NCSY Proposal

Proposal for

NY NCSY

Presented By

Gavriel Hoffman

Gavriel Hoffman 2013 1 | P a g e

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 4 ASSUMPTIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 5 SERVICE THEME ....................................................................................................................................... 6

OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................ 6 AUDIENCE ................................................................................................................................................. 7 MISSION .................................................................................................................................................... 8 METHOD ................................................................................................................................................... 9

SERVICE STANDARD ............................................................................................................................. 10 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 10 SERVICE ................................................................................................................................................. 10 HALACHA ................................................................................................................................................ 10 ACADEMICS ............................................................................................................................................. 11 PRIDE ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 ELEVATION .............................................................................................................................................. 13

STAFF AND REPORTING STRUCTURE ................................................................................................ 14 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 14 EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP .......................................................................................................................... 14 REPORTING ............................................................................................................................................. 18

IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................. 19 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 19 ANNUAL GOALS ....................................................................................................................................... 19 INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION AND GOALS ......................................................................................................... 22

STAFF AND ADVISOR TRAINING .......................................................................................................... 25 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 25 FORMAT .................................................................................................................................................. 25 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................................ 26

FUNDRAISING ......................................................................................................................................... 27 KESHER INITIATIVE ................................................................................................................................... 27 DROPS OF WATER ON THE ROCK .............................................................................................................. 29

ONGOING ANNUAL PROGRAMMING.................................................................................................... 31 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 31 JSU CLUBS ............................................................................................................................................. 31 BET ....................................................................................................................................................... 32 JUMP..................................................................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER MEETINGS ................................................................................................................................ 32 COMMUNITY BUILDING ............................................................................................................................. 33 SUMMER PROGRAMS ............................................................................................................................... 34

DISTRICT APPROACH ............................................................................................................................ 36 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 36 CURSE OF GEOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 36 ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION ...................................................................................................................... 37 CROSS-DISTRICT SHABBATONS ................................................................................................................ 37 WESTCHESTER ........................................................................................................................................ 38

SOCIAL MEDIA ........................................................................................................................................ 40


CREDENTIALS CONCLUSIONS AND CONTACT .................................................................................. 41 APPENDIX A: IDEAL SHABBATON NOTATED SCHEDULE ................................................................ 42


Executive Summary

Imagine a beautiful Porsche in mint condition with every extra feature one could want in car. Sunroof,

navigation, rear view camera, DVD player, but instead of having a Hemi engine to complement a true sports

car instead the car is pulled by a pair of horses. You see this car was originally made without an engine,

and instead of installing one, the owners used what they had at the time, which was horses for a carriage.

Over the years instead of taking the financial hit and just buying an engine they would merely upgrade the

horses: new bits, better horseshoes, stronger reigns, but while the car may get where the drivers want it to

go, it will not get their as fast or efficiently as it could if it was upgraded to its true potential.

NCSY has always been the Porsche of Jewish teen education and inspiration. The most talented Kiruv

individuals have graced the staff, advisor, and guest speaking ranks of the organization. However, NCSY

has long been lacking a professional business culture, or technological adaptation that are crucial in the

for-profit world. For years NCSY has put in little fixes to address issues of concern in various areas when

they could no longer be ignored, but at the end of the day NCSY is still just a Porsche organization with the

business structure of a horse and buggy. In order to truly thrive the way NCSY should many of the old

conventions and system in place must be torn down, while at the same time some of the old methods must

be brought back since they have a particularly viable place in todays society.

This document will explore:

Setting a service theme and service standards

Restructuring the staff reporting structure, including creating an official Executive Leadership

Creation of annual goals on both a personal and regional level

Staff and Advisor Education and Training

Fundraising suggestions and methods

An overview of crucial annual programming including summer programs

A restructured district methodology

And a social media approach

This document is not intended as an attack on the amazing work NCSY, its staff, and its advisors have

done over the last 50+ years or those who currently work for the organization as they have set the

groundwork for any successes that are realized in the future. Rather, it is a compilation of ideas,


suggestions, and reminders of methods that can be used to improve on the already existing model based

on experiences both in NCSY and the business world. Everything that is being presented is intended to

help build the Hemi engine that has long eluded NCSY, but once installed will give it the potential to reach

a speed it was always destined to have.

Assumptions

The application of the proposed business plan for NCSY, that is advocated for and explained throughout

this document, will assume specific methodology, application, and theory. While one could argue that

there are many different ways to accomplish the same goals, or even that the goals should be different, in

order to properly present the approach and its application specifics must be laid out. This document will

touch certain pain points and possible changes in those areas, however it is not intended to be inclusive

and is a beginning rather than an end.

Additionally, while it is clear that there are major differences between for profit and non-profit

organizations one of these differences does not have to be the professional and time tested methods used

by the secular business world in accomplishing successful undertakings. Merely because NCSY is a not

for profit organization does not mean that it shouldnt attempt to run itself with methods similar to some of

the more successful organizations in the world, when applicable. Contained in this proposal are many of

these time-tested and proven methods and systems used by those companies, and how they can be

properly utilized and adapted by NCSY going forward to accomplish its goals.


Service Theme

Overview

In order to properly succeed, an organization must look to its customers to build its business. If an

experience is build that serves the customer it will not just ensure the customers business, it will ensure

their repeat business which is the key to growth. One of the models for customer service is the Disney

Corporation. Unlike most companies who have a simple mission statement Disney has what they call a

service theme for their customers. This service theme integrates a mission, how the mission is

accomplished and for whom. This three pronged approach in a business assumes that any action taken in

any area of a business is done with the entire service theme in consideration. This means that when

planning shabbaton, fundraising campaigns, relationships between advisors and teens, and everything in

between, the established three areas are applied to guarantee the actions being taken are in line with the

goals and interests of the company. If planning is being undertaken towards a project, event, etc. and it

does not line up with any of the areas of the triangle it should either be rethought to ensure alignment, or

abandoned. This clearly defines the organizations purpose while communicating the message internally

and creates an image for the organization.

The Disney service theme is:

We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere

This theme declares a mission (to create happiness), how the mission is accomplished (by providing the

finest in entertainment) and for whom (for people of all ages, everywhere)1. It is this approach that has led

to years of not only entertaining the world but also vast amounts of repeat customers who are dedicated

to the organization and tell their friends about their amazing experiences.

During the height of NY NCSY in the last 10 years, 2006-2009, most people would agree that the focus

was mostly on the teens and the main reason for growth was based on word of mouth. Without fully

realizing it the staff was implementing a model that has been successful for multi-billion dollar corporations

for years.

1 Disney Institute. Be Our Guest.


Figure 1 Service Theme

Audience

At its core NCSYs audience must be the teens themselves. While this may seem counter intuitive since

teens may not be aware that NCSY has their best interests in mind, at the end of the day that is what is

happening. By being introduced to, educated, and reinforced in the truth of the Torah the lives of teens are

being made better as well as their eternal souls. If one were to ask a teen who has successfully gone

through the NCSY process if their life is better for it, they will unanimously say yes. This must be a

foundation for building programming. The thought cannot be on marketing the programs to adults or

General Public Relations. Rather, it must be based on marketing towards teens, their interests, goals and

futures. It is obviously beneficial if the event is able to appeal to multiple audiences, but the only one that

should be the crux of the final decisions of the program must be the teens, and its merely an added plus if

it appeals to donors as well.


