Winter 2012/5772www.peje.org

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Challenge Award TimesPEJE’s $625,000 Chanukkah: Challenge Award Helps Those Who Sustain Themselves

How Was Your Chanukkah?Over at PEJE, the chag was wonderful. Not only for us, but for some smart, self-sustaining schools out there in the field.

On the first night of the Festival of Lights, we passed out $625,000 to day schools all over North America for the 2011 Challenge Award. Who got the gelt? It went to a collection of schools who dreamed up initiatives that creatively took on the day school sustainability challenge.

The review process was rigorous as a Talmudic debate—and (sometimes) as provocative as the judges’ panel on an episode of Chopped—with each application receiving multiple reviews. Applications scores were based on a weighed formula and ranked by PEJE professionals and a team of outside readers that included PEJE Board members and experts in the field of Jewish day school education.

“The challenge for applicants was to think innovatively, to defy their status quo, and to initiate bold changes within their school with the intention of stimulating growth in one of their key revenue streams,” said Amy Katz, Executive Director at PEJE. “We were thrilled by the large number of day schools who met these challenges with great purpose. Not only do we salute the winners; we also applaud each and every applicant for reimagining what is truly possible for Jewish day schools.”

Winning initiatives represent a cross-section of K’lal Yisrael: a rich

diversity of focus area, denomination, geography, and school size.

• Fourteen winning schools submitted innovations for raising annual campaign revenue, 3 concentrated on endowment, and 10 schools submitted applications in tuition/ affordability.

• Denominationally speaking … 13 schools are Community/multi- denominational, 7 are Orthodox, 6 are Conservative, and 1 is Reform.

• Geographically, these folks are all over the map. Literally. Winners are in British Columbia, California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts,

Challenge Award WinnersAkiva School of NashvilleBeth Tfiloh Dahan Community SchoolCommunity Day (Pittsburgh)Hannah Senesh Community Day SchoolHillel Academy (Pittsburgh)Hochberg PreporatoryJCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day SchoolJewish Day School of Metropolitan SeattleJewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s CapitalKellman Brown AcademyKing David High SchoolLander-Grinspoon AcademyMetroWest Jewish Day SchoolMilwaukee Jewish Day SchoolOakland Hebrew Day SchoolRobbins Hebrew AcademyRobert M. Beren AcademySAR Academy & High SchoolSeattle Jewish Community SchoolThe Agnon SchoolThe Day School at Baltimore HebrewThe Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High SchoolThe Ramaz School Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day SchoolWeizmann Day SchoolYULA High School BoysYULA High School Girls

Challenge Award Honorable MentionsBen Porat Yosef Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day SchoolBeth Hillel Day SchoolB’nai Shalom Day SchoolBrandeis Hillel Day SchoolChicago Jewish Day SchoolChicagoland Jewish High SchoolContra Costa Jewish Day SchoolGann AcademyGideon Hausner Jewish Day SchoolGolda Och AcademyHillel Academy (Tampa)Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day SchoolJewish Community Day School of Rhode IslandMaimonides SchoolPortland Jewish AcademyRabbi David L. Silver Academy of Central PASoille San Diego Hebrew Day SchoolTehiyah Day School Torah Academy of Greater PhiladelphiaTucson Hebrew AcademyVancouver Talmud TorahWestchester Hebrew High School

Winners Share Lessons Learned “Got challenge? We got money!” That’s how PEJE announced the Challenge Awards to the day school field a year ago.Now the winners can say to the field, “Got challenge? We got winning advice!”

As our awardees innovated their way to increased revenue, they learned lessons—lots of them—about increasing revenue via annual campaign, affordable tuition, and endowment and legacy giving.

Here they share their hard-earned insights and recommendations, all of which can help your school achieve financial sustainability.

Opening the Door to Donations• Don’t think of development as taking. Think of

it as giving an opportunity to be part of a cause, to feel purpose and pride.

“Our community want[s] to be a part of something that addresses issues that resonate with them, like making Jewish education a priority.”—Oakland Hebrew Day School

“I have been surprised by the excitement of donors at the opportunity to be part of the RHACC.” —Robbins Hebrew Academy

“Igniting [all stakeholders’] passion for the future of their children can lead to hidden treasures.” —Valley Beth Shalom

Please see Lessons Learned | 2

Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin.

• The variety of winners was also reflected in school size: 14 small schools (200 students and under) were declared winners, as were 9 medium schools (200 – 400 students) and 4 large schools (400 students and up).

“We applaud each and every applicant for reimagining

what is truly possible for Jewish day schools.”

– Amy Katz, Executive Director of PEJE

“The winners are a diverse mix but they share one thing in common: their determination and optimism. This list gives us a national picture, not of crisis, but of hope, hard work, innovation, and resiliency,” said PEJE Board Chair, Diane Troderman.

Going forward, PEJE will use these stories of innovation to help schools learn from one another, to refine programs of support and advocacy, and to vividly illustrate PEJE’s message of best practice and essential metrics to the Jewish day school field.

