BBYO and JSU Partnership: Shaping the future of the...

BBYO and JSU Partnership: Shaping the future of the jewish community 1

BBYO and JSU Partnership: Shaping the Future of the Jewish Community

Stacy Heller

Hebrew College

Indiana University

BBYO and JSU Partnership: Shaping the future of the jewish community

Abstract

BBYO and JSU Partnership: Shaping the Future Jewish Community Connecting Jewish

teens to their Jewish identity and providing them with meaningful and educational

experiences will help the Jewish community ensure Jewish continuity. The purpose of

this paper is to explore how BBYO and the Jewish Student Union (JSU) can replicate the

successful partnership built in Chicago at the national level. Findings will be based on

interviews from BBYO, JSU and Chicago Jewish Youth Professionals. It will also

include survey data collected from BBYO members in the Chicago area as well as Judaic

and business reports and research. Through interviews and research I found that BBYO

and the JSU have potential to create synergies in order to maximize one another’s

programs. This in turn will impact Jewish teens across the country and ultimately engage

the unaffiliated.

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Project Overview

I chose this topic for two reasons. The first reason is I thought it would be

interesting from the business perspective to learn more about partnerships between two

organizations. I also wanted to apply what I have already learned from Kelley to this

project. The second reason I chose this topic is because I think BBYO and JSU can

actually move forward and implement a national partnership. I have seen success in

Chicago and I would love to see the partnership replicated in other cities. I think a

partnership like the one in Chicago can only help strengthen BBYO and JSU as well as

the Jewish community. This project is a culmination of what I learned in business

school, Hebrew college and a great opportunity in which I wanted to raise the awareness

about for BBYO that can directly affect the organization as a whole.

My capstone project will be a business proposal for BBYO to form a National

Partnership with the Jewish Student Union (JSU). I will identify the key elements that

will motivate BBYO to form a National partnership with JSU in order to further engage,

impact and educate the Jewish teen community based on the Chicago success model.

This proposal will be composed of three major components. The first part will

answer the question of “How a partnership between BBYO & JSU can help meet

BBYO’s mission of “More Jewish Teens, More Meaningful Jewish Experiences?” I will

take a deeper look into how this partnership will benefit both of the organizations from a

business and Judaic perspective, how the two missions align and how this partnership

will fit within the parameters that BBYO is a pluralistic organization and JSU is a “non-


denominational program.” Through data collection and teen interviews I will show how

JSU has benefited BBYO in Chicago and visa versa. I will also show how JSU is not

seen as a competitor in Chicago, but rather a gateway to BBYO. I will provide examples

of how a partnership between BBYO and JSU will fit directly into the BBYO’s strategic

plan and will help engage more teens in the BBYO program.

The second component will go into detail about how BBYO can utilize a

partnership with JSU to advance BBYO’s Judaic content and how BBYO can provide

leadership training for JSU teens. These two topics are very important to the field of

Jewish education because the two organizations have the opportunity to educate and

empower Jewish teens. The Jewish community is relying on these teens to help ensure

Jewish continuity through the Jewish education and leadership knowledge they develop

during their teen years and beyond. I will explore how the partnership on the local level

(in Chicago) is currently impacting Chicago Jewish teens (through Jewish education and

leadership). Furthermore, I will show how this partnership will add to BBYO’s strategic

plan. There will be a specific emphasis on how JSU can help meet BBYO’s Jewish

objectives by deepening the BBYO experience through the education JSU can provide for

BBYO members. Finally, I will propose other ideas on how the JSU staff can be

integrated into the BBYO program.

The final component of my capstone project will talk about how this proposal can

be executed at the International and Regional Levels. I will specifically focus on staffing

opportunities and suggestions on how to begin to implement this partnership through

pilot regions.

By the end of my capstone project I hope to have created a solid business

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proposal answering the question: Can BBYO replicate the Chicago BBYO-JSU model in

other cities and regions across the country.


Introduction/Background:Six years ago, BBYO and the Jewish Student Union (JSU) professional staff held a

meeting at the North American Alliance for Jewish Youth conference in Washington,

DC. The purpose of the meeting was to begin to build a relationship among staff at the

Regional level. There were conversations about how BBYO and JSU could potentially

work together in our own communities to help enhance one another’s programs. The

JSU professional from Chicago was not present at the conference, but ironically the

Chicago professionals from both BBYO and JSU formed relationship that continues to be

even stronger today. The successful BBYO and JSU partnership that has formed over the

past six years in Chicago is a great model for a potential national partnership. This

research will propose that BBYO and JSU form a national partnership and replicate the

Chicago model in pilot cities around the country.

Who is the Jewish Student Union (JSU)?“The Jewish Student Union is a national organization dedicated to establishing Jewish

clubs in public high schools.”1 JSU was founded with four clubs in Los Angeles in 2002.

It was created by NCSY and many of JSU’s volunteers are from NCSY, however JSU is

now it’s own organization. Though JSU is not a youth group, it strives to:

Enhance each teen’s Jewish identity Nurture a connection to the State of Israel Inspire an enduring relationship with the Jewish people Provide a portal for deeper involvement with the Jewish community

JSU is a national organization serving more than 220 clubs across North America,

reaching more than 9,000 teens annually. In most cases wherever there is an NCSY office

there is a JSU office (shared space). The Director of Operations is located in Chicago.

