The Jewish Innovation
The print magazine launched in 1996, right on the cusp of the internet revolution. A loyal base of several thousand fans subscribed or bought the magazine in stores.
After 14 issues, when the magazine industry began to transform, I put the magazine on hiatus so I could upgrade its design, printing, and mailing processes and try to move into the fast-changing, multi-platform, 21st-century world of publishing. Unfortunately, due to financial limitations (this was before the invention of crowdfunding!), that goal was not achieved at the time.
I took some time to develop an online community that allows parents to support one another directly through articles, blogs, a discussion forum, and more. Although the site has not yet reached its full potential, membership is growing steadily.
Now the time is right for me to respond to my members’ persistent requests to bring back the print magazine. I also need to bring the online magazine and community up to state-of-the-art standards. I would like to do that and much more! (See below for more about my goals beyond the magazine itself.)
Can you help me achieve these goals so I can bring this greatly needed and loved resource back? As my loyal readers will tell you, there is no other magazine like Natural Jewish Parenting!
The Impact
Over the years, people of all backgrounds—Jewish (of all affiliations) and not Jewish, parents and non-parents—have connected with Natural Jewish Parenting represents and appreciate what it has to offer.
NJP is a one-of-a-kind resource for parents, offering information and support during the important child-raising years. There is nothing more important to the future of the Jewish people than happy, healthy families and children. Many of my readers have told me that NJP has had a positive influence on their parenting choices, and that it has been a lifeline of support and community as they navigated the stages of their children’s lives.
But Natural Jewish Parenting is still a small, well-kept secret! I would like to reach many more families than I have in the past, and I can do that – if you join me to help make this campaign a success.
What Will You Do with the Money?
Right now my two most important goals are:
1. to bring back the print magazine that readers have been asking for since it went on hiatus several years ago—this time with a new, sustainable, state-of-the-art, 21st-century paradigm; and
2. to upgrade the online magazine and community to more effectively and enjoyably meet the needs of Jewish parents.
The website upgrade requires a one-time investment, and the print magazine represents an initial up-front investment to set up new systems, followed by modest ongoing expenses for each issue. The print magazine will ultimately be funded by the income from single-copy sales and advertising.
Any funds raised in excess of the goal amount will go to further the above two goals and to pursue the next frontier for Natural Jewish Parenting: most importantly, a book-publishing imprint, filling an unmet need for Jewish children’s books about health, nutrition, cooking, the environment, and spirituality, and for adult books on similar subjects and on natural parenting from a uniquely Jewish perspective. Another project being explored is a magazine or newsletter for kids about health, nutrition, and the environment.