Since the announcement, we’ve been throwing a virtual celebration on the PEJE Facebook and Twitter pages, and on our blog. Watch for the special Challenge Award edition of Sustained! and other further bulletins. We promise to keep checking in with our winners and to disseminate replicable models for the entire field. After all, it’s not every day you dole out $625,000.

Forecast: Optimistic

• If you haven’t received, try asking. “The number one reason people do not

contribute is that they are not asked. We must make sure no stone is left unturned.”—The Agnon School

“When asked to support the school in a meaningful way, parents were pleased to do so.”—King David High School

“It came as a surprise how willing the staff were to give. Staff just needed to be given a directed ask.” —Kellman Brown Academy

• Educate your donors. “Often, [the community does] not

understand where the money goes, or what impact their gift can really have. When someone truly understands they will want to write a check year after year.”—Akiva School of Nashville

“To parents, the ‘Closing the financial gap’ explanation for raising funds is not motivating. Having concrete initiatives and incentives is far more effective.” —Valley Beth Shalom

“Campaign communication materials like a Case Statement, email and website updates, a Gift Table, and articles in the media are critical.” —JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

“There is a higher rate of engagement when alumni better understand the operations of the school, [its] vision and its role in the community.” —The Ramaz School

• Get educated about your donors. “[Giving] is all about [donors’] passion

for our causes and their state of mind. For example, someone who recently lost a loved one may be thinking about gifts through which someone may be remembered.”—The Agnon School

“Volunteers and staff working together to make face-to-face asks raise far more money than other

means of soliciting.”

• Realize that the “face-to-face” approach works—and create a ripple effect.

“Volunteers and staff working together to make face-to-face asks raise far more money than other means of soliciting.”—JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

“People speaking with others about their passion are contagious. The more ambassadors who are trained and comfortable to have non-confrontational, fact-filled and friendly discussions in person, the easier it is to create a culture of giving [and create new ambassadors].” —Hochberg Preparatory

“Once there is momentum, parents want to be involved.”—Valley Beth Shalom

“Peer to peer direct solicitation has been the most effective approach for current and past Board members [and alumni].—Robbins Hebrew Academy

“With social media, we [can] conduct much more frequent and targeted marketing campaigns than print

allows and at much lower cost.”

• Cast a wide net: broaden your donor base.

“[Through personal cultivation] we are opening doors to previously unidentified prospects in the larger community. The consequences are limitless.”—Hochberg Preparatory

“We must continuously build our donor base with new donors rather than go back to the same people time after time.”—Lander-Grinspoon Academy

“Ongoing networking for new prospects will build a larger major gifts pool of potential givers.”—JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

• Get your Board (and Head of School) on board.

“Leaders in giving and soliciting funds must be cultivated on an ongoing basis.”—Valley Beth Shalom

“Early Board giving really does create momentum in a campaign. Board and lay leaders need time, support, [and] training in their efforts to get support for the school.”—Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital

“Many of our [Board] members didn’t know how to [make] the case for giving. When given the necessary tools they recognize that this can be enjoyable.” —Weizmann Day School

“[It is] important to have the Head of School actively involved in fundraising.”—JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

• Harness electronic media for fundraising.

“Electronic communications [school email and website; community blogs, email lists, and e-letters] were a very effective means of spreading the word quickly [about a new tuition grant program].”—Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle

“We are learning the power of social media [causes.org, linked with Facebook] and video making [for annual campaign fundraising].” —Lander-Grinspoon Academy

“People like having a choice about how they contribute.”

• Give your donors choices. “People like having a choice about

how they contribute.”—Akiva School of Nashville

“We need to be conversant in the various vehicles of giving. When someone [is] interested in our cause but does not have the money, we are served well by understanding deferred giving.”—The Agnon School

• Be a matchmaker: leverage matching grants.

“[Our match] challengers were very interested in making a gift that could be leveraged. Our core leadership [is extremely excited] to give when they know their gift will be matched.” —Hannah Senesh Community Day School

“A fixed deadline with a significant dollar reward at the end [a match] creates important momentum.” —JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

“Many [match] donors gave gifts well above [their past donations and] had not previously given to the school.” —Oakland Hebrew Day School

• Capitalize on your capital campaign.

“When we had an exciting [capital]

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

• Mend fences with families. “A small group of people may have

unresolved negative feelings toward the school. It is important to try to elicit this information so we can make inroads with donors.” —The Agnon School

Opening the Door to Enrollment• Harness electronic media

for marketing. “Today, families look at a school’s

website and make a decision to engage or not. [It] is a critical element to recruiting. With social media, we [can] conduct much more frequent and targeted marketing campaigns than print allows and at much lower cost.” —MetroWest Jewish Day School

• Take the stigma out of middle-income financial aid.

