RRG Beit Midrash: Turning 40 Years into Ongoing Funding

The Partnership

For four decades, the RRG Hillel Beit Midrash has given students from around the world studying at Hebrew University a place to learn, ask questions, and find a Shabbat table. Rav Yonatan Udren has helped lead it for the last ten years. We have partnered with The Beit Midrash to create a number of fundraising films, but for this event, we wanted to create something more.

The Approach: One Milestone, Three Jobs

An anniversary film is usually made for one night. Rav Udren needed more than that. The same story had to celebrate 40 years in the room, make a direct case to donors afterward, and greet new students and supporters online for years to come.

So we built it as a family of films. They share one body of footage, but each edit has its own job. As the project grew, so did the stories that they told.

The Films

The Event Film: 40th Anniversary Celebration

With a sitting audience, we had the ability to go deeper, and share a longer story. This was about sharing the history of the RRG Beit Midrash, and how it has grown to serve the community of olim in Jerusalem today.

The Fundraising Film

For the crowdfunding campaign, we needed something different. Something that would grab people's attention, and show people why this is the cause that they need to give to. The core story is the same, but the delivery has to be quicker, stronger, and more urgent.

The Website Film

Whether you are a potential donor visiting the site, or a student, trying to figure out if RRG is for you, the organization needed something where first time and returning visitors could easily and quickly understand "this is who RRG Beit Midrash really is."

The Result

At the event, a major donor from Boston watched the film. He had supported the Beit Midrash for years and had heard Rav Udren talk about it many times. This time he finally saw it, and he decided to give on the spot.

“I got such positive feedback, especially from a major donor in Boston who’s been supporting it for years and has heard me talk about it.

He said, ‘I never realized the impact of what you’re doing. It’s really incredible.’

That’s gold, and worth everything.”

Rav Yonatan Udren, RRG Hillel Beit Midrash

Watch the film here: