According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy... As nonprofit groups increasingly compete with business and government employers to attract young workers, many people in their 20s and 30s are pressing charities to improve salaries, offer greater opportunities for career development, and do more to promote the diversity of their work forces. In follow-up conversation to a survey of 1,650 released by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network last year, which found burnout and low salaries threatening to drive young charity workers away, members of the group held a conference to discuss how they can bring about changes that will reshape nonprofit organizations in ways that make them more inclusive and give greater opportunities to emerging leaders. read the complete article ...

A sampling of recent stories of particular interest... A Town Under Fire Becomes a Symbol for Israel; from the front page of yesterday's New York Times: SDEROT, Israel — This long neglected immigrant town a mile from Gaza, pounded by Palestinian rockets for the past seven years, is taking on a new identity, edging into the center of Zionist consciousness as a symbol of the nation’s unofficial motto: “Never Again.” Federation's Stanley Gold slashes board size, reorganizes When Stanley Gold took over as Board Chair he promised major change. He also pledged to have 50% of the board under 50 y.o. within two years. I hope he understands this means including two generations of adults, not one. Last week the 133-member board ...

A selection of recent articles and postings around the nonprofit world you may find of interest... About the Economy What does this uncertain and difficult economy mean for fundraising and philanthropy? Changing Our World President Chris Watson offers a sector briefing. Are Tech-Savvy Millennials the New Voice of Philanthropy? There are many broad generalizations made when it comes to speaking of whole generations, but young people today are certainly showing an interest, and a tech-driven level of sophistication in their volunteering and charitable support, that might make fundraisers take a second look at these young donors of time and resources. From the Association of Fundraising professionals Blogging the NTEN Conference There was no shortage of cyber chatter surrounding last ...

Israeli singer Yael Naim, is making a name for herself across the world. When she was a very young singer-songwriter Yael Naim decided she was an old soul. Later the Israeli realized that she'd made a mistake. This realization is the inspiration for the American breakout hit of the year, New Soul, chosen by Apple CEO Steve Jobs to market Apple's newest laptop. Sung in English, the song went on to become the Number 1 downloaded song on iTunes, and landed Naim Billboard magazine's "Hot Shot" designation, scoring the highest for any debut song on the magazine's singles chart. Read more at Israel 21c.org. And while you're at it, check out their updated website; they ...

Breaking News as reported by Jewlicious: Michael Steinhardt, a breadwinnerist, philanthropist, aspiring zoologist, and out of the box thinker-ist has just unveiled a new plan to his Jewish posse while out on business in California: a network of kosher Cannabis clubs to be developed, managed, and operated by Jewish young adults, ages 18-26. The new venture, called 'Project Greenright' (don’t get too creative here Mikey) has plans to open its first club in Los Angeles on April 20th 2008, near the Pico/Robertson district, and after a 3 day evaluation period, has plans to expand all over the West Coast, East Coast, and eventually Israel. read the complete post here

Some doom-sayers worry about the intermarriage rate; others the shrinking birthrate in the Jewish community; or the lack of reasonably priced communal affiliation. Guess for these people the glass is always half empty. For those of us on the other side, those of us who see the beginnings of a new golden age of Jewish communal innovation, those of us out in the trenches (so to speak) with the new, young innovators, the students in the various professional programs, and the just all around 'younger' interested and non-affiliated, not only is the glass not half empty, it's close to overflowing! The most recent example, this past week's Jewlicious Festival 4.0. Writing on the Jewlicious blog, "ck" ...

"The nonprofit sector is at a major crossroads. After years of humming along at a familiar pace of ongoing programs, stable leadership, and status quo fundraising, a new wave of change is happening right before our very eyes. The thousands of idealistic baby boomers that started nonprofit organizations 20 years ago are calling it quits and retiring from their leadership positions in the coming years. You’ve no doubt heard about it, but I’ll just confirm it for you here: there is indeed a leadership crisis looming ahead for the nonprofit sector. At least three out of four executive directors plan to leave their jobs within the next five years and about ...

Do you know someone graduating college this Spring? Think they could contribute to our Jewish world? Hillel's Schusterman International Center is accepting applications for its 2008-2009 Schusterman International Center Fellowships in Washington, DC. With its recent strategic plan and new mission to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world, each of the five Schusterman International Center Fellowships is designed to align with one of the organization's high priority areas of focus:

• Center for Jewish Experience
• ...
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  Tags: Hillel, NewGen

Today the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, upon the recommendation of the Bronfman Chair search committee, offered the position to Yehuda Kurtzer, Harvard PhD candidate and Wexner Graduate Fellow, who entitled his project

"The Sacred Task of Rebuilding Jewish Memory"

The committee took into consideration the proposal itself, the ability for that idea to become an accessible book, the candidate's interview, the symposium presentation, the courses candidates proposed to teach at Brandeis, outside recommendations, and responses from the symposium audience. No candidate won in all categories and every candidate impressed the committee. From Yehuda's project proposal... "The next great step for the Jewish future will be the reclamation of the Jewish past. ...

Since launching the acclaimed Shabbat Across America Program in 1997, the National Jewish Outreach Program has brought hundreds of thousands of Jews together for an annual fun-filled Friday night event. In an unrivaled display of Jewish unity, approximately 700 synagogues across the continent simultaneously open their doors to practicing and non-practicing Jews alike, so they may join together to experience and rejoice in a traditional Shabbat service and festive meal. Designed to teach a generation of unaffiliated Jews about the beauty and significance of the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat Across America/Canada is the first nationally orchestrated program to appeal to members of all major Jewish denominations. This year, the newest Shabbat Across American locations will be virtual, ...