“Middle-income families felt too embarrassed to apply [for financial aid] and chose to leave the school. Rather than offering only traditional financial aid, [we offered other options, including discounts] and allowed them to continue at OHDS with their pride intact.”—Oakland Hebrew Day School

• Improve and promote student support services.

“[Many new families] are ‘raising their hands’ once they learn about our new support services.”—YULA Boys

• Mend fences with families (Part II). “One student talking about not

returning can encourage other students to consider not returning [or enrolling for the first time]. The Head of School really talking to parents—really listening—has made a tremendous difference.”—Milwaukee Jewish Day School

Paving the Way for Endowment and Legacy Giving• Be prepared: a long-term gift

requires long-term cultivation. “Legacy Development is a long-term

process that requires a cultural shift and buy in and understanding from

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Winners Share Lessons Learned (Continued)

Please see Lessons Learned | 5

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

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

Why is it a winner? For the first time, Akiva’s annual campaign followed a donor relationship-based development plan with a focus on attracting and appealing to more donors. With the institution of the Akiva Ladder, the school shifted from an annual campaign that relied on one event to a culture of philanthropy, in which donors are publically recognized and celebrated, an essential factor in recognizing and realizing their full giving potential. This innovation was based on data analysis and reflected the costs and results of previous development efforts.

Judge’s Comment: “[Akiva is] a small school, but they have learned the fundamental need for multiple and creative ways to raise money and not to be totally dependent on a single donor. The metrics show results.”

Winner: Hannah Senesh Community Day SchoolSchool description: Hannah Senesh Community Day

School is a Community school located in Brooklyn, NY, with 170 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? Hannah Senesh focused on moving towards a major gifts program and improving its culture of philanthropy. The school did this by working with a community donor who put forward a $40,000 match for all new and increased annual gifts. This match, coupled with a sophisticated face-to-face solicitation campaign that paired key Board members with prospective donors, resulted in a $35,000 increase over annual campaign targets from the previous year. In addition, through face-to-face solicitations, 60% of these donors increased their gift to the $1,800 Pacesetters Circle level.

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

Winner: Hochberg PreparatorySchool description: Hochberg Preparatory is a Conservative school in Florida with

201 students in K-8.

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

Judge’s Comment: “We loved the opening statement in the application: ‘Hochberg is on the verge of greatness!’ This was an excellent application that demonstrated a major shift in fundraising.”

Winner: JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day SchoolSchool description: JCDS is a Boston-based Community school with 199 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? JCDS built annual campaign muscle by implementing a well-planned $3M capital debt-reduction campaign. The successful execution of the plan included broad involvement of key stakeholders in developing relationships. In addition, it used multiple, innovative ways to showcase the school to both prospects and donors. The application demonstrated a high level of understanding of the dynamics of timed challenge. The cultivation of new major donors and gift targets raised the visibility of JCDS in the wider community.

Judge’s Quote: “A very innovative approach … [JCDS] set the bar high and pulled it off well.”

Time’s been called. The scores are final. The players struggle to catch their breath. PEJE’s Challenge Award season is over, but the energy and collaboration that have defined this field-wide competition is going into overtime.

When PEJE kicked off the Challenge Award just over a year ago, an impressive field of competitors stepped up to the challenge. In all, 127 schools sent in a total of 141 applications. Of these, 27 schools stood out as all-stars. But all the competitors had something to share, as their innovative initiatives to increase financial sustainability spread across all of the main revenue streams.

“When PEJE kicked off the Challenge Award

just over a year ago, an impressive field of

competitors stepped up to the challenge. In all, 127 schools sent in a total of

141 applications.”

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

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

The View From the Endzone

A fascinating post-game analysis shows that the Challenge Award victors know exactly the right way to celebrate their wins on social media. So far, we’ve seen 10 online Challenge Award videos, and 7 schools have published blog posts on the subject. We’ve also posted 5 external news stories on our Facebook page, and a number of other articles are in the works for 2012.

PEJE’s own Challenge Award blog post, which suggested ways for the schools to celebrate their innovations, picked up a record 18 comments—one of which nicely summed up the field’s virtual celebration. Dan Cohen, Board Chair of Oakland Hebrew Day School, itself a Challenge Award winner, wrote about the marketing suggestions: “They embody the old football adage—if you get to the endzone … act like you’ve been there before.”

50.0

40.0

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Affordability Annual Campaign

Endowment Tuition

Denomination of Schools

Reform 5%

Community 45%

Conservative 18%

Orthodox 32%

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100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300

School Size By 100’s

Please see Annual Campaign | 4

“The [JCDS] application demonstrated a high

level of understanding of the dynamics

of timed challenge.”

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Winner: Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s CapitalSchool description: Jewish Primary Day School is a

Community school located in Washington, DC, with 273 students in grades K-6.

Why is it a winner? The school re-thought their development approach and launched an initiative focused on growing their major gifts “Leadership Circle” ($5,000 and above) by actively stewarding current donors, adding the position of Leadership Circle Chair, and increasing Board involvement in fundraising responsibilities. The project used data analysis, demonstrated a proactive approach to major gift cultivation, and incorporated best practices in trustee advancement and lay leadership development. The initiative grew the number of new, early donors to the Leadership Circle by 375%. The school increased funds raised at the same time last year by a dramatic 265%.

