Aug

18

17.5% of Israelis employed by non-profits…and other interesting stats

Filed Under non-profit | 1 Comment

The most recent edition of The Marker Magazine (a fantastic magazine, worth reading if you can handle the Hebrew) had an interesting article about what is called “The Third Sector” in Israel, i.e. the non-profit sector (you can see part of the article online here). The article’s focus is on how Israel’s business sector is establishing and contributing to non-profits, and how it approaches charitable work from a business perspective of sustainability, viability, revenues, etc.

Here are some interesting statistics about Israel’s non-profit sector that were quoted in the article:

  • 30,000 non-profits are active in Israel.
  • 365,000 people were employed by non-profits in 2004 - representing 17.5% of the market.
  • 1,700 new non-profits are registered every year.
  • Israel’s “Third Sector” is fourth largest in the world relative to the country’s size etc. It contributes 13% to Israel’s GDP.

Israel’s top three contributors (the article lists 10):

Israel’s top three charitable funds (the article lists 10):

  • Keren Yedidut of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (International Fellowship of Christians and Jews) - $70m (you may have heard Rabbi Eckstein lately on the radio)
  • Sacta Rashi Foundation - $50m
  • Yad Hanadiv Foundation (Rothschild) - $30-50m (There doesn’t seem to be a site for this fund. Not only that, this article in Haaretz describes it as one of the most secretive foundations, and their recipients are not allowed to tell anyone that they were helped by Yad Hanadiv! Talk about upholding one of the highest levels of charitable donations according to Judaism - anonymity)

Learn more about the growing cooperation between Israel’s business and non-profit communities in the article: Oren Major, “The Social Tycoons,” The Marker Magazine, 91st edition August 2008, p. 40.

Jul

27

The what, why and how of social media and non-profits

Filed Under Social Media | 1 Comment

The world of hi-tech entrepreneurs and innovators in Israel is thriving: between networking events galore, and a high level of social media savvy, many of these people are reaping the benefits of their knowledge in the form of new leads, recruitment, and even investments.

The Israeli non-profit world, on the other hand, has fallen dramatically behind. Many organizations are still using the same methods to promote their causes and increase donations that they were using 20 years ago. This means that they are missing out on the opportunity to diversify their marketing on the web, and reach a population that is steadily losing touch with the Jewish world: the under-30s.

The under-30s are the next generation of decision makers, and it is important that they feel engaged with your world of non-profits if you are to remain sustainable. Yet, they are not going to pay attention to your direct mail pieces written in lofty language. In order to reach them, you must reach them on their terms: in their language, and on their turf.

Advantages of using social media for your non-profit

First of all, what is social media? Social media refers to the new tools and technologies being used on the web that allow people to create online relationships with others. The most prominent example of this is facebook: on facebook, users can “friend” other users, and in this way create their own personal network of people they have selected. These personal networks enable members to see each other’s online activity, like the addition of new photos or videos, new blog posts, new recommended links, and more.

The world of social media has its own culture as well. When communicating online, people expect companies and organizations to be authentic and transparent.

Here are just some of the advantages of participating in the social web for your non-profit:

  • Diversify your web presence: people are spending more and more time on social networks every day. This means that they are spending less time on your website. In order to increase your chances of engaging with them, it is important to create good social profiles in the right places, so that people can get to know your organization without actually having visited your site.
  • Increase search engine rankings: people are also spending more time searching for information. By creating social profiles in other places on the web, you are creating good incoming links to your site, which can affect your search engine rankings for the better.
  • Create passionate “customers” for your non-profit: by talking to people in their language and on an equal level, you can generate increased interest in your non-profit, and even passion. In turn, they may start to spread the word as well.
  • Increase donations: Barack Obama raised way more than Hillary Clinton online. He wasn’t afraid to go after many small donors, rather than a few big donors, and his bet paid off. The right social media strategy will drive people to your site, and to your donation form, even for small amounts.

How can I find out more?

If your interest is piqued, you may want to find out more about this subject. One way is to attend our first event on August 31 in Jerusalem, where we will be discussing the use of social media in the non-profit world. Another way is to look at the sidebar of this site, where it says Resources. That section will be constantly updated with new material on the subject, so make sure to check back. And of course, you can snoop around the web yourself to see if you can find anything.

Happy Social Media-ing!