Jewish community
About Impact Accelerator
The OU Impact Accelerator identifies and advances promising Jewish nonprofits. Through education, mentorship, and collaboration, we empower great leaders committed to strengthening our communal landscape in new ways.
The Orthodox Union launched the OU Impact Accelerator to support entrepreneurial ventures addressing our communal challenges.
We partner nonprofit entrepreneurs, successful professionals, and OU resources to work on the most impactful projects and share our growing knowledge base.
By the Numbers
What We Do
who we are
Our Team
Abigail Rochlin is the Impact Accelerator’s interim director. She graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern Honors Program in January 2022 with a major in psychology and minor in data analytics. Abigail is also an advisor for the Frisch School’s yearbook. She has been part time with the Impact Accelerator since June 2020 and began working full time at the Accelerator in March 2022. In August 2022, Abigail became the interim director and is excited for the next steps of the Accelerator.
You can reach Abigail at rochlina@ou.org
Timeline
Accelerator launched
Cohort I Selection
Cohort I Education
Cohort II Selection
Cohort II Education
Cohort III Selection
Cohort III Education
Cohort IV Selection
Cohort IV Education
Why we are needed
Mazal tov OU IA! In the past year GrowTorah has more than doubled the amount of schools we teach at as well as expanded our programming. In addition to teaching in the gardens, we have begun hosting family programing and bringing eco initiatives to our schools!
One of our early successes was being chosen by the OU Impact Accelerator. The recognition and support we are receiving from the OU is indescribable and very much appreciated. It is beyond all of my expectations in every area. It’s been informative, it’s been a great network, it’s been support, and some humor too. We have a good time. From support, to knowledge, to interns being available to help, the OU is there for Ani Tefillah.
Besides the useful, educational courses offered by the Accelerator, the staff at the Accelerator has been a pleasure to work with. Their sole focus is to help the cohort members grow and impact the Jewish people in the most meaningful way possible.
Just the process of the application will teach you things. It forces you to refine your vision and understand things on a more complex level and in a different way. That was 100% true with the OU Accelerator application. It forced me to redefine and reexamine everything about what I was building
Through the Accelerator’s education program, we learned how to look at our venture as a business. We learned how to develop and articulate our strategy, market our services more efficiently and effectively, enhance our brand awareness nationally, and raise funds to accomplish our strategic goals.
To be chosen and get the “stamp of approval” by the OU lends a certain amount of credibility that we appreciate and don’t take for granted.
We have the cohort, the experience, the mentors, and the whole group experience and wealth of resources.
The quality of the mentors is unbelievable. They are really working with me, not just giving me advice. I think some of the things I’m doing with the mentors can be game changing and defining moments in my organization’s success.
The OU Impact Accelerator true to its name helped accelerate the development and impact of Last Kindness. The educational curriculum and amazing peer relationships which were nurtured within the program has helped give form and function to our passion for helping the Jewish people.