“If you don’t know how to fundraise, you don’t know how to effectively connect with and engage your baalebatim,” says Rabbi Elazar Green, founder of Grow Gelt and shliach in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “It affects every aspect of your shlichus, including your home life. So we focus on cultivating relationships, stewardship, as well as, obviously, solicitation.”
Grow Gelt, an organization that provides shluchim with tools and training, is launching its fifth course, a series of 25 online sessions beginning June 28, 2022.
In the last 4 years, 408 shluchim worldwide have taken the courses and have seen significant results.
“I’ve seen a number of donors that have grown in their giving as a result of the tools and techniques that I’ve learned,” says Rabbi Leibel Kudan of Chabad Ocean Drive, Florida. “It’s changed the way I communicate with donors. Also, it’s had a long-term but sustained effect on different donors’ gifts, including a few considerable gifts because of it.”
Grow Gelt 5.0 features world-class experts who bring their data, knowledge and expertise to the shluchim. Rabbi Yosef Kantor of Chabad of Thailand says, “There are so many experts out there, but here is a platform where everything is presented in a kosher way that’s aligned with Yiddishe, Chassidishe values and tailored for the shluchim. That’s exciting to me. That’s why I signed up for my 3rd year.”
“I think the real key is personal and communal growth,” says Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz of Chabad of West Orange, New Jersey. “Every part of your shlichus benefits when you internalize the principles of Grow Gelt. You become more organized, you become better at letter writing or giving a fundraising pitch. You learn how to focus on your baalebatim and not on yourself. You see what their needs are. How do people want to be thanked? How do people want to be recognized? How do people want to be nurtured in their own way? I think the benefits of Grow Gelt are almost endless.”
Grow Gelt 5.0 promises to be action-oriented. “Every presenter will come equipped with worksheets, templates and action items,” says Green. “Every lesson that we have is tied directly to an actionable item that shluchim can immediately implement.”
Rabbi Mendy Begun, who’s been on shlichus in Chula Vista, California, for 5 years, says that one of the most valuable aspects of the program is the community that’s created around the course. “The discussions in the Whatsapp group have helped me tremendously. Because it’s real people with real-life experiences in real-time. It’s taking the theory of Grow Gelt into practicality. And it’s inspiring seeing shluchim being there for each other.”
Over 100 shluchim have already registered for Grow Gelt 5.0, including both new and veteran shluchim. “It’s like going to the gym to make sure you’re staying in shape,” says Kantor, who’s been on shlichus for 30 years. “You’re honing your skills.”
Grow Gelt is funded by course fees as well as donations by generous philanthropists who care about the shluchim and understand the value of bringing industry data, best practices, and world-class trainers to help the shluchim.
Green says that Grow Gelt is leveling the playing field. “In the velt, it’s often the larger non-profits who are able to afford the world-class training and coaching. The smaller organizations that are scraping by have to try and figure everything out themselves.
“Now the shliach with an $80,000 budget has the same access to the same experts as the shluchim who have an $8 million budget. And they work together to understand the material and to figure out how to apply it to their shlichus.”
Shluchim who are interested in learning more can visit GrowGelt.com.