1 JSU. The Jewish Student Union. 2010; Available from: http://www.jsu.org/

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There are four communities where JSU stands on its own: South Florida, Denver,

Westchester and San Francisco. JSU recently received a large grant of $1.476 million

dollars from the Jim Joseph Foundation to help replicate the Chicago program in South

Florida, Westchester and San Francisco. The Rose Community foundation is funding the

Denver Community. An article titled “Serve them pizza and they will come” was

published on ejewishphiplanthropy.com, which talks about how the grant is based on the

JSU pilot program in Chicago where clubs went from 230 to over 750 students.2

All JSU clubs operates similarly regardless of the school they are in. The JSU staff is

trained to be inclusive, to work with other youth professionals from all denominations,

and to provide opportunities for diverse Jewish experiences. The clubs are student run in

Public High Schools and meet during non-instructional time. This includes the lunch

hour, and before or after school. JSU programs include speakers and presentations from a

variety of Jewish organizations, discussions on timely topics of interest to the participants

and interactive activities. Kosher pizza, falafel, holiday foods or other snacks are always

on hand in plenty. As far as it’s leadership goes, all of the clubs have a club president,

however there’s no leadership training. JSU heavily promotes the Jerusalem Journey

summer travel trip, a five-week Israel discovery program created by JSU’s partners at

NCSY. Other JSU programs include; A trip to New York over presidents day weekend,

dinner and learning opportunities during the week in various locations, a trip to local

Universities and the staff run a variety of non-Jewish summer camp programs.

Throughout my research, the question of whether a Jewish club in a public high school

is a violation of Separation of Church and State was brought up numerous times. On

JSU’s website it clearly has the following answer:

2 JSU. The Jewish Student Union. 2010; Available from: http://www.jsu.org/


“No. The Equal Access Act (“EAA”), adopted in 1984, requires that public schools treat all student- initiated groups equally. Specifically, if the school permits non-curriculum-related groups (such as the chess club or cooking club) to meet during non-instructional time, it must also permit other groups regardless of the religious, political or other orientation. Further, The Supreme Court reinforced this in its 2001 decision in “Good News v. Milford.” Consider a French club at your school. There French culture, history, holidays, cuisine, language and current events are discussed. Substitute Jewish culture for French and we have the JSU Club at your school.”

Furthermore, JSU is required to be open to all teens at the public high school. The

organization is not allowed to exclude anyone from club meetings because of the Equal

Access Act. This fact brings up an interesting argument about who is attending the JSU

clubs. JSU offers its club participant’s free pizza (or other food) during the club

meetings, which draws in some non-Jewish teens. I don’t think this is a bad thing as the

Jewish teens in the club interact with non-Jewish teens all day long in their classes and

it’s great if non-Jewish teens actually want to learn more about Judaism and Israel.

However, I do question how this affects the organization’s mission and goals, specifically

if the teens are going to JSU clubs to get the opportunity to interact with other Jewish

teens. I can imagine this is a difficult challenge to address within the organization and

for JSU funders especially because they are dealing with public school rules.

Chicago as Partnership prototypeSince the partnership formed in 2006, BBYO and JSU have continued to work together

on a variety of Jewish teen programs and opportunities in Chicago. The BBYO

professional staff makes visits to the JSU clubs at local high schools. JSU staff, one in

particular joins BBYO at a variety of Regional Conventions and programs. This year,

BBYO and JSU are bringing a delegation of teens to the AIPAC Policy Conference in

May working on J-serve together and creating a March of the Living trip for 2012. In the

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past we ran a program during the summer called “Club Summer,” and are currently in

conversation about potentially bringing this back. I interviewed Hallie Shapiro, a

colleague in the Chicago Jewish teen community who works closely with BBYO and

JSU to ask her from her perspective on what works or does not work about the BBYO-

JSU relationship. Her response was:

From my perspective, the relationship between BBYO and JSU is strong in Chicago. I'm not sure how much of the success in Chicago is attributable to the organizations themselves, vs. the strengths of the local staff. We are lucky to have amazing staff for both BBYO and JSU here in Chicago, along with a community structure that promotes the building of relationships between organizations. I think the youth professionals in Chicago have worked hard to develop strong relationships with each other that have made collaboration possible where it would prove more challenging to implement in other communities.

Hallie brought up an important point in saying she isn’t sure how much of the BBYO and

JSU success is unique to Chicago because of the local staff rather than the actual

organizations. Jewish youth professionals in Chicago in general have a strong working

relationship with one another. We all meet on a monthly basis and have formed our

Kehillah – community, amongst ourselves. We don’t see one another as competitors, but

rather as organizations that may collaborate on a variety of programs and projects with

one another. As a group we have applied for grant money together, planned citywide

Jewish teen events and hold annual Chicago informal Jewish educator conferences. I can

confidently say that many of the youth professionals have built relationships beyond our

work; we have formed personal friendship and relationships. This brings up the

important question of whether or not other Jewish teen communities have professionals

that have built similar relationships or do they still view one another’s organizations as

competition? If the answer is the latter, is there a way for those communities to break


down the competition and realize that working together will benefit all organizations and

more importantly the Jewish community? The biggest key to the BBYO and JSU

partnership working in Chicago is because the professional staff of both organizations has

built strong relationships from the beginning and has maintained those relationships

throughout the years. One JSU professional along with myself have each been with our

respective organizations from the beginning of the partnership. This consistency has

helped the relationship stay strong and has played an important role in affecting our

teens. BBYO members in Chicago know that BBYO and JSU have a good relationship

mainly because of the staff.

Current Situation NationallyNationally, BBYO and JSU have had some opportunities to work on various projects

together. This year, BBYO and JSU teamed up for J-serve. Many JSU advisors applied

for J-serve grants so that they can implement J-serve projects within their clubs. BBYO

held a conference call with JSU Advisors where 8-10 of them called in to hear about this

new partnership. According to Ayelet Oser, Program Associate for the Panim Institute

for BBYO: “BBYO is now expecting about 10-12 projects in various places which is

many more than we thought we would get in the first year of offering the grant so at this

point I would say that the partnership has worked very well. “

J-serve is a great example for BBYO and JSU to collaborate nationally. It is simply a

great fit and opportunity for each organization.

How this partnership can help meet BBYO’s mission: “More Jewish Teens, More Meaningful Jewish Experiences.”

