FINANCIAL MATTERS
How Strategic Capital Planning Can Enrich Your Nonprofit
Summary - Conventional strategic planning is not likely to sustain your nonprofit financially. You need to link strategic thinking to your organization's capital needs.
Capitalization and financial sustainability are vital for nonprofits.
The key question is how to achieve the capitalization necessary to deliver services, grow, and ensure financial endurance.
There are two main reasons capitalization efforts may fall short: under funding of infrastructure and growth, and unintended penalties for the accumulation of flexible cash. But most nonprofit leaders know that capitalization and sustainability can be achieved in part by:
* Building a stronger balance sheet
* Encouraging liquidity
* Paying attention to depreciation and debt
* Increasing financial literacy - particularly with boards
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Click here to access Senior Resource Connect and stay current on the latest trends in older adult services.
AJFCA launched our new older adult services website, Senior Resource Connect this summer. The website aims to leverage the expertise of Jewish family services agencies assisting older adults in the community, increase referrals to member agency programs, streamline referrals between agencies, and act as an information hub on all matters of senior services.
Share this great news with your community.
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AGENCY HIGHLIGHTS
MAX Interpersonal Career Coaching at JFS Columbus
MAX Interpersonal Career Coaching is an innovative, fully-inclusive, program for young Jewish adults within the Workforce Development department at Jewish Family Services in Columbus. MAX serves individuals with Social Cognitive deficits, and has recently celebrated 2 years in operation; through the generosity and vision of local philanthropists. MAX has successfully placed 19 individuals into full time, benefited employment, and 8 individuals into part time employment while completing school. That's 27 people employed, through a very nontraditional approach, in just 24 months! Most remarkably, after 1 year on the job 100% of MAXers are still working! MAXers are not just getting jobs, they are keeping jobs... and breaking so many stereotypes! Check out the video here.
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You're on the Performance Measurement Train. Now What?
The good news: more nonprofits are taking performance measurement seriously. We had a standing-room-only crowd for our workshop on "Demystifying Performance Measurement" at the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network conference. Whether we're drawn into it by the public fascination with "big data," by pressure from funders, or-ideally- because we genuinely want to understand how we're doing and how we could do better, the conversation is getting real.  Stephen Pratt, Partner, Director of Advisory Services presented with Marc Jacobs, CEO of Jewish Family Services of Metrowest. Continue reading here.
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JFCS Publishes Holocaust Diary
After more than 70 years in obscurity, the diary of a Polish teenage girl which was found at Auschwitz in 1945 has been revealed for the first time. Originally published by the JFCS Holocaust Center (JFCS of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties) in partnership with Lehrhaus Judaica, the newly edited and revised edition of Rywka's Diary has now been published by Harper Collins in the U.S. The book has also been translated and published in many other countries. See the press release about Rywka's Diary. The newly discovered diary, written in the Lodz ghetto during World War II, is an astonishing historical document and a moving tribute to the many ordinary people whose lives where forever altered by the Holocaust. Accompanied by rich background materials, the book is destined to become an important source of inspiration for students of the Holocaust around the world.
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The Voice and Vision for Stronger Communities
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D'Var Torah
Lee I. Sherman
President/CEO
On Monday morning, I took a train from Baltimore to New York. For the first time in my experience, armed guards were stationed outside of the station. Over a dozen more police, National Guard, and Homeland Security agents were in visible positions inside the station, including on the tracks. Clearly, the terror attacks in Paris last Friday night have reached each of our lives. Whether at a sporting event, in a restaurant, or at a music venue, we are all exposed to the threat of terrorism. Not all of us are subject to the physical effects of terror, but all of us experience the psychic and emotional trauma of this extreme evil.
In this week's parashah, Vayetzei, we continue the story of Jacob as he journeys to his uncle's home to find a wife and start the family that is the foundation of the Jewish people. But, not all is smooth for Jacob. He is deceived by his uncle and marries Leah before he is able to unite with his chosen, Rachel. This deception costs Jacob an extra seven years of labor, yet he never diverts from his cause. Jacob demonstrates the type of resilience that reflects the best of humanity in the face of the many detours that arise in life's journey.
This morning on the radio I heard an interview with a young Parisian couple. When asked what they were going to do this evening, they said they were going to a cafe with friends. They would not let the acts of terror keep them from living their lives. The same resilience is lived every day on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and all over our world. May we all continue to live resilient lives.
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Brief Materials to Help Parents, Children, and Others with Mass Terror
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As we all reel from recent events and struggle to maximize good coping and restore some sense of equilibrium, we thought we'd share the three very brief but helpful pieces, attached.
Feel free to share them with community members - via email, stacks in the synagogue or school lobby, giving people links -- however is best for your group.
