Dear Temple Members,
From its inception in 1899, when 70 founding members collected $2,400 to organize Seattle’s first Reform Jewish Synagogue, Temple De Hirsch Sinai has continually evolved with the times. We have a membership base of over 1,300 families, two campuses, four dedicated rabbis, a professional administrative staff and an involved Board of Trustees.
Through the strength of our entire temple community, Temple De Hirsch Sinai continues to be a beacon for Reform Jews in the Greater Seattle Area.
Temple’s Board of Trustees have become acutely aware of the need for a roadmap of the future. A roadmap that would secure our synagogue from a spiritual, educational and financial standpoint, allowing Temple De Hirsch Sinai to continue to thrive as a Jewish institution, offering a Jewish gathering place for families, and a welcoming atmosphere for all.
It is because of this that I am so proud to introduce our members to Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s 5 Year Strategic Plan: a statement of our values and purpose, and a compilation of our goals, supported by strategies to attain those goals in an orderly, professional and well thought out manner. It is important to note that many of our goals and strategies are not new; Temple has been doing these things for years, and doing them well. Temple’s Board believes that by putting our plan in writing, we improve our transparency and accountability to the congregation, and to each other.
Over the past 2 years, Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s Board of Trustees, our administrative and rabbinic staff, as well as a wide representation of congregants, have generously given their time towards creating our 5 Year Strategic Plan. The 5 Year Strategic Plan is a living document, a document that will evolve and change based on the needs of our congregation and community in an ever-changing world. Additionally, this document will serve as a basis for a Long Term Strategic Plan.
Finally, the 5 year Strategic Plan will be a guide to measure our strengths… and our weaknesses. Its on-going review will serve as the Board of Trustees report card to you, our congregants. We pledge to update the congregation on the progress of the Strategic Plan on a bi-yearly basis. We will inform our members of our successes and challenges and will adapt as needed to achieve our goals. I invite each of you to review the 5 Year Strategic Plan and join together in bringing Temple De Hirsch Sinai into the next
decade, ensuring that our children and grandchildren enjoy all that Temple has to offer.
Warmly,
Gail Alexander, President
Provide an engaging worship experience, building community with each other and with Reform Jewish tradition.
• Continue to provide both contemporary and traditional worship experiences.
• Make each person feel welcome from the moment they walk in the door.
• Develop additional alternative worship experiences that encourage people to attend services throughout the year.
• Create an environment that allows all attendees, Jews and non-Jews, to be comfortable, to learn, and to engage.
• Expand the Shabbat Havurah program to build community and worship opportunities with additional member groups.
Build a congregation of lifetime loyal members.
• Actively conduct and participate in the life cycle events of our members.
• Provide rabbinical support and pastoral care for all members in need.
• Create engagement opportunities for a variety of member groups and cultivate ways to connect to each other and to our community.
• Use the uniqueness of our urban and suburban campuses to satisfy the diverse needs of our congregants.
• Celebrate and preserve our rich history and traditions while engaging members through contemporary thought and practice.
• Listen to our members and respond to their on-going needs and concerns.
• Empower a creative, passionate and professionally fulfilled staff.
Create high quality education programs which solidify members’ commitment to living a Jewish life.
• Review and revise the religion school curriculum annually to ensure it is progressive, engaging, and delivers consistent quality at all grade levels.
• Cultivate social activities at all life stages to instill the value of participating in a Jewish community.
• Recruit, train, and retain high quality religion school teachers.
• Survey parents annually to assess religion school program effectiveness.
• Continue the Parallel Education for Parents program and provide additional programming to engage parents in their children’s Jewish education at home.
• Deliver lifelong learning opportunities through our Adult Education Programs.
• Provide age and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for our young youth at JRM preschool to acquire skills they need to enter Kindergarten.
Operate & maintain two vibrant campuses to meet the diverse needs of our members.
• Establish a facility committee to plan renewal initiatives for both campuses while meeting the day to day operating needs.
• Develop a tenant management plan to maximize the value of our tenant relationships and facility usage.
• Maintain on-going relationships with public and private security experts to ensure the highest level of safety for our members.
• Address the immediate facility needs of both campuses, creating more useable worship space in Seattle and more flexible worship and social space in Bellevue.
• Leverage the uniqueness of both campuses and their urban and suburban locations to meet the needs of our entire congregation.
Sustain a financially stable congregation.
• Balance and manage ongoing and immediate cash flow needs with long term non-liquid assets.
• Ensure membership dues are paid timely and at a level commensurate with ability.
• Design and implement a short-term economic development plan (capital campaign, endowment, investment portfolio strategy)
to provide for expected & unexpected operating expenses.
• Continue to manage expenses in a disciplined fashion.
• Develop a fundraising infrastructure which enables seamless execution of our annual fundraising efforts.
• Create a new member growth plan.
• Promote a culture of giving.
3850 156th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98006
206.323.8486
info@tdhs-nw.org
