The Mitzvah Heroes Fund was founded in 2008.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mitzvah Heroes Fund was started by students of Danny Siegel. "We are a 'boutique' non-profit organization that is dedicated to the collection and distribution of funds to various little-known tzedakah projects. We define 'tzedakah' as pure, decent caring or, simply put, 'just doing the right thing'. Based upon Jewish tradition, the Mitzvah Heroes Fund funds both Jewish and non-Jewish programs. And we are devoted to bringing the educational message of tzedakah to communities and schools throughout North America and Israel."

OBSERVANCE

The Mitzvah Heroes Fund observes Kashrut and Shabbat.

ENDORSEMENTS, SUPPORTERS, AND AWARDS

None provided.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Steve Kerbel, Chairman and Co-Founder
Steve Kerbel is Director of Education for Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, MD , and also serves on the faculty of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. Previously, he served as Director of Education of Ohr Kodesh Congregation in Chevy Chase, MD for seven years. Steve has also been a full-time faculty member at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD and an educational consultant to the Seaboard Region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Mary Meyerson, Treasurer and Co-Founder
Mary Meyerson heads Morah Mary Consulting. Previously, she served as Religious School Director at Oseh Shalom in Maryland. She has a degree in social work from Carroll College in Waukesha, WI and studied for more than two years before her conversion with Rabbi Eugene J. Lipman, z"l, of Temple Sinai in Washington, DC. She's taken part in more than 10 years of professional development workshops in the areas of general education, early childhood education, Reconstructionist Judaism, and facilitative leadership techniques. In the last several years, she's led numerous workshops for the Board of Jewish Education of Greater Washington, the Reconstructionist Educators' Professional Day, the Montgomery County Public Schools Human Relations Day, and Montgomery County Council of PTAs. Before coming to Oseh Shalom, Mary taught Judaics and Hebrew for 10 years at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda. There she also led the Shabbat morning minyan for students in grades K-3 and their families and was the Torah School's Family Education Specialist.In 1998, she received Jewish Reconstructionist Foundations's Master Educator Award. From 2000 to 2002, she served as the Education Director at Adat Shalom for two years. Subsequently, she established her own business as a Jewish Educational Consultant and provided services to a number of Washington-area congregations. Some of her projects included curriculum review, teacher training, and mentoring new principals. Mary has 12 years of experience as a preschool teacher and two years of experience as a Resource Specialist for the Board of Jewish Education.

BOARD AND OFFICERS

Board Policies and Practices

Policy/practice	Comment
Meeting frequency and attendance	The board meets at least twice each year. It has met twice since the organization's launch in 2008. A majority of board members was present at both meetings.
CEO evaluation and compensation	The Mitzvah Heroes Fund does not currently have a paid CEO. However, the organization's conflict of interest policy requires periodic reviews to determine whether compensation arrangements and benefits are reasonable based on competent survey information and the result of arm's length bargaining.
Board and employee conflicts of interest	Click here to see Mitzvah Heroes Fund conflict of interest policy
Financial oversight and control	The chairman retains the organization's checkbook. All members have signature privileges. All disbursements are discussed and agreed to prior to execution. Incoming checks are scanned and copies emailed to all officers. Deposit slips contain contributors' names and check numbers.
Program oversight and evaluation	Mitzvah Heroes Fund monitors grantees through informal contacts and reports. The fund has a liason in Israel to informally monitor Israeli grantees. Financial reports of grantees are reviewed annually. There is no formal structure to establish benchmarks for individual or organizational grantees and evaluate progress against those benchmarks.
Board self-evaluation	There is no formal policy for board self-evaluation.
Assurance of compliance with US law	According to the organization's conflict of interest policy, periodic reviews will be conducted to ensure the organization operates in a manner consistent with charitable purposes and does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status. The periodic reviews shall, at a minimum, include the following subjects: (a) Whether compensation arrangements and benefits are reasonable, based on competent survey information, and the result of arm's length bargaining and (b) Whether partnerships, joint ventures, and arrangements with management organizations conform to the organization's written policies, are properly recorded, reflect reasonable investment or payments for goods or services, further charitable purposes and do not result in inurement, impermissible private benefit or in an excess benefit transaction..
Assurance of compliance with Jewish law	There is no formal policy for assurance of compliance with Jewish law.
Assurance of ethical behavior	There is no formal policy for assuring ethical behavior.

Name	Title	Years on Board	Hours/ week
Steve Kerbel	Chairman	1	4.25
Bill Begal	President	1	4
Mary Meyerson	Treasurer	1	3.75

The Mitzvah Heroes Fund currently has no paid staff.

VOLUNTEERS

The Mitzvah Heroes Fund is currently an all volunteer organization.