Rabbis are key to successful fundraising in a synagogue.
This may not be taught enough in rabbinical school, but as the leader of a synagogue, the attitude of a rabbit to fundraising, as well as any efforts a rabbi makes to raise funds, is critical.
The Torah itself references this fact, often mentioning how important Tzedakah is (the moral obligation of charitable giving).
For example, Genesis 18:19 says “For I love him [Abraham] because he will command his children and his household after him that they should safeguard the way of the Lord by perform acts of tzedaka and mishpat.”
A rabbi’s idea of the synagogue’s future also is important and the rabbi’s involvement sends an important message to all members of a congregation about how important any Synagogue fundraising campaign may be.
Yes, a rabbi wears many hats: as operations manager, head counselor, supervisor, and more. But, in many ways, a rabbi also is like a college or university president, and presidents of institutions of higher learning spend a great majority of their time in fundraising, as well as leading the organization.
Yet, while rabbis should make sure their congregations see them embracing and endorsing fundraising, they shouldn’t be the only fundraising leaders in a synagogue. Instead, the rabbi should work with other leaders of the congregation when it comes to fundraising. After all, the rabbi has much to do and more than likely not enough time to do it. It’s unfair and also ultimately impractical for all fundraising efforts to come from the rabbi.
A fundraising push with Original Works can help a synagogue become truly excited about its advancement efforts. From the children creating art; to parents and friends purchasing the art that’s been placed on coffee mugs, calendars, mouse pads, t-shirts, even matted and framed and suitable for hanging; to the tallying up the monies you raised with this fundraising project, working with Original Works can be a terrific way to get all of your synagogue’s members excited about the development process.