Challenge Award Times by Elana Alfred

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Challenge Award Times www.peje.org

Winter 2012/5772

PEJE’s $625,000 Chanukkah: Challenge Award Helps Those Who Sustain Themselves How Was Your Chanukkah? Over at PEJE, the chag was wonderful. Not only for us, but for some smart, selfsustaining schools out there in the field. On the first night of the Festival of Lights, we passed out $625,000 to day schools all over North America for the 2011 Challenge Award. Who got the gelt? It went to a collection of schools who dreamed up initiatives that creatively took on the day school sustainability challenge. The review process was rigorous as a Talmudic debate—and (sometimes) as provocative as the judges’ panel on an episode of Chopped—with each application receiving multiple reviews. Applications scores were based on a weighed formula and ranked by PEJE professionals and a team of outside readers that included PEJE Board members and experts in the field of Jewish day school education. “The challenge for applicants was to think innovatively, to defy their status quo, and to initiate bold changes within their school with the intention of stimulating growth in one of their key revenue streams,” said Amy Katz, Executive Director at PEJE. “We were thrilled by the large number of day schools who met these challenges with great purpose. Not only do we salute the winners; we also applaud each and every applicant for reimagining what is truly possible for Jewish day schools.” Winning initiatives represent a cross-section of K’lal Yisrael: a rich

Challenge Award Winners

Challenge Award Honorable Mentions

Akiva School of Nashville Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School Community Day (Pittsburgh) Hannah Senesh Community Day School Hillel Academy (Pittsburgh) Hochberg Preporatory JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital Kellman Brown Academy King David High School Lander-Grinspoon Academy MetroWest Jewish Day School Milwaukee Jewish Day School Oakland Hebrew Day School Robbins Hebrew Academy Robert M. Beren Academy SAR Academy & High School Seattle Jewish Community School The Agnon School The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School The Ramaz School Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day School Weizmann Day School YULA High School Boys YULA High School Girls

Ben Porat Yosef Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School Beth Hillel Day School B’nai Shalom Day School Brandeis Hillel Day School Chicago Jewish Day School Chicagoland Jewish High School Contra Costa Jewish Day School Gann Academy Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School Golda Och Academy Hillel Academy (Tampa) Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island Maimonides School Portland Jewish Academy Rabbi David L. Silver Academy of Central PA Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Tehiyah Day School Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia Tucson Hebrew Academy Vancouver Talmud Torah Westchester Hebrew High School

diversity of focus area, denomination, geography, and school size. •F ourteen winning schools submitted innovations for raising annual campaign revenue, 3 concentrated on endowment, and 10 schools submitted applications in tuition/ affordability.

• Denominationally speaking … 13 schools are Community/multidenominational, 7 are Orthodox, 6 are Conservative, and 1 is Reform. • Geographically, these folks are all over the map. Literally. Winners are in British Columbia, California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts,

Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin. • The variety of winners was also reflected in school size: 14 small schools (200 students and under) were declared winners, as were 9 medium schools (200 – 400 students) and 4 large schools (400 students and up).

“We applaud each and every applicant for reimagining what is truly possible for Jewish day schools.” – Amy Katz, Executive Director of PEJE “The winners are a diverse mix but they share one thing in common: their determination and optimism. This list gives us a national picture, not of crisis, but of hope, hard work, innovation, and resiliency,” said PEJE Board Chair, Diane Troderman. Going forward, PEJE will use these stories of innovation to help schools learn from one another, to refine programs of support and advocacy, and to vividly illustrate PEJE’s message of best practice and essential metrics to the Jewish day school field. Since the announcement, we’ve been throwing a virtual celebration on the PEJE Facebook and Twitter pages, and on our blog. Watch for the special Challenge Award edition of Sustained! and other further bulletins. We promise to keep checking in with our winners and to disseminate replicable models for the entire field. After all, it’s not every day you dole out $625,000.

Winners Share Lessons Learned “Got challenge? We got money!” That’s how PEJE announced the Challenge Awards to the day school field a year ago. Now the winners can say to the field, “Got challenge? We got winning advice!” As our awardees innovated their way to increased revenue, they learned lessons—lots of them—about increasing revenue via annual campaign, affordable tuition, and endowment and legacy giving. Here they share their hard-earned insights and recommendations, all of which can help your school achieve financial sustainability.

Opening the Door to Donations •D on’t think of development as taking. Think of it as giving an opportunity to be part of a cause, to feel purpose and pride. “Our community want[s] to be a part of something that addresses issues that resonate with them, like making Jewish education a priority.”—Oakland Hebrew Day School “I have been surprised by the excitement of donors at the opportunity to be part of the RHACC.” —Robbins Hebrew Academy “Igniting [all stakeholders’] passion for the future of their children can lead to hidden treasures.” —Valley Beth Shalom Please see Lessons Learned | 2

Forecast: Optimistic

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Winners Share Lessons Learned

(Continued) “Early Board giving really does create momentum in a campaign. Board and lay leaders need time, support, [and] training in their efforts to get support for the school.”—Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital “Many of our [Board] members didn’t know how to [make] the case for giving. When given the necessary tools they recognize that this can be enjoyable.” —Weizmann Day School “[It is] important to have the Head of School actively involved in fundraising.”—JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

• If you haven’t received, try asking. “The number one reason people do not contribute is that they are not asked. We must make sure no stone is left unturned.”—The Agnon School “When asked to support the school in a meaningful way, parents were pleased to do so.”—King David High School “It came as a surprise how willing the staff were to give. Staff just needed to be given a directed ask.” —Kellman Brown Academy • Educate your donors. “Often, [the community does] not understand where the money goes, or what impact their gift can really have. When someone truly understands they will want to write a check year after year.”—Akiva School of Nashville “To parents, the ‘Closing the financial gap’ explanation for raising funds is not motivating. Having concrete initiatives and incentives is far more effective.” —Valley Beth Shalom “Campaign communication materials like a Case Statement, email and website updates, a Gift Table, and articles in the media are critical.” —JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School “There is a higher rate of engagement when alumni better understand the operations of the school, [its] vision and its role in the community.” —The Ramaz School • Get educated about your donors. “[Giving] is all about [donors’] passion for our causes and their state of mind. For example, someone who recently lost a loved one may be thinking about gifts through which someone may be remembered.”—The Agnon School

“Volunteers and staff working together to make face-to-face asks raise far more money than other means of soliciting.”

