6th Annual Fundraising Seminar to Equip a New Generation of Shluchim

For many new Shluchim, fundraising is among the first challenges of building a community, and one of the least familiar. Helping them meet it is the goal of Merkos 302’s New Shluchim Desk, which is bringing back its flagship Fundraising Seminar for a sixth year. The full-day, in-person masterclass, geared for Shluchim within their first seven years on Shlichus, is built to demystify a topic that can feel intimidating to those new to it.

“The Rebbe taught us that fundraising is a partnership, where the giver earns the zchus of real investment in the mission,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302. “When we give a new Shliach the confidence to invite a baalebos to help build, we turn a supporter into a true visionary partner.”

Far from a one-day event, the seminar opens a months-long journey. Participants continue with ten online follow-up sessions over the summer and gain access to a dedicated WhatsApp group for daily guidance, strategy sharing, and peer support.

The day will be led by Rabbi Elazar Green, Shliach to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, founder of Grow Gelt Solutions, and a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) who has spent years training Shluchim around the world. Through interactive sessions, chavrusa-style study of the Rebbe’s directives, role-playing, and practical exercises, Rabbi Green walks participants through the full arc of fundraising, from identifying and approaching donors, to crafting a compelling vision, to cultivating the lasting relationships that sustain a Mosad for decades.

The New Shluchim Desk has guided hundreds of newer Shluchim through this training over the past several years, and it has become a fixture for those just stepping into the role.

Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz, director of the New Shluchim Desk at Merkos 302, says the need it addresses surfaces in the earliest weeks of Shlichus. “For a new Shliach, this training is foundational,” he said. “Fundraising is the engine that powers a Shlichus, and we send them home with the mindset, the tools, and a network of peers to lean on from day one.”

Rabbi Mendy Rotenstreich, who arrived in South Palm Beach in 2024 to begin his Shlichus, remembers fundraising as the part he felt least prepared for. A couple of years and one seminar later, he calls it one of the smartest investments he made starting out.

“The biggest thing you walk away with is a whole shift in mindset,” he said. “The way you see yourself is the way your donors see you. Carry a small vision and that’s what they buy into; carry a big one, and they rise to meet it.” His advice to other new Shluchim is blunt: “This course is a no-brainer. Once you put the tools to work, they carry you a very long way.”

The seminar takes place Wednesday, Beis Tammuz, June 17, 2026, in Crown Heights, with an early-bird rate available until 11 Sivan. Registration and full details are available at

The seminar takes place Wednesday, Beis Tammuz, June 17, 2026, in Crown Heights, with an early-bird rate available until 11 Sivan. Registration and full details are available at newshluchim.merkos302.com/fundraising.

“The Rebbe taught us that fundraising is a partnership, where the giver earns the zchus of real investment in the mission,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302. “When we give a new Shliach the confidence to invite a baalebos to help build, we turn a supporter into a true partner.”

The day will be led by Rabbi Elazar Green, Shliach to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, founder of Grow Gelt Solutions, and a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) who has spent years training Shluchim around the world. Through interactive sessions, chavrusa-style study of the Rebbe’s directives, role-playing, and practical exercises, Rabbi Green walks participants through the full arc of fundraising, from identifying and approaching donors, to crafting a compelling vision, to cultivating the lasting relationships that sustain a Mosad for decades.

The New Shluchim Desk has guided hundreds of newer Shluchim through this training over the past several years, and it has become a fixture for those just stepping into the role. Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz, director of the New Shluchim Desk at Merkos 302, says the need it addresses surfaces in the earliest weeks of Shlichus. “For a new Shliach, this training is foundational,” he said. “Fundraising is the engine that powers a Shlichus, and we send them home with the mindset, the tools, and a network of peers to lean on from day one.”

Rabbi Mendy Rotenstreich, who arrived in South Palm Beach in 2024 to begin his Shlichus, remembers fundraising as the part he felt least prepared for. A couple of years and one seminar later, he calls it one of the smartest investments he made starting out. “The biggest thing you walk away with is a whole shift in mindset,” he said. “The way you see yourself is the way your donors see you. Carry a small vision and that’s what they buy into; carry a big one, and they rise to meet it.”

For Rotenstreich, the bottom line is simple. “This course is a no-brainer,” he said. “It completely changed how I approach my Shlichus, and once you put the tools to work, they carry you a very long way.”

The seminar takes place Wednesday, Beis Tammuz, June 17, 2026, in Crown Heights, with an early-bird rate available until 11 Sivan. Registration and full details are available at newshluchim.merkos302.com/fundraising.