COMMUNITY MEETING PRESENTATION

22 JANUARY 2012

Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism

Makom 101

Makom Timeline

Jan 16, 2009: First Friday night service held at Kiever Synagogue. 80 people showed up!

May 2009: Aaron initiated “Launch Team.” First met May 24, 2009

Summer 2009: Environmental scan/informal needs assessment process begins

Aug 31, 2009: Makom name and mission announced

Aug 2010: Community focus groups heldSept 8, 2010: Makom logo unveiledOct 23, 2010: First community-participant-

initiated Neshamah: Meditation & Contempl. Judasim session

Oct 2010: First Canadian org. ever listed in Slingshot!

Makom Timeline, Cont.’d

Nov 6, 2010: First community-participant-initiated Women’s Rosh Hodesh Circle

Dec 2010: Natan Fund’s Emerging Models of Jewish Connection Grant for Jewish Time/Local Landscapes holiday programs with Shoresh

Dec 2010: BYFI Alumni Venture Fund Grant for DIY Judaism workshop series

Dec 2010: YCT Rabbinical School Start-Up Community Grant

June 2011: Community-participant-initiated young family programming

Oct 2011: Community survey conducted TONIGHT: First Makom Community Meeting!

Makom’s Mission and Purpose

Makom – meaning place or space in Hebrew – is a joyous, grassroots, downtown community, building

traditional and progressive Jewish life in Toronto since 2009.

Makom creates an inclusive and diverse community, committed to Jewish learning, arts and culture, spirited prayer and ritual, and

social and environmental activism.We are breathing new life into the downtown spaces that were once

the hub of Toronto Jewish life. We have bi-weekly Friday night services and Sat. afternoon

meditation. We meet monthly for a Women’s Rosh Hodesh circle and young families programming, and provide regular Jewish holiday

programming.

Who is Makom? Part I: Demographics

Average and median age is 3344% are single, 46% are married or

cohabitating35% have kids64% were female95% currently live in the GTA59% grew up in the GTA and 21% in

other parts of Canada

Who is Makom? Part II: Jewish Connection

71% said they generally identified politically as liberal/progressive

71% said they felt very connected to Israel

43% said they felt connected to the Toronto Jewish community 30% said neither connected nor disconnected and 26% said

they felt distant

38% of survey respondents reported no other regular synagogue attendance.

Who is Makom? Part III: Jewish Identity

  Current Growing Up

Culturally Jewish 30% 25%Post-Denominational 30% 3%Conservative 21% 46%Just Jewish 21% 7%Orthodox 13% 14%Secular 10% 16%Reconstructionist 9% 4%Israeli 8% 6%Queer Jewish 7% 0%Reform 7% 19%Not Jewish 2% 6%

Makom’s Impact and Reach

38% of participants don’t attend any other shul

26% feel distant from greater Toronto Jewish community

Targeted downtown, but participants also come from Thornhill and Hamilton

Seen as a leader in innovative (Jewish) community in Toronto and around the world 482 Twitter followers 362 Facebook group members and 151 page followers 1,070 email list Lots of media attention

ORGANIZATIONAL PROGRAMMATIC

FINANCIAL

Makom’s Accomplishments

Organizational Accomplishments

Establishment of “Launch Team” Transition of “Launch Team” and transition into “Leadership

Team”Hiring of Rabbi Aaron part-time 2010, full-time 2011Planning Process/Needs Assessment

Environmental Scan Focus Groups Survey

Starting Downtown Jewish Play School Permit process, insurance, hiring of 2 teachers

Not-For-Profit Incorporation Charity status planning

Makom Leadership Team Roles

Felicia Brooker, FundraisingMiriam Kramer, Planning, Strategy and MeasurementAaron Levy, ex-officio/staff representativeRuth Matthews, PresidentLisa Rosen, Makom FamiliesLouise Smith, Treasurer and Charity StatusAndrea Toole, Secretary, Communications and

Website

Past members (Thank you! Thank you!):Sarah Brodbar-Nemzer, Adam Cohen, Orit Sarfaty, Tema Smith

