NEW
Non-Profit Management Articles
Issues in Non-Profit Management and Administration
Articles by The RDM Group Staff and Others
When The Development Officer Is Obliged To Raise Her Or His Own Salary
("Paying For Your Own Keep")
Tony Poderis
How
to Work with (Or, If Necessary, Around) Board Members Who Aren’t
Functioning
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Fundraising and Promotional Items: How They Work Together
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
“Reuven’s” Rules of Order
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Read All About It: Make Your Synagogue Bulletin Stand Out
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
“Next Year” is Months Away. Start Planning Now? YES!
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Establishing a Synagogue House Committee
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Five Years Down the Road: Developing a Strategic Plan for Synagogues
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Letting Members Know What Needs to Get Done - and How To Get Them to Volunteer
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
When The Development Officer Is Obliged To Raise Her Or His Own Salary
("Paying For Your Own Keep")
Tony Poderis (Tony@raise-funds.com)
Too often,
especially in smaller non-profit organizations, staff development officers are
forced into a deplorable position that belittles them and damages the
organization. They are charged with personally raising their own salaries. These
salaries sit outside the normal budgeting process. They are not treated as a
regular operating expense. Instead, they become an extraordinary item, an
afterthought.
There is no rational argument for this practice. I believe it comes from
trustees who mistakenly view fund-raising as a necessary, but demeaning, evil.
They try at all costs to avoid doing it themselves, even though fund-raising is
universally acknowledged to be a primary responsibility of trustees. For these
malfunctioning trustees, fund-raising is a repugnant task they hire someone else
to do.
An attitude such as this places fund-raising outside of an organization's
regular operational activities. From there it is a short step to not including
it in the budget and making development staff responsible for finding the money
for their salaries.
Such a view is dangerously flawed. Trustees who think that the people they hire
to raise funds are in fact "the" fund-raisers condemn their organization to a
life of under funding and curtailed programming. It is the responsibility of the
leadership of an organization to take the lead in raising the funds needed to
sustain that organization. There is no stronger indicator of an organization in
trouble than the refusal of its trustees to accept their fund-raising
responsibility.
Fund-Raising Expense: The Cost Of Doing The Organization's "Business"
Growing, successful organizations see development staff salaries in the same
light as any other personnel expense. They understand that a strong development
effort is central to carrying out the mission of the organization. They know
that fund-raising must be part of the operating budget. For them, fund-raising
expenses and salaries are line items to be anticipated, projected, and budgeted
--- just like rent, utilities, supplies, and programming salaries.
The challenge for development officers faced with a raise-your-own-salary edict
is to enlighten the organization's leadership. For the good of the organization,
such leadership has to be brought to an understanding that there are right ways
and wrong ways to take on the daunting challenge of fund-raising.
The primary operational concern of a development officer must be the creation
and management of a structure for raising the money to fund day-to-day
operations. After that come capital and endowment campaigns. That order cannot
be maintained when you are expected to mount a separate effort to raise your
salary.
I'm not saying that development officers placed in such a position will
selfishly respond with the attitude, "I have to get mine first." But, competent
development professionals who find themselves in such an organization will
realize that fund-raising needs can't be met unless someone is in place to
manage the effort. That automatically puts getting the money to pay their
salaries at the head of the line.
Squandering The Resources
What comes first for staff development professionals in this no-win position? Do
they raise their salaries first and then get on with meeting the organization's
main fund-raising needs? Or should they be required to first raise the money the
organization needs to balance its books for the fiscal year, and then go look
for the money to pay their next year's salaries? It's a no-win situation either
way.
Development officers forced to raise their own salaries first will go to the
organization's surest prospects for those salaries, taking them off the board
for other solicitations. Those who have to do it at the end of the year are
likely to squirrel away a few sure thing donors.
No matter which timetable such a development effort follows, the development
staff will be distracted and some of the organization's best donor prospects are
likely to be under solicited. Asking these donors of first resort to give to the
Development-Officer's-Salary Campaign is likely to let them off the hook for
other potentially larger gifts. It also runs the risk of pushing these important
donors away from developing a sense of involvement with the organization's core
mission and purpose.
A Matter Of Survival
Then there is the whole issue of distracting the development staff from the
organization's needs. When they are worried about their paychecks, will the
development staff be able to concentrate on long-term goals or building a cadre
of volunteer solicitors? Such a development staff will be forced to deal on a
daily basis with concerns over the financial security of their families. If some
measure of success is achieved, how will the random receiving of contributions
to the salary fit with the exacting schedule of the development officers'
regular and required needs --- such as to pay the monthly mortgage?
What if they are unsuccessful in raising their salary money? Will they get paid?
From where will the shortfall come? It's human nature to expect that if you
can't raise your own salary, and you cannot meet your personal financial
obligations, and can't pay your bills, it would be very likely that you will
blame the board of trustees because they did not help you, and that they had you
working under such a hardship in the first place. To add insult to injury, you
can bet that should you not raise your own salary, the leadership will likely
penalize you anyway for not meeting your "quota."
Will the best development professionals choose to work in an environment of such
insecurity? I think not. Organizations that force development professionals into
insecure positions will find their development operations staffed by the less
experienced and less capable. And they will lose quickly those who gain
experience and develop greater competency.
And what happens when they leave? Remember, such an organization's relationships
with its donors are in the hands of its staff, not its leadership. Will those
donors transfer their relationships to the new staff member, or will they move
on with the departing staff member? If I were the executive director or trustee
of a non-profit organization, that is not a question I would like to find myself
facing.
