• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Managing Your Nonprofit / Using Starbucks as a Model for Jewish Philanthropy

Using Starbucks as a Model for Jewish Philanthropy

April 12, 2011 By eJP

by James Goldman

What can the Jewish non-profit world learn from corporate coffee mavens? A lot. Starbucks is one of the most successful brands in history, and there are lessons that we use borrow from the barista bigwigs in managing successful nonprofit organizations.

  1. Segment your market smartly. Starbucks isn’t trying to please the Folgers crowd; they gear their marketing to the consumer willing and able to pay a premium price. It’s tempting in the nonprofit arena to try to please all of the people all of the time. The unfortunate reality is that we spend an inefficient amount of time trying to please everyone, and reach very few effectually.
  2. Everything emanates from the top. Hiring the right management team is integral to corporate success, and it’s integral to the success of your organization. Hire people who have a proven record of success. When you are building a complex organization hire people who have experience building these types of organizations. When you are building spirituality within an organization, then hire a rabbi. These types of people have different skill sets. Don’t assume that a Rabbi can build an organization and don’t expect a CEO to be able to provide spirituality.
  3. Exceed expectations. Starbucks measures everything, tests everything and constantly asks outside experts to size them up. By having measurements in place they can define what is success and what is not. Do you know that your organization is truly exceeding the expectations of your target audience – Starbucks does because they have measurements.
  4. Branding/attention to each detail. Everything from the way you order, the music in the background, to their commitment to the community is their branding. By focusing on each detail they make a connection to their customer. That connection is a major part of why they are successful.
    Does your organization brand itself with every action it takes? What is your connection to your customer?

When you think of coffee, you think of Starbucks. When you think of successful Jewish organizations, do you think of your organization?

James Goldman is the founder of Bridgepath, a Jewish Community for Young Adults. Twice James has built new companies that he has then sold to NASDAQ listed companies. He has a BBA from University of Massachusetts Amherst. To learn more about Bridgepath, contact James atjgoldman@bridgepath.us

Adapted from a presentation at the 2011 Jewish Funders Network Conference.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Managing Your Nonprofit, The Blog Tagged With: Jewish Funders Network

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Bruce Powell on An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Sara Rigler on Announcement: Catherine Reed named CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom
  • Donna Burkat on The Blessings in 2020’s Losses
  • swindmueller on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times
  • Alan Henkin on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times

Most Read Recent Posts

  • What Title for Henrietta Szold?
  • Jewish Agency Accuses Evangelical Contractors of “Numerous Violations” but Denies They Evangelized New Immigrants
  • An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Why One Zoom Class Has Generated a Following
  • The Blessings in 2020’s Losses

Categories

The Way Back Machine

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Copyright © 2021 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved