VISTA SPOTLIGHTRachel Rosenberg
UJA-Federation New York 
My name is Rachel Rosenberg and I am an Americorps VISTA member at UJA-Federation of New York, helping to increase the capacity of agencies in the New York metropolitan area to support Holocaust survivors. A highlight of my service thus far was participating in a very special event at UJA-Federation - the PovertySlam. This all-day educational summit for high school students offered opportunities for them to learn about poverty in their own city, hoping they might then be inspired to create innovative responses through a grant competition.
I co-facilitated a breakout session focusing on the prevalence of poverty among Holocaust survivors. The students were both surprised and generally concerned to hear that about half of New York City's approximately 60,000 Holocaust survivors live in poverty. They could not believe that people who survived such horrors found themselves struggling in their twilight years. It was extremely meaningful that I was able to impact these teenagers' knowledge of the current plight of Holocaust survivors and motivate them to help this vulnerable group in our city.
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AGENCY HIGHLIGHTS
JFS Colorado Raises Record $566,000 at Real Hope 2014
Jewish Family Service of Colorado had the highest-grossing Real Hope fundraiser in JFS history, raising a record $566,000 when Sheila Bugdanowitz and Sheryl Goodman were honored. Real Hope supports all programs of Jewish Family Service (JFS), including mental health counseling, senior and adult in-home care, disability and employment services, and family safety net services. More than 550 people attended the 19th annual JFS event at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. During the elaborate cocktail reception, guests posed for photos on the red carpet, enjoyed cocktails and decadent international food stations and passed hors d'ouevres by Epicurean. A surprise highlight during the cocktail reception by Frequent Flyer Productions included stilt walk dancers, silk rope aerialists, and an object manipulator. Read more here.
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JFS Detroit Among "Final Four" in Crain's Non-Profit Competition
Agency Honored for Management Practices, Flexibility and ResponsivenessJewish Family Service of Detroit is honored to be among the four finalists in the Crain's Detroit "Best Managed Non-Profit" competition for 2014. The competition recognizes non-profit organizations that implement effective financial and programmatic management practices, while demonstrating innovation in pursuit of their missions. JFS was lauded for its Health Care Navigation program, an outgrowth of the agency's highly-successful Project Chessed, which connected more than 1,800 uninsured adults to pro bono medical services donated by local health care providers. Continue reading here.
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JFS Dallas Foundation Reception for Fundholders and Contributors
On December 11th, the Jewish Family Service of Dallas Foundation held a reception thanking the individuals and families who have contributed to or established a fund with the JFS Foundation. Established in 2012, the JFS Foundation supports the long-term viability of the mental health and social services of JFS through planned giving and endowments. Now over $1.5 million in revenue, the Foundation recently granted JFS with $40,000 for mental health services. Since last September, JFS has served 500 children and 635 adults in all of our mental health services including play therapy, individual and family counseling, family violence intervention, support groups and special needs services.
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Calls & Webinars
Visit AJFCA's Calendarto learn more about free calls and webinars. For more information login to the Member Resources section of the AJFCA website, followed by Webinars. Contact Megan at 410-843-7327 with questions.
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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
Once again this week, I had the opportunity to acknowledge what a privilege it is to be a Jew in this time, in this place. On Wednesday evening, Nancy and I attended The White House Hanukkah Celebration, hosted by the President and Mrs. Obama. A true "wow." Standing there in the East Wing, I could only think how fortunate I am, and how staggering a notion this would be for my grandparents who left the perils of Czarist Russia with the dream that so much more was possible.
This week we continue reading the Joseph narrative with the parashah Mi-ketz. Although he is only the fourth generation of Jews, in Joseph we already see the presence of Jews in the Diaspora. For Joseph, his life in a foreign community begins with hardship and heartache, but becomes a personal triumph and a critical event in the continuation of the Jewish people. Certainly, there is more hardship to follow, periods of discrimination and worse, but the spirit of resilience that is at the heart of the Jewish people finds its origins in Joseph.
Joseph never lost faith. He personified the will to survive and thrive. My grandparents must have had a similar faith and, clearly, a determination to make their new home one that would allow their descendants to grow and prosper. I am thankful for a country that accepted and encouraged us, and welcomed Yisroel Lev ben Simcha Mordechai into it's leader's home.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.
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Aid to Holocaust Victims to Increase More Than 20 Percent in 2015; Claims Conference Allocating $365 Million 
Funding Provides Homecare, Medical Care, Food and Other Help in 47 Countries
Elderly Jewish Holocaust victims, the last of their generation to have endured the horrors of the Nazi genocide, will receive significantly more aid in 2015. Learn more here. |
Success in Congress: Passage of the ABLE Act 
The ABLE Act, which would help people with disabilities save for college and retirement, has passed Congress with broad bipartisan support. On Dec. 3, the bill passed the House of Representatives, 404 to 17. On Dec. 16 the bill passed the Senate as part of a bigger tax package. The aim of the ABLE Act is to remove bureaucratic obstacles to help Americans save their own money to help pay for long-term care. There is $2.5M in the spending bill allocated for support of Holocaust survivors. Continue reading here. |
The Journey to Reframe Human Services 
The Kresge Foundation has made a significant grant to the National Assembly to continue on their path to reframing human services. The National Human Services Assembly (NHSA), the association of leading national nonprofit human service networks and organizations, launched a discussion in 2011 on why human services struggle for adequate funding and are little discussed or understood in the public square. The discussion led to the notion of "reframing human services," applying what has been learned in the social sciences about presenting the concepts and messages of an endeavor in ways that reflect reality and that resonate with the public (in an apolitical way). Read more here. |
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AGENCY PROGRAMMING/OPERATIONS
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What is a Leadership Funder? 
