Internalizing Innovation-August 30, 2012

by Evonne Marzouk

Reprinted with permission from eJP 

Our recent investment in Jewish innovation has caused a proliferation of small, scattered non-profits organizing individual programs and competing against each other for scarce funding. Caryn Aviv and Shawn Landres have recently written important articles about this Jewish innovation landscape. Shawn Landres argues for impact investing as a new paradigm. Caryn Aviv suggests  the possibility of “for-profit” organizations. Both of these are valuable potential models for future Jewish innovation. In this piece, I’d like to suggest another potential model for bringing innovation into existing Jewish institutions.

One of the challenges of this burgeoning innovation sector is that, as a Jewish community, we’re losing focus. Young Jews are connecting to smaller and smaller boutique organizations which struggle for funding. These organizations often lack the resources needed to build new partnerships or increase collaboration, and often operating apart from the mainstream Jewish community. Meanwhile, the mainstream Jewish institutions seem to be struggling for lack of new energy and inability to inspire the next generation.

As the founder of one of these innovative projects (Canfei Nesharim, a Jewish environmental organization launched in 2003), I too am concerned by the continued efforts to create new ideas and turn them into new organizations. Without a commitment to long-term funding, most of these groups will ultimately fail. Will the young, innovative Jews who started them continue their investment in Jewish life when the Jewish community failed to invest in them? It remains to be seen.

My organization – created in 2003, incorporated into the Bikkurim Incubator for New Jewish Ideas, selected for Slingshot twice, supported by the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators, funded by Hazon mini-grants, recognized by The New York Jewish Week – would seem to be one of the winners. Yet in those nine years, I have never seen the opportunity to bring our innovative ideas and programs into the Federation system or other institutions of Jewish life.

As for many young leaders, creating a new nonprofit was not my goal. I had an idea that I wanted to bring into the Jewish community. It happened because I couldn’t seem to find a way to get this idea into the established Jewish institutions in the first place.

Federations and Jewish foundations want to engage young Jews. They want to give them freedom to take their ideas into the world and engage other Jews. They see the energy and passion in the younger generation. And yet somehow it seems that the Federation system is holding these organizations and young people at arm’s length – or at least, not creating a clear pathway to bring their passion and ideas into their own system.

Federations do not have to watch passively as new Jewish organizations struggle. There are numerous ways that Jewish institutions could support new Jewish ideas, and in so doing, bring the young Jews into their institutions, rather than watching them pull away.

For example, in addition to incubators for new Jewish non-profits, local federations or JFNA could create a different type of incubator, an “Intra-bator” that ends with the program internalized into the Federation itself: Select a few new ideas to bring into the local Federation, with the energized nonprofit leader running the project from the inside. The Federation could provide fiscal sponsorship, office space, access to local leaders, and some fundraising support, with a contract for (say) three years. All funds raised go through the Federation – which takes a fee for its services before the budget is allocated to the project. Events are run from within the Federation, with the explicit intention of bringing program participants into the Jewish community space where they may hear about other opportunities. At the end of three years, if the program is viable, it becomes a part of the Federation’s programming. If not, it ends, and the young leader has the connections inside the Federation to find another way to contribute his or her skills.

Organizations which are not chosen for the Federation’s “Intra-bator” program, might still benefit from Federation support. What if a set number of new or small Jewish projects became mini-agencies of their local Federation each year? The Federation could provide program space (see above), fiscal sponsorship (at a reasonable fee), and organizational structure for these small organizations, saving them from the more difficult and time consuming parts of organization creation. As above, the Federation could allow these young leaders access to Federation staff and leadership. If the idea succeeds, it will do so in partnership with the Federation which will benefit from the influx of young Jews and new energy. If it fails, the leader will have connections which can take them elsewhere in Jewish life.

A similar model for JFNA may be the federal government “Combined Federal Campaign,” in which numerous organizations are given a number and work together to support a shared campaign over a two month period. In either case, federations could take an appropriate fee for their coordination, while also bringing the whole community together for shared charitable efforts. This type of collaborative campaign may be more attractive to many young innovators than some recent competitive contests in which the winners take all.

If anything is clear from the Jewish innovation sector, it’s that young Jews have a lot of interesting ideas. But those ideas do not have to lead to a proliferation of small, competitive organizations and disenchanted, failed leaders stuck on the outside of Jewish life. As Jews, we succeed when we come together. Let’s use this opportunity of Jewish innovation to do that.

