AJFCA Newsletter
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ADVOCACY
AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
AJFCA MEMBER BENEFITS
BOARD RESOURCES
COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
SPONSORS
VOLUNTEERS
AJFCA Links
Featured Agency

JCFS and JVS Chicago Foster New Alliance

 
  jcfs chicago
   
At the end of July, Roberta Glick, LCPC, NCC, a JVS Chicago Career Counselor, and Rosalie Greenberger, LCSW and Family Life Educator at  Jewish Child & Family Services of Chicago will begin a new session of "Staying Motivated in a Tough Job Market," a four week education and support group presented jointly by JVS Chicago and JCFS for 18 years.

"Looking for a job takes an enormous amount of emotional energy," said Glick. "The program takes a holistic view of the person and the process the person is going through. It acknowledges the psychological impact of long-term unemployment and provides practical job search and career building support."
jvs chicago
This program is one example of the perfect melding of the expertise of JCFS and JVS Chicago to provide services to the community. On July 1st this joint approach became formalized with JCFS and JVS entering into a strategic alliance to provide integrated services. Building on the foundation of each organization, the alliance allows them to provide enhanced comprehensive services to those in need throughout the community. Read more here.
Agency Highlights

CJFS Birmingham JOY-ride

 
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The JOY Club at the LJCC has been a staple for seniors for more than 20 years, and has over 100 members. One of the many ways these seniors stay active is to go on outings together around town, particularly the symphony, the ballet, and the Birmingham Museum of Art. While only 15-20 people may choose to go on each outing, it is still a bit difficult to coordinate volunteer drivers and a 5-car caravan to downtown destinations. LJCC Executive Director Betzy Lynch had a great idea . . . for safety and convenience, call on Buz-A-Bus!
collat joy ride  
Mindy Cohen, Director of Senior Programs at the LJCC, approached Collat Jewish Family Services of Birmingham about a partnership to safely transport JOY Club participants from the J to various places in Birmingham. Before nailing down the business details, they decided to give the idea a "trial run," so plans were made to transport the seniors to the Birmingham Symphony on May 10th.  Continue reading here.
JFCS Louisville and the JCC Provides Opportunity for Children Put into Action Concepts of Mitzvoth and Tikkun Olam

 
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Happy summer campers are once again collecting food and raising funds for the Jewish Family & Career Services of Louisville Food Pantry during the JCC Summer Camp Caring & Sharing Week.  From July 22-26, campers will raise funds with carwashes, dance-a-thons, "Chanukah in July" sales, bake sales and more. 
 tikun olam
This collaboration between JFCS and the JCC provides an opportunity for children to learn and to put into action the concepts of mitzvoth and Tikkun Olam.
Calls & Webinars
Visit  AJFCA's Calendar
to learn more about free calls and webinars. For more information login to For Our Members on the AJFCA website, followed by Webinars. Contact Megan at 410-843-7327 with questions.

Media-Smart Youth
July 23rd, 1pm ET
REGISTER HERE
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Maximizing SNAP Benefits Through the Medical Expense Deduction

July 23rd, 2pm ET
REGISTER HERE
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Energize Our Families:  Parent Program 
July 31st, 1pm ET  REGISTER HERE 
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July 19, 2013 
About AJFCA | News
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Members | Jewish Connection
Annual Conference | Job Postings
  fatherdaughter
  
D'Var Torah

Lee I. Sherman
President/CEO 

There have been a number of population studies and surveys of the Jewish community that have demonstrated that parents of young children who attend a Jewish pre-school, day school, Hebrew school, or camp, begin to observe certain Jewish customs and traditions more frequently than they did prior to their children's involvement. This may mean lighting Shabbat candles, hosting or attending a Passover Seder, following Kosher guidelines, or Synagogue attendance on holidays. Many of you may have experienced this in your own lives, that what your children learn at school has an influence on your own interest in keeping and practicing the laws and customs of Judaism. I know this was true in my case.
 
The Torah is clear that it is our duty to teach our children about the mitzvoth. In this week's parashah, Va-ethannan, after instructing the people to follow God's laws, Moses says "[a]nd make them known to your children and to your children's children."  (4:9.) Later in the Torah reading, we find the words of the Shema, which includes the instruction to "impress them upon your children." We all recognize the importance of passing along core values and principles to the next generation, so that they will have the tools to live better and more fulfilling lives.
 
But, there is another consequence to teaching the next generation. It causes us to live our lives more deeply committed to adhering to the same values and principles. The connection we feel to our Judaism, and I am sure it is true for other religions as well, is strengthened when we are teachers to younger generations. Sounds like a "win-win" to me.
 
