Is it possible to create organizations that have stable structures as well as the flexibility to grow to meet the changing needs and demands of its target audience? Is it possible for organizations to maintain their values and stay true to their missions, while also adapting to radically shifting times? What is the best way to ensure that established institutions gain the flexibility and skills to creatively address the issues they face, with the support and partnership of creative entrepreneurs, without dismissing the structures and ideals that have defined and sustained them?

The Book of Esther, traditionally read twice on the holiday of Purim, reminds us that we have grappled with these questions before, and sheds some light on how to navigate them. The scroll has all of the elements of a great story a king, a couple of queens, drunken parties, a great villain, brave heroes, cameo roles (imagine Billy Crystal as Harvona) and lots of horses. It also appears to have an elemental story structure a clear beginning, in which the scene is set up and the characters and story line are introduced; a suspenseful middle what will become of the Jews? Will Esther reveal her true identity? and a satisfying end, in which, all in a scene, Esther bravely pleads for her life and the life of her people, and Haman is hung.

On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 7, the holiday of Tu B’Shevat begins. It’s the time of year when my […]

Just a few years ago, being innovative was key to a new organizations success. But, as time has gone on, debate has hatched over what can truly be defined as innovative and unfortunately, it has become clear that even with initial funding, it is difficult to keep an innovative program afloat. There have been a huge variety of conversations and articles dedicated to the conversation of innovation, both sharing its importance and questioning its long-term impact. However, recently much of the innovation buzz and discussion has dissipated, but fear not, it is has been replaced by our new friend, organizational sustainability!

Since its inception, UpStart has committed itself not only to strengthening the professionalism and efficacy of new Jewish initiatives, but also to strengthening the Jewish knowledge of the leaders and the quality of Jewish content offered by these initiatives. It remains unique in the network of Jewish incubators aimed at bolstering the Jewish innovation ecosystem, and begs the question: why is it important to engage the leaders of new Jewish initiatives in substantive Jewish learning? And, furthermore, why does UpStart believe that it is not only important, but ultimately intricately interwoven with the potential success of these leaders and their projects?

UpStarter Urban Adamah has announced the launch of its Spring, 2012 Young Adult Fellowship. Jewish young adults can apply for the fellowship online at http://urbanadamah.org/apply/. Twelve fellows will be selected to participate in the new organic farm and Jewish environmental education program in West Berkeley, beginning March 4. This blog is an account of Urban Adamah fellow Aliza Slavin Gazek's experiences on the farm in the summer of 2011.

"What's wrong with your elbow?" an eight-year old asked during Camp Urban Adamah, a Berkeley day camp that explores Judaism and the environment. Struggling for a good view of this hard-to-see part of my body, I yielded to another camper, who responded, "She's a farmer!" It was then that I learned the necessity of scrubbing my elbows; their dark appearance came from dirt or soil rather. I've also learned that soil and dirt are actually the same thing, given two different names based solely on their location (dirt is on the ground, soil is in a planter).

I've acquired dirty elbows and expanded my understanding of food systems this summer as a fellow in the inaugural season of Urban Adamah, an urban edition of the existing Jewish farming venture in Connecticut. As one of twelve fellows, all in our twenties, I'm enjoying three months living in a house with my "fellow fellows," working our one-acre plot of urban land, learning about permaculture, Judaism, and food justice, and exploring beautiful Northern California, especially with those of us unfamiliar with coastal drives and towering redwoods.

12/25/11
MOSAIC: interviews explore how Bay Area peoples lives are enriched by diversity of cultural and faith perspectives. (CBS 5)
Featuring:
Maya Bernstein, Director of Education and Leadership Initiatives at UpStart Bay Area
Sarah Lefton, Founder & CEO at G-dcast

I realized that I wasnt in the Kansas of the Jewish community anymore when there was a break at four oclock in the afternoon and there wasnt a morsel of food in sight. I was attending the Social Innovation Summit which brings together successful social entrepreneurs, funders, and corporations, to discuss how to translate the most innovative and effective practices from the private sector to the social sector. I trailed Nancy Lublin, CEO of dosomething.org and a self- described loud Jew from New York who was on the lookout for a cookie, but alas, everywhere, people stood, Perrier in hand, seemingly comfortable, talking animatedly about their work. I learned about a variety of inspiring programs, which included bringing clean water to rural villages, empowering individuals to help save the U.S public school system, and building libraries and literacy skills for children in developing countries.

