18 Tips for Connecting with Your Remote Employees
Over the last decade, with increasing technological advancements, many Jewish nonprofits have adopted a dispersed structure. A dispersed organization is defined as operating out of multiple cities, often with hub-city offices and remote employees working together. However, without consistent face-to-face interaction, this structure presents unique challenges for organizational culture and health.
Codifying Communication, Creating Culture
Improving the Workplace Experience of Young Jewish Nonprofit Professionals By Mikah Atkind Jewish nonprofits hit the jackpot when they hire young, inexperienced professionals. They have brought on individuals who are enthusiastic about the work they are going to be doing, often having themselves been the beneficiaries of that work. They are in the field because […]
Divrei Torah in the Jewish Nonprofit World
By Aaron Sataloff, MAJNM/Rabbinic Ordination ‘17 While the activity of giving a d’var Torah, “a word of Torah,” occurs regularly in Jewish organizations in America, there is no standard of practice or widely accepted rubric of what components should be included in them. By writing divrei Torah, implicit values that frequently function as the […]
Office Space Landscapes: Why Putting Professionals First Should Matter to Nonprofit Organizations
By Ilana Rabin, MAJNM/MCM ‘17 This study explores the landscape of office spaces in the Jewish nonprofit sector and analyzes the relationship between those spaces, organizational culture, supervision, and employee performance and satisfaction. While many researchers have studied space, culture, and practice in the for-profit sector, it is unknown whether those same theories and […]
Cold Brew at the Federation: A Study of Millennials’ Perception of Work Culture in Jewish Nonprofits
By Joshua Robert Mikutis, for MAJNM ‘17/ Rabbinic Ordination ‘18 Millennials are increasingly working at startups and tech companies with indulgent work cultures, including free gourmet food and foosball tables. Are perks like these appropriate for Jewish nonprofits? This study examines the experiences of nine millennials who work at three different Jewish nonprofits in New […]
Jewish Central Bodies as Facilitators of Interdenominational Connectivity and Exchange
By Manny Menchel, MSOLI ’18 An important and distinct attribute of American Judaism is the role that denominationalism plays in shaping Jewish identity as well as establishing the makeup of the Jewish community writ large. One well-documented area relating to challenges surrounding denominationalism is an inherent factionalism that accompanies it, and consequential rifts that […]
Giving Hatikvah to our Children: How Teachers in a Jewish Early Childhood Program Bring Israel to their School
By Sasha Kopp, MAJNM/MAJE ‘17 “Israel is a country where everyone is Jewish!” This statement, which I have heard in Jewish early childhood centers across the country, made me acutely aware of the lack of Israel education that is provided to pre-school teachers who teach about Israel in Jewish early-childhood settings. As a Joint Masters student […]
Engaging the Disengaged: Jewish Nonprofit Communication Tactics that Build Bridges
By Julia Hubner and Amy Mendelsohn, MAJNM/MCM ‘17 I’m not interested. I don’t believe in G-d. My mom’s not Jewish, so I don’t know if I am. I had a bar mitzvah but didn’t really connect to anything after that. There are innumerable reasons people give not to engage with their Judaism. Each reason […]
Arts and Culture Programming in JCCs: An Analysis of Manifestations Across North America
By Dave Cohn, MAJNM/MPA ‘17 Arts and culture programs in Jewish Community Centers operate at a complicated socioeconomic intersection, balancing collective questions of religion, creativity, institutional structure, relationships between varied stakeholders, economic realities, popular trends, and branding considerations, among others. This thesis relies on published research, the experience of JCC arts and culture professionals representing […]
Snapchat Kings, Youtube Queens, and Instagram Gurus: Engaging Jewish Online Content Creators for Philanthropy
By Jamie Evan Cohen, MAJNM/MCM ‘17 Given the proliferation of communication technologies and nonprofits, reaching audiences has never been more challenging. This study examines the potential for collaboration between the Jewish nonprofit industry and “online content creators” or “influencers” – a type of web-based mini-celebrity or artist – who either identify as Jewish or […]
