Agency Highlights
Trickle-down Sequester Affects NYC Housing
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In March 2013, the Budget Control Act - the sequester - triggered a 5.1% cut to the federal budget. While that may sound like a small percentage in the grand scheme of things, domestic social support programs suffer disproportionately as cities and states make heartbreaking choices, slashing local services and programs to implement Congress's cuts of $26.1 billion.  These cuts are a slippery slope toward homelessness for many. In New York City alone, a shortfall of $42 million for Section 8 vouchers is putting 3,400 households at risk, according to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. |
JFCS Philadelphia Staff Member Honored with Israel Fellowship
 Jewish Family & Children's Service of Philadelphia staff member, Joanne Lippert, was recently honored with The Bernard Rodkin Professional Development Israel Fellowship, which provides an opportunity to study, learn, and bring back service delivery strategies from Israel.  Six people from North America were chosen for this prestigious fellowship. As a Rodkin Fellow, Joanne will have opportunity to travel to Israel in November for 10 days to look at Israeli social service agencies and explore their programs and program delivery methods; the trip will culminate with attendance at the JFNA General Assembly in Jerusalem. Continue reading here.
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VOte for JFS New Haven - Extreme Charity Makeover
 Vote for Jewish Family Service of New Haven to Win an Extreme Charity Makeover. This includes a new website, new logo and branding and all sorts of marketing and communication materials to use! One vote per IP address per day. So if you share a computer with someone, only one of you can vote daily. Please Vote every day until September 30th, 2013. Vote here.
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JFCS Minneapolis Dislocated Worker Program
 Deciding on a course of action after a job loss can be overwhelming. Working with JFCS helps people make strategic decisions about their professional future, including whether to look for work in the same field or transition to a different job or industry.  To move workers back into employment as quickly as possible, JFCS provides customized services including: career counseling and assessments, job search assistance, education planning and retraining along with emergency financial assistance. For more information click here.
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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.
Free and Low Cost Tools Every Organization Should Know AboutAug., 29th, 1pm ET REGISTER HERE  Care Transitions in Behavioral HealthAug., 27th, 2:30pm ET REGISTER HEREAug., 29th, 12pm ET REGISTER HERESept., 4th, 11am ET REGISTER HERESept., 4th, 3pm ET REGISTER HERESept., 9th, 2pm ET REGISTER HERESept., 12th, 12:30pm ET REGISTER HERE  Helping Children Recover from TraumaSept., 5th, 2pm ET REGISTER HERE |
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Stay updated on AJFCA offerings, agency news & current trends . . .
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D'Var TorahLee I. Sherman
President/CEO
Are you ready? The Jewish year 5773 is drawing to a close and in less than two weeks (yikes!), we will be celebrating the beginning of 5774. One of the highlights of the Rosh Hashanah service for children and adults alike is the blowing of the shofar. The sound of the shofar is a call for us to gather as a people, to awaken us from our daily routines and announce the possibilities ahead. We also know that during this time of spiritual reflection, we need to consider the actions we have taken and the words we have spoken, and to ask forgiveness before we embark on the New Year.
This week's parashah, Ki Tavo, presents a vivid picture of what the Israelites will do after they cross the Jordan River and enter Israel for the first time. After the ceremony of the first fruits, the elders of the tribes are to divide and ascend two adjoining mountains. With the people gathered in between, the Levites are to proclaim a series of curses and blessings to the people. After each curse or blessing is exclaimed, the people are to respond by saying Amen, a spoken affirmation of the responsibility of each. The response is spoken aloud so that they can hear one another, establishing a communal acknowledgement that they have a shared standard of justice.
The communal responsibility to justice was a core component of the new nation of Israel over three thousand years ago. It is no less a critical piece of our community today. At Rosh Hashanah, we stand together to hear the blast of the shofar and we pray together as a community, much like the Israelites when they entered their new home. We each take personal responsibility, but we do it as part of our group, as we work together for a world that will be blessed.
Shabbat Shalom.
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Older Adult Programs and Sequestration - How are you affected? 