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A mission statement is defined as the core purpose of the organization and states why the

organization exists.3 The mission is the heart and blood of the organization. Everything

that an organization does is working towards its mission. BBYO’s mission is: “More

Jewish Teens More Meaningful Jewish Experiences.” All of the programs and initiatives

that are rolled out an implemented are to help engage more teens in strong and

meaningful Jewish experiences. What I like about the word “meaningful” is that it can

mean a variety of things. A “meaningful” experience can range from an intense Jewish

learning session at a chapter program to a dance at a regional convention where the teens

have the chance to interact socially with other Jewish teens. There is room for

interpretation in BBYO’s mission. JSU’s mission is:

JSU (The Jewish Student Union) seeks to enhance teens’ Jewish identity, nurture a connection to the State of Israel, inspire an enduring relationship with the Jewish people and provide for a deeper involvement with the Jewish community, including serving as a portal to facilitate life-long involvement in Jewish inspired expression and organizations. JSU is a non-denominational program, open to all Jewish teens irrespective of background or affiliation

This mission statement has four focuses, but also states the type of religious affiliate it is.

The part of the JSU mission that stands out to me in regards to the proposed partnership

is “provide for a deeper involvement with the Jewish community, including serving as a

portal to facilitate life-long involvement in Jewish inspired expression and

organizations.” JSU is clearly stating it is a portal for other Jewish organizations. When

thinking about the potential partnership this initiative plays an enormous role in

measuring the success. The biggest and probably most important similarity in the BBYO

and JSU mission statements are the following two phrases: “More Jewish Teens” and

3 Levy, J., Philanthropic Sustainability, J. Associates, Editor. 2008.


“open to all Jewish teens.” Those two phrases alone show how BBYO and JSU have the

potential to successfully work together as they are each reaching out to the same

audience, all Jewish teens. BBYO is a pluralistic organization and JSU is non-

denomination. Both organizations accept Jewish teens from all different backgrounds.

Rabbi Donny Schwartz from JSU says: “This is what makes the partnership so simple

and so obvious. We are on the same page about acceptance of teens and how we run our

organizations.” There is a perception that JSU is still a part of NCSY because NCSY

gave birth to JSU. Many of JSU’s volunteers are also associated with NCSY, however in

a recent interview with Brad Sugar, he made it very clear that he doesn’t care what the

person he is interviewing for a JSU position looks like nor what they wear. There are

people who come from all parts of the spectrum of Judaism that can engage with teens.

Benefits for BBYO and JSU to form a Partnership Throughout past few years the US economy was on the downswing and many

organizations, both Jewish and secular have merged or formed partnerships. For

example, BBYO acquired the Panim Institute. While the economy may be shifting to an

upswing, today’s funders are suggesting to their grantees to form partnerships as a way to

become more efficient.4 According to Brad Sugar, the Director of Operations for JSU,

71% of Jewish teens in the USA are in public school. This opens a huge door for

BBYO’s recruitment efforts and JSU can be seen as a “gateway” for BBYO. Based on

the Rose Community Foundation study;

Researchers recommend that a good strategy to get teens involved in a youth organization is to develop a program with short-term or limited time commitments as a gateway to hook youth in and get them connected so that from

4 Rooks, K. Nonprofit Collaborative Partnerships. 1996; Available from: http://www.fundsraiser.com/apr09/nonprofit-collaborative-partnerships.html

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that place they will be more likely to make the long term commitments that have been shown to be an important ingredient in successful programming.5

JSU is just that, teens can come to a club as often as they want for as long as they want

and not have to worry about committing to such a long time commitment. The hope of

JSU is that once those teens do get hooked, they will eventually want to make a long term

commitment to a program such as BBYO or another organization in the Jewish

community.

Benefits for BBYOAfter conducting a series of interviews between BBYO and JSU professional staff it is

obvious that there are clear benefits for both BBYO and JSU. There are seven benefits

for BBYO that I will address. 1) The partnership allows access to infinitely more Jewish

teens in the public school. As I previously stated, the first half of BBYO’s mission is

“More Jewish Teens.” BBYO works hard to engage as many Jewish teens in its program

as possible. BBYO cannot get into the public schools without going through JSU. This

reason alone should pursue BBYO to move forward with the partnership as it directly

affects the mission. 2) JSU professionals are staffing resources. JSU staff can go to

BBYO conventions and programs and offer BBYO teens Rabbinic sessions. This will

help strengthen and enhance the Judaic education in BBYO. The additional staffing also

provides additional supervision at the programs. 3) BBYO can hire JSU professionals for

summer experiences. One of BBYO’s challenges every year is to find the right people to

act as its domestic summer experience Judaic educators and staff. This partnership will

open up doors to new Jewish professionals that BBYO may not have had access to or

5 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation: page 27


been able to recruit without the partnership. 4) BBYO teens can get content ideas from

the clubs.6 When BBYO members attend their JSU club meetings and programs they are

exposed to Jewish learning sessions and content they may not otherwise be engaged in.

BBYO members can use this content to plan new programs for their chapters. 5) JSU

helps reach out to new/additional students who previously were unaware of the

programming opportunities that BBYO provides in the community. 7 There are

numerous of teens in public schools that have never heard of BBYO or are unaware of

the type of programs the organization has to offer. Since JSU is in many of the public

schools it may help educate the students about organizations such as BBYO. Based on

my interaction with JSU professionals, they are also happy to promote BBYO programs

to their students and advertise for the organization. 6) Builds community relationships

such as schools, districts and parents.8 Along the lines of having “more access,” JSU can

help BBYO form other relationships in the community such as the schools themselves. I

know this would benefit BBYO in Chicago in particular because we have looked into

utilizing school facilities for some of our past events. Having the relationship with the

school would have been easier in planning those events. 7) JSU Rabbis and educators

can help train BBYO’s volunteer advisors by infusing Judaic content. BBYO’s has over

650 volunteer advisors across the country. Be places a strong emphasis on the advisors

that they should be encouraging their teens to infuse more Jewish content into chapter

programming. I believe if the advisors themselves had more Judaic training, then it

would be much easier for them to work with their chapter members on Jewish

programming. These seven benefits are just the beginning to what can be a great

6 Sugar, B., Director of Operations, JSU. 2011: Chicago.7 Gutnik, A., Director, JSU Chicago. 2011: Chicago.8 Kozberg, B., Program Director, Great Midwest Region BBYO. 2011: Chicago.

