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.
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