• Realize that the “face-to-face” approach works—and create a ripple effect. “Volunteers and staff working together to make face-to-face asks raise far more money than other means of soliciting.”—JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School “People speaking with others about their passion are contagious. The more ambassadors who are trained and comfortable to have non-confrontational, fact-filled and friendly discussions in person, the easier it is to create a culture of giving [and create new ambassadors].” —Hochberg Preparatory “Once there is momentum, parents want to be involved.”—Valley Beth Shalom “Peer to peer direct solicitation has been the most effective approach for current and past Board members [and alumni].—Robbins Hebrew Academy

“We must continuously build our donor base with new donors rather than go back to the same people time after time.”—Lander-Grinspoon Academy “Ongoing networking for new prospects will build a larger major gifts pool of potential givers.”—JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School • Get your Board (and Head of School) on board. “Leaders in giving and soliciting funds must be cultivated on an ongoing basis.”—Valley Beth Shalom

• Mend fences with families. “A small group of people may have unresolved negative feelings toward the school. It is important to try to elicit this information so we can make inroads with donors.” —The Agnon School

•H arness electronic media for fundraising. “Electronic communications [school email and website; community blogs, email lists, and e-letters] were a very effective means of spreading the word quickly [about a new tuition grant program].”—Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle “We are learning the power of social media [causes.org, linked with Facebook] and video making [for annual campaign fundraising].” —Lander-Grinspoon Academy

“People like having a choice about how they contribute.” • Give your donors choices. “People like having a choice about how they contribute.”—Akiva School of Nashville “We need to be conversant in the various vehicles of giving. When someone [is] interested in our cause but does not have the money, we are served well by understanding deferred giving.”—The Agnon School

“With social media, we [can] conduct much more frequent and targeted marketing campaigns than print allows and at much lower cost.” • Cast a wide net: broaden your donor base. “[Through personal cultivation] we are opening doors to previously unidentified prospects in the larger community. The consequences are limitless.”—Hochberg Preparatory

initiative, our total fundraising was increased while our number of givers remained essentially flat. We were able to fundraise for our Annual Fund PLUS the incremental activity.” —Weizmann Day School

•B e a matchmaker: leverage matching grants. “[Our match] challengers were very interested in making a gift that could be leveraged. Our core leadership [is extremely excited] to give when they know their gift will be matched.” —Hannah Senesh Community Day School “A fixed deadline with a significant dollar reward at the end [a match] creates important momentum.” —JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School “Many [match] donors gave gifts well above [their past donations and] had not previously given to the school.” —Oakland Hebrew Day School •C apitalize on your capital campaign. “When we had an exciting [capital]

Opening the Door to Enrollment • Harness electronic media for marketing. “Today, families look at a school’s website and make a decision to engage or not. [It] is a critical element to recruiting. With social media, we [can] conduct much more frequent and targeted marketing campaigns than print allows and at much lower cost.” —MetroWest Jewish Day School • Take the stigma out of middle-income financial aid. “Middle-income families felt too embarrassed to apply [for financial aid] and chose to leave the school. Rather than offering only traditional financial aid, [we offered other options, including discounts] and allowed them to continue at OHDS with their pride intact.”—Oakland Hebrew Day School • Improve and promote student support services. “[Many new families] are ‘raising their hands’ once they learn about our new support services.”—YULA Boys • Mend fences with families (Part II). “One student talking about not returning can encourage other students to consider not returning [or enrolling for the first time]. The Head of School really talking to parents—really listening—has made a tremendous difference.”—Milwaukee Jewish Day School

Paving the Way for Endowment and Legacy Giving • Be prepared: a long-term gift requires long-term cultivation. “Legacy Development is a long-term process that requires a cultural shift and buy in and understanding from Please see Lessons Learned | 5

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Judge’s Comment: “Hannah Senesh listened carefully to the advice of prospective donors—thus executing a successful challenge match that includes community donors as well as new parents with capacity to give.”

Winner: Akiva School of Nashville

Why is it a winner? Previously, there was no organized fundraising and the school relied on a sole donor. By creating a culture of leadership, Hochberg was transformed into a school with a reflective, well-organized approach to long-term sustainability. To date, the school has accumulated $39,331 from 17 donors.

School description: Akiva School of Nashville is a Community school with 81 students in grades K-6.

Winner: Hochberg Preparatory School description: Hochberg Preparatory is a Conservative school in Florida with 201 students in K-8.