Fund-Raising Is A Shared Responsibility For Everyone In The Organization
I am tempted here to go into all the reasons why solicitations should not be
made by development staff, but by peers of prospects. But that would only
distract us from the narrower issue of raising your own salary. (Besides, I've
got the topic of who the true fundraisers in your organization should be covered
by the article listed and linked below.) Suffice it to say that all the
arguments against asking staff to be solicitors hold even more strongly when it
comes to forcing them to solicit their salaries. No competent professional
should be forced to beg for her or his pay, and no prospective donor should be
approached by someone asking for money that will go into her or his pocket. As a
matter of fact, in the latter instance, it's common knowledge that most funding
sources will not give money in support of a named individual --- you. Work to
convince your leadership that you will have no success whatever when asking
foundation officers and corporate contributions managers for money to pay your
salary.
No one ever said that fund-raising was easy. It takes belief in the cause and
persistent hard work to be successful. That belief and hard work must begin with
an organization's volunteer leadership. Trustees who do not understand the need
to develop a fully professional development operation doom their organization's
fund-raising efforts. Key to developing such an operation is the realization
that fund-raising is an integrated part of the organization. Asking development
staff to raise their own salaries outside of the organization's regular
budgeting process, places development efforts outside of the organization's
core.
Development officers who agree to work in an environment where they raise
salaries in a separate campaign do a disservice to the organization. They allow
malfunctioning trustees to continue to shirk their responsibilities.
Compensation for development staff must be part of an organization's regular
annual budget. The organization that does otherwise hamstrings its operations
today and its sustainability in the future.
So what if you, after all, are successful, and do raise your own salary? You can
be sure that the board will not pitch in to help raise the "other" money needed
to operate the organization. After all, when you raise your own salary and they
see that you are a proven, effective and successful "fund-raiser," they'll no
doubt believe that you can personally raise much more of what the organization
needs without them.
How
to Work with (Or, If Necessary, Around) Board Members Who Aren’t
Functioning
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
We have all encountered co-workers who don’t carry their share of
the workload. This can be a tremendous source of frustration for
other workers and negative productivity for the company. The same
holds true in non-profit organizations for volunteers in general and
even more so with board and committee members who take on an added
responsibility in their elected or appointed positions. No one likes
to deal with a person who doesn’t live up to the responsibilities
that were either assigned to him/her or specific tasks for which
that person chose to volunteer.
When faced with a list of responsibilities, we usually accomplish
those tasks that we like to do first and leave the more unpleasant
tasks for another time. In many instances, these more unpleasant
tasks get swept under the rug, sometimes lost for eternity. For
some, balancing a checkbook gets put aside for another time while
others love to balance the books and dive right into the paperwork.
Mowing the lawn becomes an irregular and almost insurmountable chore
for some, while others view it as a challenge and a good way to get
some exercise. So too, with volunteers who choose to do something
versus those who are volunteered to do a specific job. When a
volunteer has the freedom to choose the task for which he/she will
be responsible on behalf of the synagogue, he/she is more likely to
accomplish that task fully and within the allotted time period, than
someone who has a responsibility thrust upon him, especially if the
task is one that he specifically doesn’t like.
When it comes to synagogue board members, the same theory holds
true. Let’s assume for the purposes of this article that your board
members were elected/appointed based on the fact that they wanted to
contribute something substantive to your synagogue’s leadership.
Because they are board members, they are ultimately responsible for
all aspects of the synagogue’s functioning (along with the paid
staff, such as the rabbi, executive director, youth director,
secretaries, etc.) But just because they’re board members doesn’t
mean that they have to like every responsibility put upon them. And
even though your board members may have been elected to serve
specific functions doesn’t mean that they will automatically embrace
those responsibilities.
So, what is a synagogue board to do with one of its board members
who doesn’t live up to the responsibilities he has been entrusted to
fulfill? Before you take any action, here are some questions you
should consider:
Determine Why the Job Isn’t Getting Done: Is the task too
difficult for one person to accomplish? Does the board member have
the resources necessary to complete the task? Is the board member
capable of accomplishing the task (does he have the time and the
ability to accomplish the task)? Is the task suited to the board
member’s personality? If the board member is not suited to complete
the task, perhaps you should reassign the task to someone else and
find another task that you and this board member can mutually agree
upon.
Making Your Needs Known: Has the board member been given a
deadline to complete the task? Have you explained exactly what you
want the board member to do and what results you expect him to
achieve?
The Reminder/Check Up Call(s): Have you followed up with the
board member to check on the progress of the task to be completed
and to remind him/her that the task needs to be completed by a
certain date?
Reassigning Jobs and Titles: Just because someone was elected
to a specific position doesn’t mean that he has to be the one to
carry out the specific responsibilities assigned to that title. If a
board member, for example, was elected to serve as treasurer and it
turns out that he has absolutely no skills to serve in that
capacity, then just reassign those tasks to someone else on the
board, and find other tasks for your “treasurer” to take on. In my
estimation, it is more important to get the job done rather than
being forced to stick to the responsibilities of one’s title.
If all else fails, remember that the most important thing is that
the job gets done. When a board member continuously does not
respond to your requests, it may be time to work around him. I’m not
suggesting for a moment that you ask the person to leave his board
position. Rather, I am suggesting that you make it quite clear that
the synagogue and its functioning come first and, therefore, you
will need to use other people to get the job done. Use extreme
caution when doing this; although taking responsibilities away from
a person may be the last resort, remember that this person will
still be your co-congregant and has to feel that he is still a
welcomed member in your synagogue.
© 2002 National Council of Young Israel. Used with permission.
All Rights Reserved.
Fundraising and Promotional Items: How They Work Together
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Promotional and ad-specialty items - they are everywhere. Countless products
grace our homes and offices, all sporting the name of some corporation or
organization. Fortunes of money are spent on these gifts, mainly to keep us
familiar with their products or services and to promote name recognition. Unlike
these corporations, synagogues usually operate on very limited budgets with not
a penny to spare. Why spend extra for a gift for potential donors when you're
getting a decent return on an old- fashioned mail campaign? It's time to find
out what these corporations know and translate it into increased returns on your
synagogue's fundraising efforts.
