budget Update

Temple Beth El family…

Thank you so much for everything you are doing to help us through this financial crisis. So many of you are already sending in donations and have told us you are willing to volunteer your time to and effort to build community here at Temple Beth El.

We also had an incredibly successful “Night in Las Vegas” last Saturday night! Close to 250 people came. We had great participation in the auctions (both live and silent) and ended up with a few items that we will be sending out as a “Second Chance” auction. So if you missed it, you have another chance. The really hot item of the night was a reserved space for High Holidays…we have a few more of those to put on the block! Watch your email and “This Week” for that. We are not sure yet what the final tally is…waiting for last invoices. We’ll let you know as soon as we do, but I think the news is good! Thanks to Brotherhood, Bette Andrews, Paige Cohen and the entire committee.

We sent out a congregational mailing, detailing the change in worship services leading up to the summer schedule. I have included it here, to be sure everyone received it. Thanks again for all you do. Remember, we are on our way to recovery, but still need your continued help and support.

Mailing:
We are at a crossroads and need your help. We are making a number of changes and cuts at Temple Beth El to responsibly respond to a severe deficit in our budget. We need our Temple Beth El family to join us as we work together to close this budget gap and get back on sure footing. More on how we are doing that is below.

First, an important short-term change driven by this budget shortfall will impact our Friday night worship. Starting on March 23, we are moving to one service on Friday nights at 6:15pm, preceded by a “preneg” starting at 5:30pm. The full schedule is on the back of this letter. If we are able to close the budget gap, we intend to reinstate the 8:00pm service.

We have received feedback from many congregants that 7:00pm is a better compromise for a service time. We have listened carefully and understand no one time will please all. The Clergy worked hard to come up with this schedule, at the request of the lay leadership. They used a lens of Jewish values to make these difficult decisions.

A 6:15pm time allows more families time for Shabbat dinners and seems to accommodate the schedules of the majority of congregants…even our working congregants who can join in progress, if needed. It accommodates our B’Nei Mitzvah families, who have made plans months in advance for their special event. We know from experience that hundreds of congregants can make it to a 6:00pm service. We have preserved the variety and richness of our worship services. Each service will have a Cantor and a Rabbi, and our organist Bill Ward will play often. Also, from a purely practical standpoint, the earlier time allows us to recognize the maximum financial savings, which is important. This change is short-term and will be evaluated.

There are several reasons for the shortfall, including lower than expected pledge income, higher costs to operate our building and higher than expected expenses related to returning home for High Holiday services.

When we began looking at this budget deficit, it was as high as $165,000. It has dropped to $100,000. We have identified more cuts and income opportunities that we believe will take it down to $65,000-$75,000. We have put those cuts into “tiers”, indicating their severity up to and including layoffs of staff. We are doing everything possible to avoid that final step. The full list of those tiered cuts is available on the website or by calling me or the Temple office.

However, we need your help. We are asking each congregant to do the following:
• Make a small donation of $18 or $36 to help bridge this gap (more if you can).
• Shop at the Temple Gift Shop.
• Donate to a fund or endowment.
• Join us for our “Evening in Las Vegas” fundraiser on March 17.

We will approach our sustainer families, but this is something our entire TBE family needs to help us address.

Needless to say, this is an extremely difficult and challenging situation that we all must face together. The staff and board have worked diligently to formulate a strategy to address this short-term gap and implement a long-term strategy for the future. Now it is up to all of us to see it through. We will keep you apprised of the situation as it develops. In the meantime, please contact me or any board member with your questions or concerns.

Yours,
Moira Quinn Klein
Rick Glaser
Rabbi Judy Schindler
Rabbi Jonathan Freirich
Cantor Andrew Bernard
Cantor Mary Thomas
Sara Schreibman
Susan Jacobs