Up, Up and Away
In case you didn’t see it in the newsletter, I will be away November 13th - 18th. Where am I going you may ask? The National Association of Temple Administrators (NATA) is having their annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. While I will miss you all and my kiddos tremendously, I am looking forward to being surrounded by my colleagues and friends.
I was asked to “buddy” with a new Executive Director in Portland,Maine and look forward to getting to know her better. We had a Zoom chat which put her at ease as she’s nervous. By the way, before COVID, we NEVER would have thought to video chat with someone before meeting them in person. She’s worked in non-profits for 30 years but never at a synagogue and realized this is a whole new ballgame. She thought not being Jewish was going to be the greatest barrier of her new job but is finding that’s not the case.
I am looking through the agenda and wanted to share with you some things that are being offered:
Keynote Speakers
Jim Sales: Making Constraints Beautiful - How Synagogues Can Find Abundance in a Time of Scarcity
Faun Zarge: Building Personal and Professional Resilience: Boosting How you Recharge and Reset and Bringing Resilience into How You Lead Others
Rabbi Elan Babchuck: From Belonging to Becoming
Workshops
Innovative Fundraising and Engagement Strategies
NATA and URJ: Imagining a New Congregation Database Solution
Engaging the Young and Unaffiliated
Making a Case for Dues in 21st Century and Fostering Respectful Conversations about Money
Today and Tomorrow: Managing and Cultivating Talented Lay Leadership
Multi-Access is our Future
Of course, we have Havdalah, Trivia Night, and drinks by the pool to balance this all out but it’s about making connections more than anything else. While Temple Sinai is like a second family to me, so are my NATA friends. These are the people I call when I need help or want to share a success with and vice versa.
I look forward to sharing what I have learned with everyone when I come back.
