with thanks to Esther Kustanowitz and ROI120.com As you gather with family and friends to celebrate Chanukah, we encourage you to pass along this small test of technoliteracy. Print it out and save; post on your message boards, both in the virtual world and the old fashioned one (the kind requiring thumb tacks). And, if your are an organization manager, give this test to each and every staff member and consultant responsible for your marketing and PR efforts. For this group, anything less than a perfect score requires some serious retooling.

1. What is a blog? Is there a difference between a website and a blog? Do you know how to find Jewish blogs?
2. What does web 2.0 mean?
3. What is Wikipedia?
4. What ...
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   Tags: connect, educate, ROI120, social networking, web 2.0

Welcome to ejewishphilanthropy.com, a resource dedicated to educating and advancing the use of the Internet in the world of Jewish Philanthropy. Today marks a conclusion, but also a beginning and a continuation. A conclusion of almost a year, connecting and learning from many friends and colleagues on how best to proceed. Valuable suggestions have come from so many to bring us to where we are today, a beginning. As we look to the future, ejewishphilanthropy.com has ambitious plans; this will be our continuation. We invite you to visit us frequently as we share helpful tips on using the Internet to advance the causes we are all dedicated to. We also plan to keep you updated on ...

This past summer, Jerusalem played host to a variety of international conferences with the common topic, the Jewish People and the Future. These gatherings addressed sometimes overlapping issues but were markedly different in both the age groups targeted and the tone set for the Jewish future. In reflecting on two of the larger and more public events, it is clear older, more established institutions in the Jewish world are unfortunately still often closed to emerging leaders; this in spite of the constant bemoaning the dearth of future leadership. At the same time there are hundreds of young, passionate and talented Jewish activists, eager to take on serious leadership roles. They are not waiting for an invitation, but are already taking ...

Most people treat Jewish community work like a casual non-profit. But perhaps there’s a more effective, more business-like way to encourage innovation within a responsible, results-oriented framework? PresenTense Editor and Publisher Ariel Beery and his frequent business partner Aharon Horwitz think so, and tell you all about it in their new article in Ha’aretz, “Investing in Value." To save our community from the boom-and-bust dynamic, we need to prioritize value over image, and encourage young entrepreneurs to seek out value-enhancing opportunities that will allow them to generate returns on investment. To do so, the model of today’s Internet start-ups might be instructive: Start-ups now begin with a prototype and seek small seed investment. When a prototype is deemed to work, ...

The mantra of this Next Generation. A key plenary took front and center as we were presented with a group of dynamic young leaders who are finding new ways to build community and their version of Tikkun Olam. The common thread among these showcased young leaders and their projects is innovation and commitment. They are helping us enlarge the town square of Jewish life and we must encourage and support them. Both Esther Kustanowitz and Dan Sieradski were brilliant and on point concerning this demographic, their needs and what is necessary to attract and engage this group in the larger community. Esther spoke passionately about the new uses of technology and online communities being formed:...

We bring you a story on the importance of transparency in all we do as communal professionals. Yes, we do have a practical side to Tzedakah and among the many needs of both the donor and the organization is the need for mutual trust. This can be earned in many ways but begins with being open about mission and where the organization is deploying resources. Take a look at this Lakewood, New Jersey based charity and decide for yourself if they are open on who they really support. For the full story, http://www.kcchronicle.com

with thanks to Esther Kustanowitz and ROI120.com According to an article in the fall education supplement to the NY Jewish Week today’s teachers are not properly wired to be able to relate to and educate Generation Tech. How prepared do you feel? Take a test of your technoliteracy…

1. What is a blog? Is there a difference between a website and a blog? Do you know how to find Jewish blogs?
2. What does web 2.0 mean?
3. What is Wikipedia?
4. What is YouTube?
5. What is Facebook? Is it the same as MySpace and Friendster, or are there differences?
6. What is iTunes? What is an MP3 player?

If you can't answer all of these questions, it's definitely time to start learning. Technology is not going away. At ejewishphilanthropy.com we ...