Evonne Marzouk is the founder of Canfei Nesharim: Sustainable Living Inspired by Torah, and the leader of Jewcology.com, a social media website uniting Jewish environmentalists around the world.

 

Your Welcome Mat - August 29, 2012

You’ve heard the old real-estate adage, "Location, Location, Location."

Your website is your community's virtual "home," your home page is its front porch. Creating an environment reflective of the voices, values, interests, and needs of the full spectrum of your membership is a fundamental first step to stirring them to come inside.

Content is Key 

When rolling out that online welcome mat, content is the key you offer your members to the front door of your community. Keeping things fresh goes a long way toward engaging existing members, connecting with first-time visitors, and encouraging folks to keep coming back.  Pay attention to the words you choose and how you share them, how you integrate graphic and multimedia elements, and find creative ways to let members know just how much they'll find when they come for a visit. What do people see when they’re looking on your home page? Do you have a plan for updating the content?

Read on for some innovative ideas: 

•  Look at your home page through the eyes of your members and prospective members and make sure it’s relevant.
•  Maintain fresh content by highlighting upcoming events -- and removing them once the event has taken place.
•  Use compelling images and headlines to help draw people in and connect them to your organization.  
•  Organize content so it’s easily scannable: use lists, bullet points, bold headers, and concise amounts of copy to easily help members find what they’re looking.
•  Go deeper. Use your home page to draw users to other area of your website.
•  Review Google Analytics to better understand what visitors to your website are interested in.
•  Create a website with no “dead ends.”  Content-rich sites contain the basics, but they also provide features such as Jewish news, a blog by a Rabbi and/or religious school director, holiday information, Jewish practices information, Jewish shopping, favorite recipes, and so on.

Rock Your Home Page with Jvillage Content 

Jvillage provides its member sites with regularly updated content "channels," with topics ranging from recipes to holiday activities for children to the latest in Jewish music. Whether or not you have a Jvillage site, there are myriad ways to invite your members to explore and spend time on your website. Check out some of our members' ideas:

• The folks at Temple Beth El of Northern Valley in Closter, NJ cooked up a great way to give their Jvillage channels a permanent home on the left sidebar of their homepage. A catchy header, J Buzz, draws readers in.

• The Home Page at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, IL highlights their Jewish Radio channel, along with recent news and upcoming events. 

• Congregation ShiratHayam in Swampscott, MA gets creative with multimedia by featuring a live “Shulcast” of services for those who are unable to physically attend.

What are you doing to roll out the welcome mat?  Leave a comment sharing a content-related tip (or pitfall!)--and we'll send you a complimentary Website Tune-Up Guide.

Lights, Camera, Community - May 1, 2012

Lights, Camera, Community!

Perhaps the most dynamic medium available to help engage members and prospects – or volunteers and donors – is video.  And now, due to the success of YouTube, video has become so omnipresent that people seek and often expect it as part of almost anyone’s story.  In short, you need video on your website, on YouTube, and perhaps elsewhere. 

But creating that smile-inducing and perhaps even tear-inducing video is not a matter of just bringing smart phones to events and recording the proceedings hand-held and jittery, with the audio virtually undistinguishable.  Development of “a video to kvell over” requires a plan, and producing according to that plan rests on a commitment to professionalism. 

Choosing Your Cast  

A synagogue must consider appropriate video roles for clergy, school faculty, and current members.  Perhaps the most important elements in a video are the testimonials – from members and/or donors.  The lay leaders of an organization at the time a video is produced are less important, as they will leave their leadership roles at some point and thus shorten the accuracy and perhaps the shelf life of the message.  A video should be produced as a “keeper,” not something that needs constant updating.  Thus, what to show and what not to show are vital decisions.

Organizations need to include donors, volunteers and recipients as testifiers.  Synagogues should interview eager young members and delighted Bar/Bat Mitzvah families who talk about their intentions to remain in the congregation because they see their involvement as reaching far beyond just preparation for their child’s life cycle event.  Another excellent interview is with one or more very lively seniors who have been members for decades – the “pillars.”

More than “Talking Heads”  

In all cases, be sure to encourage people to say things that are distinctive and memorable – to move beyond the same-old-same-old statements of praise that comprise too many same-old-same-old testimonials.  Talk to them in advance of the taping session, and ask them to think of stories that illustrate the kinds of things they will say.  Their stories will paint “word pictures” that go way beyond the usual “I just love it here!”