Why is it a winner? For the first time, Judge’s Comment: “We loved the Akiva’s annual opening statement campaign followed a in the application: “The [JCDS] application donor relationship‘Hochberg is on the based development demonstrated a high verge of greatness!’ plan with a focus on This was an excellent level of understanding attracting and application that of the dynamics appealing to more demonstrated a donors. With the of timed challenge.” major shift in institution of the fundraising.” Akiva Ladder, the school shifted from an annual campaign Winner: JCDS, that relied on one event to a culture Boston’s Jewish of philanthropy, in which donors are Community publically recognized and celebrated, Day School an essential factor in recognizing and School description: realizing their full giving potential. JCDS is a BostonThis innovation was based on data based Community analysis and reflected the costs and school with 199 students in grades K-8. results of previous development efforts. Why is it a winner? JCDS built annual Judge’s Comment: “[Akiva is] a campaign muscle by implementing a small school, but they have learned the well-planned $3M capital debt-reduction fundamental need for multiple and campaign. The successful execution of the creative ways to raise money and not to plan included broad involvement of key be totally dependent on a single donor. stakeholders in developing relationships. The metrics show results.” In addition, it used multiple, innovative ways to showcase the school to both Winner: prospects and donors. The application Hannah Senesh demonstrated a high level of Community understanding of the dynamics of Day School timed challenge. The cultivation School description: of new major donors and gift targets Hannah Senesh raised the visibility of JCDS in the Community Day wider community. School is a Community school located Judge’s Quote: “A very innovative in Brooklyn, NY, with 170 students in approach … [JCDS] set the bar high grades K-8. and pulled it off well.” Why is it a winner? Hannah Senesh Please see Annual Campaign | 4 focused on moving towards a major gifts program and improving its culture of philanthropy. The school did this by working with a community donor who put forward a $40,000 match for all new and increased annual gifts. This match, coupled with a sophisticated face-to-face solicitation campaign that paired key Board members with prospective donors, resulted in a $35,000 increase over annual campaign targets from the previous year. In addition, through face-to-face solicitations, 60% of these donors increased their gift to the $1,800 Pacesetters Circle level.

The View From the Endzone Time’s been called. The scores are final. The players struggle to catch their breath. PEJE’s Challenge Award season is over, but the energy and collaboration that have defined this field-wide competition is going into overtime. When PEJE kicked off the Challenge Award just over a year ago, an impressive field of competitors stepped up to the challenge. In all, 127 schools sent in a total of 141 applications. Of these, 27 schools stood out as all-stars. But all the competitors had something to share, as their innovative initiatives to increase financial sustainability 50.0 spread across all of the main revenue streams. 40.0 Percent

To read about the Challenge Award winners who focused on annual campaign is to think “culture shift.” They prove that reaching out to a handful of new donors is no longer sufficient to sustain our schools. They illustrate how innovative, strategic methods can move entire communities to embrace a culture of philanthropy. They show the entire field that annual campaign is no longer about an event or an auction but instead about the importance of building one-to-one relationships and making annual campaign central to the core values of their school.

“When PEJE kicked off the Challenge Award just over a year ago, an impressive field of competitors stepped up to the challenge. In all, 127 schools sent in a total of 141 applications.”

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PEJE prepared the field by holding 8 webinars over the span of 6 months, providing detailed chalk-talk on goals and expectations, and the importance of data—the Xs and Os—to the application process. Out of the 27 winners, 23 participated in at least one of the webinars, effectively illustrating the old athletic axiom that practice does indeed make perfect. As time came closer to the finals, PEJE Challenge Award experts fielded an estimated 10 to 15 inquiries a day, providing an idea of the unflagging dedication of the players.

Reform 5%

Orthodox 32% Community 45% Conservative 18%

Some interesting points came up in the post-game analysis. For instance, the Challenge Award unified the day school field, welcoming a diverse group of applicants. All types of denominations were also present, along with a span of school size, ranging from 50 students to 1,500 students.

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A fascinating post-game analysis shows that the Challenge Award victors know exactly the right way to celebrate their wins on social media. So far, we’ve seen 10 online Challenge Award videos, and 7 schools have published blog posts on the subject. We’ve also posted 5 external news stories on our Facebook page, and a number of other articles are in the works for 2012. PEJE’s own Challenge Award blog post, which suggested ways for the schools to celebrate their innovations, picked up a record 18 comments—one of which nicely summed up the field’s virtual celebration. Dan Cohen, Board Chair of Oakland Hebrew Day School, itself a Challenge Award winner, wrote about the marketing suggestions: “They embody the old football adage—if you get to the endzone … act like you’ve been there before.”

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Complete Your JData Profile Form, Enter the iPad Raffle, and WIN BIG! If you completed the entire 2010-2011 JData day school profile form, or if you pledge to do so by February, 2012, you are in luck! Not only are you eligible to win a brand new iPad 2; you now have a chance to assess, free of charge, your school’s progress toward achieving financial sustainability. In March 2012, PEJE is releasing a Dashboard Tool and Metrics Guide, which contains 19 carefully selected metrics that are critical to ensuring your school’s progress toward financial sustainability. With concise definitions, descriptions of best practices, and easy-to-understand directions, the tool is designed to support your self-assessment.

Go to the PEJE booth to learn more about JData and the Dashboard Tool and Metrics Guide. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to enter the iPad raffle!

Innovation: Annual Campaign Winner: Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital School description: Jewish Primary Day School is a Community school located in Washington, DC, with 273 students in grades K-6. Why is it a winner? The school re-thought their development approach and launched an initiative focused on growing their major gifts “Leadership Circle” ($5,000 and above) by actively stewarding current donors, adding the position of Leadership Circle Chair, and increasing Board involvement in fundraising responsibilities. The project used data analysis, demonstrated a proactive approach to major gift cultivation, and incorporated best practices in trustee advancement and lay leadership development. The initiative grew the number of new, early donors to the Leadership Circle by 375%. The school increased funds raised at the same time last year by a dramatic 265%. Judge’s Comment: “This application represents new thinking for the [JPDS] school and an important move to cultivate major gifts.”

