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By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Click here to read part one 

Dear Reader: I want to make it clear from the beginning: This is not a paid advertiser or fundraiser for any specific institution or program. This is to speak about a unique approach to fulfilling the Mitzvah of Tzedakah and the Mivtza (from the 10 Mivztoim!) of Tzedakah. It will be up to each of you to decide if this approach resonates with you and if you would like to adopt it and incorporate it into the way you go about fulfilling this special Mitzvah. I will be writing from the perspective of an administrator of an educational institution and will share my personal experiences in this area.

It is no secret that educational institutions and Chabad Houses need money to operate, function and grow. While the primary purpose of the institution is to cater to the spiritual needs and their students or congregation, it would not be possible without the special partner and funders giving their support. That is why so much time, effort and energy is put into fundraising strategies and events that cultivate donors and grow the relationship between the institution and the donor.

One of the strange ironies of the “Yeshiva system”  is that – in many cases – the Rosh Yeshiva is expected to also be the main fundraiser of the institution (od chazan L’moed to write about this). Instead of spending the necessary time and energy to prepare classes and to invest in the spiritual growth of his current students, he is busy working with administrators and fundraisers to cover the budget of the institution. It is very tedious, and sometimes degrading, work and it can be emotionally and mentally exhausting.

That is the feeling that I was experiencing one day, where I found myself sitting in my office and feeling extremely frustrated as to what was going on in my life. It did not seem right or fair that I should be spending so much time calling people and reaching out to collect money. Afterall: If the Torah is the foundation of the world, shouldn’t the world be calling me to give money? Would that not give me the peace of mind to focus on my holy work in education?

[I already see the reader of these thoughts smiling or laughing to themselves. Surely, Rabbi Avtzon understands that this is the reality that we live in during the times of galus and he is expecting the donors to come give him money like we are in the times of Moshiach? Please read on and see for yourself.]

I decided that I must figure out a way to change the paradigm. To do that, I must first review the way that I was told to raise money for the Yeshiva. Everyone told me that for a Yeshiva (or any institution) to be sustained financially, there needs to be (in addition to some big fundraising events and campaigns) steady donors on a regular basis. These monthly commitments become the base of your support.

I was advised to reach out to people and ask for monthly commitments of a specific amount of money (let’s use the number $100.00 a month as an example), which they would put on a credit card. If I would be able to get 100 people to do that monthly, that would mean that the Yeshiva would generate 10,000.00 a month in a passive way and on a steady basis.

It sounded like a good idea, and I had tried doing that. I noticed three fundamental difficulties with this approach:

1) People were afraid to commit to a specific monthly amount, as they did not know what their income would be in the future.

2) The amount committed monthly did not grow significantly over time.

3) Most important: It did not forge an ongoing relationship between me and the donor. On the contrary! There were times that I just hoped that I would not meet the donor as he might tell me that he won’t be able to continue the monthly commitment.

[Let’s be honest: There are a few institutions that I give monthly donations to. The ONLY time that I hear from those institutions is when the Credit Card expired, or was shut down because of fraud, or was declined due to lack of funds. Sounds familiar to anyone reading this article?]

I instinctively knew that there must be a better way and that – as with everything – it must be written in the Torah. I started doing research and came to a simple, yet shocking, realization that there is a completely different approach that must be taken with Tzedakah. I tried that approach and have BH seen tremendous Hatzlacha! It is only because I have seen the success of this approach in my own institution, that I am sharing it with all of you.

What is that approach you are asking?

When I researched the relationship that the Torah expects a donor to have with an institution, the obvious place to begin is with the “Yissachar and Zevulun” relationship. The Torah tells us ““Rejoice, Zevulun, in your departure, and Yissachar, in your tents.” And Rashi explains: “Zevulun and Yissachar entered into a partnership. Zevulun would dwell at the seashore and go out in ships, to trade and make profit. He would thereby provide food for Yissachar, who would, in turn, sit and occupy themselves with the study of Torah.Consequently, Moses mentioned Zevulun before Yissachar [even though the latter was the elder of the two], because Yissachar’s Torah came through [the provisions provided by] Zevulun.”

The keyword that stuck out to me was the word “partnership”. Is someone that gives monthly donations a true partner in the institution? Is the institution a true partner in their business?

I called a businessman and asked him to explain to me how real partnerships work. He told me, and it is self-underwood, the partnerships work on percentages of profits. One partner can have 50%, a second one gets 30% and the third one gets 20%. As the business prospers, the value of those percentages goes up. The same 20% could be worth $1000.00 if the business profits $5000.00, but could be worth $5000.00 when the business profits $25,000.00.

With his foundation, I changed my entire approach to prospective donors. I do not ask them for amounts of money each month, rather a percentage of their earnings. A Frum Yid is giving 10% of his earnings to Tzedakah, and I am asking them to designate a percentage of that monthly to Yeshiva. In most cases, they will not commit 10% (nor do I ask for the full ten), as most people have other Tzedakah causes that they are involved with. We then sign a formal contract, as with any partnership, and that contract is sent to the Rebbe.

These have been the tangible results:

1) People are not afraid to commit to that. Why? If they had a bad month (cha”v) in their business, their commitment is less.

2) When they have good months, the amount that the institution ends up receiving is much more and the person is happy to give it.

3) Every month, the person on his own has to contact the institution to let them know how much to charge their card (as each month’s earnings are different) and that creates a constant positive interaction with the institution.

4) The donor gets to see in a tangible way if it is “worth” being partners with these specific institutions as they can actually measure the growth in the value of the partnership.

5) With the Mossad a true partner in their business, there is extra Bracha.

I can share the following: Not only have my partners seen the growth in their businesses, they have encouraged their family members and friends to become partners as well. Everyone that is involved is happy to be involved and start taking a personal interest in the growth of the institution.

I will share the following true story. This past Elul, I received a phone call from one of my partners. He asked me: “What bonus are we giving our teachers (notice the wording) for Yom Tov?” He explained that he has many frum workers and gives them bonuses for Yom Tov and he wanted to make sure that his “other employees” (as we are true partners) are getting bonuses as well. He sponsored bonuses for all our staff.

[I would like to make one disclaimer: Most of my original partners were alumni of the Yeshivah. They only have the desire to partner with the Yeshiva if they had a positive experience in Yeshiva and kept a relationship with at least one member of the Hanhallas Hayeshiva.]

I turn to all members of Anash: I know that there are so many important campaigns and causes. I encourage you to truly partner with a few of them that are important to you and your family and this will end up being more beneficial for you and the institution that you partner with. It will make you more involved in the Tzedakah that you are giving.

There is so much more to write about this, and maybe we will in the future, but the main thing is that “Tzedaka is great as it brings the Geulah”!

P.S.: To see for yourself, watch this video:

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Rabbi Gershon Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well-sought-after speaker and lecturer. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the above by sending me a R’ Avtzon email: [email protected]

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