Consider the following case: Rabbi G., the executive director of a well-known
yeshiva, became frustrated with the limited returns the yeshiva was receiving
from their annual mail campaign. As an experiment, he decided to include a
moderately priced gift item with the next mailing. He was pleasantly surprised
to find that donations increased by 15%!
Rabbi G. found out something that businesses have known for years. A free gift
promotes a feeling of goodwill towards your company (in this case, your
synagogue) as well as a feeling of obligation to patronize your business or, in
this case, to send a donation. Furthermore, every time Rabbi G.'s gift is used,
his yeshiva's logo serves as a subtle advertisement that helps keep the yeshiva
at the forefront of a potential donor's mind.
Whether you represent a school, synagogue, kiruv program or other charitable
organization, name recognition and a familiarity with your goals and ambitions
can go a long way towards raising funds. A product that is needed and used and
which has your logo and slogan on it is a perpetual reminder of who you are and
for what cause your organization stands. The more unique and useful the item,
the more likely it is to catch your prospect's eye.
Mailing a gift is not the only way to utilizing the powerful advantages of
promotional products. Mrs. S. knew that she needed something unusual to attract
people to her organization's annual tea. After much thought, she hit on the idea
of a unique door-prize that could be used on everyone's Shabbat table.
Attendance was so high that they ran out of prizes in less than an hour. The
door-prize was the talk of the town and the next year attendance was even higher
as people anticipated another useful gift. In another instance, Rabbi L., the
director of outreach at a shul in a small community, was looking to generate
interest in an educational seminar he was preparing for the general community -
including those who were not affiliated with the shul. He offered a unique gift
to the first 500 people who signed up - and the response was overwhelming!
Jewish organizations of every kind throughout the country have increasingly been
using promotional products in their fund-raising efforts. Popular items which
have been successful include: magnets with the times for candle lighting,
magnets with various prayers, bookmarks, matchboxes for candlelighting and for
havdala, wipe-off charts to keep track of important information, placemats for
Chanuka and Rosh HaShana, as well as benchers, Megillot, and other small prayer
books. A minor investment in a promotional item can yield major results in your
next fund-raising campaign. Now is time for to give some serious thought to the
advantages of including a gift when fund-raising in the coming year. Contact the
Department of Synagogue Services of the National Council of Young Israel for a
list of promotional items vendors.
© 2002 National Council of Young Israel. Used with permission. All Rights
Reserved.
“Reuven’s” Rules of Order
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Often
while attending executive board meetings of various Young Israel branches, I am
confronted with questions of proper procedure. Though many synagogues' by-laws
state the frequency and quorum constituency of board and general congregation
meetings, most do not address the standard operating procedures for the running
of meetings themselves.
The
authoritative bible of meetings is the sometimes cited but often misquoted
Robert's Rules of Order (Perseus Books, ISBN 0-06-276051-3, 1990). Authors Henry
M. Robert III and William J. Evans provide answers for nearly every conceivable
question of procedure. These procedures are founded on 4 basic principles:
1.
Someone has to facilitate or direct the discussion to maintain order.
2. All
members of the group have the right to bring up ideas, discuss them, and come to
a conclusion.
3.
Members should come to an agreement about what to do.
4.
Members should understand that the majority rules, but the rights of the
minority are always protected by assuring them the right to speak and vote.
It is
with these principles that Robert and Evans meticulously outline parliamentary
procedure for any organization, including meetings and their strategies,
agendas, motions, voting, nomination of officers, elections, and the like.
Clearly, Robert's Rules of Order is a useful reference volume worthy of
accompanying any synagogue's by-laws (note: many versions of Robert's Rules of
Order are in print - including Webster's New World simplified and applied
edition {ISBN 0-02-0862749-0}. Choose the version that is easiest to use as a
reference and as a guide for implementation).
As Jews
we are held to higher standards than those which Robert and Evans propose; the
Torah gives us directives for daily life that can be and need to be applied to
the running of a meeting. While there are those who would characterize some of
these rules as common sense, our commitment to a Torah lifestyle requires that
we view these procedures as a part of our halachic framework.
What
follows are some basics that, if implemented as part of the ground rules of any
synagogue meeting (be it a board, committee or even general membership meeting),
will ensure that the discussion and matters to be decided will be done so in a
Torah atmosphere.
Start
the Meeting With a Dvar Torah - A few words of Torah inspiration, delivered
either by the rabbi or a meeting participant, set the tone for the agenda to
follow. This moment of Torah study should be dedicated to focusing people on the
overall purpose of the synagogue and the role each person plays in its
functioning.
Invite
Your Rabbi to Meetings - While many pulpit rabbis attend synagogue meetings,
their role may be understated. Not only can the rabbi set the tone for the
meeting by delivering some encouraging words of Torah; he can guide the meeting
back on course should someone act improperly by speaking lashon hara or bringing
up a halachic issue. Additionally, the rabbi can learn first hand what issues
are effecting the leadership of his congregation. When discussions about the
rabbi are necessary, he can either be asked to come to the meeting after those
discussions have been held, or he can be asked to excuse himself at that point.
Either way, the request must be made respectfully.
Make
Sure to Include a Positive, Anecdotal Story - Many meetings focus primarily on
the challenges and problems at hand. Rarely do meeting participants get a
glimpse into the good work that the synagogue and its leadership is providing.
By including a report on a successful program, a note of thanks from a
congregant, or a reminder of the good feelings that were generated at a
particular event, the general outlook becomes more balanced. Many a rosh yeshiva
has started his shiur with a milta b'dichuta - a light story with a positive or
happy/ funny ending to warm up his talmidim for the discourse that followed.