Winner: Kellman Brown Academy School description: Kellman Brown Academy is a Conservative school in Voorhees, NJ, with 170 students in grades K-8. Why is it a winner? Kellman Brown made a significant effort to increase faculty and staff giving. The goal of this initiative was to create a stronger relationship between faculty, staff, and school families—just one element of a larger strategy whose goal was to move away from event-based fundraising and focus on relationships between donors

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and the school. Faculty and staff giving is a key indicator in a school’s culture of philanthropy. Through this initiative, Kellman Brown increased faculty and staff giving from 26% to 86%. Faculty and staff were welcomed into the school community of donors and were able to serve as ambassadors in a more strategic way. The campaign also inspired many families and community donors to stretch themselves to support the school and overall annual giving was increased. Judge’s Comment: “Kellman Brown created a culture of giving through engaging and developing [faculty and] staff as engaged donors. Raising the importance of [the annual campaign] revenue stream positively impacted parents as stakeholders.”

Winner: King David High School School description: King David High School is a Canadian Community school in Vancouver, BC, with 200 students in grades 8-12. Why is it a winner? King David High School embraced the notion of relationship-based fundraising. Their understanding about the affiliation of donors became a key component of the case for giving. Parents, grandparents, Board members, alumni, and community members were all targeted separately. A financial target was set for each constituency and chairs were identified to approach their peers. The result was an increase of major donations for 2010-11. One hundred donors gave $358,293 with an average gift size of $2,694. Judge’s Comment: “By creating new giving levels starting with the Board, and by hiring a new Development Director, King David High School targeted niches each with its own giving level. They created a cultural shift!”

Winner: Lander~ Grinspoon Academy School description: Lander~Grinspoon Academy is a Conservative school in Northampton, MA, with 94 students in grades K-6.

Winner: The Ramaz School School description: The Ramaz School is an Orthodox school in New York City with 1,081 students in grades K-12.

Why is it a winner? This initiative is Why is it a winner? Lander~Grinspoon an outstanding demonstration of what had a creative response to the significant hiring a dedicated alumni relations challenge of existing in a small Jewish professional can achieve in terms of community. The school found that it segmentation, plan, strategy, lay was relying on the same small group of engagement, and measurement. The new donors year after year to support the director of alumni relations put together school. When a budget deficit of $65,000 a multi-pronged plan that included was anticipated, increasing face-to-face the school meetings; expanding created the “King David High School reunions to include “Double Chai” 20th-, 30th-, 40th-, and embraced the notion campaign. 50th-year gatherings; of relationship-based The goal of the engaging alumni with initiative was to the 75th Anniversary fundraising. Their raise $36 (double of the school; and understanding about the chai) from 1,818 increasing the school’s donors. Key affiliation of donors became presence on social donors got behind media to connect with a key component of the the campaign alumni and provide case for giving.” and provided opportunities for $20,000 in lead them to engage gifts, inspiring with one another. the community to raise the remaining The result is a tangible increase in $45,000. The end result was $65,448 reliable alumni engagement. Not only from 225 donors. Not only did the school did alumni giving to the annual increase their donor pool and annual campaign increase from 301 gifts to revenue; the community spirit was raised 440 gifts, but alumni also have gained as well. Many new donors gave first-time a better understanding about the gifts and the school was showcased to the operations of the school, its vision, wider community through social media and its place in the community. and ambassadorship. Judge’s Comment: “An organized Judge’s Comment: “Lander~Grinspoon embraced the many challenges in their community and broke down barriers. The result is a thoughtful initiative for growing their donor base and reaching community members.”

approach and comprehensive plan with measurable goals, database, involvement in lay leadership, broader outreach, breadth of programming, and communication. [Ramaz] did a good job expressing the limitations of data and providing good benchmarks.” Please see Annual Campaign | 5

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Challenge Award Times A Peek Behind the Challenge Award Curtain The PEJE Challenge Award team is relieved. And tired. And happy and sad. After a busy year shepherding our 141 Challenge Award innovators through the application process, numerous webinars, the arduous judging procedure, and finally the Challenge Award announcements, they deserve a rest. And while the entire PEJE staff had a hand in the Challenge Award, three people in particular had both hands involved. Sharon Haselkorn, PEJE’s Program Officer for Coaching, for instance, did an enormous amount to coordinate and conceptualize the applications process. Haselkorn says that the huge number of applications “confirmed my sense that schools out in the field were actively seeking to implement new ways to increase the very necessary revenue” in tuition, annual campaign, or endowment and legacy. In dealing with so many applications, you need someone who can collect and organize the data … and for this job we turned to Senior Administrative Assistant Kathleen Farrell. Farrell modestly says that the Challenge Award wasn’t as daunting as you might imagine. “Nah—none of it’s challenging,” she says, adding that she prefers the phrase “time-consuming.” Farrell says that her Challenge Award work “takes a lot of time up front but makes everyone’s life so much easier” in the end. As for making life for Challenge Award innovators easier, that role went to Elana Alfred. If you applied for a Challenge Award, more than likely you spoke to Alfred, our Program Associate for Advocacy. “I know how much thought and energy and care went into these applications,” she says, “and so it’s hard to know some of the schools aren’t winning the money. But at least I know that in the long term, this initiative will benefit all of the schools— even beyond the applicants.” And while we admire her sense of fondness for the many people she helped during the course of the year … we wonder if she’s relieved not to have to deal every day with Challenge Award applicants. “Yes,” Alfred playfully laughs. “And you know who you are.”

