The Joshua Venture (z"l)

While doing on-line research, I discovered a six-page document of lessons learned from The Joshua Venture, a program for Jewish social entrepreneurs that happened from 2000 to 2005.

The report "is offered not as an epitaph to experimentation but rather as a resource for funders and nonprofit organizers committed to social entrepreneurship and the development of a more inclusive and vibrant American Jewish community."

As someone who contemplated applying for the program (while it still existed) and is now completing a graduate program for Jewish social entrepreneurs, I was pleased to see (and skim) the report, and look forward to spending more time with it.

For the record, something I learned in my Program Evaluation class (way back in 2005) is that documents like this one -- lessons learned -- are in fact one type of program evaluation. The point of evaluations isn't only to judge the impact of a program, but also to add to the knowledge base available for practitioners, whether associated with the program or not.

To all Jewish social entrepreneurs and our friends:
in the words of Linda Zisquit...

Onwards!