Chabad-Lubavitch is one of the most successful religious outreach movements of the modern era. Its effectiveness comes from a combination of organizational structure, theology, branding, hospitality, decentralized entrepreneurship, and an unusually strong missionary ethos.

Nor is this the first time that I have written about this innovative religious model. In my presentations, regardless of the audience, I am invariably asked “why is Chabad so successful?” One could define it both as “radical accessibility” and “strict identity.” That combination in the world of religious engagement is rare. Most religious movements tend to choose either strong doctrine and high boundaries or openness with low demands. Chabad has successfully managed to maintain both simultaneously.

Chabad.org has become one of the largest Jewish religious websites in the world. Chabad operates more than 4,000 institutions worldwide, though the exact count varies, and each manages its own finances. Most local Chabad Houses rely on donations, grants, program fees, and fundraising. Annual revenue for individual organizations ranges from a few hundred thousand dollars to several million. Public filings from U.S. Chabad-affiliated nonprofits, for example, show annual revenue of about $700,000 for some organizations and more than $3 million for larger ones.

If you add together the revenues of thousands of Chabad-affiliated entities worldwide, the total would almost certainly be in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually and likely well over $1 billion globally, but there are no authoritative audited figures for the entire movement, because no single body........

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