There has been much discussion about the importance of connectivity and dialogue in the Jewish community, and the value of the network as a model to enable that. In The Jewish Week, Gary Rosenblatt laments the lack of conversation between Orthodox Jews and Jews of other denominations: There are discussion groups between Jews and Christians, and Jews and Muslims; how about a few more between Orthodox Jews and the rest of the community? In another recent piece, Chip Edelsberg of the Jim Joseph Foundation points to the profound shift from bureaucracy and organizational hierarchy grounded in analog-based communication to a networked universe powered by digital technology and admits that the funding and education communities still function according to the old model. And Annie Lumerman, a recent participant in the Schusterman Foundations NetWORKS gathering, lauds the open-ended network as a model that leads to sparks of connectivity and an open environment for conversations across the aisle to break down barriers and find common ground between different communities. These are calls to action, and we sound them loud and clear. But then we go to work, and, by and large, function the way we always have.

10/18/11
Philanthropic and Executive Leadership: Bringing Nonprofits to Scale
Featuring William Foster, Bridgespan Group Senior Partner and incoming Executive Director of the Jacobson Family Foundation
Cosponsored by The Foundation Center and the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund
UpStart Innovation in Philanthropy Series

William Foster: Bringing Nonprofits to Scale from UpStart Bay Area on FORA.tv

11/14/11
Special Webinar: New Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation in Jewish Life
A conversation with Toby Rubin (UpStart Bay Area Founder & CEO), Barry Finestone (JCCSF Executive Director), and Sara Bamberger (Kevah Founder & Executive Director)
UpStart Online

Opportunities & Challenges for Innovation in Jewish Life from UpStart Bay Area on FORA.tv

"Hanging Out" on Google+ with UpStart Bay Area was a real treat and an amazing exercise in building connections. Because the event was inspired by the film Connected (that I haven't even seen yet), I was especially curious to learn about the insights that would be explored by this impromptu group of Jewish social entrepreneurs. I was already a fan of Tiffany Shlains film The Tribe, and was happy to learn more about her recommendation to take a technology shabbat.

Last week William Foster, Executive Director of the Jacobson Family Foundation and former Bridgespan Group Senior Partner, spoke about philanthropic and executive leadership in bringing nonprofits to scale at an event sponsored by UpStart Bay Area, the Foundation Center, and the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

Foster raised a number of important ideas for nonprofit leaders and funders to consider, some of which Ill explore here.

Scaling growth, whether in nonprofits or social benefit enterprises, continues to generate attention and buzz. The underlying concepts behind scaling growth are not new. But scaling growth has gained further traction in recent years as the philanthropic and social investment sectors have increased their focus on improving and documenting organizational effectiveness, developed new collaborative funding models to address systemic problems, and supported individual donors interests in maximizing the impact of their charitable giving and social investments. Efforts like the Social Capital Markets conference (SOCAP), the Social Impact Exchange, the Social Innovation Fund, Investing in Innovation (i3), and Social Impact Bonds, all touch on or extend the parameters of the scaling growth dialogue.

An upcoming event (link) on scaling growth of nonprofits with William Foster, Bridgespan Group Senior Partner and incoming Executive Director of the Jacobson Family Foundation, continues this dialogue. Sponsored by UpStart Bay Area, the Foundation Center, and the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, this event will build on Fosters decade of primary research and client work. The discussions will focus on what nonprofits need to do in order to achieve scale, how their program models relate to their funding models, and philanthropy's central role and common failings in helping nonprofits scale.

I recently took a walk in the woods with two women, one twenty years older than I am, the other forty years older, to discuss the challenges of aging. We paused when we saw white-tailed deer hop-freeze beside us in the thicket. We shared stories about women in our lives, and how they navigated the aging process. We talked about our own changing bodies, changing minds, changing children, changing communities. We turned our faces towards the sunshine and stopped in our tracks when someone shared a particularly resonant insight, as we let it wash over us.

The context was The Conversation, which brings together Jewish professionals from diverse geographical and experiential backgrounds, to talk about the future of American Jewish life. The format was Open Space, which allows the participants to drive the direction and nature of the conversations, rendering the work of the organizers swan-like; they appear to be gliding seemingly seamlessly upon the water, as their feet paddle incessantly beneath the surface as they strive to create a container for growth. My small group of three took advantage of the flexible rules (you need only two people to have a conversation) and took literally the idea of open space, bringing our feet and the wide sky into our discussion about Jewish wisdom and spiritual guidance around aging.

At the core of leadership is the ability to assess a situation, name its challenges, imagine new possibilities, and attempt […]

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the good fortune of spending time with two of our board members thinking about the direction of Moishe House as well as meeting with several of our major funding partners.