Judge’s Comment: “This application represents new thinking for the [JPDS] school and an important move to cultivate major gifts.”

Winner: Kellman Brown AcademySchool description: Kellman Brown Academy is a Conservative school in Voorhees, NJ, with 170 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? Kellman Brown made a significant effort to increase faculty and staff giving. The goal of this initiative was to create a stronger relationship between faculty, staff, and school families—just one element of a larger strategy whose goal was to move away from event-based fundraising and focus on relationships between donors

and the school. Faculty and staff giving is a key indicator in a school’s culture of philanthropy. Through this initiative, Kellman Brown increased faculty and staff giving from 26% to 86%. Faculty and staff were welcomed into the school community of donors and were able to serve as ambassadors in a more strategic way. The campaign also inspired many families and community donors to stretch themselves to support the school and overall annual giving was increased.

Judge’s Comment: “Kellman Brown created a culture of giving through engaging and developing [faculty and] staff as engaged donors. Raising the importance of [the annual campaign] revenue stream positively impacted parents as stakeholders.”

Winner: King David High SchoolSchool description: King David High School is a Canadian Community school

in Vancouver, BC, with 200 students in grades 8-12.

Why is it a winner? King David High School embraced the notion of relationship-based fundraising. Their understanding about the affiliation of donors became a key component of the case for giving. Parents, grandparents, Board members, alumni, and community members were all targeted separately. A financial target was set for each constituency and chairs were identified to approach their peers. The result was an increase of major donations for 2010-11. One hundred donors gave $358,293 with an average gift size of $2,694.

Judge’s Comment: “By creating new giving levels starting with the Board, and by hiring a new Development Director, King David High School targeted niches each with its own giving level. They created a cultural shift!”

Winner: Lander~ Grinspoon Academy

School description: Lander~Grinspoon Academy is a Conservative school

in Northampton, MA, with 94 students in grades K-6.

Why is it a winner? Lander~Grinspoon had a creative response to the significant challenge of existing in a small Jewish community. The school found that it was relying on the same small group of donors year after year to support the school. When a budget deficit of $65,000 was anticipated, the school created the “Double Chai” campaign. The goal of the initiative was to raise $36 (double chai) from 1,818 donors. Key donors got behind the campaign and provided $20,000 in lead gifts, inspiring the community to raise the remaining $45,000. The end result was $65,448 from 225 donors. Not only did the school increase their donor pool and annual revenue; the community spirit was raised as well. Many new donors gave first-time gifts and the school was showcased to the wider community through social media and ambassadorship.

Judge’s Comment: “Lander~Grinspoon embraced the many challenges in their community and broke down barriers. The result is a thoughtful initiative for growing their donor base and reaching community members.”

Winner: The Ramaz SchoolSchool description: The Ramaz School is an Orthodox school in New York City with 1,081 students in

grades K-12.

Why is it a winner? This initiative is an outstanding demonstration of what hiring a dedicated alumni relations professional can achieve in terms of segmentation, plan, strategy, lay engagement, and measurement. The new director of alumni relations put together a multi-pronged plan that included

increasing face-to-face meetings; expanding reunions to include 20th-, 30th-, 40th-, and 50th-year gatherings; engaging alumni with the 75th Anniversary of the school; and increasing the school’s presence on social media to connect with alumni and provide opportunities for them to engage with one another.

The result is a tangible increase in reliable alumni engagement. Not only did alumni giving to the annual campaign increase from 301 gifts to 440 gifts, but alumni also have gained a better understanding about the operations of the school, its vision, and its place in the community.

Judge’s Comment: “An organized approach and comprehensive plan with measurable goals, database, involvement in lay leadership, broader outreach, breadth of programming, and communication. [Ramaz] did a good job expressing the limitations of data and providing good benchmarks.”

Innovation: Annual Campaign (Continued)

Please see Annual Campaign | 5

“King David High School embraced the notion of relationship-based fundraising. Their

understanding about the affiliation of donors became

a key component of the case for giving.”

Complete Your JData Profile Form, Enter the iPad Raffle, and WIN BIG!

If you completed the entire 2010-2011 JData day school profile form, or if you pledge to do so by February, 2012, you are in luck! Not only are you eligible to win a brand new iPad 2; you now have a chance to assess, free of charge, your school’s progress toward achieving financial sustainability.

In March 2012, PEJE is releasing a Dashboard Tool and Metrics Guide, which contains 19 carefully selected metrics that are critical to ensuring your school’s progress toward financial sustainability. With concise definitions, descriptions of best practices, and easy-to-understand directions, the tool is designed to support your self-assessment.

