Submission #200 by Beth El Temple Men's Club - West Hartford (217)

I have read the General Guidelines, "Nuts and Bolts" and Program Advanced Planning (Excel Spreadsheet) Documents
Club Name
Beth El Temple Men's Club - West Hartford (217)
Yellow candle Distribution and Marketing
Club Representative
Person completing form
David
Diamond
Club President at time of Convention
Jacob
Kovel
Club President Now
Jacob
Kovel
Yom HaShoah / Yellow Candle

Page 1

Took declining, money loosing yellow Candle program and turned it around using a combination of ideas from other Torch Award winners and Yellow Candle chairs. Created three requests for donations, created multiple distribution channels (eliminating most of our postage expense). In an attempt to connect with families with children we incorporated prayers for children who perished in the Holocaust with Child's name, age, date of passing, location. Raised most revenue in history of our program.
yellow_candle_program_advanced_planning_torch.xls
Upload Donor Historical history, Distribution system, Shavuot mailing label creation - look at tabs on bottom of sheet.
Uploaded Detail Program Description
Uploaded Yad Vashem list of 1000 children converted to excel spreadsheet two tabs
Uploaded publicity
Uploaded series of three donation request letters
Uploaded Meditation to merge Yad Vashem list, Kel Maleh Rachamim prayer male and female, mail merge instructions.
2013_candle_donors_by_name_master_torch.xls
program_details.doc
children_names_english500_1a.xls
publicity_yellow_candle_.doc
3_request_letters_yom_hashoah_2013.doc
yomhashoah_merged_meditation.doc

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Self Assessment
Implementing the new processes to our Yellow Candle program has brought new life to the program, our Men's Club comment and our ability to give a charitable donation.
Our Yellow candle Program had a fund raising component to be able to Create scholarship funds for students to be able to attend Camp Ramah. Creating a Jewish connection in our students helps replace the generation lost in the Holocaust. Our Yellow Candle Program was at break even and the last year lost money, so no funds were being created for scholarships. A lot of work and effort from most of our men's club members without desired results. Our board was discouraged and there was talk of discontinuing the program. The Yellow Candle Program has been re-energized and for the first time in four years made a donation to the Ramah scholarship fund. We are a Temple of 900 families with 120 Men's club Members. 40 members plus wives participated in the Yellow candle distribution and marketing.
The Yellow Candle program is a core program of FJMC and its major fundraiser. By revitalizing the program it brought new energy and purpose to our Men's club volunteers. By researching historical Torch Program and consulting with Yellow Candle Chairs we were able to add innovative proven processes and create other by our self to meet new goals in distribution, fund raising, community support and the ability have our community bless the souls of so many children who perished in the Shoah.
Every aspect of the Yellow candle program is involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life.
Leadership- creates many committee chairs with responsibilities and deadlines
Innovation - researched Torch Awards and consulted with Yellow Candle leadership to re-invent our dying program.
Community - involved participation from Men's club, program attendees, wife's and USY that help boxing, religious school that helped with distribution, volunteers that helped with delivery routes. Temple office that helped with distribution. Students that benefited from Camp Ramah scholarships.
video sent to Torch Chair
Rabbi's letter generated more donations before the first candle was delivered than total revenue in previous year.
An adaptation or enhancement of a previous Torch Award entry TAxx-xxxx|
2007 Torch #190 Temple Israel, Ridgewood, NJ Distribution process. The distribution process we used was totally different.
Previous Submission
Yes