Looking for creative ways to engage your community a little bit more during the High Holy Days at your synagogue? Here are five quick lessons we learned from reading The Nonprofit Imagineers, and how you can implement them at your synagogue.
1. Make the experience “high touch” rather than “high tech”
With staff time limited, and the allure of technology ever-present, it’s easy to take high tech shortcuts, potentially sacrificing the valuable personal connections of the High Holy Day experience. From scanning digital tickets without ever making eye contact, to inviting service attendees to join online rather than in person, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur can quickly lose their heimish qualities. It’s important that even if you implement new technologies, you maintain a high touch experience. Be sure that you station volunteers to greet members and visitors with a smile, including at security, at the ticket table, and at the doors to the sanctuary. Ask them to stick around and thank guests for coming, so that your congregants leave with one last high touch moment.
If members will be attending online, be sure that the clergy look at the camera and reference those at home who cannot attend in person (many of whom wish they could be there in person). You might even want to reach out to those who you know couldn’t make it with a phone call or letter to let them know that even though they could not be with you in person, they are still an important part of your community.
2. Establish your creative intent
As you may recall from chapter 1, your creative intent is like a mini mission statement that helps determine your goals for a campaign or event. Your creative intent defines what you hope your guests will learn from their visit, or how they will feel after the event concludes. Think about what your creative intent is for The High Holy Days (do you want to build community, kick of an annual theme, share a specific lesson from the torah portion?), and then be sure that everyone on your staff (including clergy, communications, membership engagement, fundraisers and office staff), as well as volunteers, are on the same page. Each team member can brainstorm their own ideas for how to reach that creative intent within their duties, and by doing so, you will help create a meaningful experience for all of your guests.
3. Ask “What if…”
We tend to do the same thing year after year since The High Holy Days are built on tradition, and we are expected to do what we’ve always done. But just for fun, ask “what if” every once in a while. “What if people had a place to schmooze other than standing the lobby or outside in the hot sun on their way to their cars?” Could we create a welcoming space for people to reconnect, and further enhance their High Holy Day experience? “What if we didn’t do the full repetition of the Amidah?” Could we fill that time in the service with something even more meaningful, but serving the same purpose as the Amidah repetition? Yes – our services are built on tradition, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for Dreamers!
4. Develop your story
The High Holy Days are an excellent opportunity to begin the story for the year, or tell a complete story. Over the course of several services, you can transport members from a starting point to end point, or you can prime them for the year ahead. Remember – your story should have a challenge, hero, and guide. You (the synagogue) are the guide who will help the hero (your community member) meet the challenge. If you’re not quite sure what it means to tell a story, read chapter 5!
5. Add a few Weenies
Yes – weenies. Walt Disney used to dangle a hot dog (weenie) in his hand to attract his dog’s attention, and similarly, weenies are present all over Disney theme parks to draw the attention of park visitors toward a specific direction. The castle, for example, is a weenie that draws visitors from the front gate toward the center of the theme park. At your synagogue, set up a few weenies (visually stimulating items that can be seen from far away) that will draw your congregants from the parking lot to the lobby, and from the lobby to the sanctuary. You might even set something up in your courtyard or in a spot where members don’t usually meander, as a visual treat for them. Weenies can take the form of a piece of art that might not usually be there (perhaps you move a large framed painting to an outdoor spot, with gentle music playing from behind it, and a note about the importance of the piece), or a small, bright sign containing an inspirational quote, thought-provoking question, or picture of your members smiling faces, placed in a spot that visitors can see from far away.
There’s so much more to being a Nonprofit Imagineer during the High Holy Days, but hopefully these ideas set you on a path to make your members’ experience a little bit more engaging and meaningful. If you haven’t yet picked up your copy, purchase it from Amazon, or send me an email and request a signed, discounted copy. Shanah Tova!
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