After the Post yesterday on Relevance, correspondents continued with a dialogue that I find important to the present and the future. I hope you agree:
"Paul Jeser said...
Richard - you end with "if the federations' voices remain silent, the system will ultimately self-destruct."I won't argue the question of 'is it good or bad?', but the fact is that, in most communities, the Federation's strength has been diluted because it has not understood the world of designated giving. In most communities, the Federations are just one more charitable organization.And the concept of an 'annual campaign' that raises funds that will be allocated by others is a concept that no longer is effective.Times have changed - significantly - and the Federation world is way behind. If there are not significant conceptual and practical changes made very soon, there will be no more Federation community."
October 7, 2009 9:21 AM
Anonymous said...
and others might argue that Federation's were too timid in reminding the community of who they are and what they are about -- the primary link to global Jewry , no let's say it - ISRAEL, and the protection of safety net services for all Jews in need at home and throughout the world. That chevre is a "brand" that has proven itself over and over again for 70 years and more. Do we, god forbid, need another crisis to drive home the point?
Dovidele the Dinosaur "
October 7, 2009 12:05 PM
paul jeser said...
"Dear Dovidele,
There are many organizations that are also part of the link to global Jewry/Israel. That's the changed world (for good or for bad). The Universities, Hospitals, Social Service agencies, etc., that raise funds outside of the Federation umbrella have become as important, if not more so, to most major donors than the Federation.Federations were not too timid in stating their case; they were/are too timid in redeveloping their much needed role in/for the Jewish community. "
October 7, 2009 2:32 PM
Anonymous said...
Dear Paul,
You, I and many readers all know that if JAFI, JDC and their Federation supporters disappeared tomorrow we would have to recreate them. They do the heavy day to day lifting that boutique charities cannot do and are the shver arbiters of Jewish life. In local communities they are there for agencies when government dollars shrink and when foundations move on to the next "big thing". And before you say it, we also know that many of these sexy philanthropic products so touted today were nurtured with Federation help before the foundations caught on to them.It would be gratuitous of me to say Federations must change --change is natural and essential for all institutions. However the reasons for the creation of the UJA - Federation system have not disappeared.
Dovidele "
October 7, 2009 3:40 PM
paul jeser said...
Dovidele,
The 'proof' that your scenario is non-functional is that many of the institutions/organizations that do/did receive JDC/JAFI funds are now raising funds directly.The boutique organizations were founded mainly because they did not receive funds from the federation world.What I am saying is that the Federation needs to become not 'just one more fundraising organization' for it to be the force that is needed."
October 7, 2009 6:19 PM
*****
My friends, there is no "right or wrong" in this dialogue or its predecessor on these pages. What is "wrong," however, is that this argument should be taking place not on these pages but within the governance groupings of The Jewish Federations of North America, just the place for such a discussion, disputation between Shammai and Hillel, and just the place where it is not taking place....yet.
Rwexler
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3 comments:
In this age of positioning and marketing, and the ongoing debate over product and message, readers might want to revist (on wikepedia and elsewhere) the Coke versus New Coke experience. Consider also the following quote from the Coca Cola President at the time:
"There is a twist to this story which will please every humanist and will probably keep Harvard professors puzzled for years," said Keough at a press conference. "The simple fact is that all the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on the new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the deep and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people."
Paul Jesser suggests that Federations have to get on the band wagon of designated giving or go out of business.
I suggest that if designated giving is the panacea for Jewish Giving than there is no need for Federations at all. Let’s all designate and save the overhead. We do not need a central address – just an occasional symposium on “Giving Wisely”.
How will we defend ourselves with no central address? How will we work collectively in a time of crisis? How will we organize major movements of our people? How will we prevent 100 schools for 100 children? How will we succeed when we disorganize form the collective?
I have the ultimate tool of designated giving in the form of my checkbook. I can designate to my heart's content.
If I do that with all my Tzedaka - I will lose my community. The strength of the community is that we come together to act together. We act as central address and we plan for the best use of our collective funds. We can intelligently plan for the best uses of our Tzedaka and act with the power of the collective - like a family.
Embrace a Jewish form of Rugged Individualism and we will lose our very Jewish Community. Give up central planning and we relegate our giving to being nothing more than a Beauty Contest or sales contest. The sexiest and loudest organization gets the money. Put a Rabbi with a big smile in front of my desk and I can no longer hear the small voice of the needy Jew far away from my home? A totality of Free Market Tzedaka is worse than spoiled gribenes – all the grease and none of the crunch.
Designated Giving is survival of the fittest. There is no Tikkun Olam in the Jungle.
This diminishes us to be nothing more than a recreation of the shtetl's shnorer with a pushka. The Pushka of the shtetl took care of all of our community’s needs because we did not have the freedom of geography nor the knowledge of effective global communication.
If you do not know about the plague in Minsk you are fine with throwing big parties in Pinsk.
We know better today.
If we wish to remain a covenantal people – than we have a responsibility to the Brit. Our Brit creates a responsibility for collective action of the Edah - our community. Individual action, no matter how enlightened or fulfilling, can never take the place of collective responsibility.
I never suggested that "Federations have to get on the band wagon of designated giving or go out of business."
I strongly believe that we need Federations for some of the same reasons you state in your comment.
A description of my vision for what the Federation should be is too long to put into a comment. My email address is fayepaul67@aol.com - if you would like me to share my vision with you please let me know.
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