Every Fundraiser Was There: Charidy’s First .ORG Expo

You had to be there.

It had the energy of a $100 Million Charidy Campaign crescendoing at its goal and overflowing into a Bonus Round. It had the breadth and diversity of 700 fundraising professionals and vendors from 300 nonprofit organizations harmonizing in one symphonic orchestra. It had gourmet food and elevated ambience.

Best of all was the overall effect: Charidy’s team exercising their signature ability to serve Jews from all sectors and backgrounds, uniting Klal Yisroel in a single eye-opening event.

The event marked ten years of Charidy’s transformational presence in the nonprofit world, following their strongest year to date – the fundraising giant helped raise $640 million worldwide in the last twelve months alone – but the Expo’s inception dates back over five years, when Charidy CEO Shay Chervinsky began to envision a ground-breaking convention for nonprofits in Israel. Chervinsky’s initial concept was interrupted by the onset of Covid as his attention shifted to guiding his team and clients through the dynamics of pandemic crowdfunding.

As the world slowly recovered and the nonprofit sector stabilized, Chervinsky returned to his vision – but once again had to put it on hold when the industry was disrupted by Putin’s Ukraine invasion in February 2022. The vicious massacre of October 7th turned up the demand tenfold, plunging Chervinsky into the exceptional demands of wartime leadership and innovation as he guided his team and his clients through an extremely challenging chapter in nonprofit fundraising.

But a November 2023 phone call from Joel Wohl, CEO of Powwow Events, put Chervinsky’s dream back on the map.

Powwow Events is known throughout the industry for producing top-tier events, conferences, and expos. Wohl had noticed that the Jewish nonprofit niche was missing an A-list annual conference. He wanted to produce the nonprofit expo of the year, so he turned to the industry leader…and Charidy readily agreed.

It was the perfect convergence of expertise and enthusiasm – but both Chervinsky and Wohl got more than they bargained for.

An inspiring 300 Jewish organizations leading the nonprofit arena gathered at the Hilton Meadowlands on Monday June 17th for a day packed with insights from industry experts. Panelists joined from an unrivaled spectrum of industries, with representatives ranging from Agudath Israel of America to AI marketing experts, from Samsung’s head coach to Torah Umesorah’s Menahel, from Yeshiva University and the Orthodox Union to Achiezer and Hatzalah Air – to say it was a star-studded event is but the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s a tremendous honor to produce such an event,” says Chervinsky. “Over 700 Jews from all walks of life, from several countries and multiple continents, all joined together to empower each other in the work they do on behalf of millions of neshamot around the world…it’s not something you see anywhere else. This kind of collaborative conference is simply unprecedented in the nonprofit world.” Babov, Satmer, Lubavitch, ultra-orthodox Litvish, modern orthodox, traditional, and even a sprinkling of Sephardic Jews rounded out an altogether unorthodox crowd that surprised even the panelists.

“This is an incredible event,” announced panelist and Torah Umesorah Menahel Rabbi Chaim Shimon Neuberger. He turned to Charidy Senior Campaign Manager Chaya Abelsky mid-session to thank Charidy for the incredible conference. “You should know that you’re mekadeish sheim shamayim here today,” Rabbi Neuberger declared, referring to the broad appeal and deep impact of the Expo on Klal Yisroel at large. This impromptu statement captured the energy of the day and the enthusiasm enveloping the conference hall. The packed room applauded in agreement; the .ORG Expo had shaped up as a true sight to behold.

The momentum carried the crowd to the final session in high spirits, but no one could have prepared the audience for what they were about to experience.

Chervinsky wanted the expo to end on a note reflecting his organization’s fundamental mission of empowering nonprofits to impact their communities, so the Spark Tank session was designed as a competition for substantial funding towards a future Charidy campaign. The first place winner would receive the grand prize of $20,000 of Charidy funding; second place would receive $15,000 of funding; third place would receive a free Charidy campaign; and an additional prize, which was available to non-finalist contestants, was a raffle for $5,000 of funds towards a future campaign.

Four finalists were given the opportunity to pitch their organizations to the audience and a panel of five of the most insightful leaders in the nonprofit sector. The first presentation was a recently-launched app that turns ride sharing into chessed opportunities for Yidden in the Lakewood area. Judges called Favor.It “brilliant” as they marveled over the possibilities of future uses for the app.

Helping Hands Ko-op impressed the judges even further. The food outlet’s mission to help Jewish families make ends meet was striking. The judges and audience were so captivated by the nonprofit’s work that a member of the audience stood up mid-presentation to add a spontaneous, impassioned speech about the lives impacted by Helping Hands. Rabbi Yair Massri of the Miami-area Sephardic Center described the organization’s painstaking efforts to maintain the dignity of their customers.

“I know a father who enrolled in the program. He’s been receiving hundreds of dollars in monthly stipends for groceries for several months already, and his wife and children have no idea! His family doesn’t have to feel the financial burden he’s carrying, and they look at him with the same pride as they always have. There’s no other place like this, it’s simply unbelievable.”

Helping Hands Ko-op estimated that the $20,000 prize would generate a stunning $1,000,000 in grant funding within the year. The judges were blown away by the presentation – and Hatzalah Air Founder and President Capt. Eli Rowe was no exception, surprising the entire room when he announced that he would award personally contribute $10,000 to the Ko-op, eliciting a standing ovation from the audience.

This spur-of-the-moment award was followed by another unscripted handout from a judge, this time from Achiezer Founder and President Baruch Ber Bender. The third organization, Renewal of Life, is a well-established nonprofit dedicated to connecting Jewish kidney transplant recipients with Jewish donors from around the world (at zero cost to every patient). When judges asked how the money would be spent, the room was stunned by the response: $20,000 would cover the cost of 2,000 swab tests to identify potential donors, generating an estimated 300 matches. Bender was compelled to respond on the spot: he immediately pledged a $5,000 donation to the lifesaving nonprofit. Chervinsky chimed in, reiterating Charidy’s commitment to providing free campaigns to individuals in need of a campaign to offset financial burdens during a personal crisis. The audience applauded in amazement as excitement rippled through the crowd.

The room was abuzz as the final contestant took the mic. Levi Stein of Friendship Circle of Wisconsin described Friendship Circle’s commitment to mental health support through Friendship Circle’s SafeTalk Suicide Prevention Training program. The $20,000 prize would cover the cost of 36 training sessions for 900 participants – which would lead to an estimated 30 lives saved within the first 90 days of the training. To the audience’s shock, Bender announced he would make yet another personal contribution, this time to the SafeTalk training program. His pledge was met with rounds of applause that carried the session to a dramatic crescendo and the final vote.

The thrilling contest came down to just a single vote: Friendship Circle of Wisconsin was deemed the winner of the grand prize; second place was awarded to Renewal; and Helping Hands Ko-op earned third place. What began as an opportunity for Charidy to give back had turned into an inspiring collective experience that spurred others to give generously as well – a true Charidy moment.

This is the beauty of Charidy. From Chabad of Guatemala to the OU, from Satmer to ZAKA International, Charidy leverages a decade of industry insight and innovation to empower nonprofits to change the world. Charidy sets the stage for organizations, leaders, and individuals to inspire action and deliver impact across their communities – and the final session of the day perfectly manifested the organic power of the Charidy effect.

When a dedicated team unites incredible organizations in a single event for the benefit of all Yidden, it’s a true testament to that organization’s character and achievement – and it’s an experience unlike any other.

The result is phenomenal…and that’s exactly what Charidy and Powwow Events produced: an Am Yisroel phenomenon.