Welcome to Issue 4
Dear Readers,
As we all know, the day school world is living through extraordinary times. While the economic downturn is still a major factor for our community, PEJE—and the JDS field generally—has responded to circumstances with amazing creativity and verve. Just glance at the contents of this issue of PEJE, and you’ll see what we mean!
Our top story is an uplifting piece about extraordinary giving. The schools profiled in this article represent more than $27 million dollars in philanthropic support from communal leaders and donors. From campaigns kick-started by generous matching gifts to broadened donor bases to 100 percent participation of boards, parents, and staff in annual funds, 2011 turned out to be a year of extraordinary growth and innovation—with a promise of extraordinary sustainability.
—and—
Speaking about innovation, we’re proud to release, in this issue of Sustained!, three compelling articles about the 2011 Challenge Awards. In these stories, you’ll find plenty of fresh thinking about growing revenue in annual campaign, endowment and legacy, and tuition that you can apply in your school’s situation.
First up is “Winners Share Lessons Learned.” Read about our how our awardees innovated their way to success, and listen to their hard-earned insights and recommendations for growing revenue to ensure financial sustainability.
Our Data-Driven Day Schools feature offers an analysis of alumni giving based on Challenge Award applications. Where do grads give? How likely is it that they would recommend their JDS to a friend? And what can schools do to build their alumni? Read this edition’s contribution by Measuring Success to find out more.
Our final Challenge Award article is an essay entitled “The Challenge of Being a True Innovator” by Executive Director Amy Katz. “Reflect, take a risk, let data guide you,” she writes.” And remember, we all can be innovators and change agents. All it takes is courage and commitment.”
Many of you have complimented our unique, graphic presentation of Alex Pomson’s Case Study of Jewish Day School Leadership. We are pleased to bring you the third and final episode: “Navigating a Path to Day School Sustainability.” Pomson, in his introductory remarks, points out that “The data for this case was gathered in the spring of 2010, [during] an economic downturn that was well into its second year. What was experienced then as an unanticipated crisis now seems like the ‘new normal.’” Still, he continues, “There is a sense that people [in Episode Three] are ready to challenge themselves, hopefully with their sights set on the horizon. This might be a metaphor for what is needed at the present moment in Jewish day school education in North America.”
In this installment of The Virtual Assembly, Ken Gordon shows the connection between effective social media and effective JDS development. If you’re interested in turning Friends into Prospects and Followers in to Donors (and you know you are!), you’ll want to read this.
Finally, we present a very special video on PEJE TV. Filmed at the PEJE admission conference last spring, Dr. Marc Kramer, Executive Director at RAVSAK, offers a compelling argument for crafting a unique value proposition to help your school.
B’vracha,
Donna Woonteiler & Ken Gordon
Editors of Sustained!