Read our latest posts and thoughts on tzedakah and giving to those organizations that are closest to us.
July 12, 2022
I will never forget the time that my local day school ran a big fundraiser for their brand new campus. They had a massive gala dinner and showed an inspirational video highlighting a few students and their families (you know, the ones who donated above a certain amount) breaking ground on what would be our new campus. I had no expectation to be included in any way in the fundraising efforts, but the message was clear- we celebrate the big donors. That message was strongly enforced throughout my childhood growing up in an affluent community and in my day school education. Working in the field
July 6, 2022
Steve Jobs famously said: “Don’t sell products. Sell dreams”. No one buys a product or signs up for a service only for a specific feature. They sign up because that feature helps them achieve a larger goal. To put it another way – It’s not just about “what” you’ve built, it’s also about “why” you are building it in the first place. And so, when we reflect on what we’ve achieved with MyTzedakah, it’s easy to focus on the technicalities of “what” we are building – a slick, online platform that supports frictionless, cause-based giving. But it’s equally important to focus on our “why”. We’ve
June 24, 2022
**Begin with the end in mind**. Otherwise known as ‘Habit 2’. In his famous book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Steven Covey describes effective people as those who envision their ideal ending and behave in a way that is aligned with their goals to actualize that ending. As parents, we are often so caught up in the daily grind, and our brains are consumed with the minutiae of those everyday (important and unimportant) decisions. Like, did I remember to send in the deposit to secure my kid’s spot at summer camp? Do I have enough shabbat leftovers to feed the kids dinner? Is that b
June 24, 2022
**MyTzedakah staff in Conversation with Rachael Fried, Executive Director of JQY** **Melissa: What have you done as an organization to engage “next generation donors” to care about giving to JQY?** **Rachael:** At JQY we generally don’t frame supporting us as “tzedakah”. When you support JQY, you are building a community and joining the movement to create something beautiful with us. The community we serve is often overlooked, but it is one that we believe deserves to be celebrated. We like to focus on the community building aspects of support, rather than a charity case. We also truly beli
May 8, 2022
As the tech platform for next generation giving, we have unique insight into the giving trends of religious Jewish tzedakah givers. As a company helping American givers build their own giving portfolios, with a team primarily living in Israel, we have a unique perspective on the differences between how Americans living in Israel give tzedakah and how Americans living in America give tzedakah. After reading David Bashevkin’s article “What wealth mean to me” that highlighted some cultural truths about growing up in the Modern Orthodox community, we were inspired to do a deep dive into the givi
January 12, 2022
The best relationships are built on trust, and that is especially true when it comes to your money. We recently read [this great interview](https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/angelique-power-and-the-power-of-trust-in-philanthropy/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Your%20Daily%20Phil%20Friday%20December%2010%202021%20copy%2001&utm_content=Your%20Daily%20Phil%20Friday%20December%2010%202021%20copy%2001+CID_c459952cea758188186dda1fbfcdf451&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Read%20the%20full%20interview%20here) by eJewish Philanthropy with Angelique Power, who recently joined the Sillma
December 26, 2021
MyTzedakah is proud to partner with the amazing organization [Paamonim](https://www.paamonim.org/en/) which aims at helping people achieve financial literacy and stability through counselling and educational programs. There is a huge gap of knowledge among the general public about how finances and credit work. Unfortunately, many people make decisions that negatively impact their financial well-being over time without much thought. For over 20 years, Paamonim has delivered fundamental money management skills promoting the power of self-help, and independence. Part of our core educational ph
December 26, 2021
Did you know that Millennials are poised to inherit a significant chunk of change in the coming years from their Boomer parents? The fact that most Jewish nonprofits completely ignore this age group is not only mind-boggling, but a complete lack of foresight. Since we launched in the Winter of 2020, we have been constantly adding new features and improving our product for Millennial and Gen-Z users. Here are a few of our major takeaways over the past year about the current trends in Jewish next generation giving: **Jewish Millennials care about a lot of different things:** 60% of funds on M
December 22, 2021
The consensus around the MyTzedakah office is that December is the absolute worst month to own an email address. We did a fun little experiment where we counted how many “end of year” emails we got from organizations this month. The combined total for the MyTzedakah team was well over 200 emails. 200 emails!! In a given day we’re inundated with at least 5-10 emails asking for an URGENT! PRESSURE! GUILT! donation to every single charity we’ve ever interacted with. The asks are overwhelming and unending. And as the donor, we’re left completely lost – these charities are ALL deserving. They’re