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Innovation: Annual Campaign

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Winner: Robbins Hebrew Academy School description: Robbins Hebrew Academy is a Conservative school in Toronto, ON, with 453 students in grades K-8. Why is it a winner? Fundraising at this 50-year-old school was traditionally targeted at donors who contributed $5,000 and above. With this initiative, for the first time, the school launched a broad-based annual fund to raise unrestricted gifts, diversify their donor base, and achieve 100% Board participation. Robbins Hebrew Academy also set a goal of growing its endowment fund by $100,000. The school completely revamped its fundraising practice by launching an annual fund, setting fundraising targets, and outreaching to parents, staff, alumni, and grandparents. As of November 1, 2011, the school has increased its donor base by 35% of its campaign goal and achieved 82% participation by Board members in the campaign. Judge’s Comment: “All the Robbins Hebrew Academy constituencies, including the Board, accepted responsibility for engaging in the process of development.”

Winner: SAR Academy and High School School description: SAR Academy is an Orthodox school in New York City with 1,263 students in grades K-12. Why is it a winner? SAR refocused the way it approached the high school senior class gift. For the first time, it made the class gift campaign a major project of the development office. The school set a clear target of 100% participation and developed a plan to strategically use various avenues of solicitation and donation motivators. It secured and leveraged a matching gift, earmarked the gift for their newly launched capital campaign, and instituted parent-to-parent solicitation and real-time sharing of information between volunteers and the school office. The school tracked its progress to the target in an ongoing way and added or changed strategies until it met its goal. The school has now added the class gift to their list of major annual campaigns. As a result of the plan, the participation rate for parents of the graduating class in the class gift went from 16% (15/96) in 2010 to 100% (94/94) in 2011. The total amount of revenue increased from $111,090 in 2010 to a total of $412,619 in 2011.

Winners Share Lessons Learned

School description: The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew is a Reform school with 56 students in grades K-8. Why is it a winner? Based on a successful annual campaign that the school’s Head learned about from her colleagues, they created an all-school campaign involving faculty, students, the PTO, and families. Faculty participation jumped to 90% and the school achieved its goal of 100% parent participation for the first time ever. The school leveraged these increases into a $50,000 gift from a lapsed donor. As a result of the paradigm shift, the annual fund has become a joint effort and a celebration rather than an obligation. Please see Annual Campaign | 8

Saying “Thank You” • Thank your donors. Again and again. And again. “One way we build relationships is through recognizing our donors [via] special events, personal thank you letters from staff and parents, thank you calls from students, and public recognition.”—Akiva School of Nashville

“Engaging people in a dialogue about their legacies involves sensitive, patient volunteers. Not everyone is comfortable with this subject.” —The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School “We have to wait until a donor is ready to commit. Patience [is] a virtue.—The Agnon School

• Make your case, and make it specific. “We never [fully communicated] our successes and the costs to maintain excellence. Now that our Head of School has provided a position paper [with] an actual cost break-out and rationale, a [drastically higher endowment target is on the table].” —The Agnon School

Winner: The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew

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our Board leadership, lay leaders and professionals. [It] takes a great deal of relationship building and education.”—Beth Tfiloh Dahan

• Get your Board (and a special committee) on board. “Board participation can have an impact on overall [endowment] giving. We must have an Honorary Committee of people who are highly respected [and] can help us acquire larger sums of money.” —The Agnon School

Judge’s Comment: “[It is] rare to see that much 1:1 solicitation, even with smaller target segments … very bold to set a target of 100% participation with history of 16%, but SAR figured out what it would take to get there and didn’t stop until [they were] successful.”

•D on’t worry about cannibalizing your annual campaign. The more endowment donors give … the more they give. “People who have made an endowment commitment may give up to twice as much to the annual fund in subsequent years. People who invest in the long-term success of an institution want to make sure it is viable today.” —The Agnon School “[We’re making] the case for close coordination of our annual, endowment and planned giving efforts.”—The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School

“In our meetings with major donors we personally [thanked] them. We must continue to use opportunities [such as holidays] to phone donors and wish them well and thank them. At school events, students thank their families and community.” —King David High School “A proper recognition and stewardship program can have a massive impact on our ability to continue to grow our endowment.” —The Agnon School

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Innovation: Tuition/Affordability The award winners in this category combined creative and innovative ideas with multi-faceted plans. We know there is no one answer to the affordability challenge. But the winners stretched themselves in bold new ways to recruit and retain students, to collaborate with community funders, and to keep Jewish day schools affordable.

Winners: Community Day School of Pittsburgh and Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. These schools each

implemented the same innovation as part of the Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Council, a collaboration of Pittsburgh’s three Jewish day schools. They are sharing one prize. School description: Community Day is a Conservative school with 314 students in grades K-8. Hillel Academy is an Orthodox school with 161 students in grades K-12.

Grants of $6,000 spread equally over two years to new families with students in K-6. The program was funded with increased donations from the community. The initiative focused on both short-term and long-term goals: to increase the number of students in lower grades, to grow the number of families who over time would contribute time and money to the school, and to make the community a partner in this effort. The numbers sum it up: for the 2011-2012 academic year, student inquiries increased 48% and applications increased 94%. The number of new students enrolled in grades K-6 increased by 36% over the prior year, with the net tuition benefit close to $100,000. Judge’s Comment: “The Discovery Grants had less to do with the school offering discounts to prospective families and more to do with community members supporting Jewish education. An incredible result for a first-time effort.”