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

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Winner: Robbins Hebrew AcademySchool description: Robbins Hebrew

Academy is a Conservative school in Toronto, ON, with 453 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? Fundraising at this 50-year-old school was traditionally targeted at donors who contributed $5,000 and above. With this initiative, for the first time, the school launched a broad-based annual fund to raise unrestricted gifts, diversify their donor base, and achieve 100% Board participation. Robbins Hebrew Academy also set a goal of growing its endowment fund by $100,000. The school completely revamped its fundraising practice by launching an annual fund, setting fundraising targets, and outreaching to parents, staff, alumni, and grandparents. As of November 1, 2011, the school has increased its donor base by 35% of its campaign goal and achieved 82% participation by Board members in the campaign.

Judge’s Comment: “All the Robbins Hebrew Academy constituencies, including the Board, accepted responsibility for engaging in the process of development.”

Winner: SAR Academy and High SchoolSchool description: SAR Academy is

an Orthodox school in New York City with 1,263 students in grades K-12.

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

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

Winner: The Day School at Baltimore HebrewSchool description: The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew is a Reform school with 56 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? Based on a successful annual campaign that the school’s Head learned about from her colleagues, they created an all-school campaign involving faculty, students, the PTO, and families. Faculty participation jumped to 90% and the school achieved its goal of 100% parent participation for the first time ever. The school leveraged these increases into a $50,000 gift from a lapsed donor. As a result of the paradigm shift, the annual fund has become a joint effort and a celebration rather than an obligation.

Innovation: Annual Campaign (Continued) A Peek Behind the Challenge Award CurtainThe PEJE Challenge Award team is relieved. And tired. And happy and sad. After a busy year shepherding our 141 Challenge Award innovators through the application process, numerous webinars, the arduous judging procedure, and finally the Challenge Award announcements, they deserve a rest.

And while the entire PEJE staff had a hand in the Challenge Award, three people in particular had both hands involved.

Sharon Haselkorn, PEJE’s Program Officer for Coaching, for instance, did an enormous amount to coordinate and conceptualize the applications process.

Haselkorn says that the huge number of applications “confirmed my sense that schools out in the field were actively seeking to implement new ways to increase the very necessary revenue” in tuition, annual campaign, or endowment and legacy.

In dealing with so many applications, you need someone who can collect and organize the data … and for this job we turned to Senior Administrative

Assistant Kathleen Farrell.

Farrell modestly says that the Challenge Award wasn’t as daunting as you might imagine. “Nah—none of it’s challenging,” she says, adding that she prefers the phrase “time-consuming.” Farrell says that her Challenge Award work “takes a lot of time up front but makes everyone’s life so much easier” in the end.

As for making life for Challenge Award innovators easier, that role went to Elana Alfred. If you applied for a Challenge Award, more than likely you spoke to Alfred, our

Program Associate for Advocacy.

“I know how much thought and energy and care went into these applications,” she says, “and so it’s hard to know some of the schools aren’t winning the money. But at least I know that in the long term, this initiative will benefit all of the schools—even beyond the applicants.”

And while we admire her sense of fondness for the many people she helped during the course of the year … we wonder if she’s relieved not to have to deal every day with Challenge Award applicants.

“Yes,” Alfred playfully laughs. “And you know who you are.”

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

“Engaging people in a dialogue about their legacies involves sensitive, patient volunteers. Not everyone is comfortable with this subject.” —The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School

“We have to wait until a donor is ready to commit. Patience [is] a virtue.—The Agnon School

• Get your Board (and a special committee) on board.

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

• Make your case, and make it specific.

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

• Don’t worry about cannibalizing your annual campaign. The more endowment donors give … the more they give.

“People who have made an endowment commitment may give up to twice as much to the annual fund in subsequent years. People who invest in the long-term success of an institution want to make sure it is viable today.” —The Agnon School

“[We’re making] the case for close coordination of our annual, endowment and planned giving efforts.”—The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School

Saying “Thank You”• Thank your donors. Again and

again. And again. “One way we build relationships is

through recognizing our donors [via] special events, personal thank you letters from staff and parents, thank you calls from students, and public recognition.”—Akiva School of Nashville

“In our meetings with major donors we personally [thanked] them. We must continue to use opportunities [such as holidays] to phone donors and wish them well and thank them. At school events, students thank their families and community.” —King David High School

“A proper recognition and stewardship program can have a massive impact on our ability to continue to grow our endowment.” —The Agnon School

Winners Share Lessons Learned (Continued)

Please see Annual Campaign | 8

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

Winners: Community Day School of Pittsburgh and Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. These schools each implemented the same innovation as part of the Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Council, a collaboration of Pittsburgh’s three Jewish day schools. They are sharing one prize.

School description: Community Day is a Conservative school with 314 students in grades K-8. Hillel Academy is an Orthodox school with 161 students in grades K-12.