Mission

NCSY at its very foundation is an organization that must serve its customers, the teens themselves. While

there are many different approaches taken by advisors and staff in interacting with teens throughout the

average 2 years they spend in NCSY1 it can be summed up as

Create a sustainable connection to Judaism

The keys to this statement is twofold:

Connection Realistically, not every teen will become Shomer Shabbat, Shomer Negiah, or even Shomer

Kashrut by the time they leave NCSY. Additionally, not every teen has the means, desire, or impetus to go

to Israel after they graduate high school. It has been suggested in the past that the mission of NCSY must

be to drive all teens towards Israel since that will help created the greatest long term impact on them as

Jews. Making that the mission statement ensures failure, since it is known going in that not everyone can

or will go to Israel. A mission statement must assume that it is realistically achievable for everyone. By

making the mission statement about creating a connection to Judaism, it can mean different things in

different cases, like ensuring that the teen will marry Jewish or even that he or she will completely follow all

Mitzvot. At the end of the day the stronger the connection, the better the impact on the teen. Each advisor

and staff member must have the mission to strive to create the strongest connection they can, and not rely

on any one specific type of connection, at the expense of other, more achievable ones.

Sustainable As mentioned before most will agree that Israel will have the greatest long term impact on a

teen, and that is why the term sustainable must be included as part of the mission. By including

sustainability it allows for flexibility in addressing each teen on their own level. Some teens will have the

means to go to Israel and have a school that works for them so most will agree that they should go to Israel

because it will create the sustainable connection. However, for the teens for who are unable or unwilling

to go, in order to make sure they also have a sustainable connection, there must be an option for them as

well. This may be helping them to decide to go to Yeshiva University over Queens College, Queens College

over Binghamton, Binghamton over Albany or even Columbia over Stanford based on the Jewish life and

1 Calculations done based on old spreadsheets kept in archives from the years 2006-2010 in NY NCSY


support systems they will encounter at the various institutions (there will be a further discussion about

ensuring this support system is properly aligned during the end of year approach).

Method

The official tagline of NCSY, Inspiring the Jewish Future, doesnt really say much about the actual mission

of NCSY. It is more about the how NCSYs missions is accomplished, which is through inspiration. The

method suggested hereafter is not meant to replace the international approach but rather supplement it

with specific actionable actions that will accomplished the same goal for shaping the Jewish future.

While most teens come into NCSY with the misconception that Judaism is not for them either because they

have not been properly stimulated since they have fallen prey to the greatest curse of their generation,

apathy, or they have been improperly taught things about Judaism as a whole1.

That is why the method of connecting with teens is through inspiration and education. It is through these

two methods, that teens are connected back to the Judaism, so they are not just inspiring the Jewish future

but educated for it. Inspiration is fleeting, but by being educated teens have a greater chance of maintaining

whatever connection has been established long after the inspiration event itself has ended. That way they

can keep growing whether its to the next day, month, shabbaton, year, or for the rest of their lives.

Create a sustainable connection to Judaism for teens through

inspiration and education.

1 When traveling to parts of the country who have no concept of Judaism, and some who have never even met a Jew, one will hear the oddest things. Jews cannot mix the different types of food on their plate (mix up of milk and meat laws), women cannot work outside the home (in the most religious communities women might be the only ones with jobs), etc. It is unfortunately true that teens have just as radical views of Judaism either because of their teachers or because they havent had any teachers.


Service Standard

Overview

With a solid service theme established, the next step is to set up a service standard.to ensure the application

of the service theme. These standards should be set up to achieve the service theme and once solidified

should not be broken. They will apply to the employees, volunteers, and teens as a commitment to how

the organization is to be run. The proposed service theme for NCSY is S.H.A.P.E Service Halacha

Academics Pride and Elevation. It is through this standard that the next generation of Jewish leaders will

take shape. Many organizations rank their service theme aspects, which can also be done so that an order

or priority can be set.

Service

Employees: Each advisor should have a commitment to advising because they are doing a service to the

teens and to the Jewish people. They should not be attending for their own egos, padding their Shiddach

resume or killing time. At the end of the day, advising is a service that they are providing to the Jewish

community as a whole. Similarly staff members, while paid, must have the attitude of service to the Jewish

community and not just doing it for the mortgage.

Audience: At the same time those teens who take leadership roles, such as regional board, are providing

a crucial service of youth leadership through leading by example. They should be keenly aware that they

are providing something that is important and those responsibilities should not be taken lightly.

Halacha

Employees: Regardless of what activities, meetings, speeches, awards or other aspect of the typical NCSY

experience that occurs, it all must trace back to a Halachic background. The reliance on Heter Kiruv

should be a last resort, despite its validity, and all programming should be done with a strong Halachic

foundation. When trying to educate teens on the important aspects of life and behaviour, if those in charge

are looking for loopholes to do what they wish, how can the teens be expected to behave any differently?


Setting an example as advisors and staff through application and demonstration of Halacha will show its

importance in their lives which sets the example for the teens. The Shulchan Aruch and other Halachic

Sefarim must be observed by all employees and volunteers to ensure a consistent message that

demonstrates the importance of observance. If a staff member doesnt follow the laws how can the teens

be expected to do the same?

Audience: Teens that are held up as examples of what NCSY stands for, no matter the context, must have

at least the effort and drive to want to observe Halacha to the best of their ability. While we cannot expect

teens to be held to the same standard as the employees we can expect them to have an expectation that

they should strive for that same standard. Too often were teens promoted to positions in order to try and

thrust upon them leadership to encourage them to take on more of an active role in their own Judaism, and

too many times it has failed. While there are many shining examples of teens who went beyond what they

had accomplished before, the risks of a Regional Board or youth commission member being a poor example

can be too great. This is not to say that kids who arent yet observant cant be in leadership positions, rather

it is that they have a desire to grow, which hopefully will manifest itself in a greater form once they are

looked upon as role models.

Academics

Employees: One of the key factors that differentiates a company such as Avanade is its emphasis on

training. All employees are required to take at least 80 hours of training, and those employees above

director are required to take 120. While NCSY does not have the resources or finances to provide such

training to its employees, the dearth of options for advisors to be educated in a formal setting beyond a rare

national training is scary in a religion that prides itself on education. Obviously anyone who is accepted to

work or volunteer for NCSY has a background that keeps them afloat in Halacha, and in most cases the

basics of how to advise teens, but they are missing a more active training requirement or even opportunities

provided by NCSY itself. To instil a culture of teaching with learning will help keep advisors not only up to

date on modern Halachic issues but also social and psychological methods and techniques in interacting

with teens. This will provide for not only better employees but more importantly with enhanced credibility


with the community other organizations and parents at large, and will enable a better connection to the

teens they interact with as well as being in a better place to in turn educate the teens.

Audience: Keeping in mind that the teens attending programs are still in high school an emphasis on

academics is crucial to the success of a greater programming plan. While it will not always be overtly

obvious to the participants the aspect of learning should be a vital aspect of almost all activities, both secular

and religious. This includes telling a teen who may not be performing in school that attending an event may

not be the best thing for them, as well as doing programming that emphases learning itself including, but

not limited to: Rabbi Zuckers learning programs, free tutoring on Sunday mornings, 1 on 1 learning and

BET. By helping teens realize their academic goals it will also help them realize the importance of their

religious education as well.

