Discussion 4

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Jewish Social Service Agencies and Effective and Impactful Community Relations Ronald Soloway

A strong, vibrant, and caring Jewish social service system as well as its individual agencies should do the following:

assure that the local health and human service needs of the Jewish and broader • community are addressed effectively and effi ciently bring together the diverse populations and institutions of the community to • jointly plan, coordinate, and advocate for the health and human service needs of its residents foster an environment in which a vital Jewish community fl ourishes and enjoys • amicable, respectful relations with the people and institutions in government, the business community, and the nonprofi t sector of the broader pluralistic society

These objectives are particularly important in light of demographic changes that may lessen the Jewish community’s ability to achieve programmatic, public policy, and government funding goals on its own. Similarly, increased reliance on government support requires Jewish social service agencies to be responsive to the needs of the people served in local communities. It is widely believed that government offi cials will be more responsive to requests and concerns if we are actively engaged with other ethnic and religious groups and if they are informed about the contribution that Jewish social service agencies make to the life of the whole community.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES The Jewish community is becoming more geographically dispersed, as the con- centration of the Jewish population in major U.S. cities is diminishing. As docu- mented in the 2000–2001 National Jewish Population Study—conducted under the aegis of the Jewish Federations of North America (formerly United Jewish Communities)—there has been substantial migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and the West; this trend has likely continued since the beginning of this century. Many large urban areas have seen a decrease in the numbers of people who identify themselves as Jewish.

Within a number of major metropolitan and suburban areas, there is sig- nifi cant immigration of foreign-born individuals, which has increased the diver- sity of the community and reduced the infl uence of the Jewish community. New York City epitomizes this trend. In 2008, New York City had 8.36 million residents,

Demographic changes …may lessen the Jewish community’s ability to achieve programmatic, public policy, and government funding goals on its own.

For the past 22 years Ronald Soloway has been a valued member of UJA-Federation of New York’s Department of

Government and External Relations and now serves as its Managing Director. In this capacity he oversees outreach and

advocacy to government and community leaders on behalf of UJA-Federation and its network of agencies.

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of whom more than 3 million were foreign born and more than 25% had arrived since the year 2000. This population speaks more than 200 languages. Based on UJA-Federation’s most recent Jewish Population Study there are only approxi- mately 1 million Jews residing in New York City, a signifi cant reduction from previous surveys.

RELIANCE ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING Before the advent of Medicaid and Medicare in the late 1960s as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, Jewish social service agencies were relatively small, funded primarily through Jewish philanthropy, and focused their service delivery on the Jewish community. Over the past 40 years government funding has increased exponentially and provided the fi nancial means to expand services to the broader community consistent with our faith values. The expansion of programs since the Great Society has also increased the ability of Jewish social service agencies to serve members of our own community. Today, Jewish social service agencies provide culturally competent care and assistance to the greater community while maintaining their traditional role of caring for the Jewish com- munity.

For today’s Jewish social service agencies, government support is almost always signifi cant and can represent up to 90% of their total revenue. Often, they are among the most respected providers in the community based on manage- ment and program excellence. Their high performance is often attributed to the support they receive from the Jewish community. Because of this excellence gov- ernment often seeks out Jewish social service agencies for assistance in meeting the needs of the community.

That said, there are few issues today where the Jewish community as the Jewish community can approach government and request direct assistance. Perhaps the last such time was when our community resettled large numbers of Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union. In more recent times, most of our program requests help Jewish social service agencies serve the Jewish and the broader community, whether it be for aging, mental health, develop- mental disability, child welfare, or youth services. These government funding requests require coalition building as a prerequisite to an effective advocacy effort.

STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Jewish social service agencies benefi t from being involved in the life of their com- munity. Often, the local Jewish federation and Jewish community relations coun- cil have developed relationships with religious and ethnic groups in the community through coalitions and other community-building activities, and these relationships are available to Jewish social service agencies. However help- ful these relationships may be, they are not suffi cient to ensure that Jewish com- munity social service agencies are rooted and respected in the communities they serve.

