Staffing Your Marketing and Communications Strategy

Darim Online Learning Network

Staffing Your Marketing and Communications Strategy

Models for Marketing/Communications Professionals in Synagogues

Darim Online Learning NetworkSession #13 August 21, 2008


Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions• Rationale and Context• Community Pulse: Survey Results• Stories from the Field – Panelists• Group Discussion and Q/A• Wrap Up• Next Steps

Thanks to CartoonChurch.com


Welcome!Tips for a Successful Learning Session Together:

Community Norms for “Technomenschen”

• Please mute yourself to cut down on background noise (especially if you’re on a speakerphone) …but don’t forget to unmute when you want to jump into the discussion!

• Have something to say? Please preface your remarks by telling us who you are. For example, “This is Esther from Congregation Purim Sameach in Shushan…”

• Please feel free to use the interactive webinar features such as “raise your hand” or sending messages through the chat to communicate with facilitators directly or to the whole group. (And if this multitasking is too much for you, just ignore it!)


Introductions

We’re trying something new! Use the chat window in the bottom right of your screen to introduce yourself:

• Name(s)• Role/Position(s)• Congregation• City/State• What 3 words best describe your congregation’s marketing and communications strategy?

** If you have multiple people at a speakerphone, please include all of your names in your introduction!


Introducing Caren and Eve

Caren Levine, Director of the Learning Network -- [email protected]• Working on doctorate in educational technology at Teachers College, Columbia • University. Her dissertation is a case study of online learning for professional development. • Alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program. • Over 20 years of experience in educational technology and Jewish education, much at JESNA. • Technology stewardship in support of communities of practice, promoting 21st century skills, social media, and other resources for professionals in educational and non-profit organizations. • Serves as CAJE’s Chair of Online Initiatives, is the Lead Docent for ISTE in Second Life, volunteers as a Reading Buddy in a local public elementary school.

Eve Eichenholtz, Graduate Intern for the Learning Network -- [email protected]• Graduated from Barnard College and The Jewish Theological Seminary with B.A.'s in Economics and Bible. • Current student at CUNY/Baruch working on an Masters of Public Administration in non- profit management and at JTS Rabbinical school. • Worked in Academic Technologies at both Barnard and JTS.


Rationale for this Topic


Rationale for this Topic

What We’ve Heard from the Darim Online Community and What We’ve Observed:

• Increased professionalism of media production

• Multiple vehicles for communications

• Diversity of needs, styles and preferences of members

• Sharp increase in use of web for “shul shopping” and other information gathering and community participation

• Rise of “social media” and two way online interactions

• Observations that the tools alone are not enough to power good work, success or best practice

What good are the tools if youdon’t have the right people

using them in the right ways?


Tectonic Shift• Incremental additions in responsibilities VS. dedicated time and expertise to develop and implement a communications strategy

• Changing roles and relationships among and between staff and board/committees regarding marketing and communications

• Technology and its implications on the ways people communicate, participate, and develop community challenge traditional views of the centrality of the “bricks and mortar” institution, and changes communication and engagement strategies


Increased Attention to Marketing and Communications Positions

• Businesses across the board have invested in increasing time and skills allocated for the purpose of developing and implementing marketing and communications strategies.

• The marketing/communications/online community manager position is one of the fastest growing new positions in non profit organizations.

• Titles, specifics of the responsibilities, and location of the position within the organization vary by culture, budget, and size of the staff.


Community Pulse:Survey Results

Comments you added:

• “For more outreach and community awareness”

• PT program director position “evolved into publicity and since my background is in marketing and communications it grew from there.”

• “Marketing and communications added to the bulletin editor’s position”

• “We added it … when our Communications Committee reviewed and updated our communications (plan).”


Survey Results, cont.“Other staff” and “Volunteer / Lay Leadership” hold the majority of responsibilities for most of the tasks we asked about.

60% of you don’t have a job description at all for these responsibilities. (Examples are posted in the Dirah resource bank).