Makom Staff and Volunteers

Makom Staff Aaron Levy, Rabbi and Director Leah Breslow, Play School Hebrew Immersion Teacher Sarah Brodbar-Nemzer, Play School Jewish Content

Teacher

Makom Program Volunteers Sharry Aiken, Play School Coordinator Avi Craimer, Neshamah: Meditation & Contemplative

Judaism Annie Gilbert & Naomi Tessler, Women’s Rosh Hodesh

Circle Stuart Lithwick, Friday Night Set-Up Volunteer

Coordinator

Environmental Scan

Researched 15 lay-led and rabbi-led independent minyanim as well as “interesting” shuls in US and Israel Key informant interviews with Board members and staff Scanned websites

Topics included: Organizational/Board structure and by-laws Mission, purpose and reach Budgets and funding Membership Programming Planning and evaluation

Programmatic Accomplishments

Since Makom’s inception, we have offered a total of 202 programs!

We have doubled our monthly and total annual program offerings in just three years!

Many Jews have connected with our diversity of programs. Since our inception, Makom programs have logged a grand total of more than 8,500 participant visits: Holiday programs attract an average of 70 people per program. Monthly Women’s Rosh Hodesh Circle gathers an average of 23 ppl. Bi-weekly Neshamah meditation involves 7 people on average. Bi-weekly Friday night services bring out an average of 48 people. Our new Makom Families programs average 55 participants.

Program Growth

2009 2010 2011 TotalFriday Night Services 22 22 25 69Other Shabbat 7 8 10 25Holiday 13 18 19 50Neshamah Meditation 0 4 24 28Women's Rosh Hodesh Gathering 0 2 12 14Local Social Activism & Education 1 0 1 2Israel Social Activism & Education 3 1 0 4Environmental Activism & Education 5 10 5 20Jewish Learning 6 5 16 27Arts & Culture 7 12 11 30Families w/ Kids 0 1 8 9Total 47 63 92 202

Financial Accomplishments

Makom’s annual revenue has doubled since last year and grown nearly 7x since 2009.

Makom’s annual expenses grew by more than 1,300% in three years.

Makom’s total donations increased by 643% in just three years, from $5,600 to $42,000! During that time, number of foundations

giving to Makom has grown. However, between 2010 and 2011, the number

of individual donors slightly decreased and the median gift amount also decreased.

Revenue Growth: 2009-2011

2009 2010 2011$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

$80,000

$11,133

$36,601

$73,629

High Holidays

Teaching & Lifecycle Events

Tzedakah

Program Fees

Grants

Partnership Shares

Family Foun-dations

Expense Growth: 2009-2011

2009 2010 2011$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

$80,000

$90,000

$100,000

$6,706

$17,733

$94,832

High Holiday Services

Tzedakah

Fundraising MarketingAdministrative PlayschoolPrograms

Fundraising Growth: 2009-2011

2009 2010 2011$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$5,657

$29,972

$42,041

$5,657

$32,410

$51,023

GrantsFoundation DonationsIndividual DonationsTotal DonationsTotal Fundraising

Makom Individual Donations: 2009-2011

2009 2010 20112009-11 change

2010-11

changeTotal Individual Donor Gifts

$2,657 $20,972 $20,841 684% -1%

# Indiv. Donors 28 74 72 157% -3%

Mean Gift Indiv. Donors

$95 $283 $289 205% 2%

Median Gift Indiv. Donors

$65 $120 $100 55% -17%

Min. Gift Indiv. Donors

$5 $16 $18 260% 13%

Max. Gift Indiv. Donors

$360 $2,500 $3,000 733% 20%

Makom Foundation Donations: 2009-2011

2009 2010 20112009-

11 change

2010 -11

change

Tot. Fdn. Gifts $3,000$9,00

0$21,20

0607% 136%

# Foundations 1 2 5 400% 150%

Mean Gift Fdns.

$3,000$4,50

0$4,240 41% -6%

Median Gift Fdns.

$3,000$4,50

0$5,000 67% 11%

Min. Gift Fdns.

