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FJMC Club Officer's Manual

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FJMC Club Officer's Manual Club Officer Manual www.fjmc.org October 2012 Published by Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs, Inc. 875 Riverside Drive, Suite 832 New York, NY 10115-0022 E-mail: [email protected] Toll free: (800) 288-FJMC Phone: (212) 749-8100 Fax: (212) 316-4271 www.fjmc.org © 2012 FJMC Club Officer Manual 2012 Page ii INTRODUCTION AN INTRODUCTION TO THE 2012 REVISED EDITION FJMC (Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs) is the international umbrella organization for a confederation of approximately 240 men’s auxiliaries serving more than 18,000 men throughout North America, South America and Asia. Although our chapters are concentrated in North America, the influence of FJMC’s programs and contributions is felt worldwide. FJMC’s mission is to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. We do this by promoting: Leadership - mentoring leaders at the Club, Region and International level. Innovation - developing programming that better connects people of all ages to the Jewish community. Community - forming meaningful long-lasting relationships based on camaraderie, common interests and core values. Our influence goes far beyond men in the Conservative/Masorti Movement. FJMC brings meaning to the lives of men, and through our programming touches hundreds of thousands of people each year. Our programs have a profound impact on our congregations, our youth, world Jewry, and, when you consider the indirect impact of our Shomrei Ha’aretz environmental programs, all of humanity. This revision of the Club Officer Manual updates and builds upon the fine work done on previous editions. Since our last edition, in 2003, the amount of information on our www.fjmc.org website has been expanded. The site has also been revamped to be more user-friendly. Current information is being placed on the website on a regular basis. The entire Activities section of the Manual has been revised to track closely with the website. Other sections have also been updated. For additional more detailed information, and for current updates, we urge you to visit the website at www.fjmc.org. The idea was to create a Manual that was streamlined, well-organized, and visually coherent, containing the maximum amount of handy information. The New York office staff sat down and thought seriously about the types of inquiries and requests for information that we receive every day. Our aim was to equip our officers with as much of that information as possible in the most accessible and user-friendly format. The Manual covers these basic areas: An introduction to the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs programs and Club services, a condensed summary of the programs and services that FJMC offers, thoughts on the role of leadership, a section on the administration of a Men’s Club, strategies for effectively handling the considerable logistics involved in running a Men’s Club, the role of FJMC Regions in strengthening Clubs, as well as some thoughts on the relationship between the Men’s Club, its congregation and the community at large. FJMC Club Officer Manual 2012 Page iii A section on the FJMC activities provides detailed summaries of all our various programs and products. A section on FJMC information including our organizational structure, our staff and contact information. An Appendix with supplementary information including some model documents that have been useful to our members, a history of the organization and a guide to the Conservative Masorti Movement. The Club Officer Manual has traditionally been, and continues to be, the product of valuable contributions from members who are or have been Officers in their synagogue's Men's Clubs. We hope their experience and perspective will provide the information and encouragement you need to give your Men's Club, synagogue and community the leadership it deserves. FJMC Club Officer Manual 2012 Page iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ iii WHAT FJMC OFFERS .................................................................................................... 1 PROGRAMS ................................................................................................................ 1 SERVICES ................................................................................................................... 3 LEADING A MEN’S CLUB .............................................................................................. 5 THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP ..................................................................................... 5 Volunteer Leadership Tips ........................................................................................ 5 Ten Points for Effective Leadership .......................................................................... 6 Club Officers and Religious Observance .................................................................. 7 When FJMC Visits Your Club ................................................................................... 7 CLUB ADMINISTRATION ........................................................................................... 8 New Clubs ................................................................................................................ 8 How to Form a Men’s Club.................................................................................... 8 How to Affiliate with FJMC .................................................................................. 10 Existing Clubs ......................................................................................................... 11 Bylaws ................................................................................................................ 11 Calendar ............................................................................................................. 12 Annual Guide ...................................................................................................... 12 Meetings ............................................................................................................. 12 Sharing Duties .................................................................................................... 14 Succession Planning ........................................................................................... 15 Club Membership and Leadership Updates ........................................................ 15 Contact the FJMC Office ........................................................................................ 16 ROLE OF THE REGIONS ......................................................................................... 17 THE SYNAGOGUE AND THE RABBI ...................................................................... 19 The Relationship with the Synagogue .................................................................... 19 The Role of the Spiritual Advisor ............................................................................ 19 The Rabbi and the Men’s Club: A Joint Venture ..................................................... 21 PUBLICITY ................................................................................................................ 22 Promoting Your Men’s Club .................................................................................... 22 Creating an Image .................................................................................................. 22 PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONS ............................................................................ 24 FJMC ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................................ 29 MAJOR ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................. 29 FJMC Biennial International Convention ................................................................ 29 Preparing for Convention .................................................................................... 29 Quality Club Award ............................................................................................. 30 Torch Award ........................................................................................................ 30 Region Convention Activities .............................................................................. 31 Ma’asim Tovim Awards ....................................................................................... 31 Convention Journal ............................................................................................. 31 Other Convention Aspects .................................................................................. 32 Men’s Club Shabbat ............................................................................................... 33 Hearing Men’s Voices ............................................................................................. 34 FJMC Club Officer Manual 2012 Page v Volume 1: Our Fathers, Ourselves ...................................................................... 35 Volume 2: Body and Spirit: Men Staying Healthy and Fit .................................... 35 Volume 3: Listening to God’s Voice .................................................................... 36 Volume 4: Building the Faith: A Book of Inclusion for Dual-Faith Families .......... 37 Volume 5: Let’s Talk About It: A Book of Comfort and Understanding for Intermarried Families and Synagogue Leadership .............................................. 37 Volume 6: Work and Worth ................................................................................
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