The Professional Leaders Project (PLP) will phase out its operations effective August 31, 2009. Created in 2004, PLP’s mission is “turning leadership over to the next generation.” PLP is the first high-end Talent pool of outstanding volunteer and professional leaders, in their mid-20’s - early 30’s for the American Jewish community. PLP’s impact has been highly acclaimed by key foundations, organizations and top community leaders across the country. Rhoda M. Weisman, Founding Executive Director, stated, “The Jewish community’s greatest resource is its human capital and in the case of PLP, we have identified, trained and placed Gen Y Talent in top leadership roles across the country. The investment in PLP and its Talent will be a lasting one. We are saddened to phase out the Professional Leaders … [Read more...]
Spelling Success Together
In his article “How PresenTense Defines Success for Ventures Launched,” Ariel Beery explains that when PresenTense claims that “11 out of the 27 ventures that PresenTense’s summer Institute launched in the first two years of existence are successes, we mean that 11 of those 27 ventures have received follow-on funding or merged into other organizations.” Rigorous methods to determine and measure desired impact is critical for the overall growth and ultimate health of the Jewish community. UpStart Bay Area, whose mission is to advance early stage non-profits that offer innovative Jewish engagement opportunities, applauds PresenTense’s work, and encourages the Jewish community at large to think more about the elements of success for our community’s innovative ventures. If we use our burgeoning … [Read more...]
PresenTense is Coming to Beantown
by Tali Minsberg Starting in January 2010, the PresenTense social entrepreneurial fellows experience will not be limited to Jerusalem and people who can give six weeks of their summer. Working with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, PresenTense is launching its first states-side fellowship program, hoping to channel the Jerusalem-based Institute's energy and achievements into New England environs. Taking the fellowship out of Jerusalem will not be easy. Entering the Jerusalem Institute brings on a rush; you feel the energy as soon as you walk in the door. And its not from the espresso that runs freely throughout the building. PresenTense's Zion Hub, in the heart of Jerusalem, is the center of a community dedicated to growing and equipping the next generation of pioneers in … [Read more...]
Ten Practical Principles for Raising Funds for Social Ventures
by Rebecca Caspi 1. Find your focus - turn that big idea into a very specific concept or set of concepts. Think “bite-size” when explaining your passions to others (at least in that first encounter). Beware of jargon! 2. Figure out who your real prospects are. Time is your most valued resource; spend it in the places you are most likely to succeed. Forego irrelevant or unlikely donor sources. 3. Know what you need. What exactly is it you need to get funded? Don’t forget to include your overhead costs (though sometimes it’s OK to sell a loss-leader product). 4. Treat your investors like partners - tell them the truth about how much support you really need. Don’t ask for too little money. 5. Trite but true, people give to people. In the minds of your funders, you “are” the product. … [Read more...]
How PresenTense Defines Success for Ventures Launched
Last Thursday, July 23, the 16 fellows of PresenTense's summer Institute 2009 cohort stood before close to 250 people and in one fell swoop launched 14 new social ventures into the world. The next morning we got together for brunch to do one last reflection on the summer and its program, and the main question on everyone's mind was: now what? This question - where do PresenTense ventures go after the six weeks of the summer Institute - has been much talked about recently: it was brought up by Raphael Ahren in Haaretz, who wrote that "A number of last year's fellows, however, seem to have neglected their projects after departing the institute, with their Web sites lying barren ever since." In response a number of PresenTense's contributors and members have emailed saying that they felt fellows … [Read more...]
The Challenge of Staff Retention
[eJP note: while the following guest post by The Curriculum Initiative's Adam Gaynor deals with Jewish educators, the issues raised are applicable to all organizations, especially during the current economic climate.] by Adam Gaynor The question of how to retain staff in tough times has plagued a range of organizations in recent months, but in Jewish education, the ability of organizations to retain educators for more than a couple of years has been an ongoing challenge. In part, high turnover among Jewish teen educators in particular is the result of an under-investment in staff salaries and training, combined with the fallacy that only young staff can “relate” to teens. These issues lead organizations to rely on college students or recent college graduates with limited experience; sadly, … [Read more...]
Professional Development: Hillel Takes It to the Next Level
by Rae Ringel “Professional development” has morphed into a catch-all phrase encompassing anything from how-to skills training, to meetings with supervisors, to attendance at conferences and workshops. What if professional development meant not just building skills, but in building leaders? What if a non-profit wanted to help its professionals achieve their highest potential and inspire the clients, staff, and volunteers with whom they interact every day? … [Read more...]
A Day of Personal and Professional Development
Implications of Political and Economic Changes for Jewish Community Professionals in the 21st Century The annual meeting of the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America (JCSA) will be held Wednesday, June 3 at the Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C., bringing together hundreds of leaders from the United States and Canada for a day of personal and professional development. Two plenary sessions and 28 targeted discussion groups will examine the implications of political and economic changes for Jewish Community Professionals in the 21st Century. Rabbi David Saperstein, who represents the national Reform Jewish Movement to Congress and the Administration as the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, will be the keynote speaker at lunch. Dr. Erica … [Read more...]