A message from the President on our budget

Temple Beth El is a covenant community. We believe that we each have a responsibility…one to the other, and to our congregation as a whole. We are a family — a house of study, of prayer, and of communal gathering — bound by our love of Torah.

We are at a crossroads and need your help. We are projecting that, if we do not act, the Temple will finish the fiscal year with a 6% shortfall in our $2.3 million budget. That translates into a deficit of approximately $140,000. There are several reasons for the shortfall, including lower than expected pledge income and higher than expected expenses related to returning home for High Holiday services.

To bridge the gap, we have identified cuts to the budget for the remaining four months of the fiscal year, as well as potential sources of additional revenue. Both will be needed to avoid finishing FY2012 in the red.

The budget cuts total $100,000 and have been divided into three categories by degree of severity. Tier 1 items, totaling $41,500, are relatively painless and are already being implemented. Tier 2 items, totaling $34,000, are more serious, yet may need to be implemented. The lone Tier 3 item involves the most serious action: temporarily laying off or furloughing our staff. Our dedicated staff is the lifeblood of Temple Beth El; we intend to make every effort to avoid this action.

On the other hand, we have identified at least four potential sources of additional income, totaling $62,000 – $92,000. At least $35,000 is assured, since it comes from spendable income from our endowments for the past two years. But most of the rest — $30,000-$50,000 — will come from additional contributions from the congregation. We will ask our sustainer families for assistance. We are also asking our entire Temple family for donations, as you can make them, to help bridge this gap.

The entire list of tiered cuts is available through the links in this letter, on the website and in This Week at Temple Beth El. The office can also provide the list.

The first and most obvious of our short-term cuts will impact our entire Temple family. Starting March 23rd until the Summer schedule begins in May, we will move to one service on Friday evening at 6:15, with a preneg beginning at 5:30pm. This plan was created by the Clergy, with the support of the Senior Staff, Lay Leadership, Past Presidents’ Council, and finance committee, in order to preserve a core set of values: enabling congregants of all ages and stages to build community through worship — from children to working adults to seniors; insuring that the service time allows for that most important Shabbat ritual — the Shabbat dinner; and maintaining the variety and richness of our worship services. Click here for the new service schedule.

We are also not printing and mailing the Voice or Whisper. Electronic copies will be posted on the website with a link from This Week at Temple Beth El. Congregants without email or computer will continue to receive copies by mail.

There are a number of other items in the first phase of fundraising, including our Night in Las Vegas fundraiser, where we have a chance to have fun and raise money to support the Temple at the same time. We hope all of you will join us March 17th, and shop in the Temple Gift Shop to help us close this gap. Many of you will receive a phone call or a more specific request. But we ask each member of our congregational family to help us with a donation. A chai or double chai gift of $18 or $36 dollars — or more — will make a big difference.

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. Thank you for being such an important member of the Temple Beth El community.

I will be at Temple Beth El during services and on Sunday mornings into May to answer your questions, often joined by Rick Glaser or other members of the Board of Directors. We welcome your comments or ideas.

Sunday, March 11 – 9:00am – 10:00am
Sunday March 18 – May 13 – 9:00am – 11:00am

Please view my video message: