Forty-three newer Shluchim gathered in Crown Heights earlier this month for Merkos 302’s seventh annual Fundraising Seminar, walking away with a new mindset, a practical toolkit, and a network of peers to carry them through the years ahead.

The event was organized by the New Shluchim Desk at Merkos 302 and spearheaded by Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz, the Desk’s director. “Fundraising is the engine that powers a Shlichus,” he said. “We send them home with the mindset, the tools, and a network of peers to lean on from day one.”

The full-day masterclass is geared for Shluchim within their first seven years on Shlichus and was led by Rabbi Elazar Green, Shliach to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and founder of Grow Gelt Solutions.

Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302, set the tone for the day. “The Rebbe’s vision for Shlichus was never about buildings or budgets. It was about people,” he said. “You cannot fundraise successfully if you don’t love your donors. You cannot build a community if you don’t love your community. When you genuinely care about them — about their family, their struggles, their simchas — they feel that. And that is what they support.”

The program covered identifying the right donor prospects, making a confident ask, and cultivating the long-term partnerships that sustain a Mosad for decades. Participants worked through the material in live role-playing exercises.

Sessions also covered setting up a Chai Club monthly giving program, navigating major gift conversations, following up on pledges with dignity, and understanding why donors stop giving.

One Shliach pointed to the “Elephant” analogy running through the day. “Seeing it from both the donor’s perspective and the fundraiser’s, and how it comes up at every step on both ends,” he said. Another described learning to find a donor’s hidden hesitation “in a straightforward and mentshlich way.” A third pointed to something more concrete: having a written budget ready to show a donor before being asked for one. “It gave me something concrete to walk out with,” he said.

All participants have access to a dedicated WhatsApp group for guidance and peer support after the seminar.