When you are a "regular" at services, you think you have a pretty good idea as to the pulse of the community. As such, I was mostly pleasantly surprised when I was able to dig a bit deeper into our culture and the mechanics of running Kehillah. As a congregation, I believe we're in a pretty good place. We got a nice "push" when we moved into our building and everyone has seemed to get over the distance issue. 

 

Membership - To be more efficient, have more frequent programs and build a fund for that proverbial rainy day, Kehillah needs to grow. Not a lot, but an additional 20-30 members (families would be ideal) would put us in a more comfortable position. The question is how do we reach these people? Yes, our members are indeed our best salespeople, but our collective outreach simply isn't enough. So, if you have experience in the area and want to help, please reach out to Rabbi or myself. Marketing plans for next year should be made asap.

 

Administrative - Synagogue administration can be a bit of a mystery. We see Renee at work all the time, receive Connections weekly (thank you Sherry and now Reisa) and our website is functional and attractive. One of the areas of administration you won't see, unless you are directly involved, is the accounting and membership management. I was a bit surprised that some of our systems hadn't evolved as we grew. This can happen in any organization and to solve the "problem" myself and others have taken the initiative to upgrade the accounting, create a functional budget and prepare us for a strong future ahead. After several meetings and many hours, we've taken the first steps. My expectation is that by spring we will have a strong Finance Committee in place with solid, up-to-date information to take to the Board along with their recommendations.

 

Speaking of the  Board, the one area where Rabbi and I want to engage more closely is with our Board. Thankfully, we have a wonderful Board comprised of people who truly care and get things done. Looking ahead, I am planning for the Board to engage in both forward-looking, strategic discussions as well as promoting more collaboration within Kehillah. None of this can be done overnight, but at Kehillah it can and will because of the strong culture of our Board members. 

 

The future -  With the blessing of my wonderful wife and eye-rolls from my children, I've volunteered to continue as President for another year. Rabbi and I have set a lot of initiatives in motion, but there is much yet to do. The selection of an Executive Vice President, ready to assume the Presidency at the end of my second term is essential for Kehillah's future. My promise to that person is that I will do my best to make the transition as smooth as possible. Continuity is wonderful, but it's equally important that we get new faces involved. Much more on this later.

 

L'Shalom,