Why are they winners? Working as a group helped these schools stretch in ways they may not have been willing or able to do individually. They went after a targeted group of new potential students (public-school transfers to grades 3-11) using a combination of new marketing tactics (e.g., putting ads in public places, not only Jewish venues) and a “First Year Free” program. Between the two schools, 12 Pittsburgh students who were attending public schools are now enrolled in Jewish day schools.

Judge’s Comment: “[It is] impressive that the Jewish Community Foundation, the Federation, and a private foundation are all teaming up to make this happen. Also noteworthy: the initiative encompasses both tuition reduction as well as [a] vigorous and well-funded marketing program to advocate strongly for the value proposition.”

Winner: Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle

School description: Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle is a Community school in Bellevue, WA, with 168 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? To increase the tuition revenue stream, and make tuition more affordable for new families, the school instituted a program of Discovery

Grants of $6,000 spread equally over two years to new families with students in K-6. The program was funded with increased donations from the community. The initiative focused on both short-term and long-term goals: to increase the number of students in lower grades, to grow the number of families who over time would contribute time and money to the school, and to make the community a partner in this effort. The numbers sum it up: for the 2011-2012 academic year, student inquiries increased 48% and applications increased 94%. The number of new students enrolled in grades K-6 increased by 36% over the prior year, with the net tuition benefit close to $100,000.

Judge’s Comment: “The Discovery Grants had less to do with the school offering discounts to prospective families and more to do with community members supporting Jewish education. An incred-ible result for a first-time effort.”

Winner: MetroWest Jewish Day SchoolSchool description: MetroWest Jewish Day School is a

Community school in Framingham, MA, with 55 students in grades K-7.

Why is it a winner? For the first time, MetroWest JDS intentionally coordinated

the use of traditional marketing channels (e.g., events meant to bring prospective families into the school) with online channels and social media efforts. In addition, it used an incentive program to drive traffic to the school’s new

website. Through these efforts, the school collected difficult-to-obtain information on families in the school’s target markets that are under-represented in its current student population—namely families spread throughout many towns and those unaffiliated with synagogues or Jewish preschools. MetroWest JDS used innova-tive, newly learned methods of tracking its efforts and assessing its effectiveness. Last year the school put $17,000 toward marketing and recruitment efforts, which yielded 75 qualified leads ($227 per lead).

Judge’s Comment: “A very creative initiative that demonstrated impact and measurement through data analysis. The program had great follow-through.”

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

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

Judge’s Comment: “Metrics show evi-dence of success; intentionality was key.”

Winner: Oakland Hebrew Day School

School description: Oakland Hebrew Day School is a Modern Orthodox school

in Oakland, CA, with 156 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? The school took a dual approach to addressing long-term sustainability and affordability by growing its endowment through a $1 million matching-gift program and offering a menu of financial aid options including traditional financial aid, sibling

discounts, and a middle-class tuition- affordability program. As a result of this dual approach, Oakland Hebrew Day increased revenue and provided viable options for families who otherwise would not have been able to attend. As a result of the initiative, the school grew its endowment from $150,000 to over $2 million and reached over 95% parent participation in the campaign. Seventeen new donors made gifts to the school and enrollment increased slightly while attrition was contained.

Judge’s Comment: “This was a good combination of creative, ambitious approaches for targeting middle-income families—both in the present and looking to the future.”

Winner: Robert M. Beren AcademySchool description: The Robert M. Beren Academy is an Ortho-dox school in Houston, TX, with 285 students in grades K-12.

Why is it a winner? The school created the Houston Modern Orthodox Partnership, a partnership of local and national organizations, to increase enroll-ment in Beren Academy. The program targeted families outside of the Houston community through a bold marketing effort and a financial incentive program to assist families relocating to Houston.

Congratulations to all Applicants!

Your work is blazing the pathtoward the future of Jewish Life inNorth America!

“For the 2011-2012 academic year, student inquiries [at Jewish Day School of Met-ropolitan Seattle] increased

48% and applications increased 94%.”

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

Winner: Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community SchoolSchool description: Beth Tfiloh is

a synagogue-affiliated school in Baltimore, MD, with 788 students in grades K-12.

Why is it a winner? This comprehen-sive approach to endowment-building through legacy giving uses both

excellent strategy and tactics. The school recruited the right leadership, engaged an effective lay committee, trained the Board, accessed expertise from the local Federation, developed a prospect list, created a donor-recognition program, and invested in development staff resources to make it all happen. The school also understood that it needed to create a culture change among the leadership of the school and among synagogue congregants 65 years of age and older. As a result of this initiative, the number of legacy society donors increased from 70 to 88.

Judge’s Comment: “Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School’s initiative highlighted an impressive launch of a very active legacy campaign.”

Winner: The Agnon SchoolSchool description: The Agnon School is a Community

school in Beachwood, OH, with 260 students in grades K-8.

