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We’re Preparing for Growth…by Improving Our Infrastructure and Broadening Our Network

Experts agree that education is key to Jewish continuity. As we celebrate ShalomLearning’s 15th anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to delivering affordable, accessible, and relevant Jewish education.

To respond to growing needs for high-quality programs for congregational schools, to reach Jewish children whose families are unaffiliated, and in the face of increasing antisemitism, ShalomLearning is preparing for expanded service to the community. To prepare we are strengthening our organization’s infrastructure and broadening our network of support by appointing new Board members; engaging pro bono expertise in finance, HR, marketing, and sales; and pioneering AI-enhanced curriculum in Jewish educational spaces before almost anyone else.

Governance: The ongoing development of our Board of Directors is an important focus. Our Board of Directors has been revitalized over 12 months with the appointment of five new members who bring passion, commitment, and relevant expertise:

    • Debi Himelfarb, Senior Director, Sales Operations at PowerSchool
    • Rosanne Kurstedt, PhD, Vice President of Instructional Design and Training at Benchmark Education
    • David Kushner, Client Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management
    • Ryan Lavarnway, Motivational speaker, former professional baseball player, and author of Baseball and Belonging– a book about the formation of his Jewish identity
    • Debra Panitch, Certified Public Accountant, and a former Board member at Berman Academy

    Pro Bono Expertise: Nonprofits benefit significantly from pro bono services – while saving on costs we receive advice from industry experts. Over the past year, ShalomLearning has engaged the following expertise on a pro bono basis:

        • A principal from CFO Consulting Partners providing fractional CFO consultation to improve our financial management and reporting overall.
        • A principal from Delta Think providing marketing strategy consultation so that we might reach synagogue leadership with materials and messaging that more directly speaks to their needs.
        • Lawyers from a global law firm advising on enhancements to our employee handbook so that our employees benefit from the most current HR policies and practices.
        • A principal from TNT Advisory providing sales strategy consultation so that we might hire a partnership development representative.

    We are extremely grateful to our pro bono partners for their donation of services.

    Human Capital: In the nonprofit sector, and in the Jewish communal space in particular, our work is defined by the talent and dedication of our employees. Concurrently, nonprofit employees often struggle with lagging wages and benefits as compared to those in the for-profit and public sectors. Knowing that our dedicated team of Jewish educators is our most valuable asset, in 2026 we provided staff with a 3% cost-of-living increase, following three years of no salary increases, and we established a 403(b) plan so that employees can set aside funds, tax-free, for retirement.

    Strategic Implementation of AI:  With 15 years of experience providing tech-infused education, ShalomLearning is adept at incorporating technology if and when it serves our mission.

        • We developed and implemented an organization-wide AI Use Policy to govern our use of AI and to ensure that use and implementation align with our organizational values.
        • We debuted our first standalone AI-enhanced curriculum for Tu B’Shevat, taking the lead in producing student-facing work incorporating AI into Jewish educational spaces.
        • We used AI to generate the code to develop a new Automated Registration System for our Atlanta Hebrew Connection (AHC) online Hebrew program. This new system achieves a level of efficiency that enable our team to focus on other important aspects the program delivery.
        • We piloted a project utilizing Brisk Teaching to incorporate AI tools for teachers and students in our JLearnHub Hebrew curriculum that is ready for a fall rollout.
        • We presented about the ethical use of AI in Jewish Education at the ARJE conference and Digital Summit earlier this year.

    Fundraising: Concurrent with building our infrastructure, our Board and staff have been working together to expand our network of support. We set an ambitious goal to raise $500,000 in 2026 to support program expansion.

        • We launched a Sponsor a Student program which, for the first time, enabled donors to support our financial assistance program for small and struggling congregations.
        • We had a successful appeal in January celebrating ShalomLearning’s 15th Anniversary, and Founder Devin Schain’s 60th Birthday, which raised $100,000 and engaged new donors.

    How You Can Be a Part of the Solution:

        • Will you support our work with a donation? Click here to give!
        • Do you have expertise that you can contribute as a pro bono volunteer?
        • Are you interested in serving on our Board of Directors?

    If your answer is “yes” or you’d just like to learn more, please contact me directly at [email protected] or 412-992-1006.

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