A legacy nonprofit repositions for the future

The 111-year old Jewish nonprofit that my Jewish friends have never heard of.

I had never heard of Bnai Zion Foundation but I was sure that my friends who are active in their local temples would be aware of this organization that has funded over 1,000 buildings and projects in Israel. I asked my friend, Rabbi Billy, and he said, “I’ve actually never heard of these folks. I visited their website and see they’ve been around since the very early 20th century!” It’s true, Bnai Zion Foundation has been around for over 111 years — longer than Israel itself. Rabbi Billy told me that, ‘Bnai Zion’ means children of Zion, Zion being another name for Israel. “So, I guess it’s meant to refer to the aggregate community of the Jewish people as we relate/connect to the Land of Israel.” It’s always good to ask a rabbi.

I checked in with many other friends and colleagues and consensus was the same: No one had ever heard of them. Clearly, we had an awareness issue on our hands. Bnai Zion Foundation’s leadership admitted that they were not as well-known as they wanted to be, which was why they sought Langton Creative Group’s help to reposition the brand. From the start, we were attracted to Bnai Zion’s nonpolitical and nonreligious mission as well as the opportunity to raise the profile of a worthy organization that is under-valued. It felt a little like…