by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin So much attention is focused today on technology and especially social media as a platform to inform, educate and organize. Not a day goes by without some mention of the dynamics of Facebook and Twitter, and even eJewish Philanthropy almost always includes citations about the power of technology for nonprofits. This has prompted us to conduct an unofficial survey of a number of Jewish nonprofits, investigating how they are utilizing social media and how it enables them to meet the demands that they and their leaders are facing. The picture is not entirely positive. The bottom line, as summarized by Jim Gelles, of Membership Management Services, developer of MM2000, a synagogue software system used by more than 200 congregations: “most of the Jewish world … Continue Reading

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to offer a workshop on the topic of creating a social media strategy to a group of budding entrepreneurs. It’s a big, meaty topic, and no two strategies are ever developed in the same way. Over the years, I’ve developed a methodology of what goes into strategy development, and focused on that methodology for the workshop. There are four elements to developing a social media strategy: evaluating current organizational assets, researching competitors (and comparables), choosing appropriate channels for ongoing participation, and measurement. I might add developing online campaigns (as relevant) to that mix. Before creating a strategy, however, organizations should have a sense of these three things: Realistic commitment to social media (time, personnel, … Continue Reading

by Jeff Rubin A nationally renowned Jewish public affairs group just “followed” my organization on Twitter soon after joining the social media site. Welcome, warmly and belatedly, to the Twitterverse! This organization has apparently learned what others have yet to understand: Twitter isn’t a gimmick or a toy; It’s an essential information source for leaders and an important strategic management tool. In fact, it’s become as basic as email to staying on top of events locally and around the globe. Not that long ago, I too was a Twitter nonbeliever. I thought that a “hashtag” was a Middle Eastern dessert. I feared that monitoring Twitter would absorb all of the free time left to me by Facebook, emails, text messages and phone calls. It took a strong kick in the posterior from a … Continue Reading

by Ken Gordon There I was, on January 15th, at the North American Jewish Day School Conference, conducting an intense, face-to-face social-media consultation with Oakland Hebrew Day School’s Rabbi Yehudah Potok. R.Y.P., as his Board President fondly calls him, was deeply focused, asking good questions, making all kinds of notes. Yet as we yammered away, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Could a Head of School really be that interested in social media?” The answer I later learned was this: R.Y.P. is totally serious and smart about Facebook. Y’see, our man at OHDS had asked me about how to increase the size of his school’s FB fan base. I casually suggested that he: Figure out how many Fans his school had at that moment. Pick a reachable Fan goal. Select a date to reach that … Continue Reading