CKS Semi-Annual Meeting Report

Dear Members,

Thank you to everyone who attended the Semi-Annual Meeting on December 5, 2010. For those of you who could not be there, our conversation focused on the financial challenges which we are facing this year, and which we have been dealing with for the past 3 years as our membership has declined and the economy has been slow to recover. Despite a 20% cut in our budget from last year, we are still running behind in our goals for this year. Our income comes from pledges, donations, fundraising events such as the 4th of July Falafel Booth, fundraising activities such as the Judaica Gift Shop, rental income, and Religious School tuition.

While pledges are the predominant source of income, they never have been, and never will be, the ONLY way we make ends meet. In other words, no matter how many members we have, we will always be working to generate funds through other activities. This is the case for most, if not all, synagogues of any size.

At the same time, it is clear that our membership at its current level is insufficient to comfortably sustain our infrastructure. It's not impossible, but it's not comfortable. But with more members our community would be healthier, more enlivened, and more stable. We could start building for a future of expansion rather than fending off a future of diminishing returns.

We have recently created a new Mission for Congregation Kol Shalom. This Mission and Vision are designed to declare both who we are right now, and also who we intend to be when our mission is fulfilled. We can use this as a measure to see where we are being "a center for Jewish life, and a vital community to North Kitsap County." We can also see where we have more to do, to strengthen our center and to increase our presence in Kitsap County.

In the past week there have already been measurable results from the meeting, and I would like to acknowledge those of you who have seized this news as an opportunity and a springboard for action. First of all, we have already received over $3,000 in donations as a response to our Matching Campaign. (Please see your email for more information on this end-of-year fundraiser.) Secondly, several people have approached me with ideas to raise money and are volunteering their time and energy to get the ball rolling with these activities. Thirdly, a membership committee is forming to take on the issue of retention and attraction of our members.

I know that many more of you are ready and willing to contribute your ideas, time, and energy to ensuring our future success. We have made as many cuts as we can while retaining our level of service. If we sacrifice our staff, or our building, we run the risk of destroying the very things that make us who we are: A center for Jewish life. A vital community.

Together, we can do this!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions, ideas, or concerns. The next Board Meeting is Wednesday, January 5 at 6:30 pm. The PowerPoint presentation that I showed at the meeting is available below. I made some slight modifications to a couple of slides and added some notes to clarify some points. Since this was presented, there have been other developments and plans in progress, which you will be hearing about in the Weekly Email and other announcements.

B'Shalom,
Jessica Dubey, President
president@kolshalom.net