Background
The Kaplan Leadership Initiative (Kaplan program) is the first international JDC program that has set itself the goal of developing leadership in Jewish communities in Europe, the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Latin America (LATAM). The program is designed for professionals at mid-level positions in Jewish communities who are aspiring to strengthen their influence and leadership, particularly in their own organizations and communities. It focuses on providing tools and knowledge in four areas: community development, leadership, Jewish content and context, and management. The program plan comprises three program cohorts, each built on three regional seminars, and one global seminar hosted by an academic institution in the USA, as well as activities and tasks in between the seminars. This report presents the main findings on the second cohort of the program (2019-2020), which numbered a total of 45 fellows from all three regions, and a follow-up of the first cohort (2018-2019), which numbered 32 fellows from two regions – Europe and the FSU.
Evaluation Goals
The evaluation aims to examine the implementation and organization of the program, and the extent to which it achieves its main objectives. At this stage, the evaluation examines the achievement of the program’s intermediate goals, such as the acquisition of new knowledge and tools for management and leadership, the development of connections and networking, and preliminary evidence that the program has attained its ultimate goals in the fellows’ communities: their own changing roles in the organization, their adoption of tools in their professional activities, and the establishment of contact and networking with program fellows. These ultimate goals are examined among the graduates of the first cohort.
This is a formative evaluation that seeks to improve the various program components while evaluating the program through close teamwork with the staff. The purpose of the report is to summarize the findings on the second cohort and the follow-up of the first cohort in order to improve the program for the coming one.
Methods
The evaluation is based on an examination of the program as a whole. To this end, the research tools are nearly identical for all the regions, yet sensitive to the distinctive characteristics of each. Each evaluation cycle covers three main stages (before, during and after the program). The evaluation includes quantitative tools (self-administered questionnaires) and semi-structured interviews with fellows and program staff, as well as observations at regional seminars and the global seminar. A special effort is made to maintain sensitivity to unique cultural and linguistic aspects in the development of the tools while collecting the data.
Key Findings
The fellows expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the program and the organization of the regional seminars. Ninety-two percent (12) of the European fellows, 85% (11) of the LATAM fellows and 72% (10) of the FSU fellows reported that the program had met all or most of their expectations in a number of key areas: networking; the acquisition of tools, skills, and knowledge; and personal and professional development. The European fellows cited Jewish knowledge as well.
All the European fellows (13), 93% (13) of the FSU fellows and 92% (12) of the LATAM fellows had changed or were planning to change the content or practices of their work as a result of their participation in the program. The areas targeted for change were presentation techniques and emotional intelligence in Europe; team management, leadership and fundraising in the FSU; and leadership, management, strategic planning and teamwork in LATAM.
Comparison of the findings for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 showed that overall, the program has managed to maintain the relatively high levels of satisfaction in both regions that took part in the first cohort (Europe and FSU).
The follow-up of Cohort 1 revealed that most of the program graduates work in the Jewish community (69%, 20): 52% (15) fill the same organizational position they held at their entry into the Kaplan program, and 17% (5) have been promoted; 31% (9) no longer work in the Jewish community; 67% (16), make use of the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the areas of management and leadership to a great or a very great extent; 54% (13) use the knowledge and tools in the field of community and 42% (10) use the Jewish learning and texts they have acquired in their everyday work. Most of the graduates (83%, 20) are part of their regional network, which is a platform mostly for personal communication and friendships.
Issues to Consider for Future Implementation
Several recommendations emerged from the study:
- To adhere to the four program contents – community development, leadership, Jewish content and context, and management – in all regions, and to coordinate the work to achieve more alignment between groups
- To set a program outline, to communicate it to the participants and connect the activities to the outline during reflection and summary sessions
- To place greater emphasis on community development, integrated Jewish learning, fundraising and teambuilding;
- To invest more in creating a global network and an active alumni network
- To enable more peer learning; and to upgrade the quality and volume of activities in between seminars.