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partnership between BBYO and JSU. It is evident that JSU opens many doors and

provides access for BBYO in many new ways.

BBYO just went through the process of creating and implementing a new

Strategic Plan. BBYO will benefit greatly from this partnership because it directly aligns

with the new Strategic Plan. More specifically, a partnership between BBYO and JSU

will help meet BBYO’s strategic priorities number 1: “Ensure continuity of the Jewish

Experience from adolescence into adulthood by impacting 70,000 Jewish teens by 2016

through an array of fun, meaningful and affordable experiences,” and number 4:

“Elevate the field of Jewish teen work through relationships that create synergies, expand

access, and enhance quality.” BBYO and JSU in Chicago have had the opportunity to

work together to “ensure continuity of the Jewish experience.” Locally, the two

organizations have provided teens with affordable experiences that provide meaning and

fun. If BBYO is going to make this the number one priority then it may be in BBYO’s

best interest to take the Chicago model and replicate the local “meaningful and affordable

experiences” elsewhere. Furthermore, the partnership is a direct example of strategic

priority number four. As I mentioned in the seven benefits above, BBYO would be

creating a synergy with JSU that will in time, expand access to teens, staff and Jewish

content, as well as help enhance the quality of the overall program. This will also help

enhance the Key Tactics of “Program and Growth” and “Operational Excellence” (see

Appendix A). BBYO’s priority is to impact 70,000 teens. JSU reaches about 9,000 teens

annually and continues to grow each year. BBYO also wants to deepen its Jewish

content by hiring Senior Judaic Educators or Rabbis. Many of the JSU staff are Jewish

Educators or Rabbis. In addition this relationship can “provide a synergy that will expand


access and be cost beneficial for both organizations”9 (for example: AIPAC Policy

Conference, College Road Trip, etc).

Benefit for JSUJSU will also benefit from this partnership. There are eight benefits that I will address.

1) BBYO can provide JSU teens with leadership training opportunities, specifically

focusing on club leaders. The JSU club teen leaders do not receive any leadership

training before they take on leadership roles within the club. This is a huge opportunity

for JSU to take advantage of the strong leadership programs that BBYO provides for its

teens, as leadership training it one of the organizations strongest features. BBYO thrives

on the leadership skills and training that it provides for its teens. JSU clubs could benefit

greatly by having BBYO train its leaders. 2) BBYO teens can bring non-active JSU teens

to the clubs and encourage them to get involved in JSU.10 BBYO teens are scattered

throughout numerous of public schools and have friends that are not affiliated with JSU.

This gives JSU access to more Jewish teens within each high school. 3) This partnership

will strengthen JSU by increasing the number of students who currently participate in

clubs. Similarly to BBYO having access to more teens through JSU, JSU will have

access to more teens through BBYO. Not all BBYO members are active at JSU clubs.

There is a big opportunity for JSU staff to work with BBYO members on recruiting new

participants for the clubs. 4) Teen leaders from BBYO might emerge as student leaders

within JSU, therein strengthening the JSU program.11 Because BBYO provides its teens

with strong leadership training and encourages its teens to use the skills to help shape the

Jewish community, JSU has potential to be one of the organizations the teens decide to

9 Robbin, A., Program Associate, Great Midwest Region BBYO. 2011: Chicago.10 Sugar, B., Director of Operations, JSU. 2011: Chicago.11 Gutnik, A., Director, JSU Chicago. 2011: Chicago.

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help strengthen. 5) Access to provide JSU teens with more travel programs.12 BBYO’s

Passport 2 the World (P2W) travel program provides all Jewish teens with world travel

opportunities. Through the vast array of programs, JSU participants may find P2W to be

the perfect Jewish travel fit. 6) Access to more staff resources. BBYO staff can act as

“substitutes” at club meetings. If a JSU professional cannot make a meeting or needs

additional staff to help run the club. BBYO professionals can also come into the clubs

and run and creative programs for the club participants. 7) Access to facility use such as

the JCC that BBYO currently resides at.13 BBYO has access to many Jewish facilities

and has formed partnerships with vendors that JSU could have access to. 8) It will allow

for ongoing programming and a deeper, broader menu of program options for JSU

participants.14 BBYO provides Jewish teens with a huge variety of programs from AZA

and BBG, leadership programs, travel opportunities to the Panim Institute seminars. JSU

participants would have access to all BBYO programs.

When I interviewed the JSU staff about what they think the benefits of this partnership

for JSU would be, Rabbi Donny Schwartz said something that really stayed with me: “It

is so important for the new JSU students to see how exciting being part of a youth group

can be. When they see this even if they don’t end up joining BBYO they see the value of

being connected to something Jewish and the connections one makes when connected to

a Jewish youth group, which is JSU’s mission.”

BBYO can utilize this partnership with JSU to deepen its Jewish Content in BBYO programs (and why that’s important)?

12 Kozberg, B., Program Director, Great Midwest Region BBYO. 2011: Chicago.13 Robbin, A., Program Associate, Great Midwest Region BBYO. 2011: Chicago.14 Kessel, D., Chief Program Officer, BBYO Inc. 2011: Washington, DC.


Teen participation rates in both formal and informal Jewish programming have been

declining over the years.15 The Rose Community Foundation recently did a study on

“Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities,” with the

goal to identify and evaluate a Jewish teen’s involvement in Jewish and non-Jewish out

of school activities. 16

In this study, the researchers found a decline in participation in formal Jewish

education from a 60% participation rate in seventh grade to only 22% by 12th grade.

However, the Jewish youth group participation remains at a constant rate in both middle

school and high school. These statistics are very important to the field of informal Jewish

education. This data shows how vital informal Jewish education is and why

organizations such as BBYO and JSU must provide not just a Jewish experience, but also

one with great depth and meaning.

