An open letter to my dear brethren, the Rebbe’ss Shluchim and heads of mosdos,
First allow me to congratulate you for the amazing work you do. You truly stand on the front-lines of the Rebbe’s army and deserve all the credit in the world. G-d only knows the countless hours, the blood, sweat and tears you put into your holy work!
Recently you’ve found an amazing tool to help you streamline the fundraising, PR, and social networking markets in one fell swoop: online voting contests.
I write the following, then, not to criticize, but rather to suggest how to make this a more palatable experience for all of us.
For you see, as a Lubavitcher not (yet) on shlichus, I find it particularly important to support you in every way I can… so to take a moment to vote is nothing but my pleasure. Parenthetically, I should note that when voting for these contests, one is often forced to “like” the sponsoring organization. By doing so, your information, likes and at times information about your friends is shared with the sponsoring company. Those worried about privacy, or ignorant of the need to protect it, beware!
The problem isn’t so much the actual voting, but rather the sheer number of contestants, frequency of them, and pushiness of those up for the prize. If the public hasn’t yet reached the point of saturation, it will shortly.
A few years ago there was the girl whose magazine was up for an award. So we all voted. Why not? To help another Jew, how could you say no. Then things were quiet.
Suddenly this past year EVERYONE has something brewing. There were the Community Heroes, all 700 Lubavitchers and the odd MO rabbi or two, that needed our vote. But no simple vote, we had to vote twice every day for what felt like 3 months. And when they won? It was only the first round.
Then came Friendship Circle in Michigan for the Chase million dollar give away. This time we didn’t have to vote everyday… but it seemed like everyone wanted us to vote every day. Suddenly friends I didn’t speak to in years were IMing, emailing and texting me, asking for my vote. I backed with full force and conviction – when it was down to the wire, I did all I could to help them get votes.
We’ve just ended the second Chase give-away, where what seemed to be 20 different mosdos were up for an award… and before the digital dust has had a chance to settle – we’re off to the Kohl Cares school contest and Avery Dennison Give Back to schools.
People who barely speak to me are sending me messages to vote, people who don’t know me are sending me direct messages.
Now if you ask me, I think that the number of mosdos running in each contest these days is splitting the vote. Instead of providing one organization for us to rally behind, we’re forced to divide our energy among a dozen. Alas, how can we tell one shliach to run and not another? So let them all run…
At the very least, however, dear shluchim and all those working for your cause, please take the following points of advice to heart:
Please run as block: During the last contest, Friendship Circle made a site with links to vote for all of their affiliates – others should take heed and do the same.
Don’t copy and paste the same text to everyone. I know it’s hard to write the same thing over and over again – but try to be original. Oh, and if you choose to copy and paste, make sure you put in the right link to your voting page(!) and remove the name of the previous person you copied and pasted the message to(!!).
If you haven’t spoken to me in a while, which is perfectly legitimate, please try and speak to me. Wish me mazal tov on the recent birth of my son, my marriage, or even my engagement if it’s been that long . . . but make it personal. You don’t have to get into a long chat – but we’re friends for a reason – right? Schmooze me for a minute and I’ll gladly vote for you.
Make sure you keep a record of who you’re asking to vote – there’s nothing more rude then being asked to vote in the same contest multiple times by the same person…
Don’t spam me – don’t put random requests to vote as comments on my status updates. I spend time crafting pithy remarks for my statuses and your non-sequiturs don’t endear me to your cause.
Learn to use the BCC line. If you’re going to e-mail me to vote for you – please be courteous to others – don’t lump all of our names in the To field. Use the BCC field so that our e-mails remain personal and aren’t sent to everyone else on your mailing list.
A final suggestion please be careful when joining in these contests. The more often you take part in these contests, the more people will become desensitized to your constant calls for clicks and votes. You very much risk getting hidden in the news feed or ignored when something more important comes up!
If you follow these tips and others that I am sure will be mentioned in the comments section, then we will gladly continue to vote in these contests.
