Agency HighlightsJFS Greater Dallas Welcomes PLAN to its Continuum of Mental Health Services
Last week Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas announced that PLAN (Planned Living Assistance Network of North Texas) has entered into an affiliation agreement with JFS. This new relationship will broaden both the agencies' client base and footprint to better serve people with mental illness in the Greater Dallas area.
Following an evaluation of options to secure their future, PLAN approached JFS due to JFS' quality of wrap-around services, accreditation, diversified funding, strong management and governance, billing, marketing and resource development experience and long-term continuity. The affiliation will provide for the long-term continuation of PLAN and even greater access and coordination of JFS services on behalf of PLAN consumers, including career and employment, emergency assistance and those for older adults. Continue reading here.
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November is National Family Caregivers Month at JCS Baltimore
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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.
Preventing Unnecessary Hospitalizations for Seniors through Performance Management
Nov., 12th, 3pm ET
 Product Spotlight: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising - Meet Your Funders Where They Are Nov., 14th, 2pm ET
Ask the Expert: Working With Remote Staff
Nov., 18th, 2pm ET
REGISTER HERE
New Family Foster Care and Kinship Care Standards
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.
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Stay updated on AJFCA offerings, agency news & current trends . . .
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D'Var Torah Lee I. Sherman President/CEO I had a special feeling while preparing to write this week's Shabbat message. As I read the stories of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, I knew that this Shabbat I would be in Israel, close to the locations of the events I was reading about. Now, I am here in the land that is so special and which connects us so directly with our ancestors, with the sights, smells, and sounds which make Torah come alive.  Many of the readings in Genesis are about families, a central unit of our people. We know from the stories that we read that our Biblical ancestors had challenges and difficulties much like we do today. In this week's parashah, Va-yetzei, Jacob felt deceived by his father-in-law when he was initially deceived and not joined in marriage to his intended, Rachel. And so, he needed to work harder and longer to achieve his dream. Yet, despite the personal challenge, he was able to build a family with the many children from whom a Jewish nation would emerge. It is a privilege for a 21st century Jewish American to travel to Israel. It is something that many generations before me were unable to do,whether they lived in the United States, Europe, or elsewhere around the globe. Throughout we have had Torah to connect us, and today we also have the Land from which it and we grew. Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat.
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Farm Bill/SNAP Update 
November 1st marked the end of the 2009 Recovery Act boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While intended to be a temporary boost, Congress, in 2010, shortened the timeline of this ARRA supplement to pay for other priorities (i.e., FMAP (Medicaid) aid to States and teachers' salaries). Perhaps in 2010, Congress expected a quicker recovery than what has occurred. We can expect that these cuts will cause hardship for some SNAP participants. Hunger, food insecurity, joblessness, and poverty remain at unacceptably high levels for large numbers of people in the United States, including 10 million who live in "deep poverty" with family incomes below half of the poverty line, 22 million children, and 9 million people who are elderly or have a serious disability.
In turn, when SNAP benefits are reduced or run out, community food banks, shelters and related community-based recipients of the supplemental Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) experience greater demands leading to shortages and wait lists for assistance. Right now, conference negotiators of the Farm Bill are determining the level of cuts to SNAP of between $4 billion and $40 billion over the next 10 years. Whether speaking of SNAP (that serves the long-term food insecure) or EFSP (that serves those on the cusp of economic crises), the demand for assistance has jumped in concert with the prolonged economic recovery.
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AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
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The "Medium Data" Alliance between Guidestar and  the Foundation Center: Get Your Information Here!
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Expanded Membership
Earlier this year, the AJFCA Board of Directors voted to expand the parameters of AJFCA membership with the goals of:
- Broadening the reach of our network;
- Increasing the strength of our collaborative; and
- Creating more learning opportunities for member agencies, including professional development in certain specialty fields.
The Board determined that AJFCA will open membership to all national, regional and local Jewish agencies located in North America that provide direct human services to vulnerable populations. This expansion targets Jewish agencies working in specialty areas, such as: 
- addictions
- disabilities
- domestic violence
- food programs
- housing
- senior services
If you know of an agency that may be interested in AJFCA membership, please send an email with the agency name and contact information to Lee Sherman.
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AJFCA Launches Volunteer Professional Compensation Survey
In response to the interest of network professionals in the "industry standard" for compensation in the volunteer field, AJFCA has launched a volunteer professional compensation survey.  Many of the survey questions used were based on the 2012 Jewish Communal Professional Compensation Survey, a summary of which can be found in " Toward Transparency." Member agency volunteer professionals are encouraged to complete this survey by Friday, November 15th. A link to the survey and more information regarding AJFCA's Volunteer Initiative can be found here. Please contact Jennie Gates Beckman at 410-843-7449 with questions. |
Why Every Nonprofit Board Member Should Fundraise 
It's a controversial topic, but Nell Edgington, President of Social Velocity strongly believes that every single nonprofit board member should contribute to the financial model of their organization. Watch a short video here. |
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
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How to Get People to Notice (and Love) your EmailsIt's no secret that it's getting tougher to break through the noise and ensure readers are opening and acting on your emails. Fortunately, there are things you can do to build a stronger email relationship with your supporters now so that you will have better success when you send those December appeals. Try these tips.
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10 Free Tools For Monitoring Your Brand's Online Reputation 
Occasionally Googling the name of your company, product or service might not be enough. The time to start managing your online reputation is before it becomes a problem. Continue reading here. |
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One Approach to Greater Impact: Giving Circles
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New Video: Sharsheret Gave Sharon A  Voice
Watch this month's video, the third in Sharsheret's 12-part series, and hear Sharon share how connecting with Sharsheret's community helps Jewish women facing cancer find their voice and join thousands of others.
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