By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos Suite 302, participated in a fundraising panel in Tarrytown, New York a few weeks ago.
Joining him on the panel was Rabbi Yoel Braver, a known fundraising educator in the chasidisher world, and Reb Shlome Zalmen Spitzer, founder of the Omni Group, a consulting company that specializes in fundraising. Nesanel Gantz of Ami Magazine led the discussion.
The panel addressed all sorts of fundraising questions, from what type of gifts to give donors, to tips on how to maintain and build relationships with potential benefactors.
Throughout, Rabbi Kotlarsky’s dedication to Shlichus and commitment to following the Rebbe’s directives shined forth. When asked to introduce himself, Kotlarsky succinctly described his role the way he sees it: “I’m not a fundraiser. Baruch Hashem, I grew up in a house with a father [Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky] who had the zechus to establish and support Chabad Houses across the world. In order to do that, he needed money, so fundraising was a byproduct of his work. I would say that the same is true for myself.”
As is well known, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky has been tirelessly on the forefront of assisting the founding of Chabad Centers and Institutions worldwide, such as the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute – JLI, the annual Worldwide Conferences of Shluchim and Shluchos, Chabad on Campus, CTeen, CKids and many others, as the trusted partner working with the visionary partners such as the Rohr and Tabacinic families, the Bogolubov and Meromim foundations, and many others, to support the global impact of the Chabad network.
Fundraising isn’t an easy job and Kotlarsky sees siyata dishmaya as the real recipe for his success. “If you don’t believe that what you’re doing is for Hashem, then the siyata dishmaya doesn’t come,” he said. “I say a kapitel Tehillim, daven at the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and keep to my schedule of learning Rambam. Over and over again, I see a direct correlation between doing the right thing and having success in fundraising.”
With these impassioned words, the mood inside the room was transformed from being focused strictly on fundraising to a loftier, more idealistic one, prompting Gantz to joke at one point “If we’re having a farbrengen, then we need a l’chaim!”
With over 500 people from across the Jewish spectrum in attendance, his words provided a unique and profound insight into the movement of Shlichus that the Rebbe orchestrated.
Read the full article below.