Remember To Utilize Three Key Phrases - While following parliamentary procedure
is crucial to running an orderly meeting, common courtesy is key to running a
successful meeting. Using the phrases "Please," "Thank You," and
"I'm Sorry" at
their appropriate moments validates each person in the room and sustains good
will amongst participants. It is this common courtesy, combined with giving each
person the right to contribute his/her opinion, that will ultimately lead to
sound decision making that is widely supported.
Be
Strong - and Bite Your Tongue - There are some who feel so strongly about their
opinion that they will go to all lengths to express themselves - even if that
means interrupting someone who tries to express a difference of opinion. Pirkei
Avot teaches us that eizeh hu gibor - hakoveish et yitzro - the strong person is
one who can control his/her urges - especially those who have the urge to cut
someone else off mid-sentence.
Bury
All Personal Agendas - Good intensions usually form our opinions and fuel our
drive to express them. Yet, what stands in the way of those good intensions is
our ability to cloud them with personal agendas. For example, one may agree with
an opinion that is stated at a meeting. But since he/she may hold a grudge
against that person, judgment of that opinion may be skewed. Checking egos and
agendas at the door before a meeting begins will allow for an honest exchange of
ideas and opinions.
At All
Costs, Avoid Lashon HaRa and Personal Attacks - It is very easy to fall into the
pit of lashon hara, particularly when discussing communal entities such as a
synagogue. A no holds barred commitment must be made at every meeting to avoid
divulging any irrelevant information and holding idle conversations about
people. Speak to your rabbi about establishing guidelines for what types of
conversations regarding individuals are permitted by halacha to be had in a
public forum.
Overall, Be a Mentsch - While convening of a group of people to discuss
synagogue issues may unavoidably lead to a divergence of opinions, it's
important to remember that each person deserves respect and each opinion is
credible at least to the person posing it. No matter how many issues upon which
you disagree, you must at minimum agree to disagree. Hillel and Shammai of
Mishna fame were almost always of different opinions, but they held each other
in the highest regard. Our fellow congregants should be treated accordingly.
A
synagogue can only expect to survive and thrive if it has the support of its
membership and the involvement of its leaders. A properly run meeting which
embraces clear guidelines on procedure and derech eretz will go a long way in
securing the involvement and approval of the congregation.
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
Read All About It: Make Your Synagogue Bulletin Stand Out
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Congregants look forward to receiving their synagogue's newsletter or bulletin
as it contains vital information about almost every aspect of shul life. As
mentioned by Menachem Lubinsky, president of Integrated Marketing &
Communications, Inc., in his article on Marketing the Synagogue in the last
edition of The Suggestion Box, newsletters still enjoy an overwhelming majority
of readership over other pieces of mail. Therefore, it is imperative that you
make your synagogue's newsletter attractive, informative and interesting, and
its purpose useful.
With
the advent of desktop publishing, it's relatively easy to accomplish the
aforementioned goals. Why not try one or all of these tips, adapted from the
Volunteer Management Report, to ensure that your newsletter will be an eagerly
anticipated addition to your members' mailboxes:
Attractive Graphics and Fonts
Keep artwork and graphics consistent for a professional-looking design. Identify
an illustrator or graphic artist in your community who can develop a library of
simple drawings, icons and column headlines in themes that are tailored to your
needs. Alternatively, there are loads of royalty-free clip art libraries
available on the World Wide Web (www.clipart.com is just one example) as well as
Jewish graphics from Davka (www.davka.com) and other companies. Make sure to
choose a variety of images sharing the same drawing and graphic style.
Limit
font usage to one or two from the same type families to avoid a cluttered look.
Choose a serif face for article copy, and a contrasting san-serif font for
headlines. Use boldfaced and italics versions of the two fonts for emphasis, but
do so sparingly. Keeping people reading is as important as getting them to read
in the first place - so select your fonts wisely - ones that are easy on the
eyes.
Meaningful Content
Calendar of events, member recognitions and news articles are nearly always read
by all newsletter recipients and should be an important part of each issue.
While columns from the rabbi and president may be mainstays of your publication,
regular columns by the same contributor and non-news items may not be necessary
each time. Diversifying your content by choosing different types of articles for
each issue ensures you readers will have something unique to read with every
edition.
Use a
brief human interest story about a local personality in each issue, especially
about those who may not be as well known within the community. Make it a semi
regular feature, but with a different focus each time.
Include
information about events that take place outside of your synagogue such as local
secular events of special interest, other Jewish communal programs, and
regional, national and international gatherings.
Names
attract readers, so including a column with interesting bits about what your
members are doing for your synagogue and other organizations is sure to be a
popular addition.
Welcoming new members by publishing a brief biographical profile goes a long way
to introduce newcomers to the synagogue and community. Young Israel of Jamaica
Estates, NY accomplishes this in a regular column they call "New Yids on the
Block" - a sample copy of which is available through NCYI's Department of
Synagogue Services.
While
most Jews will focus in on stories of Israeli or Jewish interest in the media,
they may not always have the time to "get the whole story". Since you already
have a capitve audience, why not take the time to include a reprinted article
about the status of Jerusalem, Jewish life in another part of the world, and the
like. Make sure to give proper credit for the article, listing the original
publication's name, date, issue, and the article's author.
Make
sure to list all members' smachot (births, bar/bat mitzva, graduations,
weddings, promotions, awards, etc.) as well as, rachmana nitzlan, all losses to
the community.
Receiving Timely Information in a Timely Fashion
Make your newsletter a key source of information that members can count on to
bring them up to date with davening times and other zmanim, important events and
deadlines, meeting times and locations, driving instructions and telephone
numbers of important contacts. They will be more likely to save it and read more
of the information in it when they know they will have to refer to it in the
near future.
Stay on
schedule for publication and delivery to enhance your synagogue's image of
reliability and efficiency. If members are reading your newsletter and counting
on it as a source of important news and peer recognition, they will rightly
expect it to arrive at the same time each month, or quarter. Try not to
disappoint them or make them wonder if their copy was lost in the mail.
