Accessing Your Community

A six step plan…

1. Recognise who your target audience is - and find the best organisation to outreach to them through:

*University Jewish societies

*Synagogues

*Jewish schools

*Jewish assemblies/societies in non-Jewish Schools

*Youth Clubs

*Cheder/Teenage centre

*Youth Movements

*Local press and radio

2. Identify the 'gatekeepers' in the organisations that you have chosen to work with; these are the people who have the power to enable you to bring Tzedek education to their community:

*University J-Soc - Student chairperson, UJS fieldworker

*Synagogues - Rabbi, chairperson, youth worker, social action/ charity/ education committee, head of cheder/teenage centre

*Jewish Schools - Headteachers, parent-teachers association, charity committee, Jewish studies/geography teachers,

*Non-Jewish Schools - Head of J-Soc, RE/geography/citizenship teachers,

*Youth Clubs - youth workers, management committee, parents committee

* Youth Movements - Office workers, madrichim

3. Obtain contact details for your chosen "gatekeeper".

*The Board of Deputies can usually point you in the right direction.

*For student related enquiries contact UJS.

*For youth club and movement enquiries, contact Makor-AJY at UJIA.

4. Set up a meeting with your chosen "gatekeeper" - preferably face-to-face. In this meeting, it is important to discuss the following:

* Why you have approached person X - and why you want to work with their organisation

* Explain what Tzedek is - with particular reference to why Tzedek is relevant to their organisation and its members

*What precisely you would like from their organisation. For instance:

i. The opportunity to meet with their members in at a weekly gathering (i.e. J-Soc Friday night dinner, during a Synagogue Service or Kiddush or at a youth club meeting) - maybe ask for 10 minutes to make a speech?

ii. For them to arrange a special meeting for their members to learn about Tzedek. Make sure they help with publicity… after all, they are in the best position to be able to get their members there.

iii. A meeting with the "powers that be" of their organisation (i.e. a Synagogue board of management or a Jewish society committee) to discuss how to develop their relationship with Tzedek

iv. Permission to write an article for their publication (most youth movements, synagogues and Jewish societies all have magazines that it is easy to contribute to)

v. To fit in with their existing programme of activity. For instance, if a youth movement is running a "social action" evening, then you would fit in perfectly as a guest speaker

5. Make sure you're a "hit"… speak to your chosen "gatekeeper" (or others involved in the organisation) to find out exactly the sort of thing your target audience will appreciate

6. Make sure you follow-up afterwards:

*Letters of thanks to all concerned

*Follow-up individual questions

*Maybe leave a display or promotional material where you made your presentation?

*Use your initial contacts and "entrance" to make new contacts, and find new ways of promoting Tzedek's work… the snowball effect!!

Top ten tips for a successful entrance!

* Persevere… it will take time to find the right contacts needed for a successful entrance

* Use personal contacts - the Jewish world is small. There will always be somebody who knows somebody!

* Consider first impressions - dress, punctuality, style etc

* Be well prepared and well informed about the relevant issues before meeting

* Look to build relationships with the communities and organisations you want to work with - this means emphasising not just what Tzedek needs from them, but what an involvement with Tzedek can give to their community

* Always look for initial contacts to give you other contacts, including referring where possible (snowballing)

* Be well prepared for formal meetings/contact making - and always be very clear about the purpose of the meeting. Be explicit about this at the meeting.

* Discuss a "plan of action" with a friend before you start off… see if they can pick holes in your proposed approach

* Think big.

* Remember why you got involved with Tzedek in the first place. Remember how inspired you are by the work that you've done - and make sure that this passion, dedication and massive enthusiasm rubs off on everyone you speak to about the project!