The Week That Was: October 30-November 5

A new feature – appearing weekly – on the eJewish Philanthropy website: the five most popular posts of the previous week.

Too Many Jewish Institutions
by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin

In these times of continued economic uncertainty, we must fully acknowledge all of the elephants in all of the rooms and yes … there is a big elephant in the Jewish household.

Tzedakah and Philanthropy: Rethinking American Jewish Giving
by Larry Moses

Tzedakah, derived from the biblical mandate, “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof” (“Justice, justice, you shall pursue”), literally means “righteousness” or “justice.” It constitutes an incumbent obligation. Situated squarely in the realm of being commanded, tzedakah is an act the donor has a duty to perform and the recipient has a right to receive.

Changes in Administration: Implications for the Staff
by Stephen Donshik

Every time a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) takes the reins at an organization, change is inevitable, particularly because each CEO brings his or her own unique administrative style and vision to the organization. Often the new CEO brings to the position a great deal of enthusiasm and a desire to improve the way the agency delivers its services to the community. Often this change greatly impacts either positively or negatively on the staff and board of directors.

A Full Clip for the Jewish Future
by Naomi Korb Weiss and Shelby Zitelman

For a moment, imagine yourself a shareholder of a multinational corporation that has been in a state of gradual but perpetual decline. Over the past two decades, the customer base has been cut by half. Revenue hasn’t declined significantly but it is generated by increased sales to customers who are quickly aging out of the market. New customer acquisition strategies have centered on advertising and marketing, but the conversion rate is lower than replacement value. Despite an investment in ongoing training and development, your executive class is aging out almost as quickly as your customer base, and at the moment it is pretty clear that there isn’t a succession plan in place for the majority of company divisions. If you were a shareholder of this corporation, would you buy or sell? More importantly, would you convince your friends and children to buy?

The Power of Network Development
by Deborah Fishman

Creative thinkers and doers are emerging as leaders of the Jewish people. But they can’t achieve change in a vacuum. They need to reach others – to leverage the power of those who care about the same issues they do.

Click the red tab above for previous weeks most popular posts.