Pride

Employees: Every employee must not only be proud to be Jewish but also that they work for a world class

organization such as NCSY. Saying that one works for NCSY should not be something that someone has

to hide or be shameful of when dealing with fellow Jews or even people in the secular world. NCSY has

been the biggest and most successful Jewish Teen organization in the world and to say any less of it would

not be giving the people who built the organization over the decades the credit they so richly deserve.

Audience: All too often being Jewish, and more specifically observant, is an embarrassing thing for

teenagers. To instill and project a sense of Jewish pride is key to the continued existence of observance in

a modern society that emphasizes conformity and assimilation into the great melting pot. Moses

Mendelssohn was famous for saying that one should be a Jew at home and a man on the street which

certainly didnt hurt the future conversion of all of his descendants out of Judaism. To be willing to stand

up and say, Im Jewish is crucial in a free society that not only allows for freedom of observance, but also

freedom (and in some cases encouragement) of non-observance. Jewish Pride can go a long way towards

establishing not only a basis for all relationships outside of the home, but also setting a baseline for all

activities. It becomes not just a matter of responsibility to express ones Judaism but a sense of joy in doing

so. Judaism is the exclusive club that anyone can join.


Elevation

Employees: One of the major components of NY NCSY from 2005-2009 was the fact that when a great

advisor was lost another person was there to take their place. Yes the loss was felt but mostly to those

who knew the person well. Everyone else was able to adapt. Every employee must feel like they have an

ability to move up the chain within the organization otherwise they may feel like their contributions are not

valued. There were many times during the late 90s and early 2000s that the lead advisors had become

an exclusive club that would not allow new entries. These advisors had created a culture of exclusivity and

privilege which gave the idea to the teens that once one was popular they could do what they wanted, even

if it wasnt the right thing, which is exactly the opposite of how the region was run during the relatively more

successful years of 2005-2009. . It is important to share the load and exposure. The person who runs the

circle is different from the person who runs the Tish, who is different from the person speaking at Havdalah,

who is different from the person making the general announcements over the course of the shabbaton.

There is no one face, and by sharing the load on sessions the teens get to see even more faces than the

select few. Every volunteer and staff member must feel like not only are they important but that the region

could not function if they are not there and doing what they can.

Audience: Too often are the views and actions of teens denigrated and underestimated. More often than

not those who seek to mentor or teach the teenagers of any generation see them as ignorant and having a

lower sense of humor and intelligence. This is, for the most part, not true. The teens of each generation

not only have what to offer, but a valid viewpoint that can teach the older generations something as

well. Unfortunately those who seek to entertain or educate look to the lowest common denominator when

they speak to the teens, which is a grave mistake. The key is to bring those teens up to their level. Give

them the credit they deserve. They will not only understand but thrive when given the chance to perform at

a level not asked of them in the past. Dont debase them, and NCSY, with childish humor and low level

intellectual discussions. Bring them up to a level they have not been entrusted with before and they will

demonstrate the ability and drive to maintain that level themselves. To underestimate the ability and

potential of a teen is one of the gravest mistakes anyone can make in the mentoring relationship.


Staff and Reporting Structure

Overview

One of the keys to a successful organization, especially one whose impact reaches as many people as NY

NCSY, is a systematic and detailed staffing and reporting structure. NY NCSY, at least in years past, had

taken to adapting the staff on a year by year basis based on the needs of the region, but without starting

from scratch. Due to the nature of the organization and how much information needs to go from leadership

down and back up to leadership a new reporting structure should be implemented that guarantees that

proper transmission of responsibility and information in both directions. In the business world when projects

are underway there is consistent reporting on the status of the project to help track accomplishments, issues

and progress. If NCSY were to see every year as one project with many smaller projects built in

(Shabbatons, basketball tournament, fundraising, etc.) and used a similar reporting structure through their

ranks it would help maintain accountability and progress towards the regions annual goals. Moreover it

must be clear to every employee who they report to and who reports to them.

The following sections will not lay out job descriptions, they will merely lay out a reporting structure and

certain responsibilities as necessary under the new system. Also, it is not entirely inclusive. If a position is

not listed it does not mean it is not needed or cannot be created, those listed below are done merely for the

purpose of demonstrating the operational structure.

Executive Leadership


REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Office Manager/Accountant

Associate Regional Director Director of Development

District Director

Chief Operating Officer

District DirectorDirector of Programming/EducationHead Boy/Girl Advisors

Figure 2 - Executive Leadership

The Executive Leadership are those members of the regional staff who discuss, set, and implement the

annual regional goals (as discussed later). As part of the implementation process they will be required it

filter down messages down to the other staff members under them to execute the goals at needed. They

will also need to have others report back to them to maintain a sense of the progress towards the

accomplishment of those goals. Lastly all of this information must be reported back to the Regional Director

because he or she is the one who is ultimately accountable for the accomplishments of the region. .

Chief Operating Officer and Associate Regional Director Team The Chief Operating Officer and Associate Regional Director will work hand in hand in running the day to

day goings on in the region. The simplest way of describing the work separation between the two is that

the ARD will be pushing information and direction, while the COO will be pulling information and direction.

The ARD will push to those below him or her the regional goals, messages and implementation strategies,

while the COO will pull from those below him or her status on projects and goals, required paperwork and


reporting (database, receipts, etc.) and vendor coordination for events. At least weekly there will be a status

meeting between these two individuals and the Regional Director that may or may not include the rest of

the Executive Leadership to coordinate their efforts (during periods of crucial workloads, such as the month

before the shabbaton, these meetings will probably be daily). All the information they receive from others

is reported back to the Regional Director and all high level messaging also comes from him or her. Together

they will coordinate all day to day activities within the region since everyone in the field report back to them.

It is on them to mitigate any risks or roadblocks to projects, events or goals.

District Directors The District Directors, no matter how many, are responsible for, at a minimum, being aware of all events,

meetings, and learning programs that go on within their respective districts. They should be coordinating

all programming within the district to help accomplish their own goals and more importantly the regions

goals. Moreover they should try and create a community feeling within area are of their district through

Shabbat events, even simple programs like Friday night Onegs, to help create a family feeling. This is not

to the exclusion of other districts when creating the family atmosphere. They should not create an us vs.

them culture against other districts, since the district lines are drawn merely out of convenience, not to

create real boundaries. In order to be able to know all activity that is taking place within their district, all

chapter and club advisors report directly to their district director. At the weekly status meeting each district

director will be reporting on the upcoming events in their district, that they have received from their direct

reports, so that not only are the COO and ARD aware, but other district directors as well. If there is a

program in a district that would suit the members of a different district, and it would be feasible for them to

attend, there should not be a moments hesitation in attempting to coordinate with those teens to help them

attend the event. .

