Semora's Story
A solution in progress, shaped by the field.
Developed through my Executive MBA capstone—the modern MBA for builders and practitioners—and in collaboration with colleagues across the field, Semora Commons explores how belonging and trust can be measured—and strengthened—at scale.
It began with a question.
Can belonging be measured?
October, 12, 2026
Pamela Geller
Passionate about turning data into connection
The past few years have made that question unavoidable.
Since October 7, 2023, the Jewish community has lived in a near-constant state of response. Fear, misinformation, and fatigue have worn on us—and, in some strange way, brought us closer together.
Record numbers are showing up—maybe because here, we can be honest.
We can talk about Israel, about fear, about hope. Not everyone feels the same, but there’s comfort in being among people who understand, at least a little, what this moment feels like.
Out of the horrific events of that day, something was re-born: a fragile but unmistakable return to each other. That renewed instinct to connect is the heartbeat where Semora took hold. Semora was imagined as a way to help us respond with clarity—to sort truth from distortion and strengthen trust where it’s fraying.
It’s being shaped with nonprofits in mind—the ones who keep civic life beating, offering tools that help bring people together, not apart.
—To help small MarCom teams turn what they already sense about belonging into insight they can act on.
—To show leaders, in real time, how trust moves—where it grows, where it breaks, and how it might be restored.
Semora is still a hypothesis in motion—tested, refined, and rebuilt with every conversation, every iteration. Its purpose is simple: to help those who care for community understand what keeps people caring back.
Because belonging isn’t a mystery.
It’s a signal.
And when we learn to read it, we can begin to rebuild—together.
Pamela Geller
— Passionate about turning data into connection
Guiding Principles
Semora was built on a set of guiding principles—not corporate values, but the ideas that helped me think through how to solve for belonging, trust, and communication in a complex, human system. These principles kept me grounded as I tested ideas, built frameworks, and learned from colleagues across the Jewish Federation and nonprofit sector.
BELONGING
People stay when they feel seen, named, and needed.
Every part of this work starts with that truth. Belonging isn’t a feeling to be admired—it’s a signal to be understood and strengthened. This principle pushed me to design a system that helps organizations see connection, not just count it.
INTEGRITY
Trust can’t be measured if it’s not practiced.
As I built Semora, I wanted every part of it—from data to design—to reflect transparency, fairness, and honesty. That means algorithms that are explainable, results that are accountable, and insights that can be shared openly across teams and communities.
INSIGHT
The goal isn’t more data—it’s better understanding.
This principle guided how I approached the entire model: take what already exists in our systems and make it usable. Insight means clarity—turning scattered signals into something teams can act on, measure, and learn from together.
Why the Name Matters
Semora captures both the head and the heart of what we do.
Sem- comes from Segmentation—the science of understanding audiences by values, identities, and behaviors.
-ora comes from Agora—the ancient Greek gathering place where citizens built community and shared ideas.
Together: Segmentation in service of community. Semora means data-driven understanding turned into belonging. It also resonates across languages: In Hebrew, Arabic, and Sanskrit roots, Semora connects to listening, renewal, and the unseen currents of trust that move through community.
Why “Commons”
Because belonging isn’t owned—it’s shared.
The word Commons carries two meanings at once: accessibility and collective good.
Semora Commons is designed as shared infrastructure—a cooperative space where federations and other
organizations can learn from one another, benchmark trust, and grow belonging together.
It’s both a system and a reminder: connection is not proprietary. It’s a resource we all hold in common, and strengthen every time we understand it better.
Looking Ahead: The Signal
Every insight needs somewhere to go—and then, to come back.
The Signal is where Semora’s research becomes intelligence, and where intelligence feeds new research. Built on behavioral science, ethical design, and shared learning from the Commons, The Signal will be the SaaS platform that turns belonging and trust data into real-time action.
It listens across systems—integrating CRM pipelines, external channels, and any explicit feedback organizations share. Through A/B testing, predictive analytics, and machine learning, it blends implicit and explicit data to surface the signals that show when connection is growing, and when it needs care.
Together, Commons and Signal form a continuous loop:
insight flowing into action, action creating new insight—
a living system designed to help organizations not just measure belonging, but strengthen it.