Relationships are earned and must be nurtured over time. Jewish social ser- vice agencies must develop and deepen these relationships through their own initiative. To do so, the executive leadership of each Jewish social service agency must make the building of community relationships a priority objective for the

The executive leadership of each Jewish social service agency must make the building of community relationships a priority objective for the organization.

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organization. Each Jewish social service agency should identify a lead person re- sponsible for coordinating this effort, and staff throughout the organization should be involved and empowered to take on the community relations challenge.

To deepen these relationships requires the development of a community relations plan. It should identify key institutions and community members with whom relationships need to be nurtured and should give outreach assignments to staff people who know and are connected to the local community. For in- stance, local program directors rather than central administrative staff should be invested with the authority and responsibility to implement the community rela- tions plan. Meaningful results may not be immediate, however. It can take three to fi ve years for enduring relationships and trust to fully evolve.

An effective outreach effort should build relationships with the following groups:

ethnic, religious, and civic leaders• elected offi cials and their appointees• health and human service organizational leadership• community and school boards• colleges and universities• advocacy and service coalitions•

Relationship building is complex, and for each of these target groups it is important to identify potential areas of common interest. For example, elected offi cials share our interest in serving the poor and vulnerable and are often ap- proached by needy residents for assistance. Jewish social service agencies have programs that serve this population and are in a position to offer to accept refer- rals from the offi ces of elected offi cials. Doing so will not only improve service delivery but also the process of mutual support will reinforce working relation- ships over the long term.

Similarly, there are broader concerns like health care, early childhood education, and senior services that are important to the representatives of other ethnic and religious communities. One strategy used very effectively in New York City by its Jewish Community Relations Council is to enhance commu- nity relationships by organizing and participating in issue-oriented coalitions that provide members with information on topics of interest and advocate for common needs. Jewish social service agencies may want to provide leadership in similar efforts as an effective way to strengthen their community partner- ships.

Most Jewish social service agencies have rooms that can be used as com- munity space. If the space is offered for community use then your agency can become a hub for civic engagement. Active civic participation will involve mem- bers of your organization in improving the quality of life for themselves and their neighbors. This will be greatly appreciated by the broader community. Jewish social service agencies should also invite the community to share in their own Jewish cultural and religious traditions to foster better understanding among the broader population. Similarly, Jewish social service agencies should participate in the cultural and religious traditions of other ethnic and religious groups.

Jewish social service agencies have great expertise, and many are both well respected and well resourced, compared with social service agencies evolving

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from the ethnic and religious faith traditions of more recent immigrant groups. Through collaboration and technical assistance our community can help these newer organizations succeed and, in the process, build lasting and enduring re- lationships.

As important as it is to focus on building relationships with current com- munity leadership it is equally important to focus on emerging leaders. These are the individuals who will be major players in the community for the next thirty to forty years. A crucial aspect of any effective community relations plan is the de- velopment of avenues for educating these individuals early in their careers. For example, all candidates running for elective offi ce in your community should be invited to meet with your senior and professional leadership so that they can begin to learn about your organization and the Jewish community. Similarly, outreach for orientation purposes to a newly appointed pastor or community organization leader will likely pay signifi cant dividends.

THE LARGER PICTURE As important as it is for Jewish social service agencies to implement a community relations plan to strengthen their own neighborhood roots and to enhance the standing of their own organization it is at least equally important to understand that the work being done benefi ts the larger Jewish community as well. Jewish federations and community relations councils are engaged in a larger community relations effort to

build a unifi ed Jewish community• promote Jewish concerns by an effective organized community• support a positive environment for the Jewish community as part of the larger • pluralistic society engage in community betterment•

This effort includes increasing knowledge about and support for issues of con- cern to the Jewish community, such as support for the State of Israel and combat- ing anti-Semitism.

As such, ideally, the two ongoing community relations efforts will be mutu- ally supporting. The federations and community relations councils can provide technical assistance and access to elected offi cials and community leaders. The Jewish social service agency as part of its work can help carry the larger Jewish community relations agenda. Marrying these initiatives when appropriate will magnify the success of both efforts.