Director of Programming/Education With added responsibilities of the district directors, and with an effort to greater coordinate all activities

within the region, the Director of Programming/Education will be responsible for creating all programming

and education on a weekly basis for the region. This person is not coordinating logistics for events or

chapters, or ordering pizza for JSUs, rather they are responsible for the educational content that is

presented and any special programming, at meetings. This would include items like sessions that deal


with specific topics that happen in the news that have relevance to Jewish teens, make your own menorah,

Tu Bshvat Sedarim, etc. If there is an education program or idea that an advisor has they are free to work

on it themselves, but if not they go to this individual to help them plan it. It is up to this Director to ensure

that if desired each advisor has what to speak about every week at their meetings, so that they can focus

on building relationships. This Director will also coordinate their activities and the message that they

disseminate through their programming with the regional goals and their individual goals. They also are to

attempt to create special events like visiting Gedolim or guest speakers, as appropriate. It will be beneficial

to everyone if at the beginning of the year the Director creates a temporary syllabus for the year that will

help each chapter/club see what topics are upcoming and what changes they may want to make at their

own program, since the material provided by this director is by no means required for usage. At each

weeks status meeting they will be kept abreast of upcoming events in each district, which will help him or

her plan their upcoming programming. It is up to the District Directors, however, to make sure he or she

has enough time to actually put together any programming they request. If a District Director asks for a

guest speaker the week before, or even 2 weeks before, they cannot realistically expect it to be done in

time. All special requests must be made at least a month in advance unless there are special

circumstances. Finally, it will be his or her responsibility to create sessions for regional Shabbatons, and

chapter Shabbatons/FNLs if requested and given ample time.

Head Boys/Girls Advisors In the past the head advisor really existed on regional Shabbatons and even then they didn't get paid

additionally for the responsibility rather it was "an honor just to be chosen". In the new model these roles

are part time paid positions that have the important responsibility of coordination of all advisor activities.

This includes, but is not limited to: advisor interviews, non-paid advisor coordinator for meetings and

Shabbatons, directing messages from the regional office to all non-paid advisors, tracking contact between

advisors and teens (ensuring it is actually being made) and calling every non-paid advisor at least once a

month. It is their responsibility to ensure that not only are all advisors doing what they should be doing but

that they are engaged and connected to the regional central message and goals.


Reporting NCSY is a business, even if that business is Kiruv and even if it is a non-profit. Like any business NCSY

must create a formal reporting structure within each region to ensure that a) the senior staff members are

aware of all important matters going on in the region b) lower level staff members have where to report any

issues they have with accomplishing their goals and c) the entire region can coordinate its activities in

accomplishing its annual goals. Below is merely a sample scaled down report, and is not by any means

the one required to be used.

District Name: NY North Staff Member Name: Gavi Hoffman

Date: 5/13/2013

Past Weeks VIGs

Scheduled Completion Date

Anticipated Completion Date

Current % Complete

Shavuot Learn-a-thon prep 5/13/2013 5/13/2013 100% 75 Teens registered for Spring 5/12/2013 5/19/2013 75% Upcoming VIGs

Scheduled Completion Date

Anticipated Completion Date

Blocked

75 Teens Registered for Spring 5/12/2013 5/19/2013 No Plan hype week activities 5/22/2013 5/22/2013 No Visit to Bostoner Rebbe 5/16/2013 5/16/2013 YES Program Notables

Program

45 teens registered for learn-a-thon Westchester 15 kids at first ever L&L in Mount Kisko Mount Kisko Teen got first pair of Tefilin Cardozo Issues

Blocked?

Shul in Mount Kisko undergoing renovations cant use shul for meetings

YES

Cost for transportation to Bostoner higher than expected NO Need someone to Lein at Vatikin Minyan for Shavuaton YES

KEY:

VIG = Very important Goal

Upcoming VIGs = 4 week look ahead

Red Highlight = major issue will not complete without help

Yellow Highlight = will be late but will be finished within new timeframe

Green Highlight = completed

Blocked = something is preventing completion of VIG


Implementation

Overview

In order to disseminate the Service Theme and Service Standard the ideas and their importance must filter

from the top down. While at all levels the words themselves will not necessarily be used, it is important to

pass the concepts all the way down to the teens starting with their first event, even something as small as

a chapter event or club meeting. The path starts at the very top with the Regional Director making clear the

organizations focus on these ideas, and the Associate Regional Director mapping out the day to day

dissemination of the idea. When the staff has their expectations for the year set from on top they can then

filter that down in the programs they plan, and that will pass the message on to the teens.

Annual Goals

Every company sets forth their company annual goals before the start of their financial year. These goals

need to be traceable back to the Service Theme and Standard without any exception.

Set by the Executive Leadership

The annual goals should be determined by the Executive Leadership laid out above. This is not done by

the Bal Habatim board that already exists, rather since the Executive Leadership are those people who are

involved and invested in the final results produced by the organization, and must have a stake in actually

implementing the goals.

Regional Director

It almost certainly goes without saying that the Regional Director, who will be responsible and

accountable for all final decisions made, will have to be involved in the decision making process.

He or she must be able to articulate the goals, and be confident in the regions ability to realistically

execute them.

Associate Regional Director


Since the Associate Regional Director is in charge of the day to day operations of the region it is

upon him or her to also give input on the feasibility and methods of implementation of the

goals. Since he or she will be down in the trenches his or her input into the goals should have

substantial weight because without the passion and belief in the goals it will be virtually impossible

to actually carry through a full year.

Operations Staff Member

The main job of operations is to implement the day to day goings on in the region. The staff member

who attends should have operational knowledge of how things are implemented. Specifically, they

must be able to advise on timelines, budgets and logistics as it applies to the annual goals. While

they are not expected to have intricate detailed plans for all items, they should at a minimum from

their experience be able to discuss intelligently the factors, risks and assumptions being made

throughout planning.

Director of Development

Although the development office will have some input as to the budget throughout the year, their

main purpose throughout the year is to be able to sell the programs and annual goals of the

organization. To that end they must be able to advise on how certain events will sell, but more

importantly what they are going to sell. The earlier they have insight into the annual goals, and

how the years events and programing will fit into them, the earlier they can brainstorm on their

pitches.

District Directors

As the heads of their respective districts the directors must be able to filter down the annual goals

through their programs. Additionally they must be able to discuss intelligently how the goals will

work with their teens. For example, in a fictional district of Sinai, which is positioned in a desert,

an annual goal of a car wash every week is not realistic for that district directors teens. They must

be able to leverage their specific geographic location for the implementation of the programs.


Lead Advisor (Head Boys and Head Girls Advisor)

With the new role of the lead advisors of connecting and disseminating information to advisors, it

is imperative that they have input and get details on the annual goals. The message the advisors,

and the teens by extension, receive is tied to how it is given by the advisors. If annual goals are

chosen that are only accepted begrudgingly by the lead advisors the message will not necessarily

get through in the way it is intended. However, if they are part of the decision making process and

are on board with the goals, their dissemination will be all the more effective because they will have

the background knowledge of how and why those goals were reached. This will make it that much

easier to filter down to the lower levels.

SMART Goals

When defining the goals for the region, all goals should follow the official S.M.A.R.T format for

goals. SMART goals are time tested and accepted method of formatting goals in a way that encourages

clarify and specificity. This the same system used by many fortune 500 companies to set their annual

goals.

