As people who naturally relate well to others, how can we look to technique to help us strengthen this innate talent? How can we use 1-1’s to not only build rapport but to result in greater participation? Importantly, how can we come to do this sincerely, without coming off as a salesperson or evangelist? What is the difference between relationship building and advertising or influencing? In this session, we’ll explore:

• The 4-Part Arc of a One-On-One
• How to “be interested, not interesting” and move beyond small talk
• The Art of Agitation
• 4 Ways to Close a One-On-One with an Invitation

Participants will try on what others have called an “eye-opening” Mini Mission between Part 1 and Part 2, enabling them to put these ideas to work in their setting immediately.

How do we clearly invite people into leadership with dignity, clarity, and purpose? How do we build volunteer experiences that people want to say yes to again and again? 

Volunteers are not just extra hands — they are co-builders of our communities. And yet, many of us carry real anxiety about asking people to step up, worrying that we’ll burden them, turn them off, or ask in the wrong way. Together, we’ll explore how to engage volunteers not through generic appeals, but through thoughtful, relationship-based invitations; how to design roles that feel meaningful rather than extractive; and how to build a culture where people feel proud of what they’ve contributed and eager to return. In this session, we’ll explore:

• Debriefing Our Mini Mission
• Jewish Inspiration: Moses’ Learning Curve
• The 4 Steps: How to Engage Volunteers
• Developing Our Leads List
• Case Study: Becoming a Shabbat Ambassador
• 3 Criteria: What Makes a Meaningful Role

Erica Frankel (Joyful Coach, Toastmaster, Expert Thrifter) is the Executive Director of Assembly.

Over the past 16 years, Erica has founded and grown five new Jewish organizations and initiatives into existence, has touched the lives of over 20,000 Jewish college students, has trained and supported more than 500 rabbis and Jewish educators, and has seeded a thriving Jewish ecosystem in Harlem. She holds an MA in Dance and Sacred Texts from NYU and was a Wexner Field Fellow.

Erica and her husband Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut (and their daughters) have set over 12,000 place-settings at their Shabbat table over the last 8 years.

Leah Kahn (Maestra Educator, Artist of Gathering, Shabbat Queen) is Assembly’s Vice President of Education.

She previously served as the Senior Director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience at Hillel International, where she oversaw the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF). Over the last decade, Leah has developed a unique pedagogical approach that has been used to train more than 400 rabbis and educators. She is the recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize, an inaugural member of the M2 Pedagogies Research Fellowship, and a Wexner Field Fellow.

Leah is also a certified yoga teacher, lifelong modern dancer, Shabbat enthusiast, and a mean vegan cook. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two children.

Melissa Werbow (List Maker, Hosting Ninja, Educational Gadfly) is a Community Builder for Assembly’s project IYUN.

When she isn’t with IYUN, Melissa serves as the Education Director at the Hill Havurah in Washington, DC. She is passionate about creating authentic communities and empowering learners to take ownership of their Jewish tradition. She has spent her career straddling the worlds of congregational, adult, and day school education – three arenas that don’t talk to each other nearly enough.

Melissa and Rabbi Mike Werbow are the parents of three mostly delightful children and one very spoiled dog. She is currently obsessing about gluten-free vegetarian cooking, parenting teenagers, and what novel she should read next.