Winner: MetroWest Jewish Day School School description: MetroWest Jewish Day School is a Community school in Framingham, MA, with 55 students in grades K-7.

Why are they winners? Working as a group helped these schools stretch in Why is it a winner? For the first time, ways they may not have been willing or MetroWest JDS intentionally coordinated able to do individually. They went after a the use of traditional targeted group of marketing channels new potential “For the 2011-2012 academic (e.g., events meant students (publicbring prospective school transfers to year, student inquiries [at to families into the grades 3-11) using a Jewish Day School of Metschool) with online combination of new ropolitan Seattle] increased channels and social marketing tactics media efforts. In (e.g., putting ads in 48% and applications addition, it used an public places, not increased 94%.” incentive program only Jewish venues) to drive traffic to and a “First Year the school’s new Free” program. website. Through these efforts, the school Between the two schools, 12 Pittsburgh collected difficult-to-obtain information students who were attending public on families in the school’s target markets schools are now enrolled in Jewish that are under-represented in its current day schools. student population—namely families Judge’s Comment: “[It is] impressive spread throughout many towns and those that the Jewish Community Foundation, unaffiliated with synagogues or Jewish the Federation, and a private foundation preschools. MetroWest JDS used innovaare all teaming up to make this happen. tive, newly learned methods of tracking Also noteworthy: the initiative its efforts and assessing its effectiveness. encompasses both tuition reduction Last year the school put $17,000 toward as well as [a] vigorous and well-funded marketing and recruitment efforts, which marketing program to advocate strongly yielded 75 qualified leads ($227 per lead). for the value proposition.” Judge’s Comment: “A very creative Winner: Jewish initiative that demonstrated impact and measurement through data analysis. Day School of The program had great follow-through.” Metropolitan

Seattle School description: Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle is a Community school in Bellevue, WA, with 168 students in grades K-8. Why is it a winner? To increase the tuition revenue stream, and make tuition more affordable for new families, the school instituted a program of Discovery

Winner: Milwaukee Jewish Day School School description: Milwaukee Jewish Day School is a Community school in Milwaukee, WI, with 203 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? The school’s initiative was to reverse a five-year trend of attriting students. Leaders understood that they had to improve quality and change the way students were admitted. Their strategic, multi-pronged approach to change—who they admitted, how they provided support for students, and the addition of honors classes—is working! Milwaukee Jewish Day realized that stopping attrition was as important as recruiting new students. They effectively presented and analyzed data to back up their claims. Specifically, their attrition rate fell from a high of 15% the previous school year to 5.8% this year. Judge’s Comment: “Metrics show evidence of success; intentionality was key.”

Winner: Oakland Hebrew Day School School description: Oakland Hebrew Day School is a Modern Orthodox school in Oakland, CA, with 156 students in grades K-8. Why is it a winner? The school took a dual approach to addressing long-term sustainability and affordability by growing its endowment through a $1 million matching-gift program and offering a menu of financial aid options including traditional financial aid, sibling

discounts, and a middle-class tuitionaffordability program. As a result of this dual approach, Oakland Hebrew Day increased revenue and provided viable options for families who otherwise would not have been able to attend. As a result of the initiative, the school grew its endowment from $150,000 to over $2 million and reached over 95% parent participation in the campaign. Seventeen new donors made gifts to the school and enrollment increased slightly while attrition was contained. Judge’s Comment: “This was a good combination of creative, ambitious approaches for targeting middle-income families—both in the present and looking to the future.”

Winner: Robert M. Beren Academy School description: The Robert M. Beren Academy is an Orthodox school in Houston, TX, with 285 students in grades K-12. Why is it a winner? The school created the Houston Modern Orthodox Partnership, a partnership of local and national organizations, to increase enrollment in Beren Academy. The program targeted families outside of the Houston community through a bold marketing effort and a financial incentive program to assist families relocating to Houston.

Congratulations to all Applicants!

Your work is blazing the path toward the future of Jewish Life in North America!

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Challenge Award Times This represents a bold, ambitious, and significant paradigm shift in strategic recruitment in a saturated day school market. The initiative relied on a powerful community collaboration wherein each participating organization contributed financial subventions and incentives. Of the inquiries initiated in 2011, 9 families relocated with a total of 15 children; of inquiries generated in 2011, 10 families moved with a total of 24 children. Another 6 families (with 19 children) are contemplating moving. Quote: “Grand idea … innovative and daring … showed a truly strong commitment to the school’s mission and a vision of a future.”

Winner: Seattle Jewish Community School School description: Seattle Jewish Community School is a Community school in Seattle with 83 students in grades K-5. Why is it a winner? Using a creative and aggressive marketing campaign, the school collaborated with local Jewish organizations to increase enrollment. Seattle Jewish Community School re-positioned its campus as a multi-use gateway for Jewish families, serving families with children birth to age 11. This re-branding created an accessible and low-investment way for families to come to the school for the first time. The goal was to increase inquiries to the school for admission; the school accomplished this by

7 | Winter 2012/5772 opening a summer camp and high school in Los Angeles with 207 increasing opportunities for local girls in grades 9-12. families to engage with the school Why is it a winner? Recognizing that throughout the year. It worked: in tuition revenue is a schools’ single 2009 the school had 29 inquiries, in largest income stream, both schools 2010 it had 32 inquiries, and in 2011 embarked on a well-conceived plan it had 84 inquiries. In addition, 72% to bring in additional students and of the inquiries for admission in 2011 retain current students. By offering were from non-siblings—a measure academic support illustrating that and enrichment Seattle Jewish programs to “For the first time, Community is current students, MetroWest intentionally indeed increasing by providing the pool of coordinated the use of a mechinah potential program to attract traditional marketing applicants to new students, by channels with online the school. cultivating new

channels Judge’s Comment: media “This school really re-thought what its role was in the community. They understood the strengths and weaknesses of the admission process and focused on shoring up the weak areas in collaborative ways.”

and social efforts.”