Specific

Goals that are not specific can lead to misinterpretation or a broad understanding that does not

accomplish the true goal. The specific nature of a goal will help for the bedrock of the what of

each goal. So instead of saying Do kiruv the goal would say Open 20 more clubs over the course

of the year

Measurable

Similar to the above aspect, when a goal is measurable it must maintain a specific attribute that

allows for specific measurement to ensure completion. So in taking the example above, the goal

should not read Open more clubs in the year it should say Open 20 more clubs over the year

Attainable

Setting up goals that seem amazing is a good thought but in practice it is important that the goals

are attainable. If a goal is to Get 1000 kids on summer programs it is nice to think that but since


about that many teens consistently come on all programs throughout the year its not really

attainable.

Realistic

Similarly while lofty goals are nice, they do not help those setting goals if they arent achieved

because it leads to a place of complacence if that goal wasnt realistic anyway. If goals are

realistic it will help maintain the drive to complete them, so goals should be realistic for everyone

involved.

Timely

Goals should be made in a way that are attainable in the year the goal is being applied to, or in a

timeframe specific in the goal itself. Setting goals that go beyond the timeline of the annual

timeframe leads to goals that are not attainable or realistic.

Determination

The Executive Board should determine the annual goals as a group with the Regional Director approving

all goals since they will be held accountable on a job by job basis. At the same time however, all members

of the Executive Board must have input into the goals and a consensus should be reached. Moreover the

annual goals must be directly traceable back to the Service Theme and Service Standards. As mentioned

before it is highly discouraged to change the theme and standard to fix goals the region wishes to

implement, rather the goals should be molded to satisfy the theme and standards.

Individual Evaluation and Goals

The importance of a performance review that is done in the context of the companys annual goals cannot

be understated. Ideally, the review is a two-way discussion, and the employees strengths and

weaknesses are considered within the context of the organizations mission.1 The important words of note

in the quote are two-way and discussion.

1 Sharon Armstrong. The Essential Performance Review Handbook.


Setting Personal Goals

It is important the employees not only set personal goals for the year, but that they understand that their

end of the year review will be specifically based, for the most part, on their personal annual goals. Each

employee should set their annual goals following the SMART format, as discussed previously, and align

them to a degree with the annual goals set by the region. If each employee is aware what they are being

measured against, their annual goals give them something quantifiable to achieve over the course of the

year. All personal goals must be approved by both the Regional Director and the Associate Regional

Director and therefore the setting of the goals should be a discussion between the parties to determine the

most appropriate and realistic goals for each individual.

360 Arc Reviews

It is important that not only superiors review subordinates but that the superiors themselves are reviewed. If

one believes that they have no room for improvement they have at least one area, vanity. However,

specifically in these cases it is important that the region enact a specific policy of no retaliation to promote

openness in views. Additionally, the review of superiors should be done in a way that pools the information

into one report so no one persons view can be matched to the person who entered the review in order to

help protect the ability to give accurate feedback. Moreover, every review, no matter if it is of a superior or

subordinate, should include specific constructive feedback on areas of improvement because Tanach says

For a righteous man can fall seven times and rise 1, and who are we to deprive one from understanding

what made them fall and how to rise again to do Gods work?

Annual Review Cycle

Each year every individual starts the year by making their annual goals. At midyear, preferably following

Yarchai Kallah, they do a midyear assessment with a senior member of the staff to track their progress

against their annual goals. Finally, at the end of the year everyone is assessed against their annual goals

and provided with a final review for the year. It is crucial that this, or a similar process, is followed in order

1 24:16


to ensure a predictable and professional work environment for all employees of NCSY. Every employee

should know where they stand are not surprised at the end of the year since they have specific goals to

meet. While the region should implement a training standard for the region whether it is included in each

individuals annual review is optional.


Staff and Advisor Training

Overview

Regardless of whether the specific Service Standard set forth in this proposal is enacted, it is vital to the

viability and credibility of an organization that seeks to teach others, such as NCSY, that they have an

education standard for their staff. It is understandable that advisors will have other commitments that limit

their ability to attend regular Shiurim or classes, however if they are to make commitments to the next

generation of Jewish leaders they must be willing to make a commitment to make themselves being

deserving of working with them. To that end it is upon NCSY as an organization to set up a training

requirement for all staff and advisors while providing opportunities for people to attend trainings. The

standards will not, and should not, be the same for full time staff members and advisors.

Format

The trainings do not have to be elaborate, especially in the first year of the program, however they should

be substantive and on topics relevant to those taking them. Additionally, trainings do not have to be in

person or every single week.

Figure 3 Options for Training


With a myriad of options staff and advisors can meet their requirements with ease and have variety based

on the desires and schedules.

Staff Training Sample Advisor Training Sample

Internal Staff Conference

1 Shuir a month (of any type)

At least 2 Shiurim annually on modern Halacha

2 Classes on social work and or psychology

At least 2 Shiurim annually on modern Halacha

1 Classes on social work and or psychology

6 Shiurim a year of any type

Table 1 - Sample Training Requirements

Resources

Even outside of staff conference type events NCSY has a vast resource of training options. Not only does

the region have Rabbayim who work for the organization, but those Rabbayim have connections in their

own communities and their own Poskim. Additionally, due it its location NY NCSY has access to Rabbayim

from NJ NCSY, National NCSY and the OU staff members. Furthermore with the plethora of local schools,

Beit midrashim, and Shuls that exists in the state of New York the region has ample options to not only pull

from but also to create awareness of the regions programming and education goals. If the region were to

host, for example, a weekly ripped from the headlines1 Shuir or modern Halacha Shuir in any forum

(online, in person, etc.) especially if it rotated locations, it could drum up significant exposure for the

organization outside of merely being a teen-centric program but also one that educates young adults.

Finally, with public education on matters of phycology and social work it makes it well known that NCSY

desires to be educated on such important matters that are on the public conscious based on todays

headlines. It will emphasize the academics of the NCSY as well as the elevation of the staff skills.

1 The title is used for a shuir based on the same concept that takes place weekly in West Hempstead


Fundraising

Kesher Initiative

Recently in NCSY there has been a growing trend that could possibly be shutting off avenues of income

for the organization. When alumni are contacted, in general, by the organization after graduation more

often than not it is to ask for money. Absolutely some advisors remain in contact with their former teens,

however this is not the norm, and it is understandable due to the nature of the organization and the amount

of kids that go through its programming year after year. Many alumni who do not come back as advisors,

or who try and would not make proper advisors, resent being cast off after their graduation, and wrongly

feel like the organization has abandoned them. We all know this is not true, and in fact it is merely a

question of resources. In order to maintain a sustainable connection, as part of the Service Theme, to help

fix this problem while also increasing the connection that the advisors wish they had after graduation with

the alumni NCSY could invest a small amount of money for a potential big return, called the Kesher Initiative.

End of the Year Approach

As every year winds down the seniors are bid farewell and their future locations, whether it be Israel or

college, is known to those advisors closest to them but not always captured in a meaningful way by the

region. As these alumni head out into the world not only is contact lost between them and the region, but

more importantly from time to time they get lost and lose everything they gained from NCSY because their

support system is completely different. However, if the region were to ensure that the future plans of every

teen is captured in the database as the year winds down the staff and make contact with people at their

future schools to ensure they will have a support system already in place when they arrive on their first day.

