This program will provide an academic learning experience for board members of Jewish
nonprofits, enabling them to have a rigorous, relevant learning experience with a cohort of like-minded individuals. The Institute will prepare them for the wide scope of responsibilities they face in guiding, governing and stewarding Jewish nonprofit organizations.

The unique feature of this Institute is that it was designed based on in-depth insights of stakeholders in the U.S. nonprofit sector, and it reflects the views of seasoned practitioners regarding the need and urgency for intentional and comprehensive board member development. In order to create a program that best meets the needs of the sector, we first conducted a Field Assessment of the challenges of the Jewish sector and how to best help lay leaders address such challenges. We then surveyed potential strategic partners, senior professional staff and current board members of Jewish nonprofits to test and refine our findings before bringing a solution to the marketplace.

There are aspects of working within the Jewish community and with Jewish organizations that are in fact unique, and consequently, the sector has its own distinct challenges and opportunities. Some specific examples of where we will tailor the curriculum include capacity building, strengthening the lay/pro relationship and talent recruitment and retention. We will also bring in top practitioners in the Jewish space to supplement the courses taught by Kellogg faculty. Lastly, the Institute provides lay leaders with a wide variety of experience from different programmatic backgrounds a space to learn, network and mentor.

Read the Assessment of Lay Leadership in the Jewish Nonprofit Sector
Read the Executive Summary & Key Findings of the Lay Leadership Training Survey for Nonprofit Leaders

The application process is open to active and potential board members, who have served or intend to serve on boards of Jewish nonprofits, without any restrictions due to age, previous experience in the sector or type or size of the organization they represent.

Nonprofit professionals who already serve or intend to serve on the board of a Jewish nonprofit are eligible to apply, yet the course will be focused on governance, roles and responsibilities of the board, and other highly relevant and timely topics necessary for proper stewardship of nonprofits.

Both. The program curriculum is built to provide systematic knowledge which addresses the newest and upcoming trends in the Jewish nonprofit sector. Consequently, the program is a relevant and significant value-add for experienced candidates, but it is also open and appropriate for candidates with more limited previous experience in the Jewish sector.

The Hybrid Cohort will be comprised of 35-40 individuals in order to create a diverse, yet intimate, learning environment.

While we have not set a maximum number of participants who may represent anyone organization, our goal is to create a diverse cohort of participants, with respect to levels of experience, organization type, individual and organizational needs, etc.

The program will be conducted over three 3-day sessions. The total program length is 6 months (November 3, 2019 – May 5, 2020).

Sessions will be held at the Kellogg School's downtown Chicago campus, Wieboldt Hall, 340 E. Superior Street.

Advance reading materials will be sent prior to each session. Readings could include articles, cases or background for exercises that will be conducted in class. Faculty will ask participants to complete short surveys that will inform their classes.

The topic of every session is carefully selected and distilled to make sure the participants obtain a holistic picture, as well as practical skills and real-world applications of the subject matter of the session. Therefore, attendance at every session is strongly recommended to ensure that the participant is exposed to the complete scope of information, is able to contribute to the group dynamic of the cohort and learns how to bring what he or she has learned back to the board table.

In order to receive the Kellogg Certificate, each participant is expected to attend a minimum of 80% of the sessions.

Every participant will receive a full set of learning materials and speakers' presentations for each session to be able to catch up in the event of a conflict with respect to a particular session.

The program is being evaluated, both internally by Kellogg faculty, and externally by an independent evaluator who is engaged directly by the Board Member Institute.

To date, program participants reported that they gained the most knowledge in the following areas;

✓ Confidence in the role of a board member
✓ Jewish community and philanthropy, including history
✓ Identifying donors
✓ Roles and responsibilities of board members, especially financial and fundraising
✓ Similar characteristics across boards
✓ Board participation, engagement and structure
✓ Nonprofit sector

Program participants also reported that they took the following actions in order to make improvements on their board(s);

✓ Added space on the board meeting agenda for strategic and generative discussions
✓ Added structure to the board member financial commitment expectations
✓ Initiated plans to address board term limits, succession planning and diversity
✓ Created a fundraising working group
✓ Created a leadership development arm of the board
✓ Clarified roles between CEO and Board
✓ Engaged a broader group of board members in decision making
✓ Introduced new by-laws

Any questions regarding the Board Member Institute or the application process should be directed to Samantha Stankowicz, Program Director, at sam@boardified.org.

Due to the generous support of philanthropic partners, who have subsidized the program costs, we are able to offer the course for $6,000 per participant.

If Kellogg were to deliver a similar customized program to a corporation, the cost would be
approximately $30,000 per participant.

Should you choose this option, upon completion of your application, you are kindly requested to provide written evidence of the organization's readiness to undertake the financial responsibility by email to sam@boardified.org. Such documentation should include contact information of the contributing sponsor for an invoice.

The first mandatory payment of $1,000 must be made by the candidate him/herself to secure his or her spot.

Once tuition is paid, it is nonrefundable.