THE GREAT ECONOMIC RECESSION Jewish social service agencies are not immune from the effects of the great eco- nomic recession. Government and philanthropic funding has and will likely de- crease signifi cantly over the next several years. In the best case, maintaining services to the poor and vulnerable in the Jewish and broader community will require existing social service agencies to collaborate, coordinate, and become more effi cient. This will be challenging for sure. Smaller Jewish social service agencies may lack the resources to continue to serve the Jewish community as they do presently and may need to partner with other agencies to ensure that members of the Jewish community continue to have their needs met. Larger Jewish

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social service agencies, because of their fi nancial strength and ongoing Jewish communal support, are likely to be well positioned to acquire new resources as weaker social service agencies cease operations and government approaches them to continue these important community services. These larger, more fi nan- cially secure Jewish social service agencies will also grapple with how to continue to serve the Jewish community when there are equally compelling needs in the broader community. These challenges illustrate the need for deft community re- lations. Those Jewish social service agencies that are trusted community partners will be able to navigate these treacherous times because the broader community will recognize that they are integral parts of the larger community. We are in the midst of a Darwinian narrowing of the social service sector that favors larger, bet- ter fi nanced social service agencies. Because the Jewish social service system en- ters this period in a strong position, it is likely to be a survivor and well positioned to be a larger presence when the economy recovers.

A MODEL APPROACH UJA-Federation of New York supports a Department of Government and Exter- nal Relations that assists its network of more than 100 agencies build relation- ships with elected offi cials, community leaders, and representatives of the diverse communities of New York to further their mission. In the external relations realm, this department’s major goal is not only to build relationships but also to empower Jewish social service agencies to implement and execute their own ef- fective outreach to the diverse constituencies within their catchment area. In this regard, the department often relies on the expertise and relationships of the Jew- ish Community Relations Council of New York and the Westchester Jewish Council.

For example, because of term limits, there has been a complete turnover in membership on the New York City Council. As a result, the number of Jewish legislators has signifi cantly declined, refl ecting our community’s reduced num- bers. Many of these newly elected representatives were not familiar with the Jewish community and its social service agencies.

UJA-Federation took the leadership to organize meetings for Jewish social service agencies (including community centers and councils) with all candidates running for City Council in neighborhoods with a signifi cant agency presence. These meetings encouraged mutual education and understanding and created a framework for ongoing collaboration. Once a candidate was elected the local Jewish social service agency was well positioned to nurture a mutually benefi cial relationship.

Similarly, UJA-Federation and its social service agencies participate in many broadly constituted human service coalitions that seek to maximize resources for the poor and vulnerable. Through these coalitions Jewish social service agencies have built relationships with diverse community and social service sector leaders that have enabled a unifi ed approach to elected offi cials on behalf of those in the Jewish and broader community.

As these very diffi cult economic times persist we see value in the external relations efforts. UJA-Federation and its network of agencies have access to a broad range of elected offi cials and participate with the broader community on behalf of its own needs and the needs of all New Yorkers.

Those Jewish social service agencies that are trusted community partners will be able to navigate these treacherous times because the broader community will recognize that they are integral parts of the larger community.

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CONCLUSION It is in the interests of Jewish social service agencies to pursue an active commu- nity relations agenda that builds relationships with the entire spectrum of leader- ship in the community served. To achieve optimum benefi t to the Jewish community and their own organizations, this community relations work should be closely coordinated with Jewish federations and community relations coun- cils, which share common purposes. It is crucial that a community relations plan be adopted with agreed-on goals, priorities, strategies, and tactics and with the participation of the board, senior professionals, and line staff of Jewish social service agencies.

A well-implemented community relations plan will be of great benefi t and enhance an agency’s ability to provide quality social services to the Jewish and broader community. It will also enhance the stature of the agency and ensure that when needed it can call on community leaders, elected offi cials, philanthropists, government funders, and others in furtherance of its mission.

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