So, while not every teen was able to be persuaded to attend a schools such as Yeshiva University, they

can still have a religious support system set up on their first day of school. Whether it be contacting the

local JLIC, Hillel or Chabad branch and making sure the teen is reached out to during their first week, a

system will be in place that enables the teen to keep growing even after they have left high school and

NCSY. The database even has an entry location for this information to be easily stored.


Quarterly Programming

In order to aid in the connection to alumni NCSY can hold quarterly programming that will cost relatively

little but will demonstrate the interest in the alumni and help them remain connected to the organization.

The programming should take place in a social venue that encourages communication this would include:

a BBQ, baseball game, casino night, improvisational group, the Q, etc. They can either be free or have a

minimal charge to cover costs, but will help maintain the bond. Additionally, there should an event at the

beginning of the year specifically for those who just returned from Israel to welcome them back. Finally,

while it has been tried many times too little success a reunion shabbaton can be attempted. The fatal flaws

of the reunion Shabbatons have been that they were cross regional and across many years so most were

reluctant to attend. However, this Shabbat was limited to a 5 year stretch, e.g. 2005-2010, the group would

be much more willing to attend since they would know most of the attendees. The costs of such an event

would be limited since there would be very few people who would be attending for free since these are

now young adults and there is no need for an advising staff.

Kesher Board

Another aspect that will help maintain the bond is to create a board that will consist of volunteers who would

be willing to be ambassadors for the organization back to alumni. Through these people NCSY will help

maintain connections with a limited amount of its own manpower and no cost on itself except for food at

board meetings. It will also give credibility to NCSY that these people who may have reason not to like

NCSY anymore are willing to represent it. Below is an example of how the board would work with a specific

group of kids. While many of the alumni used below are still advisors, or are still in contact, the example

can be extended far beyond the examples given if one thinks about even the last 20 years of the region

and the people who can be contacted to help such as Jeremy Lavitt, Ari Kahn and even Rabbi Zucker who

has been with the organization for over 30 years.

The board will be given specific responsibility regarding contact for example: each will be given a list of

alumni, they must call at least 1 alumni from their list a week, they should keep track of meaningful events

for these alumni (engagements, weddings, children) and NCSY will ensure that someone they know attends


all meaningful events to show genuine interest. Through this initiative it is possible to reconnect with alumni

as far back as 20+ years in a meaningful way.

Drops of Water on the Rock

As a whole, much of the fundraising efforts by NCSY are done through a White Whale. Which is to say,

that money is either procured through a big donor or through a big program. Alone smaller fundraising

efforts are not substantial, but they can make a big difference in the overall efforts for the year. Below are

a few old programming ideas that are small in scale but still raise money, and in some cases have ancillary

benefits. These are merely a few examples and is not a complete list of suggested fundraising ideas.

NCSY Hagadah

Currently, the Seder is the most celebrated Jewish ceremony in the world, now passing Chanukah and

Yom Kippur. Additionally, because so many people celebrate the Seder, no matter the denomination, many

teens are unable to attend an NCSY Seder even if one were offered because they have family duties to

attend to (although a second night seder in each community would probably have a greater attendance

since many non-observant Jews only have 1 Seder). Today there are many different Hagadahs for one to

choose from when at their Seder, but few, if any, are actually aimed at the teen audience. Taking these

two facts into account it would be a great boon for NCSY to create their own Hagadah. If NCSY were to

leverage the local teens and Rebbeyim to write Devrei Torah, an artist similar to Chari Pere (who has done

cartoons for the OU before), and leverage the OU publishing arm, the NCSY Hagadah could not only be

great publicity but could also earn some money for the region. If successful this could also be extended to

a project for Megilat Ester. If costs becomes a problem this could be a perfect opportunity for NCSY to try

Kickstarter or Indigogo to help fund the program, and if it works the platform can be leveraged again in the

future.

Get an Egg Give an Egg

A chapter/club event where they break into small groups each are given 1 egg (in case the first house

doesnt have an egg for some reason). Each group goes house to house asking for an egg to donate.


They take that donated egg to the next house and then ask them to buy the egg for whatever they want to

donate (cash or check). Make sure a big donor(s) or supporter(s) of the chapter are on the route to ensure

the creative program is seen. The program will raise a small amount of cash that at the very least could be

used towards food at the next meeting and will create a bonding experience between the attendees.

Casino Night

When Holliswood ran a casino night it raised over $2000 in one night. With a new national director it is

possible the idea of a casino night can be broached again especially when Seattle and Pittsburg NCSY

hold them without a problem.

Bowl-a-thon

As a chapter event a bowl-a-ton is a good way to have an event while raising money. The Bronx chapter

with only 15 people year after year raised the most amount of money because their chapter advisor would

ask everyone at yeshiva to give money towards his bowling and since he was excellent he raised a lot of

money. At the end of the day it may not raise a lot of money but it does an event while raising money and

the chapter ends up in the black for the day.

Grant Writing/Company Requests

While they take a lot of work and do not often yield results there are many companies that donate to not for

profits or have grants that they give out. To contact Starbucks while including receipts from just 1 weeks

worth of receipts from latte and learnings it is possible the region may be able to garner some grant based

on their charitable funds if it is pitched correctly. It may also pay to hire someone who has experience to

apply for grants.


Ongoing Annual Programming

Overview

Since its very beginning NY NCSY hosted weekly programming that would encourage socialization and

involvement. During the years that had the highest number of teens on everything from summer programs

to events to regional Shabbatons and everything in between was the years that teens lived NCSY. Much

of high school consists of routine, and if a teens routine includes a weekly NCSY event of some kind in

becomes part of them and something they look forward to, but more importantly something that throws

them off if they miss it. It is up to the advisors to create programming that keeps the teens coming back

week after week.

JSU Clubs

Despite the most recent branding of JSU it is imperative that JSU clubs are marketed and explained as

what they are, the public school arm of NCSY. When spending time pretending they are something else,

or worse actually making them something else, it creates an atmosphere which is the complete antithesis

of what Judaism is. There is no reason to have to trick, deceive or otherwise mislead people on truth. If

something is truth it does not need to be disguised, and all will eventually find its value. For as long as NY

was separate from LI NCSY, the NY branch never had to avoid mentioning NCSY in clubs, and this wasnt

because there wasnt the same stigma that Long Island had. Rather they were internally looking to separate

the two. It is critical that a JSU club is not just a place to hang out for Jewish Teens but rather a place to

answer questions, pique interest and demystify many misconceptions about Judaism so any staff member

who is running a JSU club must have the prerequisite knowledge to do these things. Additionally, anyone

running a club must have the ability to be creative and make the clubs more than just a weekly meeting and

talk. Teens want to be excited during or after a school day, this is the chance to make them excited about

Judaism.