$3,000$4,00

0$300 -90% -93%

Max. Gift Fdns.

$3,000$5,00

0$10,00

0233% 100%

Community Feedback

Focus Group Summary Report

20 individuals participated in two focus groups in Aug 2010

Affirmation of mission statement “My Jewish community/home” Warm, inclusive, diverse Creative, interesting, what I am looking for Jewishly

Desire for increased programmingMakom should be rabbi-led and Rabbi Aaron should

remain the spiritual leaderDesire/need to sustain Makom financiallyNeed/desire for continued conversations, including

specifics on halakhic policy-makingMore opportunities for community involvement/desire

among participants to increase involvementMore community awareness of the Board and how Makom

works

Community Survey Report

October 2011175 completed surveys55-questions, including some open

endedProgrammingSatisfactionParticipation and InvolvementCommunicationLocationDemographics

Programming

47% thought Makom had the right amount of programming to meet their needs.

61% said Makom provided the types of programming they sought.

Participants were overwhelmingly satisfied with the programs they attend.

Program Attendance and Satisfaction

ProgramAttende

dSatisfie

d

Friday evening services 73% 83%

Friday evening services with drums/instruments 66% 71%

Friday evening potluck kiddush 66% 72%

Friday evening potluck dinners 46% 73%

Saturday morning services 23% 56%

Program Attendance and Satisfaction (Cont’d)

Program Attended Satisfied

Holiday programs 62% 82%

Holiday meals 49% 79%

Arts programming 40% 78%

Educational programming 52% 82%

Jewish urban homesteading workshops

22% 75%

Neshamah: Meditation & Contemplative Judaism

20% 62%

Downtown Women’s Rosh Hodesh Circle

25% 67%

Friday Night Services

22% attend regularly (monthly more more) 84% reported regularly attending “to be involved in a

community” 51% to engage in spirituality/musical prayer 44% to engage in meaningful prayer 42% to see friends/people my own age

34% attend a few times a year; 44% rarely/never 51% family or work obligations prevented them from

attending more regularly or at all 44% have issues with type of service 32% not close enough to home 23% attend other shuls 17% not interested in Friday night services at all

Other Programming

48% attend several times a year 79% to be involved in a community 71% to engage in Jewish arts and culture 57% to celebrate Jewish holidays 43% to engage in Jewish learning 21% to see my friends/people my age

52% rarely or never attend 27% don’t live nearby 25% lack of interest 23% participate in other communities 19% family commitments

How Important is it that Makom have the Following Programs?

Regular Jewish learning opportunities 84%

Regular arts/cultural programs 78%

Regular social programs and opportunities 77%

Regular social activism opportunities 74%

Regular prayer services 74%Regular spiritual opportunities (other than services)

67%

Regular environmental activism opportunities

66%

Yom Kippur services 65%

Rosh Hashanah services 64%

Regular dinners after services 57%

Regular family-oriented programs 53%

Participation &Involveme

nt

50% reported being somewhat involved in Makom 19% very involved 41% uninvolved

58% would like to become more involved.

42% would like to remain at current involvement level.

No one said would like to become less involved.

Current Involvement in /Relationship to Makom

Makom is my Jewish community 45%Makom creates a sense of community for me

72%

Makom is in line with my religious beliefs 52%

Makom is in line with my political outlook 67%I understand how Makom makes decisions

28%

Makom provides the right amount of opportunities for leadership involvement

53%

I am looking for more ways to help Makom 35%

How Important is the Following?

An open and inclusive ambiance100%

A diverse community 95%An open and nuanced approach to Israel 70%Completely equal roles for men and women 65%Progressive/left-leaning politics 61%All events have only certified kosher food 46%Mixed seating during services 43%Women leading KS and men leading Ma'ariv 38%All events have only vegetarian food 33%A mehitzah during services 28%

Membership/Annual Dues

61% supported Makom having membership18% opposed21% were neutral

72% responded favourably to a volunteer component

Respondents overwhelmingly hated the idea of a participation requirement

Median and Avg. Suggested Membership Dues

Median AverageActive participants

$175 $150

Not opposed to membership

$150 $169

Total completes $100 $147

Active participants not opposed to membership

$150 $175

Communication

82% first heard of Makom from friends, family or word of mouth

94% hear about Makom events on an ongoing basis from the email, 27% from Facebook and 21% from friends/word of mouth

