3 minute read
Recommendations and Opportunities
from 2021 Impact Report
by OneTable
Moving forward: key recommendations for OneTable
Throughout this report, we have provided recommendations for OneTable—what the data tell us about opportunities to deepen engagement, strengthen outcomes, expand OneTable’s reach, and better serve young Jews where OneTable is currently falling short. To conclude the report, we have laid out a summary of these recommendations below.
PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS: DEEPENING ENGAGEMENT
PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS: WELCOMING ALL YOUNG JEWS
✓ This research demonstrates that guests can and often do derive deep meaning from their experience with the platform—but there’s still no substitute for the depth of impact for hosts.
OneTable should find ways to provide guests with opportunities for ownership over their
Shabbat experience, a key driver of the deep impact hosts experience.
✓ Recall that meaningful connections are the primary driver of satisfaction at dinner; ensure that
all OneTable participants, especially those with less established Shabbat communities, feel welcome at dinner and able to build those relationships.
✓ While older and partnered participants are highly satisfied with the OneTable experience, it’s clear the impacts are even stronger among younger members of OneTable’s target cohort. To deepen impact with all participants, design resources and offerings specifically tailored to
the life stages of participants 30-39 and/or who are married or partnered.
✓ For many participants, especially newer guests, the hardest part of the OneTable journey is the entry; many formerly active guests say they have lapsed because they didn’t know where to go or who to go with. Targeted outreach and invitations from OneTable staff and host ambassadors make them feel welcome—a necessary condition for the rest of OneTable’s impact.
✓ Interest is high among young Jews who have not yet experienced OneTable; it’s not limited to one affiliation or demographic group. Highlight the diversity of OneTable offerings and
communities to them to show that there is a Shabbat experience for everyone.
✓ Young Jews outside of coastal metropolitan areas are just as interested in OneTable; continue
investment in smaller Jewish communities where more Jews are looking for community.
Moving forward: future opportunities for research
While this research has provided unprecedented insight into OneTable participants, and new understandings of the Jewish young adult population at large, gaps in knowledge still remain—and as with any research endeavor, for all the questions answered, nearly as many new ones have emerged.
Below, we have outlined what we view as the most promising opportunities for continued research with OneTable participants and with the field of Jewish young adults in general.
RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS: DEEPENING CONNECTIONS WITH PARTICIPANTS
RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS: NEW UNDERSTANDING OF JEWISH YOUNG ADULTS
✓ This research has demonstrated the depth of both the host and guest experiences and suggested that while hosts experience “deeper” impacts in certain meaningful ways, the guest experience is fulfilling—especially socially and emotionally—in its own right. Future research prioritizing a deeper understanding of the guest experience can better answer remaining questions about what is unique about the guest experience and ways OneTable can help
guests feel ownership over their experience as guests do.
✓ Additionally, one area this survey did not cover in great depth was the guest-to-host journey— what motivates guests to become hosts, what stands in their way, and the similarities and differences between the two experiences. Future research into this transition can help OneTable
provide stronger resources and support for its participants seeking to take the next step.
✓ This research highlights that certain demographic groups highly interested in OneTable—
participants 30-39 years old, who are married or partnered, or who live in smaller Jewish
communities—are some of those who feel less served and impacted by OneTable’s current offerings. Deeper dives with these participants can ensure that OneTable creates the offerings and resources that best meet their needs.
✓ The comparison sample provided new insight into the lives, Jewish and secular, of American
Jewish young adults. It demonstrated interest in OneTable’s programs and offerings, and appetite for Jewish community; further research in the field should seek to better understand what kinds of offerings, like OneTable, can serve as the most effective gateways to Jewish life
and experience in adulthood.
✓ The research suggested a powerful role for OneTable in mitigating loneliness—but on the other hand, highlighted the prevalence of loneliness in the lives of young Jews. Future research should seek to better understand the roots and nuances of this loneliness, and comparisons across the wider population, in order to identify other interventions that can form the powerful social and emotional connections so important to young Jews.
