CTW Issue #2: Why are we playing whack-a-mole with crises?

The way our community approaches tzedakah (charity) has not significantly evolved in quite some time. Most of us fulfill our obligation by donating money to various organizations and, occasionally, directly to someone in need. These are admirable, but have you ever thought about the long-term impact of your donation?

The problem (as I see it) is that it's easiest to try and play 'whack-a-mole' with crises. When something terrible happens, there are plenty of organizations and individuals that are willing to step up and help. But what about preventing some of these emergencies from happening in the first place? Rather than jumping from one crisis to the next, wouldn't it be incredible if our community could come together to address the underlying issues? While some hardships and tragedies cannot be prevented, many can with the proper education, treatment, resources, awareness, or support.

The highest level of tzedakah is to enable someone to be self-sufficient. We usually think of this as helping someone earn an honest living rather than relying on handouts, but the concept can easily be extended to any area where people need support. Over the last year or so, I've seen a tremendous uptick in these kinds of preemptive projects, and I'm excited to watch them evolve. Here are some examples:

• Educating people on the importance of early detection of various serious illnesses, so they can be caught early and easily treated
• Promoting awareness of mental health issues, such as post-partum depression and eating disorders, so those suffering can get help before the situation becomes unmanageable
• Pre-and post-marital education and support to prevent divorces
• Support for parents to help them raise children with strong communal bonds to prevent attrition
• Providing easy access to career training and financial literacy so more people can support themselves and their families without relying on outside assistance
• Movements to help people better connect with various aspects of Jewish life, as well as to avoid potential dangers from various sources, so they can live more meaningful torah lives

What's the practical application here?

Obviously, I still believe in helping people in crisis, both by donating directly (when circumstances allow) and by supporting the nonprofit organizations that do this work daily. However, even small steps towards prevention can make a huge difference.

For Nonprofits

• If your organization is one of the many that have already taken steps toward solving problems from the root, good for you! Your task is to shout it from the rooftops. Nonprofits are notoriously bad at self-promotion, but this is not the time to be humble. Since the story of prevention tends not to be as sensational as a story of crisis, the onus is on you to drive the message home.
• If your organization still primarily focuses on crisis, now would be a great time to start the conversation with your stakeholders to find out what more you can do. While you may not currently have the internal resources to do more, there are alternative options that might work for you. For example, partnering with other organizations or businesses that address similar issues could be a fantastic first step.

For Mission-Driven Businesses

Many businesses are already involved in some form of doing good, whether via corporate sponsorships, employee matching opportunities, or donations of goods and services. However, many of these opportunities come about through personal connections or through a really intelligent strategy that I refer to as 'whoever-asked-the-loudest'. Rarely do businesses take a strategic look at what problems they can actually help solve. For more on this topic, I highly recommend the book Smart Giving is Good Business: How Corporate Philanthropy Can Benefit Your Company and Society by Curt Wheeden. I also have some resources in the works on this topic, so if you find it interesting, subscribe to my email list or Whatsapp community for businesses to be notified when that happens.

For Community Leaders and Changemakers

If you're new to this concept and are intrigued, I recommend reading The Everday Philanthropist by Dan Pallota (who, if you haven't figured out by now, I am a huge fan of!) It's a short, accessible book that will change the way you think about nonprofits and community issues at large. I'm going to talk a lot more about this idea in future issues, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading today's issue! A few reminders:

• Never miss a future issue! Subscribe here.
• If you have any suggestions for content that you'd like me to include, don't hesitate to DM or send me an email at [email protected].
• You might also be interested in my podcast, where I interview nonprofit leaders, so click here to check that out.
• Just a reminder that my primary day job is running 14Minds. We partner with nonprofit organizations, mission-driven businesses, philanthropists, and community leaders who refuse to accept the status quo. Click here to see if you'd be a good candidate to work with us, send an email to [email protected], or give me a call at 516.590.0073x102.