Winner: YULA High School for Boys and YULA High School for Girls School description: YULA HS for Boys is an Orthodox high school in Los Angeles with 233 boys in grades 9-12. YULA HS for Girls is an Orthodox

feeder-school relationships, and by hiring staff, the Girls’ school increased enrollment this year 14.3% and the Boys’ school increased enrollment by 12.5%. The number of incoming freshmen at the Boys’ school increased from 50 to 62—an increase of 24% and a record. At the Girls’ school, tuition revenue (before scholarship distribution) went from $3,864,350 in 2010-2011 to $5,005,260 in 2011-2012—a difference of $1,140,910. That $1.1 million is due to an increase of $2,830 year-overyear tuition fees and an additional 26 students. Judge’s Comments: “[The initiative showed] sweeping, bold, innovative changes in programming, service, and faculty to strategically attract higher enrollment and reduce attrition. Big payoff resulting in greater enrollment and revenue.”

Innovation: Growing Endowment and Legacy Revenue We are very excited about the Challenge Award winners who focused on endowment development. Endowment and legacy giving is a new—but essential—component of day school sustainability. The three winners below met the challenge with superb endowment-and-legacy approaches. There’s much to be learned from all three cases. We know that an endowment program can be a vital, profitable, long-term component of a day school’s development strategy, and we expect to see more schools emulate our trio of great trailblazing examples.

Winner: Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School School description: Beth Tfiloh is a synagogue-affiliated school in Baltimore, MD, with 788 students in grades K-12. Why is it a winner? This comprehensive approach to endowment-building through legacy giving uses both

excellent strategy and tactics. The school recruited the right leadership, engaged an effective lay committee, trained the Board, accessed expertise from the local Federation, developed a prospect list, created a donor-recognition program, and invested in development staff resources to make it all happen. The school also understood that it needed to create a culture change among the leadership of the school and among synagogue congregants 65 years of age and older. As a result of this initiative, the number of legacy society donors increased from 70 to 88. Judge’s Comment: “Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School’s initiative highlighted an impressive launch of a very active legacy campaign.”

Winner: The Agnon School School description: The Agnon School is a Community school in Beachwood, OH, with 260 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? This school’s outstanding strategy and impressive implementation of a comprehensive plan demonstrates what can happen when focus, intelligence, commitment, and resources are dedicated to endowment building. The school invested in an Endowment Director position, and wisely crafted a careful plan to build support from every key stakeholder, for a successful campaign. The school’s research, one-on-one conversations, and absorption and adaptation of best practices in creating an endowment have already resulted in an impressive campaign yield of $1.5 million in 6 months. Even more exciting is that the school has the structural framework to ensure continued success. Judge’s Comment: “Tremendous efforts by the school to establish infrastructure and grow the endowment. Initial data confirm [the] impact of [the] innovation … Many insightful reflections and learnings about endowment building that the field will benefit from tremendously.” Please see Growing Endowment | 8

There’s a New Tool on the Block: Introducing DSAT DSAT (the Development Self-Assessment Tool) is a cutting-edge tool for day school leaders. Comprised of almost 100 indicators across seven areas, DSAT assesses seven core competencies of a strategic development program. Upon completion, your school will have a clear picture of its strengths as well as target areas for growth in your development program. Your school’s DSAT will be scored by PEJE staff. You will also have the option to purchase a coaching package with Barbara Maduell, CFRE, Senior Consultant at The Collins Group and co-developer of the DSAT. To get your school started with DSAT, contact PEJE about a stipend for the first hour of your coaching package, a $250 value!

Announcing the Launch of PEJE’s Endowment and Legacy Institute (ELI)! The sustainability of Jewish day school education depends on our ability to plant seeds today for generations yet to be. ELI meets this challenge by empowering Jewish day schools to transform their budgets through endowment and legacy giving. ELI offers: >G enerations, a signature, pilot program to provide resources to select schools, funded in part by AVI CHAI, PEJE, and a community partner. > L ’Dor V’Dor, a national endowment donor society that recognizes those donors who generously secure the Jewish future through endowment and legacy gifts. >K nowledge and Resource Center, an interactive online space for the day school field where stakeholders can share expertise and best practices in endowment development. See http://peje.org/ index.php/endowment-alegacy-institute to learn more about ELI!

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Challenge Award Times

8 | Winter 2012/5772

PEJE Partners The AVI CHAI Foundation Harold Grinspoon Foundation Jim Joseph Foundation Bobby and Fran Lent Jess and Sheila Schwartz Family Foundation David and Fela Shapell Family Foundation Deborah and Jeffrey Swartz

Sustaining Partners The Samuel Bronfman Foundation Brad and Robin Klatt Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life The Wexner Foundation

Board of Directors Steve Berman Michael J. Bohnen Nancy Hamburger Brad Klatt Bobby Lent Alvin T. Levitt Lauren K. Merkin Gail S. Norry Pamela Rohr Rochelle Shapell Sheila Schwartz Deborah Cogen Swartz Immediate Past Chair Diane Troderman Chair Michael H. Steinhardt Founding Chair Amy Katz Executive Director

