Connected Congregations Cohort Workshop October, 2014

1. Welcome to Year 2!
October 23, 2014

2. Agenda Today
• Welcome + New Team Members
• Warm Up for Transparency
• Who, What & Why of Transparency
• Sharefest A
• Learning from our sources
• Lunch with discussion topics
• Where: Case Studies
• How: Team Work
• Sharefest B
• Bringing it all home…

3. Let’s Play A Game
For this game, we need 2 volunteers
from each table to step outside for a moment.

4. The Game: Insiders vs. Outsiders
When the outsiders come back in they will be instructed to figure
out the sequence that your group is following by asking a series of
questions.
You need to pick a sequence for responding – for example:
• Alternate male and female responders
• Every other person around the table
• Begin all answers with the same letter or word or in
alphabetical order
• Incorporate one specific word in each answer
Go ahead and choose your sequence at your table. Make sure
everyone understands it so they can be consistent!

5. Play The Game!

6. Debrief the Game
• What just happened?
• How did it feel to be the outsider?
• How did it feel to be the insider?
• Mashal and nimshal (parable and moral):
how does this relate to the question of
transparency?

7. Warm Up: Transparency
Think about a person or community that is
important to you. (Not the congregation!)
• What role does transparency play in this
relationship?
• Why was it important?
• Was it hard? Why?
• What was the pay-off?
• What could have been different without
transparency?

8. Connected Congregations deeply understand
the meaning of community, and work explicitly to
build a strong, meaningful and engaged Jewish
community. Connected Congregations prioritize
relationships and shared values as the foundation
of a successful synagogue, and align all aspects of
institutional management in service of this
community. Those who are part of connected
congregations feel a sense of shared ownership and
responsibility for each other and the collective, and
are empowered to contribute their ideas, energy
and resources.
What does transparency have to do with being a
Connected Congregation?

9. WHAT IS IT?
Transparency… implies openness,
communication, and
accountability…Transparency is operating in
such a way that it is easy for others to see what
actions are performed. It has been defined
simply as
"the perceived quality of
intentionally shared information.”
-Schnackenberg, A., Tomlinson, E., 2014. Organizational Transparency: A New Perspective on Managing Trust in
Organization-Stakeholder Relationships. Journal of Management DOI: 10.1177/0149206314525202.

10. WHY?
“Like authenticity, transparency is not defined by
you as a leaders, but by the people you want to
trust you and your organization. How much
information do they need in order to follow you,
trust you with their money or business?”
- Charlene Li
Open Leadership (pg. 193)
How does this relate to the culture and function of your
congregation and its leaders today and in the past?
What does it mean for you as a connected congregation?

11. Community Organizing
• Identity of “belonging”. Access to information
makes one feel like they belong.
• Engagement – we want people to lean in and
be involved and committed. What’s the
reciprocal “leaning towards” from the
organization?

12. Community Collaboration

13. Community
Collaboration
What has to happen for
a community to co-invest
in shared goals
and assets?
• Clarity of purpose
• Understanding of
what it takes to
achieve it
• All reading from the
same playbook
• Understanding roles
and the nature of the
teamwork
• What else?

14. Generational Differences
Importance of
transparency
increases with each
generation. As you
consider your own
transparency, design
for the future, not
for yourself.
http://www.jwtintelligence.com

15. Areas for Transparency
Financial Process Personnel Policy
Ritual Decisions Change Process What else?

16. Personal Transparency: Rabbis

17. Organizational Transparency:
The Dashboard

18. “Our surveys of 20,000 synagogue members have shown that
the key driver of synagogue membership is the perceived
value for the dollar of membership. What most strongly
correlates to perceived value for the dollar?
Budget transparency.
When leadership doesn’t share the true cost of programs, and
uses funds to subsidize programs as it sees fit, not only do
recipients undervalue the program, but they also feel a
disconnect with the synagogue that ultimately causes them to
the congregation. Including members in the conversation
about budget priorities and explaining the rationale behind
expenses is a great step to retaining members and ensuring
financial sustainability.
-Sacha Litman, Measuring Success
“Show Them What You’re Working with:
How Transparency Leads to Sustainability”

19. Organizational Transparency
What is today’s version
of an annual report,
congregational meeting,
or a state of the union?
What kind of
transparency, in what
formats, helps
stakeholders feel like
insiders?

20. Let’s Discuss Risks & Benefits
• Transparency feels scary or risky. Why?
• What does transparency “buy” you?
• What are the risks of NOT being transparent?
• How does transparency advance your vision?

21. Transparency as a Sandbox
There are boundaries and rules.

22. Boundaries on Transparency
• Not “show and tell”
• Not “over-sharing” to confuse or complicate
(present with context to clarify and make useful)
• Not breaking confidentiality
• Not sharing sensitive or “developing” issues
(especially legal)
• Avoid extreme departure from the established
culture (be attentive to what it implies about the
past)
• Others?

