What Really is The Bottom Line: Tzedakah, Philanthropy and Fundraising

There are three elements to this session.  One is to learn the principles and values of tzedakah from the Torah to contemporary fund raising.  We will study text together and then examine the highly effective mechanisms Jewish institutions and leaders employ to raise philanthropic dollars far disproportionate to the numbers of Jews in the U.S. Second, we will consider the ethical issues of fundraising that any volunteer leader will face repeatedly in his or her philanthropic career.  The third element will allow us to learn the Ten Commandments of successful fund raising.

1. What motivates modern Jewish giving? What do Jewish text and historical materials teach about the traditions of Tzedakah?
2. What are the best contemporary fundraising practices and what role do lay leaders play in the process?
3. Can we create an ethos for giving that speaks powerfully to the various Jewish communities in the United States?