Noodge

In order to maximize the number of people who show up to do their assigned jobs, the minyan has for many years assigned a noodge to remind people ahead of time, and get a confirmation that they will show up.

Noodge (noun): that's you, if you volunteered to be a noodge 
Noodge (verb): Noodging is what a noodge does

The General Principles

• Three noodges are designated during each 3-month period to remind members of upcoming job assignments; one noodge is generally assigned for a single month.
• During peak holiday times (fall chagim and Pesach) additional noodges are assigned to cover the increased load.
• The Calendar Coordinator issues a request for noodges when preparing each quarter's calendar.
• An advantage of being the noodge is that one month of work (from home) exempts you from any Minyan job for that quarter.
• The noodge's job is to remind people of their job assignments in a timely fashion, so that they have sufficient time to arrange for a switch if necessary and a second time a day or two before the service (folks confirm and then forget!).
• It is the responsibility of each Minyan member to inform the noodge when switches are made. It is not the responsibility of the noodge to arrange a switch for anyone except in cases of extreme hardship.
• As your name will be published on the calendar, people may start contacting you as soon as the calendar appears to let you know that they have swapped assignments so you noodge the right person when the time comes. However, many folks do not even look at the calendar and decide to swap only after they are noodged, so (as you will see below) you have to noodge twice - once with enough time to get people to find a swap if they need it, and a second time just before the assignment.
• It is fine to send group e-mails to the people with assignments, but you must continue to noodge until you receive confirmation that the person is planning to fulfill his/her responsibility (either the original person assigned or the person with whom a switch has been made)

The Details

This section is phrased to be copied/pasted into the email the Calendar Coordinator sends to the noodges each quarter (so it does double duty as documenting the job here, and being easy to resuse regularly).

Remind the Jobs Supervisor to send list to noodges monthly to help with emergencies.

Dear Noodges

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY - even if you are familiar with it - IT DOES CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME.
I enclose the quarterly calendar and the noodge helper files I call "noodges noodge". The PDF and the Excel file contain the same info: listings of the jobs and the families assigned, including phone and email contact info. Use either of these (your choice) to organize your noodging and keep track of swaps and acknowledgements. (The files contain data for the whole quarter, of which each of you is only responsible for part.) Once the calendar is published people start trading jobs and should let you know. You have to keep track of the swaps so you noodge the right person at the right time.

• You need two rounds of noodging!
• Start with a noodge just over a week in advance (8-10 days). The idea is that folks who hadn't previously realized that they need to find a swap get more time and less stress... Let them know you are doing it in advance so they can make the necessary trades to accommodate their schedule.
• Given the number of people who forget their assignment, even when they go to shul, you should do a final reminder just a couple of days before. The general email to the business list is NOT a substitute. You need an individual reminder with an urgent subject line to ensure they take notice.
• Please use the words "Minyan Noodge" in the subject line of your emails... some folks have caused noodges no end of pain because they have ignored emails due to generic subject lines like "important"
• Please include the service name / shabbat name (generally parasha) in the email - this can be found at HebCal.
• Please include this note in your email:

• KIDDUSH SETUP ALERT! This is NEW!  PITCHERS FOR WATER are found in the box on the floor of the lower kitchen (small closet). FILL 3 PITCHERS with cold water and set them on the cold drinks table. (WE NO LONGER USE the glass water receptacle with spigot.)
• COMPLETE JOB DESCRIPTIONS can be found at https://www.newtoncentreminyan.org/minyan-jobs-revealed.html  It's important to review the instructions, even if you've done the job before. There are often changes. We recommend printing them out and bringing them with you.  Everyone must do their job even if it looks as though there is no need at the moment. Please stay around until your job is completed. 

• Report no response to noodging and no shows to the Moderator and Jobs Supervisor.
• Send your final list of jobs (after all trades have been completed) as soon as you can before each service by email to MinyanBusiness (MinyanBusiness@yahoogroups.com)
• You are NOT responsible for helping people who say they can't find a swap unless there is a case of emergency, in which case the Chesed Committee, the Moderator or the Calendar Coordinator can help if you need it. If you do take on helping out in a situation which warrants it, then feel free to contact the Jobs Supervisor, who will seek out a volunteer from the list of folks who "owe" a job.
• Noodges are reminded that folks email addresses change from time to time and unfortunately the listings I send you are a snapshot of email addresses on the day I create the calendar. If you get a bounce please check the online member listing on the website to see if the address has changed. I keep that up to date since it is online. If you do discover a previously unreported email address change, please send to the Membership List Coordinator and Email Coordinator. If people do not want to be noodged at a specific email address they should ask the Membership List Coordinator to remove it from the directory.
• Please don't offer an extra credit for someone who for some reason does an extra job - that is difficult to do(!). Instead be in touch with the Jobs Supervisor, who can help you find someone who owes a job and can clear their "debt".
• Delete if not needed: This is a heavy quarter (with the Chagim Pesach), so this will mean lots of extra days and extra duties. If anyone complains about their workload they should understand everyone is doing several more jobs than usual. Some folks will notice that there are some families with lighter loads - assure them that this is due to other work they are doing at the minyan or other circumstances, and that their load is fair! Heavy complaints or rudeness or "on strike": send them to the Moderator.
• You will see in the Noodges_Noodge.pdf file some of the activities are noted with times of 12.59pm or 6.59pm … however these are not published times in the public calendar … that :59 tells my program not to print the time on the main reports, but makes sure they show up in the correct order on the calendar … so just ignore those times. If something is not clear please let me know.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

What to do if ...

There is no response to email or phone noodging

A person refuses to accept the job, saying they have resigned their membership

You should inform the Jobs Supervisor (to follow up) and the Moderator (to find a pinch-hitter). If the moderator is not available, sending out an email to MinyanBusiness (MinyanBusiness@yahoogroups.com) asking for a pinch hitter (a recent no-show perhaps) will usually do the trick. Worst case, inform the other families assigned to the same (or closely related) jobs so they know what (not) to expect.

 

You should inform the Moderator (to find a pinch hitter) and the Calendar Coordinator (to update the records) immediately. An alternative is to start by asking the member whether they resigned before the most recent calendar was published, and if not ask if they will perhaps fulfill this last quarter of assignments. If the moderator is not available, sending out an email to MinyanBusiness (MinyanBusiness@yahoogroups.com) asking for a pinch hitter (a recent no-show perhaps) will usually do the trick. Some folks find this offensive, so no need to push it. The Moderator and the Calendar Coordinator are always available for advice. Worst case, inform the other families assigned to the same (or closely related) jobs so they know what (not) to expect.