BET

BET is a revolutionary new course designed to teach teens personal finance, business finance,

entrepreneurship and many other practical skills all in the framework of Jewish ethics. BET will show teens

the A-Zs of fiscal responsibility in their business and personal lives while teaching them practical skills for

the business world. Teens will be eligible for internships through major Seattle Tech Startup companies

that are partnering with us on this venture. Over the course of four years teens will also receive training in

basic skills such as coding, accounting, finance and more. BET will also feature well known speakers from

the business world. Teens will also receive their own pool of funds to invest which can be applied towards

summer programs in Israel and other Jewish experiences.1

JUMP

JUMP has been very successful since its very beginning and continues to do so. One minor change to

JUMP should be incorporating an aspect of BET that gains credits for the students that participate in the

programing. Additionally there should be a greater push to try and create a more national JUMP program

to gain additional credibility for the program among colleges so that it is an even greater resume builder. If

there is any way to build on the BET ability to get accreditation this is a key way to make JUMP grow in the

schools.

Chapter Meetings

Throughout the most successful years of NY NCSY one of the key aspects was chapter meetings. In recent

years many chapters have been shut down and transitioned to Pizza and Parshas, Latte and Learnings, or

merely JSU clubs. In the past when a teen was a member of a chapter not only did they have chapter pride

that led them to get more involved with the various events a chapter would hold, but it created an

environment where Yeshiva and Public School teens could interact so it would not be a somewhat awkward

experience on their first shabbaton. Moreover by having a weekly meeting between all teens from a specific

1 BET, along with much of Torah High Seattle have been accredited for students to fulfill school requirements. Reach out to Ari Hoffman of Seattle NCSY for additional details.


area it created a culture where teens would have Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). From the years 1998-2010

there were no less than 7 different chapters that would get over 100 teens at weekly meetings, without

much of an attempt at recruiting. Recent drop in attendance on Shabbatons and summer programs can be

directly traced back to how many chapters were up and running and how many teens were attending each

chapter separate from their JSU club. By bringing back the chapter meeting not only will it help merge the

Public School and Yeshiva programs of NCSY, but it will also create a sense of pride within each chapter

which both in turn lead to greater attendance on Shabbatons and summer programs due to the bond created

across the board.

Community Building

All of the above programs create a NCSY experience the one day a week that they are run (and more often

if a teen attends multiple programs). However, the key is to create a communal experience where the teens

not only have a place to go once a week but more importantly have somewhere to go on Shabbat. One

NY Staff member once said, Kiruv can happen anywhere, but it always happens in the family Shabbat

home1. When a teen knows they can attend Shabbat, or a meal, at their local advisor or staff members

house it creates the communal experience. While FNLs are useful, even simple events like an Oneg or

Seudah Shlishit at the Shul or advisors house can help create the communal experience. When every

Shabbat can become a shabbaton at the local advisor or staff members house it takes the experience to a

whole new level. It is imperative therefore to ensure chapter advisors are in the community. When a local

advisor lives in another borough or city it makes it very hard for them to be around on Shabbat to help

create this experience. In cases where a local advisor cannot be found it should not prevent the opening

or running of a chapter, but that advisor should be willing to try and be in the community at least on a

monthly basis for shabbaton. Because everyone in NY lives in driving distance it isnt always a natural

thought process to ensure advisors live in their chapters city but if you looks at some of the most successful

chapters in the country, such as Seattle, to have a go to location every Shabbat, even if its not always

taken advantage of, is a huge plus. This is one of the major reasons many regions outside of NY tap the

local Shul youth directors to also be chapter advisors. By having local youth directors as advisors it not

1 Rabbi Moshe Zucker


only helps get an in with the Shul, but also helps create the community experience that is built into the

Shul for the yeshiva kids who will be there anyway. The Shul youth directors should not be the primary

example of chapter advisors (especially if the directors are not suitable to be NCSY advisors), but it is a

very reliable backup if advisors cannot be found for an area that has a desire for a chapter and the directors

fit within the regions goals.

Summer Programs

No matter how well advisors and staff members are at Mkivareving a teen over the course of the NCSY

school year, there is no impact that the one a teen embarks on when attending an NCSY summer

program. By having 24/7 access and control over the teens environment the staff of NCSY summer

programs are uniquely suited to help teens realize the truth behind Torah observant Judaism. It is for this

reason that any teen who can attend a summer program should be encouraged to do so. Besides failure

of recruitment the other main obstacle for a teen attending a summer program is money. Because teens

do not have access to enough money to afford attending a program without the help of a parent it is

imperative that NCSY staff and advisors are educated on the myriad of ways teens get gain money to go

on summer programs. From scholarships, to UJA, to Ben Zakai, there are a great deal of programs that

exist that are just waiting for applicants to dole out money. However, it cannot be ignored that the cost of

the programs themselves can sometimes be too much for even parents to be able to cover, since most the

programs go to Israel the cost of the flights alone can prevent attendance. While there are national

programs such as GIVE USA and Camp Sports, both of these programs are sometimes only appropriate

for certain teens, and they lack one of the major draws for the modern teenager, they are not coed. It is for

this reason NCSY should pursue two new types of programs, one on the national level and one on a more

local level (specifically for NY Region).

NCSY Caravan Years ago there was a summer program known as NCSY Caravan which had a similar idea to the one

being proposed, but with the concept being the same or different the name is still a good one. Year after

year the National Counsel of Young Israel sends high school students on their Achva program, and it is a

significant money maker for them. With NCSYs summer programs not looking to make money a very


similar program can be run that would cost the teens less money and they could access scholarships, like

Ben Zakai, that are only for domestic programs. Currently the Achva East program is being billed as $3,650.

Considering the planning capabilities of NCSY they should be able to run a similar program that runs up

and down the east coast of the USA stopping in places like: Orlando, NY, Philadelphia, DC, Atlanta, Boston,

The Carolinas etc. With a lower price and a similar or better itinerary NCSY could then compete for the

domestic teen crowd and gain a foothold with teens who cannot afford to go to Israel but want to go on a

coed program. If it is successful the program can then look to expand to the west coast, similar to Achva.

NCSY Staycation (or something clever) As mentioned before price becomes a major factor with some teens in attending NCSY programming.

Additionally, some teens are told they have to work some over the summer. There are currently some

summer programs, but not that are for the high school years that NCSY targets, which runs programs for

kids who cannot go away for the entire summer. Similar to these programs, NCSY could run a program

that would be mostly a day camp with day trips most of the week. Once every week, or once every other

week, the program would take the teens away for 1-2 nights for a trip to nearby locations like Hershey,

Great Wolf Lodge, etc. At the end of the year there would be one big trip to a further location like Montreal,

Toronto, South Carolina, etc. The program can be built in a way that teens pay on a weekly basis, thus

accommodating the schedules of the teens, but at the same time ensuring they have a Jewish program

throughout the summer, at a much lower cost due to the limited costs of lodging and transportation. During

the days that the program does not go away for the night they can go local day trips or even spend 1 day a

week learning in a location like Chafetz Chaim of queens or Shaar Yashuv in the 5 Towns.


District Approach

Overview

Recent studies say that 75% of merger of corporations fail. And, [i]n some of the research, there's been a

lot of discussion on how the culture piece has been really central to why they fail.1 Anyone would be hard

pressed to call the recent NY-LI Regional merger a failure, however there certainly have been some issues

since the initial merger and most of them have yet to be fixed. Despite the existence of the first rule of the

merger that trying to sabotage or work against the merger was a fire-able offense almost everything that

was done in the following years was inadvertently doing exactly that, sabotaging the success of the

merger. One of the biggest issues remains the culture that has been created since the merger. In order

to create a unified region the culture must change to unify everyone under one banner. Part of this culture

is created by the break-up of the regional districts.

