Speaker 2
People have a lot to offer, I've seen, that when they don't have necessarily the financial means, it can provide a tremendous amount of value, whether it's accounting guidance, helping an organization with their books, that offloads a lot of the paid services that an organization like that needs.
Speaker 1
No, I agree with you. But the tendency is for a lot of people not to get involved. A lot of people feel that once they get involved, it'll take their time and responsibility. And yes, they're right. But that's what we're here for, to be able to do that and to help in different ways. And I think that's the responsibility. And there are usually they tend to be within a community, a group of people, and they're constantly the same people that everyone's going to. You know, they always say, if you want a job done, give it to a busy person. I think I see the same in cloud, but I wish more people would step up and realize that they can donate in a lot of different ways. How does Bintzian
Speaker 2
Heitner respond when he makes a call and you're trying to rally the troops and the person says, I don't feel comfortable getting involved. It's not my style. I'll write the check, but to get my hands dirty, leave me out of it. What emotions go through here, Maureen? Well, unfortunately, I had an individual that
Speaker 1
said it to me two years ago. He hardly talks to me anymore, unfortunately. But he made that comment to me, and I was like, flabbergasted. I said, comfortable? What's comfort got to do with it? I said, you aren't meant to be comfortable. You're meant to do what you can. We're not created here to be comfortable. We're meant to challenge ourselves and do what is not comfortable. It pains me, and sometimes I wish I would respond less. That's my nisoyen. you know, you have to be able to, and in the soy, and also you have, you know, it's dark, there's a lot of this youngness, people come, they say things that it's painful or insulting or, um, whatever you give, they want a lot more. And unfortunately, a lot of times it's like a game. And my next sign is every time I sit down is to hold myself back. A lot of times, you know, I'll come in and they won't say what I gave last year. And so I'll say, okay, I'm giving this amount this year. Oh, but last year you gave this. So why are you telling me now? Because what you're doing is you're gambling. You're playing a game here. You're saying, if he gives me more, you're not going to say last year you gave me that. You'll accept it. But if I give you less, you're going to say last year. So I don't appreciate being gambling with me. I give what I can. But it's part of the inesoyin of having to give. And B'chosh Hashem, I've had siyat t'shmaya in giving.
Speaker 2
Is there a support group, as silly as that sounds, where you talk to other Bali tzedakah and some of the challenges are unique to a group like that in that the guilt that you're describing or the guilt that people may put on you is somewhat unique where I could imagine it's challenging when your head hits the pillow at night. Maybe you second guess yourself and hey should I have gotten in another direction or the decision is being at peace with the decisions that you've made and you know tomorrow's another day and you continue building on that. My
Speaker 1
personality isn't one that dwells on things. I'm the type of person I tend to, if I get upset, I get upset, and I sort of, I move on. But it is, for me, it's a Nesoyen. My Nesoyen is to keep my mouth shut and not say what I want to, and when I do say it, I regret it afterwards, and I'll end up calling up the person and apologizing for saying things that are better left unsaid. A lot of times, people view a donation as like a mortgage coming back there, but you gave me last year. I'm trying to help you. Look how many people are standing here. I have to give. Honestly honestly, there are so many nice people out there. There is, yes, unfortunately, there are ones that, you know, spoil it for you, but there are so many. Khosheviyidna and the schus of seeing so many important people is a brooch in its own right. How
Speaker 2
do you view Hakkar Satov? that you're expecting it, but when an organization gives you a handwritten letter versus a nice silver menorah, is there something more heartfelt and appreciated by a Balit's Dukka when it is a thoughtful response versus, hey, we'll take a 5% of the gift that you've generously given and we'll put your name on a solid cover and here you go. I think the thoughtful ones are a lot more important. I made
Speaker 1
an Achnos' Seifert in Kol Teure where I learned. I also made Achnos' Seifert. I also built the Orn Kodesh there. And Rabbi Hobman from Long Beach Yeshiva came to the event. And he flew back. He was there and he flew back that night. The next morning, I had a handwritten letter from him, which he had actually typed out letter. It was handwritten by him, which he gave to somebody to type out right away after he landed. That meant so much to me. It was such a moving letter. He wrote from the heart. He actually writes beautifully. And that touched me. So yes, thinking and writing and putting a few words down. Yeah, it's a challenge from all moistness today and the moistness that I'm involved in. How far do you go? I think people today try to be original and try to be different. And it's not just buying something expensive. Try to do something creative. It's so challenging in today's time to be able to come up with new novelties and new things. But I think the ones that are with the feeling and when they call up and they follow up with another message and it's the contact which I think I appreciate a lot more. You're sending up a follow-up email and messages and those stick with me a lot more. A lot of the campaigns are spending
Speaker 2
a tremendous amount of money on marketing dollars. When you're involved in a campaign and part of the push is print ads and banners and dinner events, do you look at that as that's just a necessary evil? This is part of doing business. Every business needs some level of marketing. And yes, we're spending a percentage of that on marketing, but it allows us to raise even more money. Or no, organizations should do away with the marketing and more
Speaker 1
of every dollar will go towards the organization. Unfortunately, in today's time, day and age, we're bombarded so many ways. Once upon a time, it used to only be by mail. Now it's through email, it's through messaging, it's through websites, it's through social media. So whatever one can do to get the attention of the people has to be done. It's part of the cost of doing business. You have to be able to reach the people. Today's, at least with the technology available today, allows you to leverage and reach way more people than you could. A lot of time is sending a letter and didn't reach the people the same way some of these charity campaigns. I think it's part of being a mindset. It's like, you know, it's a cost of doing business. And I think it's important to reach out and let people who are giving even the small amounts of basically feel their dollar is insignificant, suddenly count. So I'm a big believer in the use of them, the charity campaigns. Unfortunately, I think the traditional parliament meeting has sort of gone, you know, that used to be the way people would fundraise, that someone would come in town to the parlor meeting. But I think usually it's just a stake to have the Rosh Hashiva to come into town and approach beforehand or afterwards. But it's very difficult to get people meaningfully, especially into yeshiva, which none of my kids learned, none of my kids went to. It's an out-of yeshiva. So it's very hard to get excited. But obviously, Rosh Hashivah will come in town, would like to meet.
Speaker 2
It's challenging. So you have to be creative. What about dinners? Dinners cost potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars, food. A lot of the people that are coming have given donations already. Is that necessary or do you think we're at a time where that will slowly
Speaker 1
pivot away? No, I think dinners are important. First of all, dinners bring people together, brings people of similar beliefs and understanding. So if it's a yeshiva, suddenly people will meet up again with the people they don't happen to see living in Lake or living in Monceau, living in five towns, living in Canada. So suddenly everyone gets together. So it's a way of being mechazic people, way of meeting the principals, the Rosh Hashivas, and featuring certain people that are involved with the Mosh Hashid and are doing a lot of good and that should be featured. So for me only, it's more difficult because I happen to be in Canada. I have to travel to the dinners. The problem is, I think more so, the challenge isn't so much dinners, it's weddings, and there should be many, many more. It's the time it takes to go to a simcha and participate. I think the U.S., they have that challenge. We don't have that challenge here in Canada, because we don't have that many. But it's a pleasure to get together with people. But I think dinners should continue. And dinners are important.