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2013 National Council for Behavioral Health Hill Day
The largest mental health and addictions advocacy event of the year is taking place in Washington, DC on September 17-18, 2013. You'll have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with your legislators, Hill staffers, and other advocates. For more information click here. Questions? Contact Kirsten Reed at 202.684.7457. |
Government Affairs Institute - Save the Date 
The 2104 Government Affairs Institute (GAI) will be held on February 4-5, 2014 at the Embassy Suites in Washington, DC. Save the date for this two-day event. If you are interested in helping to plan sessions, please contact Shelley Rood. Registration information will be sent via email in the future. |
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AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
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The Conceptual Development of Jewish Leadership: A Review of Leadership in the Wilderness (by Erica Brown) 
There are many books about leadership and leadership development, most of which focus on how to be a leader. However, there are very few books that define and develop the concept of Jewish leadership as found in basic Jewish texts. Continue reading here. |
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Staying Relevant In a Rapidly Changing Service Environment
Staying Relevant In a Rapidly Changing Service Environment, August 20, 2013, eJP, by David B. Marcu
While much has been said and written about successfully managing nonprofit organizations (NPO's) it may be argued that not enough is being said and written about how not to manage NPO's. The following are common pitfalls that NPO managers and boards should minimize and avoid.
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AJFCA Announces PEPS Software as New Member Benefit 
AJFCA has entered into a collaborative agreement with JFCS Atlanta to provide licenses for the use of the PEPS Software System as a benefit of membership in AJFCA. PEPS provides a set of score-card analysis tools for new and existing programs based on programmatic impact and fiscal performance. The Scope of Services analysis, which was the subject of JFCS Atlanta's session at the AJFCA Conference, will be integrated into the PEPS System. Together, this comprehensive tool will help agencies to be more effective in strategic and program planning, with the ability to analyze the suite of services that works best for your agency now and in the future. Read more here. |
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AJFCA 2014 Annual Conference - Request for Workshop Proposals Coming Soon
The AJFCA 2014 Conference Committee is already hard at work on the programming for the Annual Conference in Montreal May 4-6, 2014. The Request for Proposals (RFP) for conference workshop session is coming soon. We plan to send the RFP to all member agency executives the week of August 26th. Please be on the lookout for the RFP and please begin now to develop your innovative, informative and interactive workshop proposals.
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AJFCA Job Posting: Director of Older Adult & Disabilities Services
The Director of Older Adult & Disabilities Services will develop and implement North American initiatives in the areas of Older Adult and Disabilities Services, creating widespread momentum around each of these service areas. The Director will work closely with member agencies to support their local efforts to serve seniors and clients with disabilities. S/he will position the AJFCA network to lead in the field of older adult and disabilities services by staying on the forefront of trends in needs and service provision and communicating trend information throughout the network and to the larger community. |
The CEO's Role in Board Recruitment 
Whether board members of a nonprofit organization are elected by the organization's members or by the board, or even whether they are appointed by another authority, the chief executive has a role to play. What kind of a role and how extensive a role are questions that the board needs to explore. Read more here. |
If the Brand Fits 
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How to Determine the Boundaries of the Nonprofit Board and ED 
The Challenge - The distinction between the governance and oversight responsibilities of the board and the management responsibilities of the Executive Director is clear in theory but very unclear in practice. Read more here. |
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
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Is Your Nonprofit Website Open for Business? 
Is your nonprofit website sending the right message to potential donors? Year-end fundraising season will be here before you know it. Now is the time to clear away the cobwebs and roll out the welcome mat for prospective donors, volunteers, and those who may benefit from your work. Read more here. |
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We Need More Philanthropists Who Listen
The most important part of Peter Buffett's op-ed from July was that it pointed out the complicity of many wealthy donors in creating the problems they're spending money to solve. To get real change, it's important to keep the people most affected in control of the big decisions. Continue reading here. |
5 of a Number of Takeaways from Blackbaud's 2013 Next Generation Giving Study 
Blackbaud has released a 2013 study breaking down the donation patterns of different age groups by generation: Generation Y, Generation X, the Boomers, and Matures. The study looks at each generation's online giving and social media habits, as well as their makeup of the total donor population in the U.S. Continue reading here. |
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