Key challenge addressed by the Rose Community FoundationThe Rose Community Foundation researchers asked Jewish teens to identify those things

that made it difficult for them to participate in Jewish activities. Here’s what they found:

65% of teens ages 14-16; 49% of teens ages 17-19 cited “homework and other school activities.”

20% of teens ages 14-16; 10% of teens ages 17-19 stated Transportation problems or the location being to far

20% of both age groups states program coast are too high 38% of teens ages 14-16; 29% of teens ages 17-19 stated a fear of not knowing

anyone 22% of teens ages 14-16; 28% of teens ages 17-19 year olds stated a lack of

knowledge of the programs existence.17

15 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 8.16 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 8.17 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 21.

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Implications of findings: BBYO and JSU in partnership may address these challenges with the following

responses: JSU is a “school activity,” JSU clubs are located in the schools so

transportation and location should not be an issue. BBYO can meet the teens at school

through the JSU clubs. JSU club activities have no cost. Once a BBYO professional is

in a club, he or she can talk about scholarship opportunities available for BBYO

programs. Since the JSU clubs happen at a teen’s school, the chances of the teen

knowing people are much higher and the teen can attend the club with a schoolmate. JSU

clubs address the issue of teens lacking the knowledge that BBYO exists, since it is

promoted at the JSU clubs.

The impact on Jewish teens todayJewish studies show there is a need for more significant collaborative and ongoing

partnerships between a wide variety of Jewish teen agencies in order to help broaden and

deepen Jewish teens communal life and experiences.18 A partnership between BBYO and

JSU will help expand the menu of dynamic programming opportunities available for

Jewish teens. It will also expand the teens Jewish networks and provide them with a

diverse look at Jewish Pluralism. According to Brad Sugar, Director of Operations for

JSU:

Anytime there’s a BBYO teen involved in a JSU atmosphere it will expose them to a direct Jewish issue, broaden their scope of Jewish knowledge and topics. It will also allow them more access to someone whose sole responsibility is as a Jewish educator. JSU can also provide a forum for BBYO teens to exercise leadership skills where they can become presidents, and use the club as a testing ground for programs they want to lead and discussions they want have.

Sugar also stated that there are a lot of JSU teens who do not come from unaffiliated

18 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 31.


homes, therefore this exposure to BBYO broadens their scope of knowledge. This will

help them see that there are many ways to be a Jewish teen and they are all acceptable.

JSU is staffed by a dynamic team of informal Jewish educators who come from a

variety of Jewish backgrounds providing teens with a variety of perspectives on Jewish

topics. JSU advisors are continually presented with professional development

opportunities to continue their personal Jewish education and positively impact the

sessions they are responsible for leading. According to the Rose Community Foundation

research, “Jewish teens long for meaningful connections with adults in the Jewish

community. It is clear that parents play an important role in influencing decisions of their

teens, but Jewish teens also long for significant relationship with other adults in the

community.” This study also shows that 28% of Jewish teens indicated that they

actually have an adult in their lives who they can turn to for support, advice or help. Of

that group 92% of the teens reported that they enjoy having an adult (other than family

members) to talk with. Of the 72% of Jewish teens who do not have an adult to talk with,

100% stated that they in fact would like to have one.19 “Too often, adults maintain a

distance with teens, and teens are savvy enough to identify this quickly and shut down.

This dynamic speaks to the need for highly trained youth leaders who have the maturity

and wisdom to effectively manage the balance between leading a group and developing

authentic and meaningful relations with the teens at the same time.”20

An analysis conducted by the Harvard Family Research Project found three critical

factors to creating positive settings that lead to positive youth outcomes: 1) Access to and

19 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 19.20 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 19.

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sustained participation in the program. 2) Quality programming and staffing. 3)

Promoting strong partnerships among the program and other places where students are

learning, such as their schools, families and other community institutions. Furthermore,

the study also found that a staff member with “more advanced educational credentials” is

correlated with higher rates of youth retention within an organization.21 Therefore, by

hiring a JSU professional who is a Rabbi or has a formal Jewish educational background

will not only enhance a Jewish teen’s experience (in BBYO), but will also retain the teen

in the program. The skilled informal adult Jewish educator shapes a community that

exemplifies the Jewish value of “Kehilla” (community).22

In a recent survey sent to current Great Midwest Region (Chicago) BBYO

members, the following data was collected:

Chart #1:

21 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 25.22 Chazan, B., The Philosophy of Informal Jewish Education. Seminar in Informal Jewish Education course pack. P. 47.


Key Findings from the Data Presented:

Chart #1 shows that out of all of the teens surveyed, 30% of them are involved in

both BBYO and JSU. I believe this is a good indication of the overlap of teens in

Chicago who are involved in both BBYO and JSU. This proves that there is a

relationship in Chicago amongst the two organizations.

Chart #2:

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The second chart clearly identifies that 50% of the teens went to a BBYO

program because the professional encouraged him/her to do so at a JSU club

meeting/program. This club/program gave the BBYO professional time to interact with

his/her own teens.


Chart #3:

The third chart shows that 30% of the teens joined JSU because a BBYO

professional or teen encouraged him/her to. While 30% is not an extremely high number,

it still benefited JSU by getting more Jewish teens involved in their program. As the

relationship continues to evolve, the hope is that this percentage will increase.

Chart #4:

24


The fourth chart shows how many of the BBYO members who are leaders in JSU

have been able to apply the leadership skills that they learned in BBYO to JSU. Of the

36% who are JSU club leaders, almost 50% of those teens are utilizing the leadership

skills they received in BBYO to help make JSU a stronger club.