I noticed after the first day that a lot of the conversation revolved around how Moishe House is solving problems in the Jewish community, which is not the first time I have engaged in this type of conversation. For example, what are we doing to solve the problems of Synagogue membership, Federation involvement, Jewish families and lack of Jewish knowledge and/or leadership for young adults in their 20s? I have to admit that, through these conversations, I get caught thinking in these terms what are we doing to solve the problems that the Jewish community and funders see as critical?

On June 30 I retired as Founder and Executive Director of a non-profit that I began in 2003. At the end of many ups and downs, Ive turned over an organization that has global impact, enough operating capital for six months, and an efficient and economical delivery system.

In just one month the new Executive Director has improved the organization. She more than doubled the size of the Board, with a concomitant doubling of the Boards effectiveness, prestige, and resourcing. She has correctly rescheduled the launch of some new programs, and successfully launched new programming in a related but unserved demographic. So far, our second succession plan is working. Second because we tried once before; our first attempt was thwarted by unforeseen external events.  Heres what we learned:

JDub has done it right. They’ve delivered impact. Diversified their revenue base. Enacted their mission and driven toward their vision. Made a huge, positive change in Jewish cultural life.

From this perspective, we can look at JDub’s short life and say:  "mission accomplished."

It is a fitting time in the Jewish calendar for Jewish start-ups to begin or renew their journey with UpStart. As a people, we are counting the days from Passover to Shavuot, from the Exodus from Egypt to the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. This period of time is also an agricultural period, during which time the wheat was harvested, and the first fruits gathered, precious offerings to be brought to the Temple. It is a time of reflection and growth, which results in the gift of something new to the community.

In this weeks Corner Office interview in The New York Times Sunday business section, Romil Bahl, President & CEO of PRGX, a data mining firm, talks about the importance of creating a culture in which everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas. He says:

The best idea can come from anyone, and lets open up our minds to getting thinking from cross-functional areas. Thats something that comes from that notion of equality and diversity you have to get good people around you and then make sure they feel comfortable putting their ideas out there, because somewhere in there, theres a gem.

Easier said than done. What happens when that good idea is hard to hear, and even harder to implement? What if the gem challenges your organizations very foundations, or your assumptions about the purpose of your work, or even your self worth? What if it comes from the most unlikely of sources, at the most unlikely of times?

Purims upon us again, and its texts hint that its worth looking for those gems, listening to the diverse voices that might speak them, and optimistically celebrating the mayhem that may emerge when changes occur.

Innovation has certainly been a very popular buzzword over the past two years. Not just in the Jewish community, but in every aspect of promotion and advertising, we continue to hear about the benefits of innovation. Ranging from car commercials to the Presidents State of the Union, innovation is clearly seen as a huge benefit. The overarching question, however, is, What is innovation? Although I didnt think about being an innovator when I created Moishe House, I have since sat on many panels discussing the topic and we have even received generous funding targeted towards innovation. So, how can innovation be pushed and nurtured?

We often perceive Chanukah as a celebration of the triumph of maintaining what is precious and valued in the face of potential overwhelming, annihilating change. The Macabbees fought the Greeks and the Hellenists those Jews who were over-eager to abandon their own traditions and adopt new ones and they triumphed, restoring the Temple to what it was, saving Jewish values and culture.

Perhaps, though, we are actually celebrating the opposite of this traditional perspective. Perhaps Chanukah is a commemoration of the fact that we were flexible, malleable, and, yes, impressionable enough, to change, to grow, and, therefore, to survive.

Dr. Anita Friedman, Executive Director of Jewish Family and Childrens Services (http://www.jfcs.org/default.asp), the oldest charity west of the Mississippi, and one of the most innovative and successful Jewish organizations in the United States, was this months featured speaker at UpStarts Executive Director Round Table series. Bringing her stellar leadership experience of over thirty years, her sense of humor, and her honesty to the table, she wowed participants with her Yoda-like wisdom Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness, I hated it so much that I decided to take it over, Its the difference between a Sushi Restaurant and a Cold Dead Fish Restaurant and with her genuine passion and phenomenal knowledge about making organizations thrive.

Here is her top-ten list of essentials for creating, or transforming, an organization:

Tonight, Jews across the world will pull an all-nighter. Some will sit in synagogue all night long; others will shul-crawl, going from one synagogue to another; others will sit in their homes, nibbling on cheese-cake and trying not to fall asleep on their couches; others will camp out on Mt. Tamalpais, re-living the ancient Israelites experience of receiving the Torah; while others still are undecided about how and where but are excited to greet the dawn.