Curse of Geography

As mentioned above with the merger chapters started to give way to emphasis on JSU clubs and

FNLs. When there was less emphasis on the chapter teens, looking to have pride in something, started to

build on their former regions. In the second year of the merger the region was separated into districts. For

the most part the districts were separated exactly on the same basis as the old regions (Westchester and

the Bronx being the exceptions). So while there is pride that is focused on something that isnt an old

region, it is drawn on districts that were the old regions. It is difficult however to break up the districts into

anything different since having a chapter 1 hours away from another chapter in the same district while

being 15 minutes from a chapter that is considered part of a different district. With that being said there

should be an effort into trying to break the districts into a different structure so that they do not remain on

the old regional lines.

1 Nancy Rothbard; Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania,


Addition by Subtraction

Currently, there are 2 different regional districts which are drawn right down the same line that the NY and

LI regions were before. The director of the Long Island District is, or has been, also the associate regional

director in the current structure. The message being sent to teens and staff members alike is that the region

has an emphasis on one district over another, even if its not accurate. While it is understandable that

NCSY cannot necessarily afford an associate regional director and 2-3 district directors, or 2 associate

regional directors in addition to the district directors, this is an unsustainable staff structure. The associate

regional director must not only be able to visit all the districts but must also be able to work for all the districts

rather than focusing on one alone. No matter how competent the other district directors may be, they

cannot match someone who not only is the right hand person to the regional director and therefore has

significant say on programming and spending, but cannot match the perception that one district is more

important than another. This responsibility must be removed from the ARD or there must be 2 associate

regional directors each of whom is a district director (similar to the way New Jersey region had it for years).

Cross-District Shabbatons

While it is difficult to have someone manage a district that has different locations that are far from each

other, it is not difficult to have Cross-District events that help split some of the district only attitude. For

example in October there would be 2 different district Shabbatons on back to back weekends, and later in

March there would be 2 more district Shabbatons

Shabbaton A Shabbaton B

Location Woodmere Scarsdale

Chapters/Clubs Queens, Westchester, Staten Island,

North Shore, West Hempstead

5 Towns, Brooklyn, Bronx,

Manhattan, Great Neck

Table 2 - Cross-District Shabbaton Example 1


Shabbaton A Shabbaton B

Location Kew Garden Hills Staten Island

Chapters/Clubs Brooklyn, Staten Island, North Shore,

Manhattan, Great Neck

Queens, 5 Towns, Bronx,

Westchester, West Hempstead

Table 3 - Cross-District Shabbaton Example 2

Not only would the cross-district Shabbatons be cheap because they would be local and transportation

would be much cheaper than usual with the use of advisor cars and school buses rather than coach busses

in some cases, but it would help create the melting pot culture of the region. Additionally, with the current

model of only 2 regional Shabbatons if there were Cross-District Shabbatons twice a year, or even once a

year, for each chapter/club it will also create the group environment that makes Shabbatons so successful.

Westchester

Westchester has long been an area that has been hard to get a foothold in for NCSY. Because of its

location not only is it hard to get to, but it is rare when there are advisors who live there that can double as

chapter advisors. The area will almost certainly never be one that will be a numbers based area, but the

connection with the community can create the seed that leads to many teens who would almost never have

an interaction with the organization. When people discuss yeshiva teens at risk for assimilation and

secularization Westchester is an area that is the poster community for this risk

Based on experience the key to Westchester involvement consists of a few factors:

Shul Involvement

When the region and local advisors get the Shuls involved with the growth of the chapters it helps create a

community responsibility for the chapter. This ties back into the discussion above, where it might be very

fitting to have the local youth directors head up the chapter. Not only would the Shul be happy that there

are ongoing youth events, but both NCSY and the Shul save money when an events costs are split across

the organizations. Moreover, all too often the Shuls have seen NCSYs entire existence in a community as

one that only benefits NCSY. NCSY has to sell its service to the community and what its presence will do

to help the teens in the area.


Local Programming

Unless something has changed in the last few years, the last regional or even semi-regional shabbaton that

was held in Westchester that wasnt a juniors shabbaton was in 1999 (and it was in the sparsely populated

downtown New Rochelle), with the exception of Winter Regional 2009 which was held in a very remote

area that most people wouldnt even know was Westchester. Also, since that time there hasnt been any

major regional events that make a big impact on the community. In order to get the community and teens

to buy into the organization there has to be a show from the region of a commitment to the area. By having

a local cross-district shabbaton, or even a multi chapter shabbaton in the area it will show that NCSY isnt

just there for the money or the numbers. Most importantly it will show them what NCSY really is, rather

than the reputation it has garnered in the past years as an outcast cultish organization.

Teen Involvement

The first step, similar to most places, is to get the kids engaged at all. Westchester is an area where there

isnt a ton to do, so the teens have become apathetic towards doing much besides hanging out The key

to Westchester could be to connect to the teens merely in offering new ideas and activities. Additionally,

Westchester is an area that has an emphasis on academics. History has shown that Westchester can

create some of the most active and involved teens if given the chance, but in order to find those teens the

initial connection must be created. If the advisors display the complete commitment to the area and the

teens, the involvement will follow, especially with the academic emphasis if BET were to be installed there

as a flagship program it will drive those kids looking for credit and the resume builders for college.


Social Media

In todays day and age it is rare for an organization that is the leader in anything (as NCSY is with Jewish

teens) not to focus on marketing through the various media avenues available. While NY NCSY is on

Twitter and Facebook that is almost the bare minimum in todays digital age, the real way organizations get

noticed outside of their small boxes is through social campaigns (and viral campaigns if they are lucky) and

YouTube. Since 2009 videos posted by NCSY have been virtually non-existent. From 2006-2009 the

videos published by NCSY, which were mostly just music videos, garnered more than 20,000 views with

almost no publicity about them. Additionally, the one video that did have publicity garnered 15,000 itself. If

there was a focus on marketing through YouTube and creative video efforts the reach of NY NCSY could

extend well beyond the communities and public schools that it already has a presence. These efforts can

be from music videos, to rules videos to Purim Shpeils. The key is to create videos that are funny and

noticeable, but also videos that indicate what it is to be a part of NY NCSY. This would not be a replacement

for the existing Twitter or Facebook accounts but rather a supplement that will drive more traffic to the

overall social home of NY NCSY.


Credentials Conclusions and Contact

The ideas presented in this document are a conglomeration of 12 years of experience with NCSY, 1 of

running a separate Jewish teen organization, 2 years teaching in a Hebrew school, growing up in a house

where Kiruv was one of the top priorities as shown by our Siddarim that regularly had 40+ people for each

night and over 100+ per service on the Yamim Noraim, and lastly almost 3 years of experience excelling

while working for a company with revenues of over $1 billion a year. However, none of this matters if

nothing specific can be applied to the NY NCSY situation. The main reason the suggestions herein should

be considered for implementation is simple: they have worked in the past. Virtually every single theory,

idea, concept and argument made in this document has worked in the past either for NY NCSY, a different

NCSY region, other non-profits or in the professional secular world. Most importantly this is not the first

time NY NCSY has faced a similar challenge. In the spring of 2006

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NCSY Proposal

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