Once published, send copies of the bulletin to other synagogues and community
organizations, as well as local Jewish and secular media, so that they can
publicize your events (especially if the bulletin contains the aforementioned
timely information). Make sure to get a copy of their respective bulletins to
keep aware of other events in your area.
Some examples of great looking synagogue newsletters filled with practical, appropriate content are available from NCYI's Department of Synagogue Services, 212-929-1525, ext. 112; suggbox@youngisrael.org.
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
“Next Year” is Months Away. Start Planning Now? YES!
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Editor's Note: While this article originally appeared in The Suggestion Box" a
mere 12 months ago, it is worthwhile to revisit the planning process for any
given programming year.
While
Rosh HaShana is may be months away, now is the most appropriate time to start
planning your synagogue's schedule of events for the upcoming Jewish calendar
year. O ne of the
most effective methods of planning a year's worth of events is to create a time
line. This visual aide gives program planners a birds' eye view of 12 months of
opportunities. By plotting significant dates on the time line, a synagogue can
successfully see what's coming down the road and budget significant lead time
for each event.
How to
Get Started
1. Draw a Time Line: Begin with Rosh Chodesh Elul of the current year and end with Rosh HaShana
of the following year. May I suggest that you use two or three pieces of oak tag to draw the time
line. I wouldn't use a month by month calendar for this purpose; you'll lose the
birds' eye view of the entire year.
2.
Gather as Many Calendars as Possible: These include Jewish and secular
calendars, school/yeshiva calendars, community calendars, Federation calendars,
etc. The more information you have at your fingertips when you start this
process, the less of a chance you will run into conflicts with other
organizations.
3.
Start Plotting Significant Dates on the Time Line: Start with the obvious:
Jewish and secular holidays. Make sure to include significant Shabbatot -
Shabbat HaGadol, Shabbat Shuva, etc. Then place other significant dates on the
time line - such as President's Weekend, Lag Ba'Omer, Yom HaZikaron, Yom
Ha'Atzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, etc.
4. Make
a List of Significant Synagogue Programs that You've Run in the Past (and when
they've taken place) which you are likely to run again. Such events include an
Annual Dinner, Melava Malka, High Holiday seats, Lulav & Etrog sale, youth
shabbatonim, scholars in residence, etc. Make sure to include other synagogue
divisions such as Sisterhood, youth, etc.
5. Make
a List of Events that You'd Like to Run (which you haven't done in the past):
While you won't be able to run every event you put on the list, it's important
to get a feel for the new ideas that people have for synagogue events.
6.
Start Plotting Significant Events on the Time Line: From the list of programs
you've run and programs you'd like to run begin placing each on the time line.
Since you will be moving events around the time line due to scheduling and other
factors, may I suggest that these events be written on Post-It notes which can
be easily moved and removed.
7.
Allow for Lead Time: Once you have reasonably placed most of the programs/events
on the time line, we now must take into consideration how much lead time will be
necessary to pull off each event. Place lead time Post-It notes on the time line
to get a birds' eye view of what's going on each month of the year.
8.
Calculate Your Human Resources: One major question we have yet to address is do
we have the people (manpower) to take charge of these events? One or two people
will not be able to run a year's worth of events. Think of people who would not
normally be involved and find those events which speak to each individual (see
The Suggestion Box Spring/Summer 1998 edition for the article "Fresh Faces-
Attracting New Volunteers").
9. Can
You Do It All? Now that you have all of your dates, events and lead times on
your time line, will you be able to juggle all of these event in the time
prescribed with the people you have assigned to each event? These are questions
only you and your group of planners can answer. Don't be discouraged if you have
to remove a number of events in order to correctly run a few successful events.
Some
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this exercise has given you an overall picture of your synagogues
programming year. Make sure to refer back to the time line on a monthly basis to
keep track of where you've been and where you're going.
In
order to make the planning for the following year even more productive, take
notes about each event : how it was planned, the lead time necessary, was the
event successful, and did it take place at the "right" time. The more
information you collect regularly, the more informed decisions you will be able
to make. Need some help in putting all of this together? Contact the Department
of Synagogue Services at the National Council of Young Israel.
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
Establishing a Synagogue House Committee
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
While most synagogues have some type of janitorial service, not many enjoy the privilege of employing an Executive Director who oversees the entire physical plant. When it comes to securing volunteers for these issues, getting people to serve on a House Committee is at best difficult. In addition, the common misconception that the Gabbai (or even the rabbi) serves as the de facto House Committee can be a source of many conflicts within a synagogue. Yet, without people taking direct responsibility for the upkeep of the synagogue, it will deteriorate quickly. While attending a meeting of the newly created House Committee of the Young Israel of Teaneck, NJ, a method of identifying, categorizing and dividing house responsibilities was formulated. I share with you here the steps of this process in the hope that synagogues in similar/same situations can gain the upper hand on house chores. Special thanks to Mark Glassberg, president of the Young Israel of Teaneck, for his input into this article.
Identifying all House Issues: While the task might seem overwhelming, it's important to get all of the issues out on the table. Only through identifying all of the issues can we hope to categorize, prioritize and assign responsibilities. Some of those issues may include: HVAC (a.k.a. heating, ventilation, air conditioning) plumbing, electrical, appliance repair, roof, gutters, drainage, exterminator, garbage collection, landscaping (including watering of property), purchasing and stocking supplies, setting timers and clocks, maintaining the alarm system, snow/ice removal, routine civil inspections, coordination of use of the facility, and the like.
