Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative Case Study and Evaluation

Starting in 2013, when the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative came into existence, the Jim Joseph Foundation along with 10 local funders and 4 national funders came together to make a noticeable difference to the outcomes achieved by Jewish teen education and engagement. Coinvesting with the  Foundation, each of the 10 communities crafted local initiatives, while the full group identified measures of success and hired an evaluation firm to assess the extent to which those measures were being achieved.

These two documents from Rosov Consulting—a case study of the Funder Collaborative and a cross-community evaluation report—offer deep insights and learnings about the structure, challenges, and successes of a Collaborative and about the efficacy of efforts in Jewish teen education and engagement.

1. Signs Along the Way: A Funder Collaborative Assesses its Influence. This final case study covers a three-year period roughly from November 2016 through the end of 2019 and attempts to answer the questions posed by the final phase in the trajectory of a funder collaborative: How might the Funder Collaborative begin to assess its impact in the field of teen engagement and how, if at all, are ideas spreading between and beyond the work of the funders?
2. Cross-Community Evaluation for the Funder Collaborative. The evaluation presents findings of work completed during the 2018–2019 program year and homes in on those findings most ripe for appreciation and action. There is a strong correlation between teens’ connection to Jewish values and the influence those values have on the lives teens choose to lead. Substantive Jewish content creates a sense of belonging, a desire to do good in the world, and a platform for teens to build friendships—these peer relationships also contribute to strong Jewish outcomes overall. The report concludes with recommendations applicable beyond the 10 community-based teen initiatives, informing any organization committed to effective teen programs, professional development for youth professionals, and affordability of programs for parents.