Chart #’s 5 & 6:


The fifth and sixth charts are based on staffing questions. They each show that

BBYO members have a strong connection and relationship to Rabbi Donny, a JSU staff

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member. About 70% of the teens surveyed have attended one of Rabbi Donny’s sessions

at a BBYO convention. 80% of the teens admitted they would be “likely” or “very

likely” to attend a session lead by Rabbi Donny at a future convention. These numbers

say a lot about Rabbi Donny, the JSU professional. The BBYO and JSU partnership in

Chicago began with Rabbi Donny and myself six years ago. He’s what BBYO would

call a “teen magnet.” The teens literally flock to him and his sessions. At BBYO

conventions we have had to “shut the door” to some of his Shabbat electives because the

sessions fill up quickly. He offers wonderful Jewish learning sessions that truly engages

all teens and staff. However, this does pose a challenge to the potential national

partnership. Is Rabbi Donny a big part of the key to the success? I believe that he is

because we have built a great relationships and made it a priority to work together. Our

personalities mesh well and we are always looking to do what’s best for the teens. If this

is the case, are there other JSU professional staff throughout the country that are like

Rabbi Donny, or is this a unique situation to Chicago? Can we replicate this partnership

in other areas? This is something BBYO and JSU will need to take into consideration

before execution.

Execution both Internationally and Regionally

There are clearly a lot of thoughts and details that go into implementing any partnership.

For BBYO and JSU it’s important to understand the mission of each organization and

how that will play into the formation of a partnership. I think that United Way’s


Collaboration Learning Project pinpoints the four most important characteristics in order

to pursue a successful partnership:23

1. Committed Leadership. You have to have commitment at both the executive and the staff levels of both organizations2. Unambiguous Goals. A clear and precise set of realistic and attainable goals is necessary for success in this venture we speak of.3. Clearly Defined Roles. The partnership has a specific plan on how best to use the strengths of both organizations to strive towards a set of attainable goals. 4. Sustainability in the Midst of Change. There must be plans and effort made that creates a collaborative that is not inspired by one staff person but by teams of people.24

Right People on BoardGetting the right people on board is key in order for this partnership to be successful

according to Jim Collin’s book “Good to Great.”25 Besides BBYO and JSU’s

Management teams and field professionals, the organizations must gain approval from

each of their Board of Directors. According to boardsource.org “Two recent studies

have shown that most nonprofit partnerships go off without a hitch if the board is actively

involved in the planning and maintenance of the partnership.”26 These studies talk about

several key components to a successful partnership including:

Board and CEO leadership that believes strongly in the partnership and acts to strengthen it.

The boards approve clearly stated outcomes, roles, responsibilities, and resource allocations.

Multiple forms of communication, that keeps all stakeholders in the loop. An arrangement for canceling the agreement if the partnership is clearly not

working. Early evidence of success that is shared among both organizations to assure

everyone that the collaboration is on the right track

23 Rooks, K. Nonprofit Collaborative Partnerships. 1996; Available from: http://www.fundsraiser.com/apr09/nonprofit-collaborative-partnerships.html24 Rooks, K. Nonprofit Collaborative Partnerships. 1996; Available from: http://www.fundsraiser.com/apr09/nonprofit-collaborative-partnerships.html25 Collins, J., Good to Great. 2001, New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.26 BoardSource. Making Nonprofit Partnerships Effective. 2007; Available from: http://www.boardsource.org/Spotlight.asp?ID=116.375.

28


From a business perspective, these components are crucial in order for the BBYO-JSU

partnership to be successful.

Implement Project Managers 27 It is crucial that BBYO and JSU each provide a project manager to help ensure a smooth

and appropriate partnership. I recommend that each organization chose a professional

who understands the needs of each organization as well as the potential for a successful

partnership. Once the project managers are in place, BBYO and JSU may begin the

formal partnership process. I suggest that the organizations set up a meeting with the

project managers and key professionals from each organization such as: BBYO’s Chief

Program Department officer, Chief Field Officer, Human Resources Director and JSU’s

Director of operations. From there, the organizations can set goals for the partnership, a

measuring system and set up a timeline.

Identify Pilot RegionsIdentifying the right pilot region is essential. BBYO and JSU must take into

consideration the following items when it comes to choosing a pilot program:

1. BBYO and JSU already have an established relationship. Is it worth piloting a formal partnership in a city where there is already some type of relationship? This could be anything from the teens knowing about each other’s programs, to the staff attending one other’s programs once in a while (such as St. Louis, South Florida, Cleveland and Kansas City).

2. Staffing Situation: Where are BBYO and JSU staff both located? What are the staff personalities in specific communities and will they mesh well together? What are the dynamics among Jewish youth professionals in various cities? Do they work well together or is there a lot of rivalry among youth organizations?

27 Sugar, B., Director of Operations, JSU. 2011: Chicago.


3. What is the Jewish population like? Is it an outlying region or a densely populated area?

4. Community Needs: Are there Jewish communities that are in need for Jewish teen programs - they do not have BBYO or JSU (for example, Westchester just started up both BBYO and JSU over the past few months).

5. What are the school districts rules? According to Brad Sugar, JSU Director of operations: “Public schools have different rules depending on districts, states, etc. So whereas the equal access act states that the clubs essentially must always be ‘student run’ or that ‘people from the outside community may not regularly attend meetings,’ this is something a school can elect to abide by or not.”

6. Resources: Is there enough financial resources available to fund a partnership in a specific community? Is there an opportunity to share space (offices) and other resources?

Based on my research I recommend that BBYO and JSU choose at least one community

in less dense Jewish populated areas to pilot this partnership.

According to BBYO’s “The Jewish Community’s Guide to Understand Teens:”

20% of Jewish teens are or have participated in a Jewish youth group About 23% of students in areas of high Jewish population participate in youth

groups 60% of teens in small Jewish communities participate Teens living in dense Jewish populated areas are less likely to participate in a

youth group because they are surrounded by Jewish teens and Jewish life on a daily basis

Teens in less dense Jewish areas need to try harder to seek out Jewish opportunities and friendship

Furthermore, Data, based on the Rose Community Foundation study found that regions of

the country with medium and low Jewish population densities have significantly higher

rates of youth group participation (61-39% for medium density cites and 44-60% for low

density cities. 28

28 Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 14.

