BAGELS WITH THE BOARD
Is your board perceived as one that is
- Accessible to your members?
- Responsive to their concerns?
- Willing to engage in open debate and dialogue?
- Available to address all issues no matter how small or large?
Concerned with the above questions, Jan Stein, president of Temple Israel in
Long Beach, California, created Bagels with the Board, a Sunday morning forum
during which board members and congregants exchange input and ideas.
Two successful forums have already taken place, with plans to hold three to
four each year. Twenty to thirty congregants attended each session, asked
questions, and made suggestions to the board and Executive Committee members
(more than half of whom were present), as well as to the rabbi and executive
director. Topics ranged from dues and security to parking and the scheduling of
b'nei mitzvah ceremonies.
Ground Rules
- Round tables were set up, with board and Executive Committee members at
different locations throughout the room.
- Board members were encouraged to attend; Executive Committee members were
expected to take part.
- All topics were permitted except those so personal that they might have
breached confidentiality.
- Each congregant was asked to identify himself/herself.
- Questions were limited to one per congregant until everyone who wished to
speak had had an opportunity to do so.
- Questions and comments were directed to the board member who was
specifically responsible for that area in order to make him/her known as the
expert in that field.
- Minutes were taken.
- Issues that required follow-up were assigned to the appropriate board member
to be researched and responded to.
Publicity and Feedback
- A flyer about the initial session was mailed to the 700 member families.
- Both those members in attendance and the board were polled after the first
session, with the consensus being that the forum was successful and should be
continued.
- The second session was advertised in the temple bulletin and plugged into
the President's Message in that publication.
- Plans were made to schedule other sessions in order to build momentum.
Jan Stein is enthusiastic about the program: "Little things like these signal
to the congregation that we are there for them, that we want to hear from them,
and that we are available to them. After all, they are our customers."
SPRING FORWARD YOUR BOARD
Plan to spend part of your April or May board meeting preparing your current
board to welcome the new faces and meet the new challenges of the coming year.
Consider the following:
- Review the achievements of the past year.
- Pinpoint the goals for next year and, if possible, assign responsibility for
them.
- Ask current members who are leaving the board to review their position and
create a list about what they have learned and what information their
replacements might find helpful.
- Create and share an ethical will, that is, record what values, life lessons,
and guidance current board members would like to have carried on by those who
follow them.
- Circulate the résumés of new board members among the current board.
Determine how your new board members will learn what is expected of them.
Consider scheduling at least one of the following orientation opportunities for
each new member:
- A meeting with your president, Executive Committee, or Leadership
Development chair
- A board retreat
- A session during which he/she meets with the person whom he/she is replacing
Giving your board members the opportunity to reflect on the past and plan for
the future empowers them to create a culture of leadership.
WEB SITE WORDS TO THE WISE
With 589 UAHC members sporting their own Web sites, information about many of
our congregations is just a click away. Having a Web site is an invaluable
public relations resource for your congregation as long as you are mindful of
the following:
- Start with a small Web site that conveys discreet, usable pieces of
information.
- Increase the amount of information only when you have the capacity to
maintain it.
- Make sure that your Web master is committed to updating the Web page on a
regular and ongoing basis.
Consider including the following material on your Web page, while being ever
mindful of security considerations:
- The location of and travel directions to your temple, including a map, if
available
- The telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the temple
- How to reach your Web master
- Weekly or monthly calendar updates
- The schedule of services
- Staff information
- The rabbi's sermons
- A listing of special programs at the temple or in the community
- A list of the appropriate people to contact at the temple who hold board,
committee, and auxiliary positions. Consider creating a general mailbox or
department mailboxes in the case of a large congregation. For security reasons,
it is not wise to post personal e-mail information on the Web.
- Links to UAHC sources of information, such as weekly parashah study
material: Torat Hayim and Shabbat Table Talk
A word about posting your temple bulletin on the Web:
Consider the issue of privacy and do not reprint your temple bulletin
verbatim on your Web site. Delete telephone numbers, addresses, bar/bat mitzvah
announcements, births, deaths, and any other personal information. Any contact
information listed, such as e-mail addresses and telephone numbers, should be
based at the temple.
A caution about advertising on your Web page:
- You can make your Web page a source of revenue by accepting an advertising
link.
- The determination about whether or not to accept advertising should not be
left to your Web master but should be a policy decision arrived at through
careful consideration.
If you would like to create or update a Web site for your congregation, the
UAHC offers a limited amount of Web space at no cost to member congregations in
good standing. Click on "creating Web sites and lists" at uahc.org to access a myriad of information,
including instructions on creating and updating your Web site, design and
installation instructions, suggestions for links to Reform Web sites, and
frequently asked questions.
LESSONS FROM MOSES ON HOW TO DELEGATE
As you prepare for Passover, consider how you as leaders of your
congregation can learn from Moses, our leader at a time when our people were
least confident about their future. Moses heeded the advice of an outsider, his
father-in-law Jethro, who recognized that Moses needed to learn to delegate and
share the burden of leadership. In Exodus 18:14-24, Jethro outlined the
following leadership plan of action:
- He suggested that Moses reserve for himself direct contact with God
concerning laws and disputes.
- He counseled that Moses seek capable leaders to settle most of the disputes
among the people.
- He proposed that those leaders bring only major disputes to Moses for
disposition.
During your April board meeting, consider using this aspect of the Passover
story to begin your discussion on the successful delegation of responsibility.
Moses chose to allocate responsibility and power.
- How is the work of running your synagogue apportioned? How do you share
information?
- How can your board insure that no one ends up doing all the work alone?
- Are there some tasks that board members should/would prefer to do alone?
- What responsibilities do the professional staff of your synagogue and your
board members share?
- What responsibilities do the president and the board members share?
Moses reviewed his procedures.
- Does your board have a method for reviewing its decision-making procedures
and dealing with conflict resolutions? Is such a review done on a regular basis?
- How can self-reflection improve the way in which the board conducts the
business of the congregation?
Jethro encouraged Moses to take a risk by implementing a new way
of leading.
- In what situations is it better to preserve the status quo?
- When is trying new strategies a better alternative?
What lessons can all leaders learn from this story about Moses?
For the complete lesson on this text and other text-study opportunities for your
board, see 
