Partnerhood FAQs
Learn more and sign up to become a Partner.
If you don’t see the A for your Q here, please email us or give our office a call. We’re always here to talk. (Except on Shabbat, of course. And Sunday. Shuls need to rest too, you know?)
At Lab/Shul, membership is about more than financial and time contributions—it’s about becoming real Partners. That’s why we call our membership model ‘Partnerhood.’ We want you to feel like you’re taking part in shaping Lab/Shul, playing on our team, and, maybe, be in it for the long-haul. With this in mind, you’ll be asked to sign a Partner/Pact—a symbol of our mutual Partnerhood.
And as for the mechanics of Partnerhood that’s simple. You give a time and financial contribution as you are able, and you get a whole lot more benefits in return.
Nope! Providing access is Lab/Shul’s primary driving force, placing the wide range of spiritual, educational and communal needs of everybody at the center of our work. Whether you’re a Partner, in the neighborhood, or simply curious about what we do, please drop in.
Partnerhood is open to everyone! Lab/Shul is truly everybody-friendly, meaning we accept, respect, and invite the full spectrum of human existence without exception or judgement. So if you’re Jewish/Jew(ish)/not-at-all Jewish, interfaith, mutli-faith, not-really-into-faith, POC, LGBTQI+, older, younger, from here, from there–welcome home.
Free entry to all Shabbat rituals, discounts on educational classes, a vote in community matters, and more. Beyond that, a sense of belonging, a place to root and grow—in short, a community.
A Shul/Shift is how we measure your time contribution and it is household commitment rather than a per person commitment. You can fulfill your Shul/Shift by volunteering to help our staff set and/or clean up at our events, home-hosting a study session, community dinner or special salon, or lending your expertise. Discover volunteering opportunities. Stay tuned for info on how to volunteer time in these times of social distancing.
That’s totally fine! We get that your needs can be filled by more than one spiritual community. If you live out of town, consider becoming a Digital Partner so you can livestream our rituals, tune into online learning, and plug into our digital community. If you live in the tri-state area and think that we’ve got something new and different to offer, then please consider becoming a Partner at the contribution amount that feels right for you.
We want to be transparent about what it costs to run Lab/Shul. Our operating budget currently averages $1.7MM. This covers compensation for 5 full-time and 4 part-time employees ($900K), High Holy Days ($325K), Programming ($350K), Rent and General Administrative ($225K). Our goal is to have Partnerhood contributions account for almost 50% of our annual income within the next four years. Doing so will enable us to be less reliant upon outside fundraising, and instead be driven by you, our community. This is why we ask those who feel at home at Lab/Shul to join and renew.
You bet. You’ll notice that each of our Partnerhood options has a suggested financial contribution. The term “suggested” is intentionally used to indicate that you can join as a Partner with a financial contribution that is meaningful to you. For example, if you choose the Solo option, you will still have the opportunity to adjust the financial contribution field during check out, for example from $125/month to $100/month. Alternatively, you could select our Co-op option which requires no financial contribution, rather we ask that you fulfill 12 Shul/Shifts-volunteering units. Discover volunteering opportunities.
With the exception of our Digital and Visionary Partners, all Partnerhood options receive the same access and benefits.
With various contribution options to match the different needs of the community, we invite you to select the contribution option that is right for you, knowing you can always give more if you are able or less as you wish.
Digital Partnerhood is for those who are not able to attend our events in person, and would like access to our programming. This option includes the Live Stream for High Holy Day and other Shabbat and holiday ritual programs as well as Lab/Shul’s Town Halls. It also includes a 20% discount on all clergy classes.
Visionary Partnerhood is a one-time annual contribution that includes entry to all of Lab/Shul’s programming throughout the year. In addition to all Partnerhood benefits, Visionary Partnerhood includes High Holy Days tickets for everyone in your immediate household, 2 tickets to Passover Seder, 2 tickets to Purim Party, 2 tickets to Gala, and entry to all educational classes. It additionally includes access to the Visionary Circle which serves as a “think tank” with Rabbi Amichai, addressing challenging and controversial issues facing the Jewish community.
Yes, you can pay monthly! You can easily set up monthly electronic or paper payments. We do not offer discounts for fulfilling your entire contribution at once because we don’t believe it’s ethical to offer a discounts only to those who can afford to do so.
Our membership cycle runs from July 1 – June 30, spanning our entire season of programming. We anticipate needing to raise contribution levels at least every two years by just a few percentage points to ensure that we are able to keep our lights on and our staff fed.
While our Partnerhood cycle begins in July each year, we are happy to prorate your membership contribution on a monthly basis if you enroll any time after July 1. The Partnerhood renewal period begins each summer for the upcoming season.
At this stage in our organizational life, we still plan to fundraise three times during the year: in the spring for our annual Gala, in the fall during the High Holy Days, and at the end of the calendar year. Although you do not have to contribute again, we do ask that you consider supporting us throughout the year if you are able.
Yes! By becoming a Partner, not only do you get access to many of our gatherings, you get quality time with our clergy and ritual staff who can help direct you to the right community-led gathering or justice teams. Discover all the volunteer and community events you can help facilitate.
Provided they are available, yes, Rabbi Amichai and all of our spiritual and ritual leaders can still facilitate and/or officiate weddings for non-partners. Interested in learning more? Discover our unique marriage preparation and wedding ceremony process.
Please email Shira Kline to set up your initial consultation.
Nope. If you are not currently a Partner you can still enroll your kid(s) in our Raising the Bar B Mitzvah program. That said, we do believe there’s something special that happens when you participate in the Lab/Shul community while your family prepares for this important ritual. That’s why we offer you a year of free Partnerhood during the training year. You can come to as many or as few events and classes as you like.