November 14, 2021
Yad Lakashish is pioneering a way forward in caring for the elderly. On top of providing for their most basic needs, they professionally train their participant “artisans” in various crafts to help them keep their minds sharp, engaged and fulfilled. The crafts that they create are then sold yearlong to various tour groups and online, and 100% of the proceeds are reinvested into their life-changing programs and services. Meet Boris, born in 1939, and a vital member of the ceramics workshop since 2013. A few years ago, Boris’s health began to deteriorate and he was not able to craft jewelry in
September 29, 2021
Sacred Spaces partners with Jewish institutions to prevent and respond to sexual abuse and other abuses of power. Bringing a uniquely Jewish lens, Sacred Spaces is the only national organization dedicated to ending institutional abuse through a systemic approach across the lifespan and denominations. It is driven by the belief that healthy and accountable institutions — whose culture and daily operations foster sacredness and reduce the risk of harassment abuse, and other forms of interpersonal harm — contribute to the overall health and well being of the community. We have worked with hundr
September 29, 2021
Does my tzedakah really matter? Do my monetary contributions to organizations truly impact their activities? Don’t we have enough money in the Jewish community? Have we not built up our institutions enough to sustain us for the foreseeable future? And even if we have not, does my small contribution make a difference? An idea came to me that knocked me off my feet with its simplicity and created a major paradigm shift for me in my charitable planning. Your charity is not about how it impacts the receiver, but rather how it impacts the giver. Tzedakah is a reflective act that changes you as a
July 22, 2021
Our summer started off busy onboarding 16 additional charities to the platform. We are privileged to work with amazing partners and support all different types of work in our community. Some of the new organizations are grassroots and community led, while others are mega organizations that provide services to thousands of people. Our goal at [MyTzedakah](https://mytzedakah.com) is to appeal to any kind of donor. Each and every one of you can support not only the causes that align with your values, but also the organizations that operate in the way that is most appealing to you. Our newly adde
July 22, 2021
Growing up, I lived and breathed for the Jewish community. From a young age, I loved youth groups, synagogue and really any project or group that allowed me to be a part of something greater. I was drawn to anything that created a sense of community for me. The values imparted to me from my parents, school and society all came together in youth movements and Jewish summer camp. I was able to learn, practice Judaism and contribute in a meaningful way all while feeling a strong sense of belonging that enveloped me with a significant sense of contribution and made my life meaningful. Life for m
July 22, 2021
I recently had an insightful conversation with some smart, thoughtful and Jewishly engaged young families who are monthly donors through MyTzedakah. I asked them a few questions about their charitable giving traits – how they make decisions on what gets added to their monthly fund – and they gave me the most interesting insight. They told me they would not add a certain cause to their fund but that they would maybe give $100, one-time, if they had a significant campaign running for something important. I asked them why they wouldn’t just donate $8/month, instead of $100 one-time? And they th
July 22, 2021
**“I am a high school girl…and so many of my friends are struggling… Trying to help my friends yet also helping myself is so confusing and scary, and I was so relieved to hear about this event. It felt validating to know that I’m not alone and others are also going through this. The event was so informative and I felt comfortable asking questions and getting the answers I so needed.”** This is a direct quote from a young Jewish teen who participated in a mental health summit at which CCSA presented. This is just one of many examples of lives we have touched and changed through direct and hon
December 21, 2020
A lot of people hold themselves back from donating because they really doubt the impact of their $50/month, when our parents are clearly donating more. But let me tell you about the power of monthly micro-donations. Let me tell you about the power of giving authentically with real impact. Through MyTzedakah, the average monthly donation is $100. We have some donors who give $360/month and some who give $10/month. Together, in 4 months through just word of mouth marketing, we’re making over $6,000 a month in recurring donations. That’s over $70,000 a year! Imagine a world where no one scrol
October 4, 2020
Hey everyone! Carly here. I thought it was about time I properly introduced myself and explained a bit about how My Tzedakah Fund was created… My Tzedakah Fund has been my baby for four years now. I came up with the idea around the same time I had my first child, Noa. I was 27, starting a family, with five years of consistency in the workforce and it felt like a real pivotal moment in my life. I was starting to establish myself, creating life, and deciding what kind of person I wanted to be. I had my entire life budgeted and planned and I realized I hadn’t made any serious plans for my chari