Categorize: Once all of the House Issues have been listed, we will categorize them on two levels: Frequency and Contractor/Non-Contractor Issues. Sorting by frequency gives an overall timetable of when things need to get done. Sub-Categories in Frequency include: Regular/Recurring Tasks (such as Landscaping and Cleaning), Repairs/ Maintenance (such as HVAC), Special Projects (such as putting up and taking down sukka), and Immediate Concerns. Once issues are divided into those categories, we will identify which tasks can be handled by congregant and which require professional assistance. Place a "C" for contractor or "NC" for non-contractor. This further classification will allow us to better assign tasks to specific people when we are ready to do so.
Prioritize: While we made an "Immediate Concerns" category to tackle pressing issues, we will also need to prioritize each issue in every category. Some issues, such as regular tasks, might have the same priority. However, given your synagogue's geographic locations, priorities may change seasonally. Example: If you live in a northern climate, ice and snow removal become more of a priority in the winter while air conditioning is not a high priority concern. During the summer, obviously the opposite is true.
List of Contractors: The issues that require a professional's services are somewhat more difficult to tackle than other issues as they make us rely on an outside person. That's why it is a good idea to have a list of several contractors for each item on your list. These names can be obtained through your own congregants' experiences with those professionals. Besides finding reliable contractors, it's a good idea to have two or more on deck just in case your preferred contractor is unavailable.
Emergency Contingencies: Part of a House Committee's tasks is to develop plans of action in the case of an emergency. Scenarios to be included in this plan include: intrusion, fire when the synagogue is empty, fire when the synagogue is populated, burglary, setting off alarms accidentally, interface with Police and Fire Departments, etc. This plan should be included in the final information given to all congregants regarding who handles which aspect of the synagogue's physical plant.
Finding Volunteers: How do you find people to take on these type of tasks? Let's be honest, serving on the House Committee of any synagogue is far from glamorous. Our goal is to recruit people who have a knack for personal home upkeep as well as those who feel comfortable dealing with contractors. Personally, I found that taking on a mundane task such as contacting an electrician to fix a wiring issue on the side of the synagogue was in the end very gratifying. My one or two phone calls actually made a difference with minimal effort on my part.
Assigning Tasks: Once we have identified issues and volunteers, we can then assign specific tasks. Don't expect every issue to be assigned and tackled in one evening. Remember: you are asking people to give of their not so likely spare time to take care of mundane synagogue issues. Suggestion: At your first meeting, assign only one task to each volunteer (obviously, pick those priority items that require immediate assistance). A list of tasks, volunteers and the Contractors List should then be drafted and distributed. Once the system is up and running, members of the synagogue should be informed about who handles which aspect of the synagogue's physical plant.
Overseeing Tasks and Volunteers: Just any other committee, there needs to be one person who oversees all of the issues and volunteers. The Chairperson of this committee has to be willing to encourage volunteers to complete tasks and report back to the leadership of the synagogue regarding progress on the issues. If, for some reason, any given volunteer isn't completing his/her tasks, the Committee Chair will have to either reassign the tasks and/or take on the task(s) personally.
A Final Note: While this framework
will get a synagogue started on the path of proper facilities management,
remember that maintenance of a machine requires just that: regular maintenance.
Meet regularly with all committee members to discuss achievements, failures, new
issues, etc. By following a carefully molded plan of action, the upkeep of your
synagogue will no longer keep you in a difficult situation.
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
Five Years Down the Road: Developing a Strategic Plan for Synagogues
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Scenario Number One:
Congregation Ohavei Sheina, an Orthodox synagogue located in the sleepy rural
community of Tuliptown, Alaska, has enjoyed a long, prosperous history. For the
past 100 years, Ohavei Sheina has serviced the needs of Tuliptown's Orthodox
Jews. Now facing the new millennium, Ohavei Sheina must confront numerous
challenges:
● The roof needs to be replaced within the next 2-3 years (too much snow last
winter)
● Membership has been steadily declining (people are moving to Seattle because
they have a yeshiva high school - Tuliptown does not).
● An influx of Russian Jews crossing the Bering Strait have settled in Tuliptown
- with few resources.
● The air-conditioning works just fine. The problem is that it works 12 months a
year - the heating system is in serious disrepair.
● The rabbi has given notice that he will be assuming a new position in a warmer
climate in 6 months.
Scenario Number Two:
Anshei Dibbur, a shul started only five years ago, is located in a prominent and
well established Orthodox community in a New York suburb. Starting with only 10
couples, Anshei Dibbur has grown to over 75 families in a short time. Shul
leaders are amazed that they face the following challenges:
●
While the shul built a modest building two years ago, they have already
outgrown their usable space.
● Most families are comprised of "thirty-somethings" who, for the most part, do
not have the financial wherewithal to make significant financial contributions.
●
As more families continue to move into the neighborhood, some opt to go to the
other Orthodox synagogue - half a mile away - because it is bigger and more
established.
What are these two synagogues to do? While their issues are very different and
the solutions for their respective challenges may be diverse, the method I would
suggest to address the issues and solve the challenges would be exactly the
same: Develop a strategic plan.
Strategic Planning is an in-depth examination of where your synagogue has been,
what its mission and goals are, and an evaluation of the internal and external
factors that affect its ability to achieve those goals. In its final product, a
strategic plan will be the direction your shul will take over the next two to
five years.
We
often make attempts to plan for the future. Yet most of the time these plans
lead nowhere, especially when random, off-the-cuff decisions are made. Continued
failed attempts will lead to frustration and, inevitably, inaction. Because the
world around us continues to change (local population, economy, demographic
mixture, etc.), we need to be ready to anticipate and deal with those changes. A
strategic plan can help you take control over what your synagogue will become
and how it will get there. This time, when we plan for the future, our decisions
will be relevant, effective and long lasting.
Both
Congregation Ohavei Sheina and Anshei Dibbur need to take action. Some of these
issues require immediate attention. Others require long-term solutions. By
implementing a strategic plan, each synagogue will see a global perspective of
their respective situations. Even when a synagogue seems to be on "auto-pilot"
where the status quo rules, change may be right around the corner. Effective
planning can be beneficial for any synagogue at any stage of its life.
