I know, I know. This is a well-worn topic. I myself have been addressing it for years and I am far from unique in that regard. It is hard to find an experienced foundation professional or philanthropist who doesn’t know the limits of pure metrics as a sufficient measure of a worthwhile grant. But the idea doesn’t go away. There are still those who assume that if they can only get the right numbers, they will be able to compare the objective worth of ngo’s and nfp’s around the world. These measures would determine which group is a more deserving recipient of funds, which group uses contributed or granted funds more efficiently, and which are being profligate with the vast sums thrown their way by unsuspecting donors. Now - let us be clear: there is nothing wrong with data, if it is … Continue Reading
Visual Thinking: A Challenge for Our Sector
by Emily Comisar If I told you that we could find new expressions of Jewish communal work using this image as our inspiration, you’d probably think I was crazy: That’s right, square plus triangle equals circle. In this case, the triangle (or delta) stands for change, the square for the status quo, and the circle for wherever it is that we’re going - and we’re generally in agreement that where we’re going is not where we are. This equation formed the basis for NTEN’s annual Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) this month, where nearly 2,000 nonprofit technology enthusiasts gathered to discuss everything from social change to Pinterest to Blackbaud’s plans to acquire Convio. If you’re not familiar with NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) - I can’t recommend their work … Continue Reading
Jewish Summer Camps: Director’s Cut
by Robert Gluck JointMedia News Service At age 8, when Molly Hott stepped off the bus to complete her first summer of overnight camp, she told her parents she was going to “do this forever.” She wasn’t kidding. Hott spent the next 14 years of her life as a camper, waitress, bunk counselor, group leader, events specialist and division head. As a college student, she pursued an independent study on camp programming and camp’s influence on children. Now, she is director of the 92nd Street Y’s Passport NYC camp in New York. To fully understand the Jewish summer camp experience, it’s helpful to listen to directors like Hott - whose own camp experiences shaped their lives and careers. Why do camp directors do what they do? “I do what I do because I have the chance to change … Continue Reading
Contemplating a Future Without Holocaust Survivors
Planning for a time when survivors are no longer alive, some focus on preserving the literal memory of the Holocaust as both a sacred obligation to the victims and an educational tool. Others suggest that more effective ways to remember will be new ritualized commemorations and Holocaust fiction. by Michele Alperin JointMedia News Service As the number of Holocaust survivors able to give direct testimony about their horrific experiences during World War II is dropping precipitously, the Jewish community is seriously considering how the Holocaust narrative may adjust to a future where no eyewitnesses remain. According to Hillary Kessler-Godin of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, about 500,000 survivors remain alive worldwide. The Holocaust Survivors Assistant Act of … Continue Reading
A Message in A Bottle: The Four Donors
by Steven L. Meyers, Ph.D. I like to think about The Four Donors as if it were a forgotten fragment of a lost hagaddah, written by a philanthropist long ago, translated for our day. Whether you are a philanthropist or a fundraiser, it's a message in a bottle, which resonates for people seeking to understand their charitable impulse. The Four Children offers a lesson on meeting people where they are and appreciating them for what they are. The Four Donors helps translate the charitable inclination into action through personalized philanthropy: finding just the right gift for the right person at just the right time. This message in a bottle seems relevant all year long, not just at Passover. Four Donor Personalities (from a lost haggadah) 1. The Wise Donor: This is the wise and loyal annual … Continue Reading
How Do We Talk to Our Children About Israel?
by Robbie Gringras My wonderful daughter had her Bat Mitzvah recently. She sang beautifully from the Torah, built an amazing model of her “Personal Tabernacle” inspired by the portion, and took part in a lovely service she had helped to shape. I am overjoyed that my daughter’s experience of Judaism has been of a wise and deep tradition, fantastic stories, warm Friday nights, and inclusivity for both genders. It wasn’t until we went with her to an exhibition on Jewish Feminist art at Ein Harod Museum that we came across a different aspect of Judaism. We walked around an exhibition created by furious female artists. Laws of niddah, modesty, and exclusion were beautifully screamed at, ridiculed, and mourned through video, photography, installation, sculpture and embroidery. From the … Continue Reading
Exporting Knowledge: Israel Sci-Tech Curriculum Making Impact at U.S. Jewish Day Schools
by H. Glenn Rosenkrantz April 15, 2012 - Hartsdale, NY - He’s 15, in ninth grade, and already thinking about a sci- tech career. “The idea of being involved in science and technology is very appealing to me right now,” said Greg Robinov, a student at Solomon Schechter School of Westchester, north of New York. “Dealing hands-on with hypotheses and ideas that are truly applicable to how the real world works is something I really want to be part of.” Robinov is one of 35 students at this Jewish day school enrolled in a science and technology program designed by Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network (ISTSN) and exported to the United States for the first time this academic year. The program is based on curricula and teaching models that are the hallmarks of ISTSN, which is spearheading … Continue Reading
#12NTCJews Talk Networks and Nonprofits
by Deborah Fishman I must admit that I don’t go to very many conferences that aren’t “Jewish.” But [in the days just prior to Passover] I was excited to attend the Nonprofit Technology Conference of NTEN (#12NTC). I went to speak at a session in collaboration with the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, and Darim Online, on networks, technology, and their application to non-profits – and yes, we were speaking about it particularly in a Jewish context. The truth is, with the attendance of over 70 non-profit professionals who are Jewish and/or working for Jewish nonprofits, this session and the social hour that followed had as much as or even more of the usual dose of Jewish geography, schmoozing/networking, and certainly the spirit of Jewish pride. Why … Continue Reading
A National Opportunity to Transform Local Communities
by Dr. Hal M. Lewis In “The Case for National Jewish Philanthropy” (eJewishPhilanthropy, March 28, 2012), Yossi Prager thoughtfully delineates “a few examples of functions ... best addressed nationally for the benefit of local institutions.” In response to his invitation for further discussion, I would add to that list a single item: the training and development of Jewish communal leaders. For years North American Jewish organizations and institutions have dabbled in what purports to be leadership training for both professionals and the laity. We have done so without a continental mandate or an overarching vision. Leadership programs vary from city to city, from agency to agency. With striking consistency, we have ignored best practices, often conflating Jewish literacy or the teaching … Continue Reading
Philanthropy Nation?
by Suzanne Last Stone It seems an opportune time to reflect on the attitudes of the Israeli and American Jewish communities toward philanthropy, given both the recent release of Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires, 13 of whom are Israeli, and the appearance [last] week of Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley - UK’s former Ambassador of Philanthropy and a Kindertransport refugee - at two [local] conferences, one the Amuta 21C conference on nonprofits in Israel, which face an uncertain future, and, the other, the annual meeting of the United States-based Jewish Funders Network, the largest network of Jewish philanthropists in the world. The Forbes list is merely the latest confirmation of the remarkable economic flourishing of Israel. This development is poised to alter the … Continue Reading
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