Since its inception, UpStart has committed itself not only to strengthening the professionalism and efficacy of new Jewish initiatives, but also to strengthening the Jewish knowledge of the leaders and the quality of Jewish content offered by these initiatives. It remains unique in the network of Jewish incubators aimed at bolstering the Jewish innovation ecosystem, and begs the question: why is it important to engage the leaders of new Jewish initiatives in substantive Jewish learning? And, furthermore, why does UpStart believe that it is not only important, but ultimately intricately interwoven with the potential success of these leaders and their projects? Hal Lewis, in a recent piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.com entitled Workplace Happiness and the Jewish Question, notes the disturbing trend … Continue Reading
How Big? How Great?
by William Foster and Toby Rubin Over the past decade, according to a recent survey report by Jumpstart, the Natan Fund, and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation, the Jewish innovation sector has created more than 600 new organizations that seek to effect change in the world through a Jewish lens. Toby Rubin interviews William Foster about the obligations of both entrepreneurs and philanthropists to increase the impact of those organizations and determine if and how to provide next-stage funding and a crack at sustainability. Toby Rubin: What are three key trends in the philanthropic sector that inform our understanding of whether philanthropy in the social sector is positioned to step up? Please name them and discuss each in turn - ideally, with a “call to action” for philanthropists, social … Continue Reading
How Does a Nonprofit Know When it’s Time to Hire New Staff?
by Steve Leibman Here’s a situation I see and hear about all the time. Tell me, does it sound familiar to you? You work at a nonprofit organization because you want to change the world, have meaning in your work, and feel good about yourself when you wake up every morning. When you sit back and reflect for a moment and look at the last year, you realize, “WOW, we really did accomplish a lot. Our nonprofit hosted some great events, helped out people in need, expanded our support network, and is making meaningful progress. However, on a personal note, why do I feel so burnt out with no end in sight?” Your next thought is, “Maybe it’s time to hire someone new to pick up some of the work I’m doing, so I can go out and do the things I was really trained to do. That would be the best … Continue Reading
Increasing Supply, Not Only Demand
by Shawn Landres People sometimes ask me how Jumpstart balances what appear to be the competing dimensions of our work: global vs. local, research vs. advocacy, startups vs. the “establishment,” and, most fraught of all, funders vs. grantees. The thing is, we just don’t see our work that way. In our effort to help make Judaism & Jewish life vibrant and relevant, we know we gain strength and purpose by working together. Changemakers with shared visions shape the world with the tools they have available, whether those tools are financial or programmatic, operational or intellectual. I was struck by Yoni Gordis’s observation to a roundtable on innovation and philanthropy moderated by Seth Cohen, just published in the October 2011 issue of Sh’ma: “...We’ve done a great deal … Continue Reading
Pivoting in the Sands
It is a fitting time in the Jewish calendar for Jewish start-ups to begin or renew their journey with UpStart. As a people, we are counting the days from Passover to Shavuot, from the Exodus from Egypt to the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. This period of time is also an agricultural period, during which time the wheat was harvested, and the first fruits gathered, precious offerings to be brought to the Temple. It is a time of reflection and growth, which results in the gift of something new to the community. The Torah states in Leviticus 23:15-16: "And you shall count you from the morrow of the Sabbath, from the day you bring the elevation sheaf, seven whole weeks shall they be. Until the morrow of the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days, and you shall bring forward a new grain … Continue Reading
Partnering: A Passover Paradigm
Passover is upon us, and the custom to put ourselves in the ancient Israelites’ shoes, and perceive ourselves as if we have emerged from Egypt. It is a time of year for reflection - what are our Egypts, our narrow places, keeping us trapped in harmful patterns? What is preventing us from being free, from making the necessary changes that will enable us to transition from where we are to the place we want to be? When Moses is charged with the task of standing before Pharaoh and leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he demurs, stating “the people won’t believe me, and won’t listen to me” (Exodus 4:1) He goes on to say that he is not a man of words, that he is heavy of mouth and tongue, that he’s not the guy for the job. (Those who want to get out of a challenging situation, take notes; … Continue Reading
Post-Startup Nation
For several years now the organized Jewish community has rallied around the innovative work of social entrepreneurs and the programs that support them. Hundreds of new projects and organizations have been launched as a result of this movement, which has been spearheaded by organizations like PresenTense, ROI, the Joshua Venture, Bikkurim, The Natan Fund, Jumpstart, Upstart [Bay Area], and the Lippman Kanfer Institute at JESNA. And the flow of startup projects shows no sign of abating. If the recent past is any guide, however, we will soon see some restlessness about the continuing focus on startups, and a desire to move on. That happened after “continuity” was heralded as the most urgent priority; it happened after day schools were favored. And it happened again after Jewish camping moved … Continue Reading
The Many Faces of the ROI Community
Yesterday I had the chance to, once-again, sit with 120 hyped-up, caffinated, sleep-deprived young adult movers and shakers of our Jewish world at the 5th annual gathering of the ROI Global Summit. And while perhaps I spent a bit to much time catching up with friends from around the globe, it is clear that this group not only 'gets it' they are actually 'doing something about it'. For not only are they creating cutting edge projects on multiple continents, they are trail-blazing a new level of collaboration among themselves and spurring a growing interchange of ideas between ventures such as JHub, Joshua Venture Group, Jumpstart, PresenTense and UpStart Bay Area. Here are just a few of the many faces of the global ROI Community: From Florianopolis, Brazil, meet community leader Deborah … Continue Reading
Back to School
The Jewish community has been a-buzz in recent years about its “Innovation Ecosystem,” a term coined by Shawn Landres and Joshua Avedon in their report published in 2008. The report revealed that a substantial number of new Jewish organizations, which think and behave differently from existing, often flailing, Jewish institutions, are cropping up at a rapid pace. These organizations are radically changing the landscape of the Jewish community, meeting its most pressing needs, and providing creative, relevant, and substantive Jewish programming to Jews not participating in pre-existing structures. My question is: Why aren’t more of our creative social entrepreneurs dedicating their energies to re-envisioning, re-imagining, and re-shaping those institutions that, arguably, have the potential … Continue Reading
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