Accomplishments

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THINGS WE’VE DONE:

In collaboration with UJA-Federation of New York, we designed and produced Connected Congregations, an initiative with 6 congregations in New York to learn about how to intentionally design for building community.  Learn more at ConnectedCongregations.org and the Connected Congregations Facebook Group.

Jewish Day School Social Media Academy — a year long boot camp to help day schools learn about social media tools, strategy and culture to advance their marketing, engagement and development efforts. Funded by The AVI CHAI Foundation.  Use the Jewish Day School Social Media and Video Academy self assessment to identify what you are doing well and where you should invest your time and energy for next steps.

Lisa Colton, Founder and President, gave one of the first ELI Talks, titled “Innovation, Revolution and Tradition”.

Darim began convening an annual group of Jewish professionals at the Nonprofit Technology Conference to learn about the best practices in the wider nonprofit sector.  The group continues to meet annually at NTC!

To help professionals and lay leaders transition into a social media world with maximum success and minimum stress, Darim wrote and published The Social Media Policy Workbook for Jewish Organizations

In 2009 as it was clear that the transition to social media and mobile was going to be profound, Darim completed a strategic planning process and implemented a shift in core programming to focus on social media and leadership consulting, rather than website development. Darim sells our website development program and CMS platform to  Jvillage Network and reinvests the proceeds into our mission.

Darim collaborates from 2005-2008 with the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy to improve Jewish overnight summer camps’ database management and alumni relations through social media.

In 2000 Lisa Colton returned from a year in Israel, and while seeking to get involved in the American Jewish community, discovered the dismal state of Jewish organizations’ web sites.  After looking into the root causes and developing solutions, she founded  Darim Online (initially called Panim Online) with a grant from STAR to work with a pilot cohort of 4 greater Seattle area congregations.

SELECTED PRESS ABOUT DARIM ONLINE AND OUR REPRESENTATIVES:

For Long Island Synagogues A More Perfect Union , Lessons from Connected Congregations, in The Jewish Week, December 2014.

Keeping the Faith Network Organizing: Rethinking Communal Leadership for Rabbis by Lisa Colton and Lianna Levine Reisner. 2014.  Why Rabbis need to understand and integrate network organizing theory and skills into their work.  Publish in coordination Keeping the Faith, editing by Rabbi Hayim Herring.

Facebook Timeline for Nonprofit Organizations by Rebecca Saidlower and Miriam Brosseau, eJewish Philanthropy, 3.4.12
Helpful hints for setting up an organization’s Facebook Page Timeline.

Darim Online’s Social Media Boot Camp for Educators: A View from an Alum by Viki Shayna, EdJewTopia, 2.29.12
Article in February 2012 issue of EdJewTopia about Darim’s Social Media Boot Camp for Educators. written by an alum of two of Darim’s education programs.

NJOP’s 2012 Jewish Treats: Jewish Influencer Awards, 2.13.12
Lisa Colton is named as as the recipient of Jewish Treats Top Ten Jewish Influencer Awards

Crowd Sourcing The Sermon , The Jewish Week, 1.17.12
Article on how a rabbi is soliciting material from his congregants for his farewell sermon.  Darim and the Social Sermon concept are cited.

The Jewish Future is Now, by Dr. Jonathan Woocher, eJewish Philanthropy, 10.11.2011
Article on the 2011 Jewish Futures Conference which focuses on the “prosumer.” Lisa Colton, “social media guru,” is mentioned as a keynote at the conference, along with Chris Lehmann, educator extraordinaire and Tiffany Shlain, prize-winning film maker.

Making Facebook Groups Rock for Nonprofits – Guest Post by Miriam Brosseau, Beth’s Blog, 10.7.11
Guest post by Miriam Brosseau on Beth Kanter’s blog.

Which Rule Book Are You Leading From, article by Lisa Colon, PresenTense 15, 10.3.11
Article by Lisa Colton on being a networked nonprofit, page 41.

Social Media Academy Graduation, A Fine Blog, 9.22.11
Allison Fine reflects on AVI CHAI’s Social Media Academy, facilitated by Darim Online

Jewish Day Schools Look For Online Savings, The Jewish Week, 7.14.11
The increasing use of technologies for learning in Jewish day schools.  Caren Levine quoted.

Brave New Tech World Awaits Jewish Education, The Jewish Week, 8.17.10
Emerging trends in Jewish education and technology. Lisa Colton quoted.

Rise of Independent Groups Influencing Judaism ,The Associated Press, 7.28.10
How independent minyanim are replacing gaps in the Jewish community.  Lisa Colton quoted.

Virtually There, The Jewish Week, 6.23.10
How Jews are using streaming audio and video to be present at long distance weddings and baby namings.  Lisa Colton quoted.

Technology and Jewish Education Conference , The Jewish Week, Jewish Techs blog, 5.9.10
JESNA’s Lippman Kanfer Institute’s consultation on Jewish education and technology.  Lisa Colton quoted.

Synagogues blogging and tweeting their way to new kinds of communication, JTA. 12.20.09
Jewish organizations, including synagogues and schools, are integrating social media into their community building.  Lisa Colton quoted, Darim’s Social Media Boot Camp cited.

Finally, Shul Web Sites Coming Of Age, The Jewish Week, 10.13.09
Lisa Colton quoted on how synagogue web sites (and leadership) have matured over the years.

If You Stream It, They Will Come, The Jewish Week, 9.15.09
The impact of streaming services on Jewish community and observance.  Lisa Colton quoted.

Berrie Fellows Make BIG Grants to Foster Jewish Future, The New Jersey Jewish Standard, 8.7.09
Darim Online is the recipient of a Berrie Innovation Grant for the North New Jersey Social Media Boot Camp.

Lead Us To Tweet, and Forgive the Trespassers, The New York Times, 7.4.09
How congregations are using Twitter and other social media to engage those on-site and off-site.  Lisa Colton quoted.

In High-Tech Age, STAR Grants Help Shuls Build Online Presence,  JTA, 10.16.02