Must the Family be a Victim of the Nonprofit World?

by Alisa Maeir Epstein, Master Life Coach

In answering this question, I would like to relate to the healthy family as a vital element in the success of directors and staff members of nonprofit organizations.

It is a fact that on the whole, nonprofit directors and staff members do not take care of themselves very well. I refer specifically to their physical and mental health. This is clearly observed in their lack of vacation or sick leave, reduced time spent with loved ones and the ignoring of a basic healthy routine. As a result, their levels of daily fulfillment and satisfaction decrease, fatigue and irritability intensify and medical research shows that the immune system weakens*.

These conditions lead to burnout which not only impacts their performance in the work place, but also affects their relationships outside the work place, and particularly in the family.

Individuals involved in the Nonprofit Sector aren’t the only ones suffering from burnout in the work place. The work culture which is prevalent in our achievement-oriented society is full of examples where monetary results are more important than quality of life. However, here is the paradox: staff members of organizations which are specifically dedicated to improving society often do not pursue their own personal good and improvement or that of their family.

Working in a nonprofit organization which aids a needy or suffering population provides those involved with a feeling that their job is meaningful. Many of us are willing to forego a higher salary in exchange for this type of fulfillment. However, the consequence is that we expose ourselves to an organizational culture which does not support caring for oneself and one’s family.

The reasons for this are complex but might be summed up as such: An organization which is dedicated to the advancement of society sanctifies the needs of the serviced population and demands of the staff a brand of self sacrifice in favor of the greater good. As such, any deviation from this effort is seen as a self-centered act, whether consciously or sub-consciously. “How can I afford myself vacation/sick leave/time with my family when I am serving those who are less fortunate than I?” asks one client, the director of an organization who is also a mother of four….

Much has been written on the necessity to create a balance between work and family. In the case of the nonprofit world, the value-laden choice of serving the public comes into play: Do these two areas of commitment and responsibility compete? 

My answer is an absolute NO. Burnout which affects an organizational director’s ability to function also influences his relationships beyond the work place, and central to these, family relationships. In other words, preventing burnout will both strengthen the nonprofit as well as the family. And furthermore, a healthy family life will most likely contribute to decreased levels of burnout as a result of the support the family affords to this director. In such, a healthy functional family can, amongst other things, prevent the vicious cycle of burnout.

There is, of course, much more that can be done in order to prevent burnout in the nonprofit world, but family is a common and crucial denominator for those concerned. Once we have chosen to establish and nurture a family, we have chosen an emotional-social-spiritual path through which to advance a small, but significant group on their way through life. Compassion begins within and moves outwards. Without compassion for oneself and one’s family, how might there be compassion for the needy we strive to serve?

Alisa Maeir Epstein is a Master Life Coach specializing in Family Life Coaching. She works with women and men, in English and Hebrew. She has broad experience with families, nonprofit organizations, single mothers and individuals experiencing significant life transitions.

Alisa may be contacted at: coach@maeir.com.

or by telephone:              In Israel - 0545-872260

                                            From abroad – 972-545-872-260

A Warm Home on the Hill: A Visit to the Jerusalem Hills Children’s Home

Two couples from the United States were recently hosted by the Jerusalem Hills Children’s Home (www.childrenshome.org.il) though our on-going project Nonprofit Israel: The Catalogue of Experiential Visits to Israeli Nonprofits (see: http://bit.ly/visitscatalogue). Met by Shira Skolnik, Director of Resource Development and Public Relations, the tourists received a comprehensive tour of the facility and met with children and staff.

The beautiful facility located in the Jerusalem Hills outside the village of Abu Gosh serves as a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed and abused children, ages 7-18. These are Israel’s most at-risk children, many having suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Shira explained to the guests the background to the establishment of the village and how the children are referred to the facility. Most interesting was hearing from one of the staff about the unique, innovative, drug-free, holistic philosophy and methods employed which ensure an over 65% rehabilitation rate. But mainly, the visitors were impressed by the warmth and thought which guides the staff in all aspects of their work.

The campus tour led the four visitors through classrooms, residential areas, spaces for play and therapeutic activities (such as music, art and animal therapy). Each beautiful cottage serves as a residential unit for a cohesive group supported by a multi-disciplinary staff of 8. In addition to the cozy bedrooms for two, each cottage has a computer club room, a communal play area outfitted with DVD and music sound system, quarters for the on-duty counselor, a kitchen and a dining room where kids and staff prepare and eat meals together as one family. As well, the tour included a glimpse of the playgrounds, sports fields and swimming pool mostly utilized for hydro-therapy.

