Agency Highlights
JFSA Las Vegas' Senior Share - Food Delivery Program
 Jewish Family Service Agency of Las Vegas, in partnership with Three Square Food Bank, has launched the Senior Share Food Program. This program provides seniors over the age of 60 with supplemental groceries.  Applicants who are at least 60, have a chronic condition, and are already receiving food assistance are eligible. Volunteer Coordinator, Brenda Jepson, leads a team of loyal volunteers who are willing to pick up these groceries at JFSA and drive across the valley twice per month to deliver them to seniors in need. The first delivery was a huge success. Read more here.
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Rose Chapman Celebrates 20th Anniversary
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JFS Colorado Hosted High Holy Day Services at More Than 30 Locations for Socially Isolated Jews
 In September, Jewish Family Services of Colorado's volunteer para-chaplains and Rabbi Eliot Baskin, Jewish community chaplain, led High Holy Day services for Jewish residents at more than 30 locations throughout metro Denver and Boulder. Para-chaplain volunteers serve Jewish individuals in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, retirement communities, mental health centers, and correctional facilities. "These invaluable volunteer para-chaplains help create a warm Jewish connection and provide spiritual support by making a difference in the lives of people suffering from serious illness or isolation," said Nancy Benyamin, JFS's director of volunteer services.
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26th Annual Conference on Visiting the Sick
 26th Annual Bikur Cholim Conference
Renew a Steadfast Spirit Within Me: Illness and the Bikur Cholim Response
Sunday, November 10th
UJA-Federation of NY
130 E. 59 Street
New York
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Keynotes will be given by Rabbi Simkah Y. Weintraub, LCSW and Israela Myerestein, LCSW-C, LCMFT.  Workshops and plenary presentation will include: Essential Visiting Skills, Preparing an Ethical Will, Using the Telephone to Visit, Practical Jewish Spirituality: Tools for Coping and Healing. To learn more and register, 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. Webcast: Future of U.S. Health PolicySept., 16th, 10am ET REGISTER HERE 
How Faith-based Organizations Become Performance-driven
Sept., 17th, 3pm ET REGISTER HERE 
REFRAMING HUMAN SERVICES:A Two-Part Webinar Series and Call to Action FRAMING 101Sept., 17th, 2pm ET REGISTER HERE Mapping the GapsSept., 25th, 2pm ET REGISTER HERE  Integrating Behavioral Health in Primary Care: Lessons from Health CentersSept., 19th, 1:30pm ET REGISTER HERE  How Nonprofits Can Save Time & Money on Unemployment Costs
Sept., 24th, 11am ET Sept., 25th, 2pm ET Sept., 26th, 4pm ET
REGISTER HERE
Have You Been Sequestered? Developing Diverse Sources of RevenueOct., 16th, 3pm 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
There seems to be an increasing amount of rhetoric these days in all walks of life. Posturing, theatrics, self-serving speeches, all dominate the media. For a culture that seems never to have enough time, we seem to spend an awful lot of it discussing (or arguing about) what we might do, rather than getting something done. But, we know that there are many actions that speak louder than words.
We are taught that Yom Kippur is a time for repentance and forgiveness. Even as children, we understand what it means to tell someone you are sorry, and we hope to hear words of forgiveness in return. But, on this "Day of Atonement," exactly how does a person atone for past transgressions to ensure the promise of the New Year becomes reality? In Torah, there are detailed descriptions of methods for atoning for sins. These are the passages about animal sacrifice which we now see as anachronistic, and distasteful, or unseemly, at the least. So, today we need to find another means of attaining atonement. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, student of Hillel and founder of the great rabbinic academy at Yavne, offered a solution to this dilemma after the destruction of the Second Temple made sacrifice impossible. He taught "[t]here is another way of gaining atonement even though the Temple is destroyed. We must now gain atonement through deeds of lovingkindness."
This is a means of achieving atonement that we understand well - gemilut hasadim. Our modern Jewish community is built upon the value of performing acts of lovingkindness, of moving beyond the rhetoric and actively making a difference. In our professional and personal lives, with family, friends, clients, and strangers, we know how to improve ourselves by treating others with dignity and respect as we care for and honor them. On this Yom Kippur, may we commit ourselves to another year of performing acts of lovingkindness each day, so we can gain atonement through our actions.
G'mar Hatima Tova.
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Older Adult Programs and Sequestration - How are you affected? 
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Jewish Leadership Institute on Disabilities & Inclusion 
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware has established the Jewish Leadership Institute on Disabilities and Inclusion sponsored by the Ruderman Family Foundation.