Why is it a winner? This school’s outstanding strategy and impressive implementation of a comprehensive plan demonstrates what can happen when focus, intelligence, commitment, and resources are dedicated to endowment building. The school invested in an Endowment Director position, and wisely crafted a careful plan to build support from every key stakeholder, for a successful campaign. The school’s research, one-on-one conversations, and absorption and adaptation of best practices in creating an endowment have already resulted in an impressive campaign yield of $1.5 million in 6 months. Even more exciting is that the school has the structural framework to ensure continued success.

Judge’s Comment: “Tremendous efforts by the school to establish infrastructure and grow the endowment. Initial data confirm [the] impact of [the] innovation … Many insightful reflections and learnings about endowment building that the field will benefit from tremendously.”

This represents a bold, ambitious, and significant paradigm shift in strategic recruitment in a saturated day school market. The initiative relied on a powerful community collaboration wherein each participating organization contributed financial subventions and incentives. Of the inquiries initiated in 2011, 9 families relocated with a total of 15 children; of inquiries generated in 2011, 10 families moved with a total of 24 children. Another 6 families (with 19 children) are contemplating moving.

Quote: “Grand idea … innovative and daring … showed a truly strong commitment to the school’s mission and a vision of a future.”

Winner: Seattle Jewish Community SchoolSchool description: Seattle Jewish

Community School is a Community school in Seattle with 83 students in grades K-5.

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

opening a summer camp and increasing opportunities for local families to engage with the school throughout the year. It worked: in 2009 the school had 29 inquiries, in 2010 it had 32 inquiries, and in 2011 it had 84 inquiries. In addition, 72% of the inquiries for admission in 2011 were from non-siblings—a measure illustrating that Seattle Jewish Community is indeed increasing the pool of potential applicants to the school.

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

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

high school in Los Angeles with 207 girls in grades 9-12.

Why is it a winner? Recognizing that tuition revenue is a schools’ single largest income stream, both schools embarked on a well-conceived plan to bring in additional students and retain current students. By offering

academic support and enrichment programs to current students, by providing a mechinah program to attract new students, by cultivating new feeder-school relationships, and by hiring staff, the Girls’ school

increased enrollment this year 14.3% and the Boys’ school increased enrollment by 12.5%. The number of incoming freshmen at the Boys’ school increased from 50 to 62—an increase of 24% and a record. At the Girls’ school, tuition revenue (before scholarship distribution) went from $3,864,350 in 2010-2011 to $5,005,260 in 2011-2012—a difference of $1,140,910. That $1.1 million is due to an increase of $2,830 year-over- year tuition fees and an additional 26 students.

Judge’s Comments: “[The initiative showed] sweeping, bold, innovative changes in programming, service, and faculty to strategically attract higher enrollment and reduce attrition. Big payoff resulting in greater enrollment and revenue.”

“For the first time, MetroWest intentionally coordinated the use of traditional marketing channels with online channels and social

media efforts.”

Please see Growing Endowment | 8

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

To get your school started with DSAT, contact PEJE about a stipend for the first hour of your coaching package, a $250 value!

There’s a New Tool on the Block: Introducing DSAT

Announcing the Launch of PEJE’s Endowment and

Legacy Institute (ELI)!

The sustainability of Jewish day school education depends on our ability to plant seeds today for generations yet to be. ELI meets this challenge by empowering Jewish day schools to transform their budgets through endowment and legacy giving. ELI offers:

> Generations, a signature, pilot program to provide resources to select schools, funded in part by AVI CHAI, PEJE, and a community partner.

> L’Dor V’Dor, a national endowment donor society that recognizes those donors who generously secure the Jewish future through endowment and legacy gifts.

> Knowledge and Resource Center, an interactive online space for the day school field where stakeholders can share expertise and best practices in endowment development.

See http://peje.org/ index.php/endowment-a- legacy-institute to learn more about ELI!

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

Winner: Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day SchoolSchool description: Valley Beth Shalom

Day School is a Conservative school in Encino, CA, with 210 students in grades K-6.

Why is it a winner? Valley Beth Shalom Day School used a matching gift to increase parent participation in tandem with a public relations campaign. Largely due to peer-to-peer solicitations, the school reached its fundraising goal of $225,000. Furthermore, a connection with a grant source resulted in an additional $238,000 for a playground-enhancement project and a robotics program. As a result of more parent involvement, direct conversations with the Development Director and Head of School, a significant change in the school giving culture emerged. New families stepped up to make larger gifts and now serve as leaders among their peers. The school’s use of multi- dimensional approaches to increasing parent participation with a lay leadership team was crucial.

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

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

Why is it a winner? Weizmann Day School is a small school and the only Jewish day school in the area. With only two paid administrators (including the Head of School), the Board realized

that they had to begin to focus on development. Weizmann completely revamped its development efforts including creating a strategic development plan, increasing parent participation, increasing Board

giving to 100%, and cultivating and stewarding of donors in a more focused way. The school no longer operates from a point of crisis or budget shortfalls; its core message is now about the school’s strength. This innovation shows that, even without a large development staff, schools can make great changes and increase funds raised.

