CANADA CONFERENCEJewish Communal Service in the 21st Century: Challenges & Opportunities in Canada Sunday, October 20th, 7pm
 This conference will host a unique blend of Jewish communal professionals and leaders, and will focus on the 'Big Questions' pertaining to poverty in the Jewish community, as well as address specific issues such as the challenges of the Elderly, Housing & Food Security and living with Mental Illness. There will be an exciting array of opening and closing speakers as well as panels of experts in their fields, and discussions of best practices, advocacy and planning for the future. An early bird registration of $195 is being offered.
|
|
Agency Highlights
Joanne Lippert Receives Bernard Rodkin Professional Development Israel Fellowships
Sandi Fried was installed as President of Jewish Family Services of Kansas City on October 13th. Fried has been involved with JFS since 2006 when she joined the board of directors. She has served on the executive and nominating committees.  In addition to her work with JFS, Fried has been involved as a volunteer with a number of other organizations including Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and its Women's Philanthropy, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, and CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.
|
|
Joanne Lippert Receives Bernard Rodkin Professional Development Israel Fellowships
Joanne E. Lippert will receive the Bernard Rodkin Professional Development Israel Fellowships, which provides an opportunity for increasing knowledge and understanding of Israeli society and its social welfare system. Joanne is Co-Director, Adult Senior Services, for the Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia. She oversees community partnerships, donor relations, internships, budgets, personnel, and long-term strategic planning.  Recipients will participate in a 10-day Professional Development Experience in Israel which will enhance their community organization skills and career development. The Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 10th at Merkaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel [HUC-JIR] in Jerusalem. Read more here.
|
|
|
|
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.
Expertise Exchange: Creating a System to Drive Performance
Oct., 22nd, 3pm EST
REGISTER HERE
Campaigns as Experience of your Brand
Oct., 30th, 1:30pm ET
 Strategies for Building Strong Partnerships with Primary Care
Oct., 30th, 2pm ET
The ABCs of Open Enrollment for Behavioral Health Providers
Oct., 31st, 1pm EST
|
|
Stay updated on AJFCA offerings, agency news & current trends . . .
|
|
|
D'Var Torah Lee I. Sherman President/CEOBoth my daughter and my niece have jobs in which they work with children who have been subject to abuse and neglect and have the emotional, and sometimes physical, scars to show for it. These children require the special attention of professionals to help them adjust socially and academically so they can be successful.
This week's parashah, Va-yera, contains the Torah story that probably terrified and troubled me the most when I was a child in Hebrew School. Floods and fire seemed remote to me in those days, but threatening the well-being of a child, although far removed from my personal experience, still seemed real from a child's perspective. I know now that Isaac at the time of the Akeda was actually an adult, but when I was younger, I definitely imagined him as a child my age, and he was undoubtedly pictured that way in my book of Bible stories. I imagined Isaac feeling special to be on a trip with his father, and excited about the adventure they would have together. We know from the text that Abraham loved Isaac, and his actions indicate that Isaac returned that love and devotion to his father. And then, Isaac is bound tightly to the altar and Abraham raises the knife above him, a terrifying image to the "child."
We know the end of the story and that Isaac was replaced on the altar by a ram, but there can be no question that Isaac had to be scarred for the rest of his life. How is he to recover from this trauma and to go on and live a life of value, meaning, and purpose? It must have been difficult and painful, but Isaac does go on to live a meaningful life. He falls in love with Rebecca and is a key link to the generations of Jews who follow. Professionals in our agencies work with many clients who have been scarred by childhood traumas. Although living with those scars can be incredibly painful, through the strength received from our remarkable staffs, many of our clients go on to live rich and meaningful lives, like our forefather Isaac. Thank you for all the amazing work you do.
Have a peaceful Shabbat.
|
Congress Passes Law to Fund the Government and Avoid Default 
The federal government shutdown ended Wednesday night and the United States did not default on its debt obligations, which could have occurred Thursday. Read more about what the deal entails.
|
|
U.S. Farm Bill Negotiators May Begin Work Next Week
|
|
AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
|
|
Successful Collaboration Yields Bountiful Harvests
There is great potential in working together - whether cooperating, coordinating or collaborating. Working together across agencies presents tremendous opportunities to leverage individual expertise into greater impact. Why don't we work together more? Why do some collaborations succeed and others fail? Continue reading here. |
After Overhead: Investing in Nonprofit Financial Fitness 
Increasingly, funders understand that "overhead" costs directly support an organization's ability to deliver results and that the overhead ratio shouldn't be used as a simplistic indicator of an organization's ability to deliver on its mission. The bigger opportunity here, however, is to go beyond funding the full costs of delivering specific services to build an organization's financial strength through surpluses and savings. Read more here. |
October AJFCA Member Agency Calls & SurveysCEO Council of AJFCA
Implementing Social Enterprise at your Agency  Wednesday, October 23rd, 2pm ET
Domestic Violence Professionals
Combating Domestic Violence: Long-Term Planning for a Changing Landscape
Wednesday, October 30th, 2pm ET
Addictions Survey - Monday, October 28th
Jewish Residential Disabilities Services Survey - Monday, October 28th
Learn more about October AJFCA Member Agency Calls & Surveys here.
|
Some Organizations Just Don't Get It 
The boards of directors must be an integral part of the organizations' functioning and become involved in determining their organizations' approach to raising their needed resources. They must not allow their agencies to follow a Band-Aid approach to fill in the gap left by cuts. Continue reading here. |
|
COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
|
Your Supporters Are Your Best Spokespeople 
The best advice I have for people who want to use social media to promote their cause is to make it easy for your supporters to be your advocates. Make them celebrities for your cause. Read the 6 tips here. |
Fundraising Events in the New "Normal" Economy: Communication is King 
In the "new normal" economy, fundraisers have to work smarter to earn their share of a more modest pie. Even with the Dow soaring to new heights, donors remain sober in their giving. Nonprofits must abandon "the usual" to realize even usual results. Watch the video here. |
|
Design an Effective Mobile App
As modern technology strengthens its roots, mobile phones play quite a significant role, and that's why creating a mobile app has become a necessity. Marketers often find it hard to design an app which produces effective results. The actuality depends on your survey and research, which in return help you choose the best option for your target audience. It is more important to build an application that fulfills all the requirements of your users. Learn the 9 tips to design an effective mobile app here. |
|
COA's New Family Foster Care and Kinship Care Standards
The Council on Accreditation (COA) announced that their new Family Foster Care and Kinship Care Standards (Private, Public, Canadian) have been published to their website and are now available for us.! The standards cover a range of program models and advance effective practices for collaborating with children, youth, families, kinship caregivers, and foster parents to achieve positive outcomes. Learn more at the one of the following webinars:  - Nov., 7th, 2pm EST
- Dec., 11th, 1pm EST
To register click here. Use the search and filter feature. Search by "training type" (i.e. Webinar). Check the box next to this training and click "Register for Selected". You will receive an email confirmation with log in details upon completion of the registration process. |
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 services at no cost, collaborative opportunities, and how Sharsheret helps.
What's Jewish About Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer?
|
From Black & White to Color: Interoperability as the New Norm 
What if all the specialists involved in your client's care were connected? What if you could see a complete record of your client's history across the spectrum of providers in your community? This vision is now a reality, and interoperability is the key. In five years it will be standard for all providers to share data electronically, but today, many of us are still in the dark about data exchange, figuring out how it will work and how issues like confidentiality will be addressed. How can a provider be expected to decipher the giant cluster of constantly changing regulations on compliance and interoperability?
Interoperability as the New Norm
|
|
|
|
|