Then consider the issue of eyes – yes, eyes.  Too many camera operators ask the interviewees to look to the side.  The assumption is that they are speaking to some interviewer – yet we never see that interviewer.  As opposed to this, I routinely ask all interviewees to look directly at the camera. Many camera operators say, “Oh, it will never work.  People are too camera shy.”  When I try it, it works – at least 90 percent of the time.  The goal of testimonials is to create conviction – and Shakespeare said it better:  “The eyes are the window to the soul.”

And . . . Action! 

Great videos do not just happen – they are built on planning.  When preparing to record an event, provide advance direction.  Once on the spot, look at backgrounds and make sure that extraneous items (e.g. trash cans at an oneg) are removed.  If you are taping a hora and someone falls down, ask them to start again.  None of this is done for the sake of looking staged or to seem contrived.  It is done to make your organization look organized and professional.  To further engage congregants, your synagogue video must be a point of pride.  To create desire among prospective members, a synagogue video should present a place where people feel belonging and value when paying dues.  To encourage volunteerism and donations, the video should present an organization as having its act together.

This makes the case for not over-relying on volunteers.  Every organization has a board member or a relative of a board member who has “a cool video camera” and maybe even an editing suite.  You must be very careful to engage only those people who will give you the end product you want – and who will produce it on time. 

Does the use of video still seem a bit much?  That may have been the case years ago.  Now, however, there is a growing understanding of the power of video messages.  Visit the websites of colleges, hospitals and summer camps and you will see how strongly they rely on that power to build and maintain positive perceptions – and to help create feelings of community.

Steven Cony is a marketing communications consultant who assists a wide variety of clients, including Jewish organizations, summer camps and synagogues. He helps clients identify solid strategic direction for branding and messaging, than moves on to create all the marketing tools needed – including video, print collateral materials, direct mail and more. His company, Communications Counselors LLC, is based in Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York. Learn more on his website.  

Deepen the Learning: Check out our latest e-blast for links to Jvillage members making innovative use of video, as well as other related resources.

Is Your Website Kosher for Pesach? - April 4, 2012

Is Your Website Kosher for Pesach?

With Passover beginning on April 6, the coming days and weeks are a great time to bring some extra attention to your website, as well as to remind your members of all of the holiday resources available to them. Here are some suggestions:

1. Where's the Chametz?

Just as we turn our pockets inside out and bring a candle and a feather to the neglected corners of our homes in preparation for Passover, so can we take the coming weeks as an opportunity to tidy up our online homes. So, where’s the chametz on your website--and how can you dispose of it?  

• Update outdated content
• Comb through for dead-ends and create opportunities to connect and interact
• Fix and/or remove broken links. There's nothing worse than offering stale references to website visitors. There are a number of free broken link checkers available. Try one.
• Break up copy-heavy content with bullet points and/or graphic elements. If Moses could part the Red Sea, you can part with a few uneccessary words. Free your website from weighty verbosity and make your pages scannable.
• Read from your members’ perspective

2. Get Unstuck

Nothing is written in stone. (Well... almost nothing!) The good news is that your website content not only can but should change to reflect the latest of what’s going on in your community. If you're feeling "stuck” in how you approach the content on your website. What better time of year than this to experience the liberation of trying something new. Choose one area you will focus on and take the first steps towards freedom.

In addition to following the steps in #1 above, be sure to feature all upcoming Passover-related events and activities prominently on your home page. And remember the importance not only of having your calendar and events up-to-date, but also of offering members a next step, e.g. an email address for more information, an opportunity to volunteer, or an event registration form.

3. Who is your Moses?

While you don’t need to have a divinely appointed leader to keep your online presence relevant and engaging, leadership is essential. If you haven’t already, form a communications group that can delegate tasks and get things done. One great place to begin is by looking at your Home Page. Is it welcoming and easy to navigate?

4. Spruce the Place Up

Just as you might place fresh-cut flowers in different rooms around your house or synagogue for the holiday, consider what small gestures would bring color and cheer to your online space. Think of .jpgs and .gifs as spring bouquets by placing bright, community-filled images not only on your Home Page but on landing pages throughout your website.  

5. Encourage Retail Therapy 

There’s no doubt many of your members have some shopping to do before April 6. If you already have a Jvillage website, does your community know that every purchase made through your online Marketplace benefits your organization? From haggadot and cookbooks to Judaica and those final touches for your seder table, your members can do all of their Passover-related shopping online, effortlessly contributing to your revenue.

Include information about the Marketplace in your newsletters, announcements, and Religious School communications, reminding your community to make their Passover purchases online. It is a win-win proposition.  