Shabbat Shalom
ADVOCACY
Older Adult Programs and Sequestration - How are you affected?  ajfca logo-resized
The AJFCA Legislative Task Force needs your help to make a compelling case to Congress about how sequestration cuts are hurting older adult programs. Please complete this brief survey about the Older Americans Act and sequestration. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have begun marking up the Appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2014, and in addition, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will be marking up the Older Americans Act (OAA) reauthorization bill on July 23rd or July 24th. Please let us know about your agency's use of OAA dollars and how sequestration may be affecting you. If you have any questions, please contact Shelley Rood. We would appreciate your responses by Monday, July 29th. Thank you in advance.
AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
3 Things Philanthropists Can Do To Move Nonprofits Forward
Could it be that philanthropists and nonprofits are starting to have real conversations about what nonprofits need? Nell Edgington, 2012 AJFCA Annual Conference presenter was encouraged by GuideStar, Charity Navigator and BBB Wise Giving Alliance's open Letter to the Donors of America last week asking donors to stop focusing on nonprofit overhead expenses. There are 3 key things that philanthropists can do to move nonprofits forward. Click here to read what they are.
Can Your Organization Handle Feedback? bridgespan
Research suggests that thriving organizations achieve their goals by engaging the staff in meaningful feedback to monitor performance, holding people accountable, growing talent, and creating an atmosphere of respect and continued development. But knowing this and doing this are two different things. Continue reading here.
AJFCA MEMBER BENEFITS
2013 AJFCA Annual Conference Sessions - Webinars
AJFCA will host two 2013 Annual Conference presentations, as webinars. Read the session/webinar descriptions here.
 
Getting the Right People on the Bus
Tuesday, July 30th - 2pm ET (60 minutes)
Presenters:  Perry Ohren, CEO - JFS Detroit
                   Nancy Glasberg, Human Resources - JFCS Philadelphia
REGISTER HEREajfca logo-resized

Innovation & Creating:  Engaging the Next Generation in Philanthropy
Thursday, August 1st - 1pm ET (60 minutes)
Presenters:  Judy Halper, CEO  - JFCS Minneapolis
                   Zoe Stern, Development Associate  - JFCS Minneapolis
                   Next Gen Board  - JFCS Minneapolis
REGISTER HERE
Annual Foundation Center Renewal foundation center
AJFCA will be renewing the annual Foundation Center subscription. If you are interested please email Megan by Friday, July 19th. Invoices will be emailed in July. We will be attempting to keep the subscription fee close to this past year's amount of $390. For more information regarding the Foundation Center please contact Megan. 
BOARD RESOURCES
More Tips to Involve Your Board and Board Members in Fund Development
Now that your board is invested in the prospect of fundraising, here are ten strategies to get them past anxiety and awkwardness and on to the business of reaching out to prospects and donors.
  1. Create your organization's story together.
  2. Require every board member to make a personal financial contribution.
  3. Require that every board member help identify those who might be interested in your organization.
  4. Require every board member to help nurture relationships with qualified prospects and current donors.
  5. Board members can call donors to thank them for their gifts.  
How to Improve Nonprofit Board Meetings
The Problem ventureneer
For many organizations, board meetings are a problem rather than a solution. For staff, they create anxiety and time-consuming activity to "get ready," and mostly relief when they are finally over. For board members, they are too often seen only as a "duty." Boards can be deeply engaged for episodic decisions, such as a CEO transition, a financial crises, merger, major strategic decisions, etc. Read the proposal here.
COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
How Long Should Content Be?
We all know that people are reading less and skimming more, and often relying on social media as a news source, all of which means you should write shorter articles - say 200 - 300 words - right? Read 2013 AJFCA Annual Conference presenter, Kivi Leroux Miller's recommendations here.
7 Ways to Tune Up Your Fundraising this Summer
Here are a few ways you can leverage these quieter days of summer to help make the most of the year-end giving season downstream and avoid last-minute glitches.
  1. Test your donation landing pages and thank you's.
  2. Review your presence on Charity Navigator, Wise Giving Alliance, Guidestar, and other sites your most savvy donors might visit.
  3. Review your website analytics. 
  4. Test for mobile giving on phones and tablets. big duck
  5. Practice good list hygiene.
  6. Build your list now.
  7. Start planning this year's campaign now.  
Social Media Resources for Nonprofit Communicators
The team here at Network for Good recently released two updated resources on social media: a Social Media Mini Guide for Nonprofits and the Nonprofit Social Media Checklist. You can download both of these resources for free (registration required), and they're focused on practical tips coupled with real examples to help you think about the best way to incorporate social media in your outreach. Check out the resources.
SPONSORS
Foothold Sets Stage for Interoperability with HIE Testing Foothold Technology
Foothold Technology, a 2013 AJFCA Annual Conference sponsor and leading provider of Electronic Health Record (EHR) software, announced that it is testing data exchanges with Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), a type of Health Information Exchange (HIE) being leveraged in New York State. Presently, Foothold is deploying data exchange functionality to connect with a handful of RHIOs that will be test cases for the statewide SHIN-NY RHIO. Continue reading here.
VOLUNTEERS
2013 Millennial Impact Report impact
Yesterday hundreds of individuals interested in learning how to better engage Millennials joined the online streaming conference MCON13. The 2013 Millenial Impact Report was released as well, now the fourth annual report of its kind. The report provides a guide for organizations to better understand this generation, immerse them in the cause, and maximize the impact of their interest, time, and giving.
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