Starting the Process - Who and What You Need Strategic Planning doesn't take
place in a vacuum. It requires input from many different sectors of the
community. You should look not only for board members and community leaders or
only pursue those who "know things" and have ideas. Get people involved who
could give constructive criticism and those who want to make it happen. All of
this assumes that there is a commitment from your board (or those in "power") to
engage in the Strategic Planning process. If you don't have “buy in” from those
who will support and follow you, don't even bother starting. Besides commitment,
you will need to convene a group of volunteers to move the process along, which
can take 2-5 months. This group must be willing to look beyond any immediate
crises and stand back from your synagogue's day-to-day operations to create the
proper non-crises driven atmosphere.
There
are a slew of companies and consulting firms who make a pretty penny from
developing strategic plans for both businesses and not-for-profits alike. In
most cases, a synagogue will not have the financial wherewithal to afford their
services. However, with a little research and developing the techniques found in
this article, almost any congregation can develop and implement their own
strategic plan.
Steps
in Developing a Strategic Plan Gathering Information: You will now gather
information in order to develop your Strategic Plan. Without specific pieces of
information, be they fact or opinion, an honest picture of where your synagogue
currently is and has been in the past will be impossible to create.
1.
History: First, you will want to review the history of your synagogue:
What kind of shul have you been? What were your goals in the last 5, 10, 20
years? Did you accomplish those goals? What has your population been? What kind
of services have you provided and have they been successful?
2. Mission and Mandate:
Next, you need to answer the question of questions: "Why do
we exist?". The road to answering that question lies in the clarification of
your Mission and Mandate. While these two terms may sound alike, they are
clearly different: your mission is comprised of the goals of your congregation -
such as providing a warm and welcoming place for tfila and limud torah in order
to promote religious, educational, intellectual and spiritual growth. A concise
two sentence paragraph highlighting these goals is your mission statement. The
mission statement describes the very essence of your synagogue's existence. Once
your mission is clear, you can then determine what your synagogue is mandated to
do to fulfill that mission. Example: Anshei Dibbur's mission is to create a warm
and open Orthodox synagogue for all to pray and learn. Based on that mission, it
is mandated to hold services, have classes, etc.
3. SWOT Analysis:
You will now try to assess your synagogue's current
status by reviewing the internal and external factors that determine that
status. This technique is known as SWOT- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
and Threats. Internally, you will look for the congregation's strengths and
weaknesses. These characteristics are based on the here and now - what are your
assests and liabilities in every sense of that phrase. Externally, you want to
look at the opportunities and threats in the community/town in which you
function. A close examination of the externalities will help you understand the
world around us and what it has to offer to help you reach your goals.
4. Identifying Major Strategic Issues:
Once this analysis is complete, you will try
to answer your internal weaknesses with the opportunities you find in the
community. Conversely, you will use your internal strengths to respond to the
threats that await you out in the world: Example: Ohavei Sheina's major problem
(greatest weakness) is that people are moving out to warmer temperatures and
bigger Jewish communities. However, an opportunity to increase membership has
arisen: a large contingency of Russian Jews has crossed the Bering Strait in the
past two years to seek asylum in Tuliptown. While this demographic base is
different than the original membership of Ohavei Sheina, they present a new
opportunity for revitalization of the synagogue.
SWOT tells you what issues really stand out. When you combine these issues with
the history of the synagogue and its mission and mandate, it should become clear
which major issues need to be addressed and how you will address them. From all
of this information, you will pick no more than five major strategic issues for
your synagogue to tackle. While five may sound like a small number, it is in
fact the most one group could probably tackle during a strategic plan. Remember,
you want your decisions to be relevant and worthwhile. If you take on too many
issues at one time, you will not be able to devote enough time to each one -
leading to failure.
5. Developing and Implementing the Plan:
Once the 5 issues have been picked, you will create concrete and attainable
goals to address those issues. You will identify what you'll have to do to
accomplish those goals and determine the resources you need. A detailed plan,
spelling out each step to be taken, will be developed. While trying to be
flexible to accommodate for "bumps in the road", you will follow the plan
religiously as to keep focused on the issues at hand.
6. Reviewing the Plan:
From time to time, you will want to take stock of where the plan is and what it
has accomplished. A strategic plan is an ongoing process, requiring constant
maintenance and sometimes, complete overhaul. It sounds like a lot of work - and
you are right! In order for the plan to work, it requires all of the
aforementioned steps plus constant effort.
Closing
Those synagogues who recognize the need to make effective planning a part of
their overall responsibilities are already on the road to producing a strategic
plan. With some guidance and some serious effort, a strategic plan is not only
realistic; it is doable.
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
Fresh Faces - Attracting New Volunteers
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
One of
the most common complaints amongst synagogue leaders is that only a handful of
people in the congregation volunteer to do the work, and the rest of the
membership is deemed as either complacent or is actively negative about various
aspects of the synagogue’s functioning. In my estimation, there are usually two
reasons for this phenomenon: 1) There is a small group of people who have a
stronghold on all of the synagogue’s responsibilities - and are reluctant to let
newcomers in, and/or 2) more often than not, there are usually a handful of
people in your congregation (depending on its size) who would love to volunteer
- they just don’t know it yet!
The
latter begs the question of why people volunteer to help in the first place. Of
course there is the requirement of all Jews to be involved in acts which benefit
the good of the community (Tzorchei Tzibbur). Yet, I believe that, upon further
analysis, we can not only find out why people volunteer - we can also motivate
them to do so.
Human
beings gravitate towards areas of individual interest. I am more inclined to
spend my work and leisure time doing something that piques my interest or speaks
to my heart and soul rather than something that I might find unimportant or
outside of my personal “list of likes” and system of values. For example - one
person might love going to a hockey game to feel the excitement of the puck
being shot into the net (and the inevitable fights that break out), another may
view the sport as barbaric and unexciting. It is this
“list of likes” that will help us identify new volunteers for
specific tasks.
