demonstrating success.” Natan received over 350 Letters of Inquiry in 2011 in nine discrete focus areas. Unlike most traditional grantmaking foundations, Natan is a … Continue Reading
The Time for Radical Change is Now: Will We Help Bring it On?
by Martin Levine “There is a time for everything... A time to plant and a time to uproot... A time to keep and a time to throw away.” Ecclesiastes “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens There are times for gradual and adaptive change and times when radical, disruptive changes are demanded. Imagine its 1995 and you are the owner-publisher of the leading newspaper in your city. CNN is 5 years old on the evolving cable TV landscape and reaches just a small number of homes. Something called the internet is being talked about and experimented with. Evolutionary changes or signs of disruption? Just fads that will quickly fade or early indicators of fundamental changes in the way information is created, communicated, given authenticity and sold? So what … Continue Reading
Want to Know What Makes Millennials Tick? Hint: Ask One
by Blair Feehan Millennials have the capacity and energy to light up the nonprofits they get involved with, but are totally underutilized as volunteers and under-engaged as donors. Is your nonprofit tapping into us? We’re a different breed than what you may be used to, and it may require a whole new set of strategies for your organization: scary, I know, but very do-able. The biggest question to ask when you start thinking about attracting young donors: are you really ready to attract young donors? We’re much more likely to get involved because of our friends instead of your mission. For a while, I happened to be the only 20-something I knew carrying a torch for circus in Seattle, but after bringing my friends to events like Circus Open Mic and SANCA (School for Acrobatics and New Circus … Continue Reading
What Would Rambam Think About DonorsChoose.org?
In today’s world, the opportunity to engage in the work of social change is, literally, at our fingertips. But, does this newfound accessibility make us better donors? Adene Sacks and Dawne Bear Novicoff talk about our role as donors in an age of interconnectedness and independence: These days, it happens all the time. A 13-year old girl, preparing for her bat-mitzvah, sits down with her parents to talk about the mitzvah of giving tzedakah (charity or justice) for the occasion. The family turns to the internet and identifies a worthy project where they will ask friends and relatives to donate. With a few keyboard strokes, this family is able to express support for a project of their choice and provide funding for an individual who may live 10,000 miles away. In today’s world, the … Continue Reading
New Group Moving Jewish Family Education to the Forefront
by H. Glenn Rosenkrantz Fourth-grade students at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, NY recently gathered for one of a series of Havdalah programs, splitting into groups and discussing the blessings and ritual objects and even making some of their own. Not particularly unusual on its face. But what made it more notable was the fact that it occurred beyond the synagogue walls, in someone’s home, and most importantly, that parents participated as well. “We try to give parents the knowledge too, so that they can be educated,” said Lisa Schwartz, Principal of the religious school at Temple Israel Center. “We are making Jewish education intergenerational, reinforcing it beyond the classroom, and strengthening the family Jewishly. This is very empowering, and critical for Jewish … Continue Reading
Can Birthright Israel Alone Reverse Young Adults’ Declining Support of Local Jewish Communities?
by Joel Frankel In my experience, it is rare to hear someone say something negative about Taglit-Birthright Israel (“Birthright”). How could they? It is an amazing program that sends hundreds of thousands of Jewish young adults to Israel each year for free. More importantly, beyond just physically sending people to visit Israel, the trips they fund have a significant psychological impact on the participants. Studies have found that almost 75% of all Birthright participants call their trip a life changing experience!(1) Around for just over a decade, Birthright is shaping an entire generation’s relationship with the State of Israel. Our parents’ generation has an inherently emotional connection to the State of Israel. After our grandparents witnessed the creation of a Jewish state as a … Continue Reading
YU Students Talk Tachlis about Social Justice
by Abigail Pickus Tucked away in an office in South Tel Aviv, a group of unlikely bedfellows engaged in some weighty conversation. Stav Shafir, one of the most prominent leaders of the social protest movement that shook up Israel this past summer, and a group of Stern College for Women students of Yeshiva University in New York, talked tachlis about social justice. “This wasn’t a protest just about housing - housing was the symbol for all of our social services,” explained the 26-year-old Shafir as she delved into the issues that prompted hundreds of thousands of Israelis of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities to demonstrate for a more just society. This encounter was just one stop on a multi-tiered, eight-day winter break Israel trip for Yeshiva University undergraduates run by the … Continue Reading
Scrapping Synagogue Dues: A Case Study
Scrapping Synagogue Dues: A case study of one synagogue that radically altered their dues system and found more money, more members and more harmony by Dan Judson The synagogue dues structure has recently become the source of a lot of conversation - on web forums, at Federation events and at synagogue conventions, people are questioning the long-term sustainability of the membership dues structure. As a result of the recession and longer term demographic trends, many synagogues are facing fewer members as well as members who are hoping to pay less. In 2008, one large conservative synagogue in suburban Boston, Temple Israel of Sharon, was facing a significant problem of declining revenue from dues. “Each year we were raising dues to make our budget numbers, and we reached a point where we were … Continue Reading
Bucking the Trends: Teens Call for Collaboration and a Place at the Table
by Jacob Sorrells For those of us who are deeply involved in the Jewish community, it seems at times that the issues and challenges we face are insurmountable. We make it our business to study the trends of engagement in Jewish life, and we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to continue building a bright future for the Jewish people. For me, the most striking and potentially threatening of all such trends is the fact that over 80% of Jewish teens have no relationship with a synagogue by the 12th grade and boys are disengaging at an even more alarming rate. But last month, when I attended the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial in Washington, DC, I found it hard to focus on any negative statistics. I was sitting in a room surrounded by 5,000 fellow Jewish leaders from around the world … Continue Reading
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