A Leadership Institute will be held December 1-5, 2013 at The Pearlstone Center, near Baltimore, Maryland. Learn more here.
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President Obama: Hineni - Here I Am
Have you ever heard President Obama speak about the weekly Torah portion? Or tell the story of the American Jewish experience, and our community's commitment to social change? 
Well, now you can. AJFCA is proud to join with the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable to present Hineni - Here I Am. This inspiring video, built around a speech by President Obama, calls on Jews to renew our commitment to our values and take action to pass immigration reform. |
New Poll 2607 Jews: Disability, Israel, and  Judaism
In a new poll of 2607 Jews done for RespectAbilityUSA.org and Jerusalem U, data shows that the Jews polled, including young Jews, felt very strongly about inclusion of Jews with disabilities. Continue reading here. |
FAQs: Medicare Open Enrollment and the Health Insurance Marketplace 
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AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
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Jewish Donors Are Generous, Especially to Non-Jewish Causes 
Jewish donors-especially those of modest means-are among the most generous Americans, says a new report. And many of them make a high proportion of their gifts to causes that have nothing to do with their faith. Continue reading here. |
Strategic Philanthropy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 
Strategic Philanthropy seems to be dominating not only the rarified air of the world of foundations, but now the Internet as well. Continue reading here. |
Nurturing LGBTQ Jewish Leaders 
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the fifth-largest Jewish community in the United States, and to a huge and diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer population, including an estimated 36,000 LGBTQ Jews. And, yet, there are few out-and-proud LGBTQ Jewish leaders in the region's organized Jewish or LGBTQ worlds. Continue reading here. |
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AJFCA 2014 Annual Conference - Request for Workshop Proposals - Due September 25th
The 2014 AJFCA & IAJVS Annual Conference is a two and a half day interactive and informative experience for professional and lay leaders from AJFCA and IAJVS member agencies throughout North America and Israel. Agency leaders share their common experiences in leading Jewish family service and vocational agencies in their communities and learn together interesting and innovative ideas from the field. AJFCA is seeking workshop proposals that will enhance the conference theme: Inspiring Creativity in a Changing World by challenging attendees to examine current practices and adapt to compete today and in the future. The Conference will have five areas of focus:
- Agency Operations
- Clinical Programming
- Fund Development & Marketing
- Board Leadership
- Volunteer/Young Adult Engagement
Prior to submitting, please carefully review the RFP Guidelines. Click here to access the Workshop Proposal Form. Please complete Workshop Proposal Forms by Wednesday, September 25th. If you have any questions, please email Sandra Rosenbaum. |
AJFCA Career Opportunity: 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. |
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Opening Nonprofit Board Meetings to the Public
Few nonprofits solicit advice on management decisions from the people they serve or other key players who are affected by an organization's work.
But some nonprofits are experimenting with new approaches to sharing board duties beyond trustees, such as holding open board meetings online and appointing advisers who give feedback on key issues. Continue reading here. |
Your Board Leadership Needs to Be Able to Make Big Changes 
This is a big challenge for nonprofits. How do you coach your board members - and especially your board chair - on their roles?
This can get tricky because while we want close board relationships, there always will - or should be - a little dynamic tension. Why? Because the board - and especially the board chair - supervises a nonprofit's CEO. Continue reading here. |
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
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One-Page Scrolling Web Sites: A Great New Way to Tell a Story 
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Tweeting to Raise Awareness 
In the age of social media, anything humans say can be transferred across the globe in a matter of seconds. Nonprofit organizations on Twitter are able to exploit this tool and do a lot of good with it. Continue reading here.
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Get More Out of Your Fundraising Events
Fundraising events are a nonprofit mainstay, but they typically take a lot of time, money, and effort to produce. Since even the most basic events can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, it should be a no-brainer to squeeze every opportunity out of these big investments. Unfortunately, too many nonprofits see the event itself as the finish line, missing critical opportunities for more connection, insight, and inspiration (things that will lead you to more loyal donors and increased giving). Continue reading here.
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What's Jewish About Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer? 
Join Sharsheret's Clinical Supervisor Shera Dubitsky and Link Program Coordinator Adina Fleischmann for a 60-minute webinar, "What's Jewish About Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer?" Learn about the unique issues of Jewish women and families facing breast cancer and ovarian cancer, how your organization can offer cancer support at no cost, and how Sharsheret helps.
What's Jewish About Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer?
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