Strategic Priorities
The Strategic Planning Task Force sought the input of a wide cross section of community stakeholders, subject matter experts and thought leaders. It drew on the experience of other successful Jewish communities. It defined six strategic priorities that Federation views as essential to achieve our community vision. Each of these strategic priorities is supported by defined outcomes, numerous specific strategies, tactics and best practices. Some illustrations are provided. Strategic planning requires making hard choices. Although these six priorities do not represent the totality of Federation’s funding and efforts; they do define where the great majority of our time and money will be focused over the next five years. In order to provide the needed resources to implement these priorities, we must sunset some activities of the Jewish community which are no longer high priority.
A. Ensure the Jewish identity and engagement of future generations.
- Increased funding of formal and informal Jewish education programs such as Israel trips, summer camps and youth groups.
- Diverse, sustainable network of high quality Jewish day schools.
- Major initiative to improve congregational Jewish education.
- New programs such as low-barrier volunteer projects, outreach concierges and activities that build on interest in art, culture and social action.
B. Create a vibrant, embracing, local Jewish community that will help retain and be attractive to young adults and families with young children.
- Improve and expand activities oriented to young Jewish families with children.
- Support new, innovative projects like Next Dor and Moishe House that appeal to younger, single, more urban young adults.
- Help with career and social networking to retain and attract young adults.
- Promote a positive brand identity for the St. Louis Jewish community.
C. Educate and advocate for a strong Israel and safe Jewish world.
- Educate the Jewish community and promote advocacy and activism.
- Build coalitions with non-Jewish groups and influential community members.
- Provide funding to national and international Jewish agencies.
D. Build a human services safety net to identify, monitor, and care for the most vulnerable and isolated Jews.
- Greater emphasis on connecting Jewish clients to governmental, secular and for-profit services and less emphasis on sustaining a ‘parallel universe’ of Jewish institutions.
- Provide ‘safety net’ for those who are unable to access, or have exhausted, other forms of assistance.
- Proactive identification and outreach to the most isolated, at-risk individuals
E. Recruit, train, and develop exceptional human resources.
- Launch I.E. Millstone Institute for Jewish Leadership to promote volunteer and professional recruitment, retention, training and development.
- Continue to support JProSTL.
- Leverage greater volunteer power (e.g. retired Baby Boomers).
F. Strengthen and optimize the community’s infrastructure (facilities, technology, data, etc.) to meet present and future realities and challenges.
- Convene community to find collaborative programmatic and administrative strategies to enhance mission performance and reduce costs.
- Sunset organizations and programs which are no longer critical.
- Optimize the use of technology across the community.
- Emergency planning and management.