Staff Elana Alfred, Program Associate Cheryl J. Alpert, Strategy Manager, Advocacy and Marketing Mark Blechner, Program Manager, Conferences and Advocacy Ross Bloom, Program Associate, Regional Advocacy Erica Cabag, Development Assistant Kathleen Farrell, Senior Administrative Assistant Janet Gelbart, Director of Finance and Operations Jill Goldenberg, Strategy Manager, Growing Endowment and Legacy Revenue Ken Gordon, Social Media Manager Sharon Haselkorn, Strategy Manager, Coaching Amy Katz, Executive Director Scott MacDowell, Executive Assistant Deborah Miller, Business Analyst Nina Robinson, Program Manager, Growing Annual Campaign Revenue Suzi Schuller, Senior Program Manager, Endowment and Legacy Francine Shron, Development Manager Tiffany Tyrrell, Database Specialist, Receptionist Jennifer Weinstock, Strategy Manager, Growing Annual Campaign Revenue Donna Woonteiler, Director of Marketing Communications

OPINION The Challenge of Being a True Innovator Amy Katz, Executive Director Innovation. Creativity. Novelty. In our consumerdriven society we are always looking for the best way to hook our customers, to carve out a unique niche for ourselves. In this environment the word “innovation” can become trite, a catch-all term used for its selling power rather than an expression of what it really means: The act of inventing something or introducing something new. True innovation, we have learned from the 2011 PEJE Challenge Award, results from a process—the process of thinking about what is and considering what can be; of reflecting and honestly evaluating what is working, what needs changing, where the challenges lie, and what factors inform the current situation. In fact, at its core, innovation is a form of risk-taking. When we chose to innovate, when we choose to make a change in the “way we’ve always done things,” we open ourselves up to possible failure and disappointment. But we also create the opportunity for tremendous growth and unparalleled success.

“To all the schools that applied for the award we say Kol Hakavod—kudos to you for taking a leap into unchartered territory. You inspire us.” Many of the schools that applied for the Challenge Award engaged in this kind of multi-layered introspection. They shared, from their unique perspectives, a view of what their financial reality could be. They questioned how they had done things previously, they challenged the status quo, they reflected deeply. And through the process of engaging in this difficult and intimidating activity, they emerged with innovations that were truly worthy of the term. Whether it was re-thinking an annual campaign, creating a system to engage alumni, bringing a fresh approach to student recruitment, or creating a targeted endowment fund, winning schools demonstrated a willingness to overturn accepted practices, use data to inform their decision making, and invent something new. To all the schools that applied for the award we say Kol Hakavod—kudos to you for taking a leap into unchartered territory. You inspire us. At this time of great possibility for the Jewish day school field, we need to absorb the lesson demonstrated by the 141 schools who applied for the award: Reflect, take a risk, let data guide you. And remember, we all can be innovators and change agents. All it takes is courage and commitment.

Innovation: Annual Campaign Judge’s Comment: “Intense focus on parental participation led to a cultural shift in annual giving at Baltimore Hebrew. By engaging family giving through students, both the children and their families felt a sense of ownership and pride.”

Winner: Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day School School description: Valley Beth Shalom Day School is a Conservative school in Encino, CA, with 210 students in grades K-6.

(Continued)

Judge’s Comment: “The data reflected a change in the culture of the Valley Beth Shalom and a new excitement in and around giving. The infusion of energy showed results.”

Winner: Weizmann Day School School description: Weizmann Day School is a Community school located in Pasadena, CA, with 68 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? Weizmann Day School is a small school and the only Jewish day school in the area. With only Why is it a winner? Valley Beth two paid administrators (including the Shalom Day School used a matching gift Head of School), the Board realized to increase parent that they had to participation in begin to focus “By forming a development on development. tandem with a public relations committee and creating a Weizmann campaign. completely strategic development plan, Largely due to revamped its Weizmann got parents and development efforts peer-to-peer solicitations, the including creating lay leaders involved in school reached its a strategic fundraising for fundraising goal development the school.” of $225,000. plan, increasing Furthermore, a parent participation, connection with increasing Board a grant source giving to 100%, and cultivating and resulted in an additional $238,000 for stewarding of donors in a more focused a playground-enhancement project and way. The school no longer operates from a robotics program. As a result of more a point of crisis or budget shortfalls; its parent involvement, direct conversations core message is now about the school’s with the Development Director and Head strength. This innovation shows that, of School, a significant change in the even without a large development staff, school giving culture emerged. New schools can make great changes and families stepped up to make larger gifts increase funds raised. and now serve as leaders among their Judge’s Comment: “A serious effort. peers. The school’s use of multiBy forming a development committee dimensional approaches to increasing and creating a strategic development parent participation with a lay leadership plan, Weizmann got parents and lay team was crucial. leaders involved in fundraising for the school.”

Innovation: Growing Endowment and Legacy Revenue (Continued) Winner: The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School School description: The Weber School is a Community high school in Atlanta, GA, with 231 students in grades 9-12. Why is it a winner? The school wove together multiple tactics to implement its strategy for creating an endowment fund. Leveraging both a desire to honor two beloved school leaders and donors with a lasting legacy, as well as its participation in the local Federation’s “Create a Jewish Legacy” program, the school created and has begun to implement a carefully crafted endowment and legacy plan. Through the initiative, The Weber School has raised a total of 22 gifts toward its

endowment effort since March 2011, including gifts from four new or long-inactive donors. The school raised $85,050 in outright endowment commitments in 2010-11, and to date, $107,600 in outright endowment commitments in 2011-12.

“The school raised $85,050 in outright endowment commitments in 2010-11, and to date, $107,600 in outright endowment commitments in 2011-12.” Judge’s Comment: “A very creative and thoughtful approach [to] first-time endowment effort [with an] aspect of capacity building, too.”