ShulCloud

Ever notice how "staying in touch" with major donors often feels like a hidden agenda? Last week, a synagogue Director shared something that stuck with me: "I felt guilty reaching out just to say Happy Purim - like I always needed an ask." Here's the truth: The strongest synagogue relationships aren't built on transactions. They're built on genuine connection. Some synagogue relationship-building principles I've learned: ? Keep holiday greetings pure and agenda-free ? Focus on the “special sauce” they bring to the community, not future needs ? Remember personal details about their families ? Separate appreciation from solicitation The result? Deeper, more authentic relationships that naturally lead to sustained engagement. Soon you’ll say to yourself : "When I stopped treating every touchpoint as a prelude to an ask, our engagement and retention actually increased” Oh, and log it in the ShulCloud CRM with a follow up! :) What's your approach to maintaining genuine connections with key supporters? #synagoguelife

NEW PODCAST, LISTEN NOW: Synagogue Engagement Feeling Broken? Here's how to stop making the same mistakes. Most synagogues struggle to keep members engaged. But what if you had a simple system to scale engagement—without adding more work? In this new 15-minute candid chat with ShulCloud's Zach Hoffman and Messaging Manager Chris Troupe, about how one synagogue nearly doubled household engagement using a smarter follow-up strategy. We cover: ? The biggest engagement mistakes synagogues make ? How to follow up without feeling pushy ? The S.U.P.E.R. formula for lasting connections ? A plug-and-play strategy to make engagement effortless Jason Plotkin, Executive Director of Temple Israel, saw it work firsthand: "Utilizing tags and having a concrete plan with engagement – we are seeing engagement increases across the board." If you want more engaged members without the overwhelm, listen now. Click Here: https://hubs.li/Q03b9Hz10

Gala season is upon us Synagogue Friends. Everyone's focused on the centerpieces and seating charts. But here's what successful synagogues are planning NOW: The post-gala strategy that 90% of communities forget. Here's what most synagogues do: ? Create their event in ShulCloud ? Focus solely on ticket sales ? Start and end with the event total Here's what transformation-focused communities plan for: 1. Data Collection Strategy - Set up custom fields to track first-time donors - Create tags for auction interest areas - Plan guest-to-member conversion tracking [Pro tip: ShulCloud's registration forms can capture this gold mine of information] 2. The "Morning After" Plan - Draft segmented thank you templates - Map out 30/60/90 day engagement touchpoints - Identify board members for personal outreach Your spring gala isn't just a fancy dinner - it's your biggest prospect pipeline of the year. Question: What's one thing you're doing differently for this year's gala follow-up? #SynagogueLife #JewishPhilanthropy #CommunityEngagement

"For Good" isn't just a showstopper - it's exactly how long you want to keep those new faces who come to your Purim celebration! ?? I'm seeing SO many synagogues embracing their "Popular" side with Wicked-themed Purim celebrations this year. (And honestly? Here for it! I'll be Haman at my shul's shpeil) But here's the real magic: That person who shows up because they're a massive Wicked fan? They might be your next active member. The key is making sure you can follow up meaningfully. Quick tip: When setting up your Purim RSVP forms in ShulCloud, add a field asking what drew them to this year's celebration. Then tag these members based on their interests: -Broadway enthusiasts -Oz aficionados -Musical theater lovers Now you're set up to: -Identify potential new members who needed just THIS push to join -Create targeted outreach for future themed events Because someone who comes for "Dancing Through Life" at Purim might stay for your next Broadway Havdalah or summer movie series featuring The Wizard of Oz. Don't let these connections melt like a certain Wicked Witch. The real community building happens after the megillah reading! What creative themes is your community exploring this Purim? And how are you turning one-time guests into lasting members? #SynagogueLife #Purim2025 #JewishCommunity"

The best synagogue innovations often start with a conversation over Shabbat dinner... ?????? Recently, one of our ShulCloud synagogue partners shared how a member's casual observation turned into a brilliant community solution: "How can we make it easier for families to connect with others who have kids the same age, especially for birthdays and b'nei mitzvah planning?" Using ShulCloud's tagging system, we helped them: - Create grade-level groupings in the member directory - Help families discover others with similar-aged children - Make it easier to welcome new members into existing social circles - Simplify b'nei mitzvah planning by seeing who's in the same cohort What I love most about this story is how organically the solution emerged. A Shabbat dinner conversation transformed into a practical tool for building stronger community connections. The result? A synagogue where it's easier than ever for families to find and support each other through simchas, milestones, and everyday moments. Has your community found creative ways to strengthen connections between families? Would love to hear your stories below! #SynagogueLife #JewishCommunity #CommunityBuilding