Comments about not knowing enough about financials or Board workings

Some comments about not knowing about breadth of programs that we offer (surprised to see such a long list on the survey)

Location

58% like meeting in Rochelle’s Studio/Mon Ton Window Gallery Space 24% dislike; 18% neutral

85% think it’s important that Makom be held downtown

39% think it’s important that Makom be held at the Kiever Synagogue 31% neutral; 30% unimportant

24% in Kensington Market 40% neutral; 36% unimportant

PROGRAMMATICALLYORGANIZATIONALLY

FINANCIALLY

Moving Makom Forward

Programmatic Plan 2012

Continue current level of programming (average 8 programs per month) 2 Friday night services 2 Meditations 1 Women’s Rosh Hodesh Circle 1 Makom Families 2 Other (Holiday, Arts, Social Justice, Enviro., Learning)

Expand Downtown Jewish Play SchoolExpand High Holiday offeringsContinue joint holiday programs with Shoresh

funded through grant from Natan

Financial Plan 2012

Stable base of funding from community participants Raise additional $18,000 from this effort

Increased funding from Family Foundations and Grants Raise additional $3,800 Makom Families and Play School Other

Immediate funding priorities Stable salary for Rabbi Aaron

Longer-term funding needs Hire PT Director of Operations Office Space

Introduction of Makom Shareholders

Akin to a co-op or community supported agriculture program

Participants, both active and infrequent, will be asked to support Makom by becoming shareholders.

Annual funding for Makom, collected early in calendar year.2012 campaign begins in Feb. (Rosh

Hodesh Adar)

Rationale for Makom Shareholders

Necessary for financial stability of organizationCommunity feedback showed support for stable

funding for Makom, but many didn’t like concept of membership/exclusivity

Need shareholder/members for our charitable status to elect BOD and vote on important decisions

Historical precedent in Mahazit HaShekel, collection of Temple money from everyone to fund priest’s salaries, renovations and sacrificial spices and meat.

Benefits of Makom Shareholders

Financial stability Independence: we are beholden to

ourselves, not interests of othersIndividual benefits:

Directly invested to shape our creative community

Have a voice: shareholders can vote and run for Board positions

Work with Rabbi Aaron one-on-one to shape your personal, religious journey

Makom Shareholders Structure

$180 – individual adult$54 – student$36 – above Bar/Bat Mitzvah child$18 – childAllowances for financial hardshipsPayments in installments

Comparison of Individual Adult Fees

Organizational Plan

Moving ahead toward a more sustainable organization Including a pledge to be more transparent

and communicative with our shareholders and the public

Charitable status application submission

Transition to elected Board of Directors

Increase volunteer opportunities

Board Positions

Once we receive our charitable status we must elect a Board of Directors and hold Annual General Meetings Key positions are: President, Vice-President,

Secretary and Treasurer. We will circulate more detailed information

about Board positions and the nomination process in the coming weeks.

To apply for a Board position, and to vote at the AGM, you must be a shareholder in good standing.

Volunteer Opportunities

Specific sub-committees/positions include: Programming (many different opportunities) Fundraising/Tzedakah Communications Shareholder Liaison

Immediate needs: Holiday programming , e.g., Tu bi-Shvat and Purim 2 people to be on the Board’s Nominating Committee

Opportunities range in time commitment and scope from setting up Friday nights to leading a programming team; cooking dinners to providing pro-bono professional services, including web design & maintenance and fundraising.

Makom and You!

Our community runs on people-power. The success of our programs depends

on the strength of our support system – volunteers and staff.

Shareholder funding will provide us with a sustainable base of funding to start each year.

We will also need continued donations from you and your family and friends.

Feedback/Questions/Comments

NowLater during schmoozingPlease take time to jot down ideas, critiques,

etc. on the index cards on your chairs

Thank you!