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 BMI will prepare them for the wide scope of responsibilities they face in guiding, governing and stewarding Jewish nonprofit organizations.

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.

The unique feature of the BMI 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 tailor the curriculum include capacity building, strengthening the lay/pro relationship and talent recruitment and retention. We also bring in top practitioners in the Jewish space to supplement the courses taught by Kellogg faculty. The BMI provides lay leaders with a wide variety of experience from different programmatic backgrounds a space to learn from and with each other.

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

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 appropriate for candidates with more limited previous experience in the Jewish sector.

Cohort 5 will be comprised of 30-45 individuals to create a diverse, yet intimate, learning environment.

While we have not set a maximum number of participants who may represent any one 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 total program length is 6 months (January 2021 - June 2021). Sessions will take place virtually over three days and six nights.

You will receive advance reading materials prior to each session. Readings will include articles, cases or background for exercises that will be conducted during sessions. Faculty may also ask participants to complete short surveys to inform their sessions.

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. 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 brings what he or she has learned back to the board table.

In order to receive the Kellogg Certificate, each participant must 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.

The program is evaluated by Kellogg faculty, as well as externally by an independent evaluator who is engaged directly by Boardified.

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

✓ Confidence in their role as a board member
✓ Jewish community and philanthropy, including history
✓ Identifying donors
✓ Roles and responsibilities of board members, especially financial and fundraising
✓ 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 program or application process should be directed to Samantha Stankowicz, Program Director, at sam@boardified.org.

Thanks to the generosity of Boardified's partners, we are able to extend subsidized tuition pricing of $4,000 to all selected participants. If Kellogg were to deliver a similar customized program to a corporation, the cost would be approximately $18,000 per participant.

Upon acceptance into the program, each participant is individually responsible for a $1,000 tuition deposit to guarantee enrollment. The deposit is due no later than January 25.

The remaining $3,000 can be paid personally by the participant or through external funders. Previous external funders have included participants' employers, organizations for which participants serve, and other private funding partners like federations and foundations. In some cases, the remaining tuition has been paid by some combination thereof.

Should you choose this option, upon completion of your application, please provide written confirmation of the organization's readiness to undertake the financial responsibility by email to our Program Director, Samantha Stankowicz, at sam@boardified.org. However, please keep in mind that you are personally responsible for the deposit of $1,000 to secure your spot.

Once tuition is paid, it is nonrefundable.