Being Hanukkah vacation, most of the children were not in the village and those remaining were gathered in one cottage unit for the duration of the school break. These children literally have no place to go home to during vacation, and so the staff had planned a special week for them. Some of them were very excited to see the visitors and asked if the visitors were going to have dinner with them and/or paint with them. Although this group of tourists did not have the time, similar groups had eaten a meal with children in their dining room, as well as painted rooms needing a fresh coat of paint together with the children.  There is a great deal of maintenance work in such a facility and Shira expressed how helpful it had been when foreign visitors both contributed the funds for painting and assisted in the work. It was hard to say “no, not this time” and “goodbye”….

The group shared their names and contact information with Shira and felt very moved and committed to thinking further how they might help these very needy but charming children. As they are involved for many years in bringing groups to Israel from their community, Shira indeed hopes to see these visitors again soon, accompanied by the members of their various groups.

See more and Join our Catalogue of Experiential Visits to Non-Profits: http://bit.ly/visitscatalogue

Tourists and Israelis interested in participating in a pilot visit to any of the experiential visits in our catalog are invited to contact Chava Vento, Catalogue Coordinator at – 02-563-6629 or 052-602-9082. Email – chava@israelgrants.com

Lomda Making Global Headlines! Connecting Public Relations and Fundraising

By Yocheved Gottesman, Israelgrants

On the fifth night of Hanukah, 18 journalists from all over the world attended a Menorah lighting ceremony at the home of Yaakov and Rivky Yeruslavsky, founders and directors of Lomda/Strauss Campus, a premier vocational and academic training institute serving Jerusalem’s Haredi community. The journalists, who are in a work stint in Jerusalem, were interested in getting a close-up view of the Haredi community and had a most positive, heartwarming experience. Israelgrants was given the task of following up and coordinating follow-up interviews with the Yerulavksys about their work in Lomda/Strauss Campus

And so Wednesday morning, the last day of Hanukah, found me seated in Lomda/Strauss Campus’s conference room, alongside Yaakov and Rivky Yeruslavsky, Professor Tolo Friedlander from The Hadassah Academic College, David Alandete of the Spanish El Pais News Agency and Smadar Bakovic – coordinator of Media Central, an organization that arranges encounters for foreign journalists within Israel.

It was a riveting hour and a half, as I listened to the exchanges between David and the Yeruslavskys. It was obvious that David, an accomplished journalist for El Pais, the leading news agency in Spain, was deeply impressed and any preconceived negative notions on Haredim he may have gotten from tainted media reports were debunked. He found it remarkable that it was particularly Rivky who launched this endeavor two decades ago. With all the media propaganda about Haredi women being stifled and unappreciated, here was a woman who personified creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership while still maintaining her ultra-Orthodox lifestyle and values. David was especially amazed at the ripple-effect transformation Yaakov and Rivky are effecting in the Haredi community, by empowering Haredim with vocational skills that enable them to achieve economic independence.

During the interview, Professor Friedlander repeatedly affirmed the effective collaboration between Lomda/Strauss Campus and Hadassah College. “We have found Lomda/Strauss Campus to be the perfect partner with which to offer academic studies to the Haredi community. I see vast potential for the number of Haredi students growing exponentially in the coming years.”

The interview began at 11:30. At 1:00, David was clearly interested in more. “We can talk for hours,” he commented. But the next journalist, Katri from Finland’s TV7 had already shown up and was eager to start her time with the Haredi couple who is making a major impact on their own community, on Israeli society at large, and even making headlines in the international arena! 

Observations of a Non-profit Resource Development Consultant

As a staff member of Israelgrants, who assists Lomda/Strauss Campus in its resource development efforts, I couldn’t help but marvel at the valuable worldwide publicity Lomda/Strauss Campus was getting, for free! An opportunity for non-Jewish journalists to experience Hanukah celebrations in an ultra-Orthodox home set the stage for drawing media attention to the phenomenon of Haredim integrating in the Israeli workforce. Lomda/Strauss Campus was certainly fortunate to have such a window of opportunity and the publicity they received was well deserved.

We advised Lomda/Strauss Campus to include Hadassah College’s president and officials in this encounter, rather than keeping the spotlight all to themselves. Thus, Lomda/Strauss Campus strategically strengthened its relationship with the widely recognized academic institution. This bolstering of ties will have a positive effect on fundraising efforts that may be jointly initiated by Hadassah and Lomda/Strauss Campus. 

The interviews themselves were so successful that our invitation to the other international journalists were so well received that we have scheduled an international press day and invited all of them next month to hear us present our case to over 20 media outlets around the world!

Organizations pour tens of thousands of dollars into PR, thinking it will reap quick dividends in the form of funding. Reality often proves otherwise. Huge investment in PR does not automatically equal huge grants from prospects. Nevertheless, effective PR serves an integral role in resource development. When an organization earns a reputation for itself and garners international media attention, its chances for earning the respect – and consequently the dollars – of prospective funders are significantly upped. The secret is: how to get maximum PR at minimum cost. The recent encounter at Lomda/Strauss Campus was one example of how with a proper strategy an organization can maximize a situation so to get a great deal of publicity at no cost!