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Eric Adelman, the BBYO Executive Director of Michigan Region volunteered

Michigan to be a pilot region. While Michigan BBYO is one of BBYO’s largest regions

nationally, Eric says the region still has a hard time reaching out to teens in the outlying

areas of Michigan (such as Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids) where the Jewish

population is less dense. Eric thinks that piloting JSU in an outlying area is a great idea

and is open to working with JSU to help move the process along and get into the public

schools.

I also recommend that the organizations choose a community where the dynamics

between youth organizations are positive. Hallie Shapiro, Chicago’s Director of Israel

Experience and Youth Initiatives says:

One of the best things about both these groups in Chicago is that the professionals don't see a need to protect their turf, so to speak. I am not sure how that works in other communities. I think collaboration is always a good thing, so wherever possible, pursuing partnerships can only strengthen youth programming.

A community where the professional staff from all Jewish youth organizations don’t have

a good working relationship is not the ideal location for a pilot partnership and is

something the project managers need to take into consideration.

Finally, I recommend the communities that JSU is currently in the process of

expanding in and where the dollar resources have been allocated: South Florida, Denver,

Westchester and San Francisco. BBYO has already established communication in

Westchester and even had a conversation about potentially sharing office space.

According to Brad Sugar, “BBYO and JSU already have a positive relationship in these

cities so we would not need to worry about potential criticism or stigma from an NCSY


relationship in other areas that do not receive expansion funding.”29

Orient the staff about each organization Once the pilot regions are chosen, BBYO and JSU should bring all of the staff together

for a formal orientation about each other’s organizations. During the orientation the

Project Managers will cover the goals, logistics and programmatic aspect of the

partnership. I recommend that the pilot regions begin with the following two items to

implement in year one:

BBYO staff attend JSU clubs on a regular basis (will need to define regular basis)

JSU staff attend BBYO programs/conventions on a regular basis (will need to define regular basis)

Nationally, BBYO & JSU may look into the following options:

BBYO Hire JSU staff as summer experience Jewish Educators JSU works with BBYO to create a leadership curriculum for JSU club

leaders Continue to implement J-serve in targeted communities

Building relationships within each pilot communityThe BBYO and JSU professional should begin to build a relationship with in their own

communities. This may happen through both formal and informal meetings. They

should learn about one another’s local programs, share calendars, give an overview of

specific programs and a geographic layout of each others regions/clubs.

They may also begin to figure out what teens overlap within each other’s programs.

Create a Curriculum Within the pilot regions BBYO and JSU staff should set local goals on how they can each

be successful through this partnership. The BBYO professionals should work together

with JSU professionals to come up with a curriculum that may be implemented at BBYO

29 Sugar, B., Director of Operations, JSU. 2011: Chicago.

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Conventions and JSU clubs. I recommend the professional staff include teen leaders in

this process. For example, in Chicago, when I, the BBYO professional is working on a

convention, I provide the BBYO teen coordinators with 4-5 topics that our JSU

professional can lead a session on.

Summer ExperiencesJSU staff are highly educated professionals who have a lot to offer all Jewish teens. I

recommend bringing at least one JSU professional to BBYO’s Kallah summer

experience. I chose Kallah because it is the “Jewish identity building” program where

BBYO has the opportunity to bring in outside Jewish Educators and Rabbis.

Measure the ResultsAfter year one, BBYO and JSU will work together to measure the results of the

partnership. I recommend the results be measured on the following components:

Teen overlap among organizations Tracking teens – how many go to each organization’s program Number of visits from BBYO staff to JSU Clubs Number of visits from JSU staff to BBYO programs/conventions

Six years ago, BBYO and JSU professionals in Chicago formed a relationship that

has blossomed into a meaningful and exciting partnership. This relationship has directly

affected and impacted teens in the Chicago Jewish community. There is a huge

opportunity for synergies between BBYO and JSU to replicate this partnership across the

country. Together BBYO and JSU at their fullest potentials can reach out to thousands of

Jewish teen and help shape the future of the Jewish community.


Appendix A

BBYO Strategic Plan

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

1. Ensure continuity of the Jewish experience from adolescence into adulthood by impacting 70,000 Jewish teens by 2016 through an array of fun, meaningful and affordable experiences. - FOCUS

2. Create a community of leaders who are capable of and committed to strengthening the Jewish people, Israel and the world around them.

3. Impact the attitudes and behaviors of Jewish teens by offering compelling programs and experiences in the areas of leadership, service and civic engagement, Israel education and Jewish self-exploration.

4. Elevate the field of Jewish teen work through relationships that create synergies, expand access, and enhance quality. - FOCUS

5. Diversify and expand revenue streams to strengthen BBYO’s capacity and capabilities.

KEY TACTICS

PROGRAM and GROWTH1. Launch and brand a values-based curriculum, aligned with a new educational design framework, that offers powerful Judaic and leadership experiences delivered through a broad menu of fun, interconnected experiences. SP 1 & 42. Place dynamic highly trained senior experiential educators in each hub to work with teens, advisors, and professionals on delivering high quality programs in a Jewish context. SP 1 & 43. Selectively establish strategic partnerships and alliances around key program areas, initially including service, Israel and global experiences. SP 44. Strengthen BBYO entry and transition points. SP 1

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE5. Establish a metrics-based performance management system focused on participant, community, donor, professional and advisor impact. SP 36. Develop broad-based fundraising, fee for service opportunities and, potentially, mergers and acquisitions of other organizations that strengthen BBYO’s capabilities. SP 47. Build BBYO as the organization’s master brand while developing and repositioning sub-brands accordingly. SP 4

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Appendix B

BBYO & JSU Staff Interview Questions

How can this partnership help meet BBYO’s mission of “More Jewish Teens, More Meaningful Jewish Experiences?”

How will this partnership benefit BBYO? How will this partnership benefit JSU? How do the two organization’s missions align? How can this partnership fit within the parameters that BBYO is a pluralistic

organization and JSU is a “non-denominational program?

How can BBYO utilize this partnership to deepen its Jewish Content in BBYO programs?

How can this partnership impact Jewish teens today? How is this partnership currently impacting Chicago Jewish teens? How will the depth add to BBYO’s strategic plan?