Wishing you Hatzlocha Rabba,
Mottel
* * *
COLlive.com note: Organizations and schools are welcome to add their voting links in the comments.
Please note that if you are not a K-12 school you will not be given money by KOHLS even if you ‘win’ as per their guidelines. Pre-schools, hebrew schools, seminarys, etc. do other chabad schools a favor and email [email protected] and ask them to remove you so that Chabad votes can go to schools that will win for real
I do not vote on Facebook for any mosod.
It isn’t because it is difficult too vote, it is because voting constantly is too difficult.
“It only takes a minute”- but that minute is five times a day for twenty votes etc.
a long time.
also, i use my facebook to keep in contact with my friends family and mekuravim.
the constant drive for votes crowds out information that i would like to see.
this is what we call spam.
it is for a good cause, but drowns out my life.
please feel free to make fun of me
cheder lubavitch hebrew days schools of chicago IL
you should worry about that school because they had to close their grades 6-8 because of lack of funds thats why, and if they get $500.000 they could reopen the middle school
http://www.voteforDTA.com
Desert Torah Academy, Las Vegas
Charlotte Jewish day school was indeed founded by Chabad and is run and directed by Chabad, but its a federation school which mean the federation funds it. which is fine but why should we worry about a school thats not in dire straits!
To #34
You may want to get your facts straight before making these kind of statements (anonymously I might add)
Charlotte Jewish Day School was founded by my parents in their basement with 4 kids & the Rebbe’s brocha. It has since grown to accommodate over 300 children and has served as a role model for many other Chabad schools. It is now considered a community school as it is the only Jewish day school in Charlotte. But it is run by Chabad and happens to be lifeline of all the other Chabad programs in Charlotte.
Bentzion Groner
Very well said Mottel!!! I couldnt have said better myself!!
Dear Mottel since i dont have your email i will share this video with you here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOekyum0o4
just press the button!!! what do you care??
I never said all those who disagree with me didn’t read my article – but rather that it is clear from most of the criticism towards my article that they didn’t read or understand what I wrote.
so many bored people……. vote dont vote eat dont eat NO ONE CARES. if u wanna help,by all means its great to do so. if not thats sad but we cant force you.
You say that anyone who disagrees with you did not read your article.
Has it occurred to you that perhaps they have, but your communication skills are underdeveloped?
Just because you can write coherently does not mean you know how to put your point across.
This article is case in point.
(PS: I do agree with much of the article, but I would never want to be the rag to write it…)
Theres a part of me that relishes watching stupid people dig themselves a hole to bury themselves in(Re: Those who cant think before commenting some sensless drivel of nonsence that attacks the auther needlessly). Theres the other part though, that cries soundlessly, watching sad, egotistically driven fellow brothers, wfo cant stop for a moment and realize a truth when it smacks them in the face. I WILL NOT VOTE. Not for any ideological reason, but for the simple reason that I, and many, many others like me have voter fatigue watching The Rebbes shluchim fight over pices of scraps thrown… Read more »
Facebook has over 500 Million users. how many chabad users? i have no clue but id say less than 1 million. your article has many good and valid points but lets wake up and stop wasting time with these op-eds if u want to vote than vote if not dont there are plenty of christians ,catholics een muslims who wont get slighted that they werent asked how there families are doing when asked to vote.
Facebook has over 500 Million users, how many lubavitchers are on facebook that will really make it or break it for any school, while u make very fine points in ur article, the bottom line is there are another 499,999,999 voters who will probably vote bc they dont spend there days writing these pathetic op-eds! again u make many valid points but who the F cares. if u wanna vote then vote if not then dont. there are more than enough christians, catholics etc who we can count on.
An unfortunate fact of life – unless you are giving hard cash your shliach ‘friends’ will not scmooze you they save that special energy for their big balei batim! because we are lubavitch they feel it is our duty and we must vote for all their contests – which i do gladly but i agree – stop bombarding me – if i choose to vote i will do so but i have no reason to publish the fact on my facebook page!!!!