Many synagogues can look financially stable at first glance—until they’re not. That’s where the concept of the Synagogue Viability Scale comes in. Introduced by John Grippo, co-founder of Kesef Accounting Services, this framework offers a new perspective on synagogue finances. It connects two critical questions: - Are we building or draining our cash reserves? - Are we earning or losing money year-over-year? In this on-demand video, John walks you through: -How to calculate your General Fund Cash Reserve (GFCR) to understand the cumulative impact of your decisions -Why a “positive cash balance” might be masking long-term losses -The four quadrants of synagogue viability—and what they reveal about your financial future Even synagogues with significant cash reserves can unknowingly be on a path toward insolvency. Watch the Video Now to see where your synagogue might fall—and what that means for its sustainability. ?? https://hubs.li/Q03533qk0

A customer (who's actually an old family friend) asked a question sparked a powerful reminder today: 'How can we track our veterans' gravesites for Memorial Day ceremonies?' (talk about planning ahead!) The answer was beautifully simple - tags + the cemetery module. One small feature helping congregations honor those who served. In ShulCloud add a 'Veteran' tag to accounts who have a member who's a veteran → Run a cemetery report filtered by the tag 'Veteran' → Get instant access to all the relevant data. What used to take hours of manual searching now takes seconds. Plus, you'll discover hidden stories in your community's history - like the three generations of veterans in one family section they found last week. Bonus tip: Make veteran status part of your standard synagogue attribute input process. ?? Want to see how this works? Drop a comment below for a quick walkthrough. #JewishVeterans #SynagogueLife"

Today, a ShulCloud Enterprise+ Account Manager noticed something off in a client's system. Instead of just sending an email, she immediately picked up the phone: "I'm pulling your synagogue from this update until we can test it further. I don't want to break anything on your site, or bombard you with non-relevant messaging." That's the difference an Enterprise+ Account Manager makes: - They know your synagogue's critical seasons - They think proactively about your needs - They protect your operations before you even know there's a risk But it goes beyond just protection. Your dedicated Account Manager: - Spends 24 hours working directly with your team - Analyzes your ShulCloud utilization to uncover unused features - Builds your complex forms and reports when you're short on time - Conducts annual health checks to keep you optimized In the world of synagogue management, you can't afford downtime during peak seasons. Having someone who knows your business, anticipates your needs, and advocates for you isn't just convenient - it's essential. To every synagogue professional juggling member needs, event planning, and technology: You shouldn't have to do it alone. What would it mean to have a dedicated ShulCloud partner watching your back? #SynagogueLife #JewishProfessionals #ShulCloud

"When I make a mistake, I'll ask for help" my 4-year-old declared while putting on her socks this morning. I stood there, humbled. How is it that our youngest members inherently understand what we as leaders often struggle with? In #SynagogueLife (and often all life), we (adults) often feel pressure to have all the answers. To never show vulnerability. To figure it all out alone. But what if we took my daughter's wisdom to heart? Recently, an Executive Director called asking about keeping event attendance records for events in ShulCloud and then creating a report that would show who is coming to what events (this would be attendance?and participation in all of their events). They then said, "Maybe I should know this but is there a way to do this easily in ShulCloud??As of now, I am doing this in google docs and staff is entering tags for certain event participation." I shared that there's some great reporting in ShulCloud that shows attendance for events, but they're not currently using Events in that way; they're using forms. So I shared a different report that helped them out, and wrote a walk through for how to start using events and incorporated it into our on-campus ShulCloud Learning Labs (next one in Miami, FL). One simple ask → Hours saved → More time for community building (and bonus content for me!) When was the last time asking for help transformed your workflow? Bonus: Comment "reports" if you'd like to know which 2 reports I shared. #JewishLeadership #SynagogueLife

"By the way, I'll need to review that Tu B’shvat flyer before it goes out." I shuddered. Heard a ShulCloud prospect say this while I was wrapping up a a demo yesterday about a simple event listing. Then about an email. Then about a form update. It reminded me of that famous line from "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz: Sometimes having control over everything actually means nothing gets done. I see this pattern in synagogues all the time: ? Basic emails sitting in drafts awaiting review ? Simple form updates trapped in approval limbo ? Standard event listings waiting for "one quick look" ? Staff afraid to make routine decisions We think we're ensuring quality. What we're really creating is "effort debt" (great term from "The Effortless Experience" by Dixon). Real example: One synagogue required director approval for: ? Every member communication ? All event descriptions ? Each website update ? Any form change The result? ? 3-day delays on urgent updates ? Burned out director ? Frustrated staff ? Stalled projects Another synagogue tried something different: They created clear guidelines for what needed review (and what didn't). Staff could now: ? Update event details ? Send standard communications ? Make routine changes ? Actually do their jobs The director? Finally had time for strategic work. Sometimes the best leadership is letting go of the small stuff so the big stuff can happen. Trust your team. Or get a new team. What's one decision you could delegate this week? #ShulCloud #SynagogueLife #JewishProfessional