Most people have a tendency to “put your best foot forward” in public. It’s why we get dressed up. It’s why we talk about and are proud of our successes. And it’s why we act differently “in public.”
By Elazar Green
In the early days of “Chabad News” websites, I remember a conversation I had with a friend.
I asked him, “How many people did you get for Rosh Hashanah?”
“Do you want the real number? Or do you want to know what will be posted online?” was his response.
There is a tendency to “put your best foot forward” in public. It’s why we get dressed up. It’s why we talk about and are proud of our successes. And it’s why we act differently “in public.”
My family has a saying, “Facebook is for bragging, (family) Whatsapps are for kvetching.”
Because life, of course, is not all roses and rainbows.
Everyone has their challenges. And sometimes people suffer quietly.
Rabbi Dovid* is a successful shliach, out for over 20 years.
He is dynamic, inspiring, friendly, and outgoing.
He also doesn’t have money to pay the bills next month. He’s used to living month to month, not quite sure where the money is coming from, not sure how the Nes from Hashem and the brocho of the Rebbe will manifest.
He and his family are soldiers on the battlefront of shlichus. They have been struggling financially, month to month, for over 20 years!
Rabbi Dovid is afraid of asking people for money. He doesn’t want to turn them off from Yiddishkeit or give the wrong impression of what the relationship is about. And he doesn’t want ever to cause a person to feel pressure or feel bad if they have to say “no.”
So he would host auctions, car washes, raffles, and other “fundraisers” that would help money trickle in and help him get by.
And so it went for two decades.
Until one day last summer, something happened.
Rabbi Dovid decided to attend an online fundraising course for Shluchim, called “Grow Gelt.”
And it’s like a miracle happened.
Ten months later, he has six months’ reserves in the bank. He’s bringing out another shliach. He’s starting to build a new building.
He never dreamt that the difference could be so dramatic and so helpful.
He and his mosad are so much healthier.
For the first time in 20 years, he is not struggling financially! Can you imagine the sense of relief and peace?
What does he attribute it to?
“There is not one lesson or session. It’s everything. The shluchim community and the chayus in fundraising, hearing from non shluchim presenters talking about how people actually love to give and thinking about the zchus of fundraising for the Rebbe’s moisad, the koch in fundraising and avir of the community, all combined to really help.”
Grow Gelt started in Lancaster, PA, under Rabbi Elazar Green CFRE and is now in its 4th year with over 250 Shluchim taken a course so far.
The goal is to “marry” best practices from “the velt” and chassidishe mindset in shlichus to help educate Shluchim with tools, techniques, and strategies. Grow Gelt does this by bringing in world-class experts to present, while Rabbi Green and other shluchim provide the lens of Torah and Chassidus.
There are many Shluchim like Rabbi Dovid. They are suffering silently and bravely.
But sometimes, all they need are the right tools.
You can help them in two ways.
1. You can make sure they know about this course at growgelt.com
2. Some Shluchim need financial assistance or a scholarship to attend. You can help at helpshluchim.com
You are on this site, so it’s obvious to me that you care about Chabad, Shlichus, and the Rebbe. Thank you for everything that you do.
Rabbi Elazar Green CFRE can be reached at [email protected] or WhatsApp at 7177238783.
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