ChallengesHuman Resources

•Time! (not enough time; can’t find committed volunteer and staff doesn’t have time, etc.)• Responsibilities increasing from advertising/bulletin to web, email, additional marketing pieces; need more than a PT position!•Varied needs leads to filling the position with a “Jack of all trades, master of none”

Expertise Required• High quality writing/editing• Creativity

Organizational Issues• Requires coordination among many staff and volunteers• Lack of an overarching plan/guidelines/policies to create a cohesive message or process• Organization/leadership doesn’t (yet) understand the importance of these responsibilities and the necessary staffing to support it


Benefits• Community

• We can see more community awareness and publicity• Maintaining our web site with interesting and current content has improved our recognition in the community• Developing community, not just selling our programs

• Organizational• Clarity on who to contact for any communications need.• Coordination of efforts and messaging improves the quality and consistency significantly• Cost savings by producing more in house, and more online

• Staffing• A designated person to be up on all media-related projects and bring ideas to the table for how we can do better.• A good person in this position utilizes technology to the utmost benefit for the congregation with limited funding•“The key benefits of having this position is that there is someone overseeing all of the publicity and furthermore protecting the image of the synagogue. We look organized (most of the time), our message is concise and informative with all of the details in place.”


Cindi Crutchfield, Executive Director

Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA (~900 members)

http://www.bethelohim-wellesley.org

Our Panelists

•Tell us a bit about your congregation

•How you structure your marketing/communications work - the title of the position, the skill set of the staff person (and any other responsibilities), who that person reports to, how consolidated vs. distributed are the responsibilities, etc.

•Why/how you have integrated this as a staff responsibility rather than (or maybe in additional to) a volunteer responsibility

http://www.bethelohim-wellesley.org/


Gabby Volodarsky, Membership Liaison/Program Director,Temple Sinai, Oakland, CA (~950 members)http://www.oaklandsinai.org

Our Panelists




http://www.oaklandsinai.org/




Our Panelists

Steve FriedmanChief Operating Officer,Temple Sholom, Greenwich, CT (~650 members)http://www.templesholom.com (new site launching soon!)




http://www.templesholom.com/




Q/A and DiscussionSome points to consider:

• What is “marketing”; what is “communications”? What do these have to do with building a community?What is top down, and what is bottom up? •Do you have a communications strategy/plan and how does staffing fit into it? How have you been able to more effectively use your technology tools with this staffing?

• What were the stepping stones to evolve your staffing model? What is the role of the board/committees in deciding, evolvingthe staffing in this area, and what implications does a change in staffing have on the responsibilities of the Communications orMarketing Committee?


More points to consider for discussion:

• What are the responsibilities of this position and what skills are most important? How did you decide on the seniority/salary etc. of the position?

• How do you coordinate all the marketing and communications in your congregation? Is the responsibility consolidated in one position or distributed throughout the org?

• What is the coordination between the communications committee and the staff person(s) responsible for implementing a plan or strategy?

Q/A and Discussion


Let’s Hear From You

• Wrap Up

• Reflections*– Observations– New Ideas– Reflections– Questions– Ah Ha Moments– Action Items for You

*reflection sheet courtesy of Joan Bronspeigel as part of a grant from the Covenant Foundation 2007


Next Steps• Interested in continuing our discussion? Let’s post our comments,

reactions, questions, resources, and ideas to the Synagogue Learning Network discussion list:

» [email protected]

• Log in to to Dirah for additional resources, including sample job descriptions, this PPT, and archives of this session and others:

» http://darimonline.org/dirah/network_info.php

• Determine and implement two new action items for your congregation.

• Complete the forthcoming webinar evaluation - link to an online survey will be emailed shortly.

• Visit our new blog, http://www.jewpoint0.org!


Thank You!Contact Us:

Lisa Colton: [email protected] Levine: [email protected] Eichenholtz: [email protected]

Darim Online: www.darimonline.orgJewPoint0 blog: http://jewpoint0.orgCall: 434.977.1170

mailto:[email protected]



http://www.darimonline.org/

http://jewpoint0.org/