With prayers for life, health, and peace,
Simkha Weintraub
Continue reading here. |
Appropriations Advocacy 
As a result of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, members of Congress return to work this week to decide how federal funding will be spent in 2016. AJFCA and JFNA are advocating for additional funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA), which will help invaluable programs that serve seniors and keep them healthy and at home. Because of inflation and previous cuts, OAA's current funding is insufficient to meet the needs of vulnerable seniors around the country. Furthermore, we are asking for members of Congress to include $2.5 million in funding for the Holocaust Survivors Assistance program, which will help secure funding for the new Holocaust Survivors Initiative. We encourage you to call your representative and senators to tell them why increased funding for these programs is important to you and your community. Please let AJFCA's Director of Government Affairs, Liz Leibowitz know if you have any questions or updates.
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RespectAbility National Leadership Program Seeking  Fellows
RespectAbility's new National Leadership Program will attract college and graduate students with or without disabilities who wish to enter the disability advocacy field. The program will offer hands-on work experiences and coaching over a period of at least nine weeks in a supportive environment. Fellows participating in the National Leadership Program will learn public policy, advocacy, and strategic communications techniques from top professionals through hands-on work. Learn more here.
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Humanitarian Community Below you will find updates on recent reports, newsletters, event information, blogs and more - All submitted by organizations serving the refugee and migrant community to HumanitarianCommunity.com.
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TRENDS in AGENCY PROGRAMMING
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The True Meaning of Authenticity  There has been a bit of a backlash against the idea of authentic leadership, writes Bill George, who popularized the notion in 2003. Still, the core principles of authentic leadership remain valid. "If you want to be an authentic leader and have a meaningful life, you need to do the difficult inner work to develop yourself, have a strong moral compass based on your beliefs and values, and work on problems that matter to you," George writes. Continue reading here.
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How Can Nonprofits Switch From Scarcity to
 Abundance Mindsets When It Comes To Self-Care?
A scarcity mindset is defined as the belief that everything is limited. The scarcity assumption is based on: there's not enough of what our nonprofit needs to go around and there's more out there that our organization needs but we don't have it. Many nonprofit senior leaders believe that self-care is not work and that when employees practice it - like leaving the office after only 8 hours, the organization pays the price of not achieving results. Continue reading here. |
AJFCA Acknowledged at Blue Card Annual Tribute
On Monday evening, November 16, Lee Sherman and Shelley Rood attended the Blue Card Annual Benefit Tribute in New York City. It was a privilege to be present for the recognition of Elie Wiesel with the Richard C. Holbrooke Award for Social Justice, as well as our partners Alpha Omega and Henry Schein Cares receiving a humanitarian award for their Holocaust Survivors Oral Health Program, in which they are working with a number of our member agencies. We were also beaming with pride as Rachel Rosenberg, a participant in AJFCA's 2014-15 AmeriCorps VISTA program, received the Blue Card Young Leadership Award. And, both Matt Nosanchuk, from the White House Office of Public Engagement, and Vice President Joe Biden, in a video message, thanked us for our work on behalf of Holocaust survivors through the V ISTA program and our public-private partnership. We understand that the recognition that AJFCA receives is possible only because of the incredible work being done by our member agencies each and every day to bring dignity and respect to the Holcocaust survivors in their communities.
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2016 AJFCA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
San Diego, CA
May 15-17, 2016
Click here to learn more (including link to book hotel room).
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Last-Minute #GivingTuesday Tips & Help  If you haven't yet nailed down your #GivingTuesday plan, you might feel like it's too late to have a successful campaign. Even if you have a campaign plan in place, you might feel a little stressed that #GivingTuesday is only 2 weeks away. Ok, maybe a lot stressed. Read more here. |
Rev Up Your Data with Dashboards  Do your hear crickets when you ask for help with donor engagement tasks, cultivation, or thank you calls? Are eyes glazing over when your board and staff review spreadsheets and donor lists? Fear not, there is hope! Learn more here.
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 2016 COA Face-to-Face Training
COA will be offering the 2-day Intensive Accreditation Training (IAT) which provides in-depth instruction for achieving Private, Public and Canadian COA accreditation. They will also be offering the 1-day Performance and Quality Improvement Training (PQI) which provides participants with an advanced understanding of the Private, Public and Canadian PQI standards and how they can be implemented in organizational settings. Learn more here. |
6 Holiday Legal Tips 
The holiday season is a great time of year for enjoying the company of friends and family. In the excitement of the season it is important to be aware of common financial and legal issues. These issues may involve traveling, shopping or simply managing finances. These tips may help you avoid some common headaches so you can enjoy your holiday season. If you need legal assistance call your LegalShield provider law firm.
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