Judge’s Comment: “A serious effort. By forming a development committee and creating a strategic development plan, Weizmann got parents and lay leaders involved in fundraising for the school.”

Innovation: Annual Campaign (Continued)

Winner: The Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High SchoolSchool description:

The Weber School is a Community high school in Atlanta, GA, with 231 students in grades 9-12.

Why is it a winner? The school wove together multiple tactics to implement its strategy for creating an endowment fund. Leveraging both a desire to honor two beloved school leaders and donors with a lasting legacy, as well as its participation in the local Federation’s “Create a Jewish Legacy” program, the school created and has begun to implement a carefully crafted endowment and legacy plan. Through the initiative, The Weber School has raised a total of 22 gifts toward its

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

Judge’s Comment: “A very creative and thoughtful approach [to] first-time endowment effort [with an] aspect of capacity building, too.”

Innovation: Growing Endowment and Legacy Revenue (Continued)

“The school raised $85,050 in outright endowment

commitments in 2010-11, and to date, $107,600 in

outright endowment commitments in 2011-12.”

“By forming a development committee and creating a

strategic development plan, Weizmann got parents and

lay leaders involved in fundraising for

the school.”

Amy Katz, Executive DirectorInnovation. Creativity. Novelty. In our consumer- driven society we are always looking for the best way to hook our customers, to carve out a unique niche for ourselves. In this

environment the word “innovation” can become trite, a catch-all term used for its selling power rather than an expression of what it really means: The act of inventing something or introducing something new.

True innovation, we have learned from the 2011 PEJE Challenge Award, results from a process—the process of thinking about what is and considering what can be; of reflecting and honestly evaluating what is working, what needs changing, where the challenges lie, and what factors inform the current situation. In fact, at its core, innovation is a form of risk-taking. When we chose to innovate, when we choose to make a change in the “way we’ve always done things,” we open ourselves up to possible failure and disappointment. But we also create the opportunity for tremendous growth and unparalleled success.

“To all the schools that applied for the award we say Kol Hakavod—kudos

to you for taking a leap into unchartered territory.

You inspire us.”

Many of the schools that applied for the Challenge Award engaged in this kind of multi-layered introspection. They shared, from their unique perspectives, a view of what their financial reality could be. They questioned how they had done things previously, they challenged the status quo, they reflected deeply. And through the process of engaging in this difficult and intimidating activity, they emerged with innovations that were truly worthy of the term. Whether it was re-thinking an annual campaign, creating a system to engage alumni, bringing a fresh approach to student recruitment, or creating a targeted endowment fund, winning schools demonstrated a willingness to overturn accepted practices, use data to inform their decision making, and invent something new. To all the schools that applied for the award we say Kol Hakavod—kudos to you for taking a leap into unchartered territory. You inspire us.

At this time of great possibility for the Jewish day school field, we need to absorb the lesson demonstrated by the 141 schools who applied for the award: Reflect, take a risk, let data guide you. And remember, we all can be innovators and change agents. All it takes is courage and commitment.

OPINIONThe Challenge

of Being a True Innovator

PEJE PartnersThe AVI CHAI Foundation

Harold Grinspoon Foundation

Jim Joseph Foundation

Bobby and Fran Lent

Jess and Sheila Schwartz Family Foundation

David and Fela Shapell Family Foundation

Deborah and Jeffrey Swartz

Sustaining PartnersThe Samuel Bronfman Foundation

Brad and Robin Klatt

Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life

The Wexner Foundation

Board of DirectorsSteve Berman

Michael J. Bohnen

Nancy Hamburger

Brad Klatt

Bobby Lent

Alvin T. Levitt

Lauren K. Merkin

Gail S. Norry

Pamela Rohr

Rochelle Shapell

Sheila Schwartz

Deborah Cogen Swartz Immediate Past Chair

Diane Troderman Chair

Michael H. Steinhardt Founding Chair

Amy Katz Executive Director

StaffElana Alfred, Program Associate

Cheryl J. Alpert, Strategy Manager, Advocacy and Marketing

Mark Blechner, Program Manager, Conferences and Advocacy

Ross Bloom, Program Associate, Regional Advocacy

Erica Cabag, Development Assistant

Kathleen Farrell, Senior Administrative Assistant

Janet Gelbart, Director of Finance and Operations

Jill Goldenberg, Strategy Manager, Growing Endowment and Legacy Revenue

Ken Gordon, Social Media Manager

Sharon Haselkorn, Strategy Manager, Coaching

Amy Katz, Executive Director

Scott MacDowell, Executive Assistant

Deborah Miller, Business Analyst

Nina Robinson, Program Manager, Growing Annual Campaign Revenue

Suzi Schuller, Senior Program Manager, Endowment and Legacy

Francine Shron, Development Manager

Tiffany Tyrrell, Database Specialist, ReceptionistJennifer Weinstock, Strategy Manager, Growing Annual Campaign Revenue

Donna Woonteiler, Director of Marketing Communications

© 2012 PEJE. All rights reserved.

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