How will this be executed on the International and Regional Levels? Will it be piloted in a variety of Regions? How will staff crossover between the two organizations work (financially)? How can this create new Summer Experiences? How can we track teens who are engaged in both BBYO & JSU?


Appendix C

Brad Sugar Second Interview –Follow Up Questions

Do you think JSU will plan to expand into the middle schools? If BBYO wanted to work with JSU to implement a JSU program in a specific city,

what would be the process, would this work? How can BBYO help start a club if there’s no staff? If you could recommend 3-4 cities to pilot this partnership, which cities would

they be and why? Can you explain to me how the Jim Joseph Grant worked specifically for

Westchester, Denver, South FL and San Francisco? Does it cover the staffing costs and facilities? Are those good cities to pilot the partnership in because of the grant?

For Westchester specifically, how many clubs are there? Do you know what the community is like?

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Appendix D

Ayelet Oser Interview

What initiative actually took place? (please describe how we partnered with JSU Nationally)

Where was a J-serve program implemented? What BBYO Regions? What worked well with JSU/BBYO J-serve partnership? Is partnering with JSU for J-serve something you can see BBYO continuing to

do? Why/why not? Any other thoughts about a BBYO - JSU partnership?


Appendix E

Hallie Shapiro Interview

From your perspective how do you view the relationship between BBYO & JSU in Chicago? What works/doesn't work about the relationship?

If you think the 2 organizations have a strong relationship, do you think something similar should be piloted in other cities around the country? If so, why? (If you don't think the organizations have a strong relationship you don't need to answer this question).

What impact have BBYO & JSU made on the Chicago Jewish Teen Community (together & separately)?

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Evaluation

After many months of conducting interviews and gathering research, I believe I

have been able to put together a solid business proposal as to why an how BBYO and

JSU can form a national partnership. Based on the data that I have collected there is

evidence that a partnership between BBYO and JSU has a lot of potential, but there will

also be challenges along the way. After reviewing my interviews with BBYO, JSU and

Chicago Jewish community professionals all of the staff had positive feedback about this

idea and encouraged me to continue the conversation. The teen survey results also

showed that moving forward with a partnership could lead to many possibilities for both

BBYO and JSU.

My capstone project answered the three big questions that I asked: 1) How a

partnership between BBYO & JSU can help meet BBYO’s mission of “More Jewish

Teens, More Meaningful Jewish Experiences, 2) How can BBYO utilize a partnership

with JSU to advance BBYO’s Judaic content and how can BBYO provide leadership

training for JSU teen, and 3) How can this proposal be executed at the International and

Regional Levels? While I provided research and content on how these questions may be

addressed, there are still some questions that are unanswered that need more time and

research. The biggest question that needs follow up is: How much of the success in

Chicago is attributable to the organizations themselves, vs. the strengths of the local

staff? This relates to the section where I talk about Rabbi Donny and my professional

relationship that started six years ago.


I have a good relationship with Brad Sugar, the Director of Operations for JSU.

Looking back at the research I gathered, I think I could have asked him more questions

about the JSU staff around the country. For example; how many Rabbi Donny’s are out

there? Do you think the personalities of the JSU staff would mesh well with those of

BBYO (based on what you know)? If I had answers to those questions then maybe I

would have a better idea of how much the success in Chicago really is related to the

professional’s relationships.

I feel that I have found a unique opportunity that can potentially enhance the field

of Jewish education. There are so many studies and surveys about Jewish teens and their

relationship to Judaism. Every Jewish teen organization is working towards the same

goal; ensuring Jewish continuity continues. The success that I have found in Chicago

from the BBYO-JSU partnership is something I hope other organizations can model.

There are many Jewish organizations today that are struggling to meet their mission and

provide the right programs and opportunities for their targeted prospects. If Jewish

organizations that find other Jewish organizations with similar models and structure, they

too may find success by synergizing and forming a strategic partnership.

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References

Adelman, E., Executive Director, Michigan Region BBYO. 2011: Michigan.

BBYO, The Jewish Community's Guide to Understanding Teens. 2005, BBYO:

Washington, DC. p. 16.

BoardSource. Making Nonprofit Partnerships Effective. 2007; Available from:

http://www.boardsource.org/Spotlight.asp?ID=116.375.

Chazan, B., The Philosophy of Informal Jewish Education. Seminar in Informal Jewish

Education course pack.

Collins, J., Good to Great. 2001, New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Gutnik, A., Director, JSU Chicago. 2011: Chicago.

JSU. The Jewish Student Union. 2010; Available from: http://www.jsu.org/

Kessel, D., Chief Program Officer, BBYO Inc. 2011: Washington, DC.

Kozberg, B., Program Director, Great Midwest Region BBYO. 2011: Chicago.

Levy, J., Philanthropic Sustainability, J. Associates, Editor. 2008.

Oser, A., Program Associate, The Panim Institute for BBYO. 2011: Washington, DC.

Philanthropy, e. Serve Them Pizza and They Will Come. In the Media 2010; Available

from: http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/serve-them-pizza-and-they-will-come/

Robbin, A., Program Associate, Great Midwest Region BBYO. 2011: Chicago.

Rooks, K. Nonprofit Collaborative Partnerships. 1996; Available from:

http://www.fundsraiser.com/apr09/nonprofit-collaborative-partnerships.html

Schwartz, D., Rabbi and JSU Advisor. 2011: Chicago.

Shapiro-Devir, H., Director of Israel Experience and Youth Initiatives. 2011: Chicago.

Steven M. Cohen, L.K.-B., The Impact of Childhood Jewish Education on Adults' Jewish


Identity: Schooling, Israel Travel Camping and Youth Groups. 2000-2001, United

Jewish Communities: New Yotk. p. 20.

Sugar, B., Director of Operations, JSU. 2011: Chicago.

Whitehead-Bust, M., Current Trends in Jewish Teen Participation with Out-of-School

Activities. 2010, Rose Community Foundation. p. 37.

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