Mottel, stupid article. If you do not want to vote, dont vote.
No one will know if you do or if you dont. And , no one will care.
Mottel, honestly, I expected better of you. Your article is well written, what’s new, but is it that much of these organizations to ask for you to press a few buttons? LoT takes up many more pressing of buttons, as does the others that you frequent…I can’t say I’m surprised, but really. Don’t be so lazy. Help a organizations pay their bills – vote now.
the prob is like he says, too many schools are in the contest so our 20 votes are split 4 ways and our voting block will win none! its simple logic people!
it seems to me that a lot of people have been pushing this top 4 idea. so i looked into it a little and i think that the top four are:
silverstein hebrew academy
cheder menachem los angeles
henrew academy margate FL
south florida jewish academy coconut creek
again this was just an idea and if I’m wrong please correct me. as a side note , it seems like the chabad schools as a whole are way ahead of many random schools that i typed in.
It seems from the comments already up, that many people have failed to understand my central thesis . . . or never even bothered to read what I wrote in the first place. Before responding to some of the actual comments left here, I’d like to take the moment to simply restate what I did say and what I did not: This post does state that shluchim should: 1. Be aware that facebook voting gives the company you’re ‘liking’ access to your private info . . . If you’re cool with that – by all means vote – but be… Read more »
what makes a school a federation school, because we get a little bit of money from the federation we are not a chabad school anymore?!?
please vote for our school the charlotte jewish day school
and 24 & 34 please post your name when making these statments
menachem vorst
charlotte nc
Don’t forget Silverstein Hebrew Academy which is a branch of Chabad of Great Neck which is run by Rabbis and Rebbetzins Geisinsky and Ezagui. They are currently (ba”h) number one in Chabad at 4,686 votes. Vote for them at votesha.com. (And each week they raffle off an IPAD computer to their voters. )
to all those who just like to say half sentences, charlotte’s school was taken over by the federation ten years ago with no choice of their own. but it is run by chabad all the judaica teachers are lubavitch and it was founded by the Rebbe, and chassidus is taught, and just on paper its under the federation, so stop making up stories so more people vote for your school. half of these schools are funded by the federation just as much as they are
But he needs a wuzzy fuzzy greeting and be shmoozed up for the huge fund raising pitch of asking him to click a key on his mouse five times! I may be wrong, but i doubt the author is the worlds greatest gvir to expect some major lecking (all for a vote!). Nu Nu.
simply people that want to help send to thier friends texts, emial or whatever to vote. dont blame on the shluchim, and if u odnt want, just ignore it, delete!!!
Why are we giving our votes to a federation school,chabad people work there but its a federation school.give your votes to the real mccoys.
Jewish School Of The Arts in North Palm Beach Florida from comment 16 has 3,189 votes
Cheder Menachem in Los Angeles, California from comment 17 has 4,187 votes
Hebrew Academy Community School in Margate, Florida have 2,222 votes as of now (i think that puts them in the 3rd running for chabad) they have a good chance of pulling this off!
Give your 5 votes where it can count and actually win
thank you (no caps lock and no pressure:)
http://bit.ly/ccFRHI
While most of us do not have the amounts of money that these big businesses have to give to charity, we do have the power to help sway the vote and make it land in our favor. Can you imagine you have International companies that must give charity to offset their taxes and they arent just giving it to some organization out in IRAN, they are asking us to help them decide. Personally when it comes to patronizing different facilities, this definately helped me make some decisions. As far as being solicited like we have been in the past year.… Read more »
you can win a brand new laptop
http://bnoschomesh.org/Bnos_Chomesh/VOTE!!!.html
charlotte is really not chabad?are we wasting our votes on them.
u sound like u need to sound smart and eloquent and get ppl to post and just to sound difft to get spoken about. if youe ego needs a bit more fame, there are more worthy ways to do so….i suggest you get busy with more impt issues..if your into putting your name,dont play the game..put your last name too…
well written, its called: constructive criticism ro help shluchim manage their campaigning strategies, by informing them of how a reciever of all these emails feels about it.
and a shliach with a right approach to marketing reads this, it will only help him succeed to get votes
I feel the same way. It may be a mitzvah of tzedaka, but bottom line, it’s not b’ofen hamiskabel, it’s SPAM. And PRESSURE. If someone knocked on your door 20 times a day for tzedaka you would also get annoyed at him. This doesn’t mean that I am not voting, it just means that I am doing it to get people OFF MY BACK.