Leadership development is not a standalone part of an organization, but an integral component of all its activities and overall success, writes James E. Canales. To consistently encourage leadership growth and evolution, foundations must encourage customization and entrust their leaders with flexibility. Continue reading here. |
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Is It Immoral for Charities to Push 'Amazon Smile'?
The other day a nonprofit organization Alan Cantor, a fundraising nonprofit consultant admires sent out a Facebook posting that encouraged its supporters to shop at Amazon and to designate the organization as the charitable beneficiary of "Amazon Smile." Through Amazon Smile, the charity explained, Amazon would give the organization one half of 1 percent of the total purchase price of whatever he buys. Read Alan's thoughts here. |
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2015 AJFCA Annual Conference Awards
AJFCA is pleased to announce the guidelines of the 2015 Annual Conference Awards. Click here to view guidelines for the  following awards: - Goodman Award
- Kovod Award
- Joseph S. Kaplan Memorial Scholarship Award
- Distinguished Service Award
- Leadership Award
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Good Deeds Day Webinar 
Good Deeds Day, held on March 15th celebrates doing good for the benefit of others and the planet. All over the world, hundreds of thousands choose to give of themselves, putting into practice the simple idea that every single person can do a good deed, be it large or small, to improve the lives of others and positively impact the world. Good Deeds Day, held March 15, 2015. Learn how to organize a project in your own community and activate your goodness.
Good Deeds Day Webinar
Thursday, January 15th, 12pm ET - REGISTER HERE
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PurchasingPoint Discount Program Webinar
AJFCA partners with the National Human Services Assembly to provide our members access to the PurchasingPointŪ program. PurchasingPointŪ is an exclusive discount program for nonprofits that leverages group buying power to get access to significant savings from your everyday vendors. The program is designed to help nonprofits reduce overhead costs by providing access to discounts on a vast range of products and services including, but not limited to: office supplies, shipping, copiers, postage equipment, furniture, cleaning supplies, promotional merchandise, car rental, cell phones, and more. Discounts in the program are negotiated with vendors based on $24 billion in annual collective buying power, more than any one nonprofit could do alone. As a result, the program provides nonprofits access to a level of pricing typically re  served for Fortune 100 companies. PurchasingPoint Discount Program WebinarTuesday, January 20th, 2pm ET - REGISTER HERE
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Planning & Delivery of Older Adult Services 
AJFCA Older Adult Services Professionals are invited to a one-hour discussion on the planning and delivery of senior services. During the discussion facilitator Keila Naparstek of JFS Columbus will share lessons learned during the 2014 Midwest Meeting on Older Adult Services in Columbus, OH related to Geriatric Care Management, Holocaust survivor support services, transportation, working with for-profits and other community partners, and caregiver support services. Participants will have a chance to build on the lessons of the Midwest Meeting by sharing their ideas, challenges, and successes on the planning and delivery of senior services. All Older Adult Services Professionals from AJFCA member agencies are welcome to join the conversation, regardless of prior engagement. Older Adult Services Discussion Call
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Board Orientation 
Board orientation is never truly over because it is a strategy in the ongoing process of board education and training. Orientation provides the board with an opportunity to deepen the engagement and strengthen the performance of its members - all of its members. As new members join the board, orientation allows the board to energize itself as a new "body" and, most importantly, to bring each and every board member together around the mission of the organization. Continue reading here. |
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
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Prospect Research and Lists: the Do's and Don'ts 
There was a time when Forbes published their annual lists in their magazine and that was it. There was no Internet (no deluge of online lists) and the magazine sold out (repeatedly - and this even helped keep the magazine afloat in its difficult years when sales were weak throughout the year). Today, we have an abundance of lists - too many of them. Continue reading here. |
Got Data? Get Donations. 
You don't often hear nonprofit organizations complaining about having so much money that they don't know what to do with it. But you've probably heard more than a few complain about having more data than they know how to use. If you're thinking that there's got to be a way to use all that that data to help raise more money, you're right. There is. Click here to listen to Got Data? Get Donations.
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VOLUNTEERS/YOUNG ADULT ENGAGEMENT
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Employers of National Service
AJFCA is proud to be an Employer of National Service, committed to actively seeking out AmeriCorps and Peace Corps members for future employment opportunities. As a current sponsor of an AmeriCorps VISTA program, AJFCA has seen first-hand the talent, commitment and creativity AmeriCorps VISTA members bring to their work. VISTAs in 10 cities across the United States are working to build the capacity of local agencies to serve Holocaust survivors in their communities. Get to know our incredible VISTA members in our biweekly VISTA Spotlight in the AJFCA newsletter. There are three weeks until the December 31st deadline for charter members to join. Learn more here.
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