I made a last minute decision to take Kosher Giving: 4 Steps to Creating Your Meaningful, Mindful and Measurable Philanthropy Plan on a road trip through the southeast of the US. The e-book was already a bestseller in the “Christian Stewardship”, “Nonprofit Management” and “Jewish Life” categories. When I got word from the publisher that the book was ready to go to print, I decided to ride the wave.
Nashville
The first stop on the journey was the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, a significant networking platform for anyone who wants to reach Christian media and communicators. A broad range of quality connections, numerous invitations for strategic collaborations, and the opportunity to co-host a walk through of the “War-Room” program sponsored by Israel365 with co-host Chris Mitchell of Christian Broadcast Network, were some of the hallmarks of my NRB experience.
In addition to presenting signed copies of the “Kosher Giving” book, also known as “The Donor’s Guide to War and Peace”, to some of the superstars who endorsed the book and who were in attendance, I bumped into Ginnie Johnson who was featured in Chapter 7 of the book – “Your Intentional Commitment to Strategic Giving”. NRB was, indeed, an excellent kick-off for the book tour.
Knoxville
Next I was off to Knoxville, but not without stopping off at a Buc-ee’s along the way. If you don’t know what a Buc-ee’s is then you’re clearly not from the south (southern Florida, where the farther south you go the farther north you go, doesn’t count). Buc-ee’s is the Walmart of pit stops, with an army of friendly people on staff. They boast the cleanest public bathrooms in America, and they hold world records for the longest car wash and the largest convenience store. There’s very little that I can eat at Buc-ee’s, but that didn’t stop me from making friends with Buc-ee himself. In fact, that’s precisely why we get along so well.
First, Buc-ee isn’t a kosher animal, so I pose no threat to him. Second, the concepts of Kosher Giving as presented in the book are universal. You don’t have to be Jewish or keep a kosher diet to give kosher. I can’t speak to the causes that the Buc-ee’s chain supports, but they do have a clear community contributions page on their website which spells out their corporate giving process. That’s a giant step in the right direction, further encouraging me to refer to my February travels as the “Buc-ee’s Book Tour”.
With Buc-ee’s in the rearview mirror (and with more stops ahead along the road trip), the weekend was quite the experience. I arrived in Knoxville with kosher provisions for a quiet Shabbat in a secluded AirBNB in the woods, the only place that I could find within walking distance of Calvary Chapel of Knoxville. Pastor Mark Kirk graciously welcomed me to speak on Saturday night, where we timed my remarks to begin a moment after the conclusion of Shabbat, and then again at two services on Sunday morning. When preparing for the visit, I asked how many copies of the book I should have sent to the church. Pastor Mark said “more than you think you need”. The community was warm, welcoming and highly responsive. Pastor Mark was right.
Atlanta
From Knoxville I pushed on to Atlanta. After my Buc-ee’s stop midway, I continued to the Fuego Mundo restaurant which generously reserved two tables front and center on the busiest evening of the week so that I could share the message of Kosher Giving. The event was arranged by Sector4 Strategy Senior Consultant Jael Kurtz, and was cosponsored by the Atlanta Israel Coalition which sent a group of volunteers to join the fun. To top it all off, the restaurant owner insisted on purchasing his copy of the book and on making sure that I was well fed with fine kosher cuisine. Thank you, Udi!
Auburn
The next Buc-ee’s along the way was in Auburn, Alabama. Fortunately, I had some very important people to meet there. The first stop was a visit with Wayne Hall and Howard Porter, good personal friends who are also genuine friends of Israel. After catching up on current events and Kosher Giving, Wayne and Howard decided to purchase tens of copies of the book. It was a high-class challenge, leaving me with only two copies of the book to bring home to Israel after all book commitments and pre-orders would be fulfilled. I did, of course, hold on to one more copy for my next stop in Auburn. Coach Bruce Pearl, the head basketball coach, wrote the thoughtful Foreword to the Kosher Giving book, where he spoke about being strategic in everything that we value, whether on or off court. When you consider just how much respect Coach Pearl commands in “War Eagle” country (again – a foreign language to those not from the South), you can begin to appreciate the significance of his message.
Birmingham
Now, there is a Buc-ee’s to the east of the Auburn Buc-ee’s, but as you’ve probably gathered by now, there was more to this trip than colorful pit-stops and southern patriotism. So instead of going east, I went west to my good friends in Birmingham. First, I had a lovely dinner with Brant and Sally McDuffie, long time friends to whom I dedicated the Kosher Giving book in honor of their “Shalom Giving” (see Chapter 13 of the book). We were joined by their sons, Vann and William Grier (Crawford was at Auburn University) and their nephew, Hunter. We had plenty of time to catch up, and even though Sally whipped up a fancy dinner, they went out of their way to get a kosher catered meal for me from the local Jewish Community Center. Good times!
The next day was a visit with the US Israel Education Association and JH Israel, two non-profits that I’ve worked with for more than 15 years. They hosted a Kosher Giving discussion, inviting community members to attend the presentation and the book singing. Fifty copies later, I miraculously had no hand-cramps. The warm hospitality, the renewed relationships, and the sincere concern for better giving at Israel’s time of need, made the conversations fly by as though we were simply touching base – a brief pause along an ongoing continuum with many more opportunities to collaborate on the horizon. It was a testimony to the case for “Partners in Philanthropy” (Chapter 12 of the book), where I mention Heather Johnston and her roles as Founder of USIEA, Founder of JH Israel and Advisory Board Member of KosherGiving.com.
Mobile
When throwing together this whirlwind book tour, I knew what the bookends would be: the NRB Convention at the front end, and the Men’s Outback group in Mobile, Alabama at the end of the trip. Yes, Mobile is the sister city to my hometown, the city of Ariel. And yes, my good friends Mike O’Neil and Richard Stimpson have always been the most gracious of hosts when I visit the neighborhood. And yes, Mobile has a Buc-ee’s. Could there have possibly been a better way to top-off the trip?
Excited as I was to meet with the Outback group at 6:00 am, I didn’t anticipate that the visit would be as impactful as it was. First, I was flattered that the Mayor of Mobile, Sandy Stimpson, attended the prayer meeting that morning. Later on, he called me as I was on my way to the airport to get the latest on Ariel and to see if there was anything he could do to further support my efforts. In addition to the Mayor’s sincere support, it seemed that the Kosher Giving message resonated with the group. The sideline discussions during the book signing indicated a strong affinity with Israel, and the shared drive among participants to chart their personal Kosher Giving journeys was an affirmation that there is much to build upon. At the close of the gathering, I was surrounded by the attendees who prayed for Israel, for my travels and for the success of Kosher Giving.
Key Takeaways
This inaugural book tour clearly demonstrated that “Kosher Giving” is more than an intriguing title for a book. Here are some of the key takeaways:
People Want to Give Better
Once we’ve communicated that better giving is possible, people who care to enough to give better will take action to do so. They pick up a copy of the Kosher Giving book, they download the free Journal and Workbook, and they take practical steps to embark on the journey.
Partnerships are the Building Blocks of Giving
Giving is, fundamentally, about going beyond yourself. I wrote Kosher Giving as my way of giving, but so many people – people whom I’ve long valued as friends and partners – also want to give. When we connect, the possibilities for higher impact and refined purpose are endless.
Kosher Giving is for Everyone
Whether you’re Jewish or Christian, an individual or a corporation, better giving is for you. With clearly defined concepts and a how-to methodology at your fingertips, a more meaningful, mindful and measurable approach to giving is within reach.