23. BREAK
COME BACK FOR SHAREFEST FROM
430 DEMOTT and SSTTE!

24. 430 Demott Sharefest

26. Immersing our congregation into our process
 Shalom article describing Connected Congregations
 - Challenging the congregation with THE questions
 Mission statement - what our goals are
 Quick guide - What is a Connected Congregation
 High Holiday sermon on what our team is doing and
importance to all congregants and our future
 High Holiday ‘handout’ describing CC and
communicating next actions for congregants
 CC workbook exercises at Board of Trustees Retreat
 Community Forums scheduled for December 7th and
10th
 Community Conversations scheduled for the Spring

27. Questions we are raising for our congregation
 Why is each of us here today on Yom Kippur? Why are we part of
a Jewish Community?
- Spiritual and intellectual growth? A deeper sense of
belonging to something larger?
- Meaningful personal relationships?
 What does “community” mean?
 What should a 21st century synagogue look like?
 What are the new ideas and latest experiences with alternative
financial models?
 Our goals are to:
 Explore/articulate what it means to be a member of our
synagogue community
 Establish the importance of a new financial model for the future
existence of a vibrant synagogue life
 Reinforce the value of connecting to Jewish life through a
synagogue

28. Quick Guide to a Connected Congregation
What is a “Connected congregation”?
 One that deeply understands the meaning of community, and
works explicitly to build a strong, meaningful and engaged
Jewish community.
What do “Connected congregations” do differently?
 They prioritize relationships and shared values, and align all
aspects of institutional management in service of the
community.
How do these differences manifest for the congregants of a
“Connected congregations”?
 Those within connected congregations feel a sense of shared
ownership and responsibility for each other and the
collective, and are empowered to contribute their ideas,
energy and resources.

29. Quick Guide to a Connected Congregation
What is a guiding principle for a “Connected Congregation”?
 At every decision point, we ask “Is this intended to benefit the
community, or is this intended to benefit the institution?”
What are the 3 most important measures for a congregant of a
“Connected Congregation”?
 Vision and Values of Synagogue Resonate
 Clergy’s vision of Jewish life resonates
 Development of meaningful social connections
What are the 3 key aspects of Synagogue life for a congregant of a
“Connected Congregation”?
 The spiritual/intellectual growth as a Jew
- “The synagogue has helped me grow spiritually and
intellectually as a Jew”
 Personal relationships that are meaningful and real
 Feeling a deeper sense of “belonging to something Larger”

30. From Our Sources
Yitro: Establishing a System of
Transparency
Sara Shapiro-Plevan, Rimonim Consulting

31. LUNCH: YOUR TABLE TOPICS
1. What is “membership”? Sharing our learning about community
and financial models.
2. Making this the M.O. of the congregation: Rippling out and
normalizing change.
3. How do we leverage pastoral and other social-emotional skills as
assets for organizational and community building?
4. How do we communicate about switching gears and
implementing change?
5. How do we recognize success when we see it? How do we know
when and how to make mid-course corrections?
6. Designing for Social: What have you done or are working on?

32. WHERE of TRANSPARENCY
PLEASE SIT IN YOUR CONGREGATIONAL TEAMS
Let’s hear from some real-life
transparency pioneers.
Amy Asin, Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills, CA

33. • Currently about 1,600+ households
• Los Altos Hills, CA – middle of Silicon Valley
• Large staff – 4 pulpit rabbis, cantor, Exec Director, 2
Master’s Degree level educators, Teen Director
• Culture of extreme engagement of lay leadership

34. Three Stories of Transparency
• The new building
• Keeping family education going
• Partnering B’nai Mitzvah

35. The New Building

36. Beit Kehillah Ark

37. Construction Delays Start of
Programming in September, 1998

38. 2000 Dot Com Bust

39. 2004 – Too Many Teens

40. Congregation Bulletin Ad Copy

41. Notes from Intro Remarks

42. Opening Question
• A memorable experience from a Bar or Bat
Mitzvah
• Your Goals for your Child

43. Stories shared

44. Showed them the Data
Cumulative Impact of Pairing Rates
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
-10
1992 1993 1994 1995
Year End
Weeks Behind
60%
90%

45. Flipcharts!!
Mandatory Pairing
Add a Friday Night
Voluntary Pairing
Havdallah service
Other

46. Other Task Forces over the Years
• BAEC – Beth Am Education Committee
reimagined children’s education in 1992
• RE-IMAGINE 2.0
• Worship Task Force
• Teen Task Force(s)
• New Land Task Force
• Dues Task Force
• Interfaith Task Force
• INCLUDE Task Force
• Hebrew, Israel, Communications/Branding

47. Questions???

48. HOW of TRANSPARENCY
How can you increase transparency
in your congregation?
Where will you start?
How will you evolve
transparency?
See Worksheet!

49. Sharefest 2
The Community Synagogue
Temple Beth Abraham
Park Slope Jewish Center

50. Bringing It Home…
• Reflections on the day?
• What are you going to do next?

51. What’s Next?
Upcoming Webinars:
November 13, 1-2pm Building a Culture of Transparency
December 16, 1-2pm Connected Leadership
February 12, 1-2pm Planning for Change w/ Room for Agility
Next Workshop:
January 27, 9am-4pm Workshop on Connected Leadership
Other SYNERGY events:
November 19, 6-9pm Syn fundraising strategies for 21st Century
December/February Empty Nester Engagement
February 2, 10am-4pm Relational Dues Model: Exploration & Training
Please leave your nametags on the table!