You can win a free roundtrip flight anywhere in USA or Canada by voting!
join this group and vote:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=100225440035874&ref=ts
Charllotte is not a chabad school it is a federation school.
Remember me not when you need my 5 quick clicks!
Please vote for South Florida Academy of Learning
It is a special needs school run by shluchim Rabbi Yossi and Baila Gansburg. It is an amazing school and this money could do wonders for them. Please vote for this very special school.
http://bit.ly/cJweei
Please vote at http://www.VOTETDS.com
negative or constructive criticism, it gives us another chance to promote voting for our schools
Did you write this because you care about the welfare of the shluchim, or did you write this because you are an egotist?
(It’s a rhetorical question)
Tell us what you DO for the shluchim (not just what you DON’T want to do.)
Please take a moment to vote 5 times its rly simple. Thanks!!
http://bit.ly/ccmonsey
also, vote Cheder Menachem inLos Angeles, California
http://bit.ly/9ll1Aw
Vote for Jewish School Of The Arts
in North Palm Beach Florida, Florida and win an Ipad!!!!!!!!!
http://bit.ly/dDmuuw
Mottel. You keep writing how much you appreciate the work that the Shluchim do, but your bottom line is “LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” You say “fair enough” that you’ve lost touch with these shluchim, but then complain than they ask you to vote but don’t ask you “how are your kids.” MOTTEL, this is not about you, and it’s not even about the shluchim. This is about a unique and proven opportunity for you to help donate more money than you ever could on your own, to the Rebbe’s causes. If you don’t want to vote, DON’T. But what a chutzpa… Read more »
PLEASE VOTE
http://bit.ly/bck1VT
noone is ‘forcing’ you to vote!
Hebrew Academy of Tidewater
http://www.votehat.com
So do YOU have $20K or even $500K in your pocket so we don’t have to bother everyone to vote? Its an exercise in futility if you make it sound like its a waste of time. We have kids that NEED a Jewish education and because of the economy the donations have dried up and the parents cannot pay full tuition. What should we do? If you have a solution, I would want to know.
If you posted before you read the article, well, why don’t you read the article then rethink your comment. If you posted after you read the article, maybe you ought to work on those comprehension skills.
Zalman
It seems neither of you understood the post . . .
Im happy you posted this article because im sure there are going to be hundreds of comments telling this or that. But my comment says the following: It doesnt matter if it gets your inner self ‘annoyed’ what matters is that you are helping fellow yidden. And this benifits you too. If your school that your kids go to is on that list and they win they might lower your tuition or at least not be as strict that it has to be in so on time. It is a disgrace seeing how it gets you annoyed. How could something… Read more »
Yeshiva Achei Tmimim Academy
Worcester, Massachusetts
Vote here (5 times pls)
http://bit.ly/dkYNsW
Vote for silverstein hebrew academy, Chabad’s front runner, and get a chance to win 1 of 8 Ipads. ! IPAD raffled off each week!
http://Votesha.com
OMG..if you dont want to vote ,then dont you dont have to complain that every one wants you to vote for them
Didn’t hear of that one?? And the Kohl… there are about 100 different lubavitcher schools and you have only 20 votes! How can they all expect you to vote for them?
good for you signing your name! oh and nice blog!
Friendship Circle of Sharon, Massachusetts won $25,000 from in Virgin America’s online contest:
https://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=2145
Can you dig in your pocket and hand those starving schools $20,000!
We have become far too lazy to click a button!