Reorganizing a Jewish Community: A Local Community's Experience at Functionalization

Publication Date: September 1997

Publisher: Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Yosef Y. Muskin

Research Area: Social conditions

Keywords: Professionalism; Jewish Organizations; Leadership

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Corporate America, beset by a cruel economic environment, has popularized the term "downsizing" to describe its attempt to promote a healthy bottom line. In many respects, the nonprofit agency's response to the same phenomena is characterized by the terms "functionalization" or "consolidation." Although both downsizing and functionalization/consolidation have positive and negative aspects, I believe that our experience at the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic can help other agencies choose a consolidated model of operation that will maximize the positive and minimize the negative.

In Journal of Jewish Communal Service, v.74 no.1, Fall 1997.