NATA Awards
NATA annually recognizes members who have performed
extraordinary service. There are three service award
categories: the Myron E. Schoen-Service to Judaism, the
Service to Community, and the Service to NATA. Nominations
are made by temple presidents, rabbis, and colleagues. The
recipients are announced and honored at the annual NATA
conferences.
NATA Led Workshops
At regional meetings and national URJ Biennials, NATA
members serve as expert leaders and resource faculty in
workshops conducted during URJ meetings.
The NATA Mission
The National Association for Temple Administration
(NATA) is an active professional network committed to
the Judaic principles of ethics and integrity.
NATA’s mission is to support its members by:
Providing education and training activities and standards
Providing its members and their congregations with
access to NATA resources
Advocating for the profession of Temple Administration
Serving as a resource to the Union for Reform Judaism
1-800-966-NATA
3060 El Cerrito Plaze #331
El Cerrito, CA 94530
www.natanet.org
Certification Program
Professional Placement Services
Nata Journal
A Fellow in Temple Administration (FTA) is awarded to NATA
members who have passed rigorous certification training
including nine exams plus Hebrew and the writing of a
professional thesis or a project. NATA has established a category
of membership referred to as Senior Member. This status denotes
that a temple administrator has embarked on the certification
process, and has completed a portion of the requirements needed
to achieve an FTA. A detailed pamphlet on this program is
available through our web page and the NATA office.
NATA offers a clearinghouse for congregations seeking candidates
to fill new or existing administrative positions. Every open position
is posted on the NATA website and circulated to all members of
NATA. There is no charge for URJ-affiliated congregations.
Executive directors, temple administrators, or individuals seeking to
enter the field may join NATA Placement Services and receive the
monthly newsletter of open positions throughout the nation.
An outstanding professional publication that is published several
times a year, the NATA Journal features articles and commentary
relating to administration of the synagogue. It contains discussions
of best practices, thought pieces on challenges congregations face,
and a general review of synagogue management topics. The
NATA Journal is distributed to senior professionals of URJ member
congregations and is available on the NATA website.
NATA Consulting Service
Resource to URJ Congregations
This service is provided by NATA via the URJ Knowledge Network.
URJ member congregations can be assisted in areas such as
personnel, management, office procedures, facilities management,
public relations, finance, development, membership, budgeting,
technology, and organizational structure. Service requests are
filtered through the Knowledge Network which then forwards
them on to a “NATA Clearing House.”
Through the electronic URJ Knowledge Network, a collection of
documents, forms, and articles on a broad range of topics related
to synagogue administration is archived. Currently available to
NATA members and small congregations’ leadership, it is
anticipated it will become available to leaders throughout the
movement.
Conferences
Annual conferences provide opportunities for professional
growth, deepening one’s knowledge and skill base. The
conference theme focuses on in-depth learning and extensive
exploration of a given subject. Workshops feature the latest
information on management techniques including: fundraising,
membership, finance, personnel, social media, and other areas of
synagogue administration. Conferences provide opportunities for
discussion on timely and important topics, such as, visioning the
future of synagogues, the Reform Movement, and Jewish
communal professions. This is also a time for meaningful
professional networking and personal interactions.
The Clearing House helps determine which representative(s) from
NATA can best provide support based on both professional
expertise and geographic location. Requests may be handled via
conference calls, on site visits, or referral to the electronic
Knowledge Network.
“The Tent”
NATA’s site on the URJ Knowledge Network is a digital community,
uniting synagogue professionals via discussion boards and a
searchable resource library. All conversations on the NATA site are
private to NATA, but resources posted are public to everyone in
The Tent so that the information shared will be a part of the
Resource Library.