User experience is everything. Let me walk you through what we do – you’re an insider, so I’m pulling back the curtain so you can see the method and intentionality behind the magic.
The magic starts the second someone even considers walking in the door. It starts with a greeter outside welcoming people– making them feel special as soon as they show up. It starts with making sure the security guard is also warm and welcoming (even in full armed gear) so that people feel safe immediately.
And here’s a big part of the secret sauce: we empower and coach our student leaders to find anyone sitting or standing alone (usually pretending to do something on their phone) and start a conversation, but then (and this is the critical piece) not just leave, but connect that person to another friend or club. This does a few things. First, it ensures students are actively building friends at Hillel. No one walks out saying they felt alone in a crowd. They were seen. They talked to someone who genuinely cared. Second, it teaches student leaders how to be leaders in the world, to make friends with the friends who might not have friends, which is foundational to creating a more connected Jewish community for all of us.
The next piece of the (not so secret) Hillel of San Diego way is memory. We remember our students, and we care about their story. We take note. We remember that Mike from New Jersey played high school basketball and was a shooting guard, so the next time we see him at Shabbat, we connect him to Sam- another student we met who is also from NJ and also loves basketball. We remember that Sophie’s favorite Taylor Swift song is All Too Well (10 min version), which is objectively the greatest song of all time, and we make sure it’s playing the next time she studies in the building. Because it all matters. We teach our staff to be interested and not interesting because it’s not about us. It’s always all about our students and creating experiences that center THEM and create moments that shape their Jewish identity. It’s their story.
And it’s high-quality food that’s accessible. Meals are shared family-style so people are passing plates. Why does that matter? Because you pass plates at HOME, and Hillel is our students’ home away from home. It also forces interaction, which encourages conversation and supports making friends. When it’s good food, people remember and come back. It also reminds our students that they matter and deserve high-quality food (which they usually aren’t getting anywhere else).
This user experience even goes into our investment in surprises and delights. Stickers, pins, shirts. A piece of swag can just be a throw-away tchotchke, or it can be intentional enough that students want to keep it and use it and ultimately be reminded regularly of the great experience they had at Hillel.
So what is our student-centered intentional program design? It’s all the little things that no one actively notices but ensure the experience cultivates belonging. That’s the power of Hillel of San Diego. We’ve systemized this model, and it’s how our Hillel has grown from reaching 400 to nearly 4,000 students in 6 years. It’s what turns a good program into an excellent one.
And you want to know the real secret sauce….It’s all because you help make it possible.
You can experience the Hillel of San Diego way yourself by coming to our Back to School Bash, our first blow-out party fundraiser in ten years. Can’t wait to see you there!
Shabbat Shalom,
Karen
P.S. For the High Holidays, we have a donor who will match all gifts up to $30,000. That’s right. It’s a double new year when you support Hillel of San Diego. If you want to double your impact, now is the time.
