Whether your next congregational meeting is focused on collaborating, relationship building, or checking in on the progress of strategic initiatives, ensuring that it effectively meets your desired outcomes is critical. To help you in this important work, the Union for Reform Judaism has released our Effective Meeting Toolkit.

The summer months are a great time for presidents and boards of directors to kickstart planning for the upcoming year. Here are six important ways you can jumpstart your summer planning.

It's board nomination season again! Time to compile lists, get recommendations, and start calling the future leaders of your congregation. The URJ has resources, advice, and initiatives to set you and your board up for success.

Healthy, safe, and equitable culture inside Jewish organizations is absolutely imperative in light of the continued rise in antisemitism at home and abroad. The organizations that have the tools to foster psychological safety, community, and inclusion are faring as well as possible in the face of this.

New webmasters Lisa Goldstein, RJE, Co-President Karen Freedman, and Treasurer Michelle Foels share what their motivations for choosing RJ Web Builder 3.0 were, what their experiences were like, and what features they most enjoy.

The URJ Pulse Survey and the newly expanded URJ Pulse+ Survey showed that participating congregations were experiencing similar trends. Having the ability to compare your data with that of other URJ congregations will paint a picture that will help you assess where you are and share a more detailed story with your congregants and donors.

Email and other technologies are a huge factor in why employees feel like they're always on the clock. This "always-on" culture accelerated while synagogues began facing declining membership before the pandemic and has only intensified since. Even if clergy or staff are cut, the work demands don't decrease. As a result, remaining clergy or staff or volunteers are even more overwhelmed and are burning out at alarming rates.

On the Jewish calendar, the start of the month of Elul signifies the beginning of the High Holiday season. As individuals, it is during this time that we begin the process of cheshbon hanefesh (accounting of the soul), reflecting on the past year. So too, it is important for your leadership and community to reflect on the past year and consider how to do better moving forward.