6. An Orange on Your Website?

Many of us will include an orange on our seder plate, a symbol of what was once thought not to belong -- women on the bimah -- now taking its placeamong the traditional bitter herbs and charoset. Bringing something new to your website can be a great way to start a conversation among your members. 

Consider asking folks to send pictures from their own family seders this year, then create a Virtual Seder Slideshow. Remember that all of the content on your website reflects and communicates your values as a community.

Why A Haggadah? - April 11, 2012

  

By Jonathan Safran Foer
Published: March 31, 2012  
Image: Oded Ezer, from "The New American Haggadah" (Little, Brown and Company, 2012

I SPENT much of the last several years working on a new Haggadah — the guidebook for the prayers, rituals and songs of the Seder — and am often asked why I would want to take time away from my own writing to invest myself in such a project.

All my life, my parents have hosted the Seder on the first night of Passover. As our family expanded, and as our definition of family expanded, we moved the ritual dinner from our dining room to our more spacious, mildewed basement. One table became many table-like surfaces pushed awkwardly together. I always knew Passover was approaching when my father would ask me to take the net off the ping-pong table. All were covered in once matching, stained tablecloths.

At each setting was a Haggadah that my parents had assembled by photocopying favorite passages from other Haggadot and, when the Foers finally got Internet access, by printing online sources. Why is this night different from all others? Because on this night copyright doesn’t apply.

In the absence of a stable homeland, Jews have made their home in books, and the Haggadah — whose core is the retelling of the Exodus from Egypt — has been translated more widely, and revised more often, than any other Jewish book. Everywhere Jews have wandered, there have been Haggadot — from the 14th-century Sarajevo Haggadah (which is said to have survived World War II under the floorboards of a mosque, and the siege of Sarajevo in a bank vault), to those made by Ethiopian Jews airlifted to Israel during Operation Moses.

But of the 7,000 known versions, not to mention the countless homemade editions, there is one that is used more than all others combined. Since 1932, the Maxwell House Haggadah — as in the coffee company — has dominated American Jewish ritual.

Having confirmed in the 1920s that the coffee bean is not a legume but a berry, and therefore kosher for Passover, Maxwell House tasked the Joseph Jacobs ad agency to make coffee, rather than tea, the drink of choice after Seders. If this sounds loony, note that Maxwell House coffee has always been particularly popular in Jewish homes.

The resulting Haggadah is one of the longest-running sales promotions in advertising history. At least 50 million copies have been distributed free at supermarkets, and they are exactly as inspiring as you would imagine them to be.

And yet, many people feel fondly toward the Maxwell House Haggadah, for the giddy comfort it evokes. We like it like we like Jewish jokes. The Maxwell House version, is, itself, a sort of Jewish joke — try mentioning it to a group of Jews without eliciting laughter. What’s more, it’s free, and, like the no-frills caffeine beverage it promotes, satisfies a most basic need.

The most legendary of all Seders — which is, in a postmodern twist, recounted in the Haggadah itself — took place around the beginning of the second century in Bnei Brak, among the greatest scholars of Jewish antiquity. It ended prematurely when students barged in to announce that it was time for the morning prayers. Even if they read the Haggadah from beginning to end, fulfilling every ritual and singing every verse of every song, they must have been spending most of their time doing something else: extrapolating, dissecting, discussing. The story of the Exodus is not meant to be merely recited, but wrestled with.

If the Maxwell House Haggadah never rose to meet the Seder’s intellectual and spiritual demands, it adequately served the ritualistically literate Jews of a generation or two ago. But the actors no longer know the script. In a further sort of exodus, American Jews have moved: from poverty to affluence, tradition to modernity, acquaintance with a shared history to loss of collective memory.

Our grandparents were immigrants to America, but natives to Judaism. We are the opposite: fluent in “American Idol,” but unschooled in Jewish heroes. And so we act like immigrants around Judaism: cautious, rejecting, self-conscious, and feigning (or achieving) indifference. In the foreign country of our faith, our need for a good guidebook is urgent.

Though it means “the telling,” the Haggadah does not merely tell a story: it is our book of living memory. It is not enough to retell the story: we must make the most radical leap of empathy into it. “In every generation a person is obligated to view himself as if he were the one who went out of Egypt,” the Haggadah tells us. This leap has always been a daunting challenge, but is fraught for my generation in a way that it wasn’t for the desperate assimilators of earlier generations — for now, in addition to a lack of education and knowledge of Jewish learning, there is the also the taint of collective complacency.

 Continue reading.