Since each one of us has our own personalized “list of likes” and dislikes, it is incumbent on synagogue leadership to understand what makes each member “tick”. By knowing the likes and dislikes of each member of the congregation, we can then identify potential new volunteers by matching individual likes to specific congregational tasks (remember, you have a better chance of getting a person to volunteer for a task that speaks to him/her rather than a task which he/she 1) has no knowledge of how to complete, or 2) has no interest in doing).
Some
questions to be asked about each member:
a) What is his/her profession?
b) What professional talents does the member use in his/her workplace that might
contribute to a synagogue task that has yet to be accomplished? (For example -
if one of your members sets up computer networks for a living, perhaps he/she
can assist in wiring your synagogue office to function more productively)
c) What does he/she do in his/her spare time? (Is there a person who likes to
write - perhaps that same person would lend a hand in writing your synagogue’s
newsletter)
d) With whom does this member spend leisure time/Shabbatot and Yamim Tovim?
(Knowing each member’s “chevra” can help mobilize a group of people to perform
certain tasks)
Once
you’ve made a master list of all of your synagogue’s members (and others who are
affiliated with the congregation) with data from the aforementioned questions,
make a list of tasks that need to be accomplished and try to match person with
task. You may want to assign more than one new person to each task to ensure
that the task is completed.
How do
you get all of this information? A simple way of gathering data is at your next
board meeting spend some time going through the membership list and have the
board members tell as much as they know about their co-congregants (a refreshed
look at each member’s application for synagogue membership may also shed light
on to your congregants’ lists of likes and dislikes). CAUTION: Do not turn this
meeting into a Lashon HaRa session. Set firm ground rules at the outset of the
discussion and, should the discussion turn down a bad alley, retain the right to
direct the conversation back on course. A more aggressive approach would be to
interview every member to find out what makes them tick. Whatever method is
used, make sure that it is clear to all that the goal of this exercise is to get
more people to volunteer - not to gather personal data on members to be used for
other purposes.
One final note: This exercise should not be viewed as a one time event: an
individual’s likes and dislikes change over time - and its important to
reexamine your congregation’s membership every so often in order to answer
ongoing and new needs of your synagogue.
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
Letting Members Know What Needs to Get Done - and How To Get Them to Volunteer
Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell
Part of
the difficulty in getting individuals to volunteer for various synagogue
responsibilities is letting them know what needs to get done. While the typical
shul announcements and messages sent in monthly bulletins do publicize the fact
that help is needed, they may not be the best way to rally the troops. In fact,
getting members to take on responsibilities voluntarily usually requires some
involuntary intervention.
In my
opinion, we need to find effective ways to show our members that a) there is a
true and urgent need for volunteers, and b) we actually want their assistance.
In my travels throughout the Young Israel network of synagogues (and non-Young
Israel congregations as well), I have found that people tend to volunteer more
easily and with more confidence when they are presented with a clear and
well-defined list of objectives for each required position. One of the most
effective ways I have seen this accomplished is through a chart, similar to the
one below, which is sent out to each congregant. Allow me to point out the
following unique aspects to this approach:
1. Some of the committees on the chart could include: Fund Raising, Capital Campaign, Youth, Communication, House/Building, Religious/Education, Chesed, Social Programming, Sisterhood, New Members, Kiddush/Shalosh Seudos, Fiscal Obligations, etc.
2. Each
Committee (or task) has been divided into seven categories:
Purpose - clearly defines the goals of that specific committee
Immediate Needs (if any) - spells out what needs to be done as soon as possible
Short Term Projects - What needs to be done in the next 90 days
Long Term Projects - What needs to be done in the next 12 months (or longer)
Committee Chair - Person directly responsible for the task (could also be a
board member)
Board Liaison - A board member who oversees what takes place but shares the
ultimate responsibility to make sure the task gets completed
Member support - A list of the members who have already signed up to assist this
committee
3.
Although some committees may not be chaired by board members, it is important
for someone from the board to serve as a liaison to the leadership of the
synagogue. This spreads responsibility to the board and to the general
membership by holding one board member and one general member ultimately
responsible.
4. Some committees on the chart will have all of the answers laid out for all to
see; others may lack some direction. It is absolutely fine to have some of the
questions unanswered. Part of what we want our members to do is to help us
answer the questions (or modify the answers already provided)
5. A word about time commitment: There is no column on this chart about how much
time you are asking people to commit to each task. While everyone has time
constraints, I would not approach the amount of time issue unless presented with
the argument that “I don’t have the time to help”. In that case, you can find
one or two tasks that require very little in terms of extra time (example - an
“adult presence” rotation at a teen minyan on Shabbat - the adult has to daven
anyway - so why not volunteer the time you already are spending in shul?).
6. Sending out the chart is not enough: Don’t expect to get a flood of phone
calls just by sending out this chart. You will need to call your members to ask
them “Now that you’ve seen the chart, please let me know for which committee you
can volunteer.” This light arm twisting may be viewed as pushy by some - but the
important thing is to get people to take on responsibility for the synagogue’s
functions.
7. Each
synagogue will have different committees/needs. However, it is important to list
as many areas of your synagogue’s functioning as possible - even those areas
which seem to be on auto pilot. Listing every area shows that you truly want
help from everyone in every area. It also adds a touch of reality to those tasks
which seem to get done automatically that will eventually need new people to
continue to get the job done. For assistance in compiling a similar chart for
your Young Israel branch, please contact the National Council of Young Israel’s
Department of Synagogue Services at 212-929-1525, ext. 112 or via e-mail at ncyi@youngisrael.org
© 2000 National Council of Young Israel. All Rights Reserved.
