21 July 2010

Newsletter VIII



Interns
: We provide internships to people wanting to learn about the day to day functions involved in fund raising. These internships provide invaluable training and experience to people starting out in the field. Our interns have a wide variety of background skills, ranging from students to people looking to start a new career.

Sometimes, when we see particularly talented candidates, we invite them to work for as a freelancer or join our staff.

Anyone interested in interning at our office should contact David dave@israelgrants.com.




Funding Opportunities

Glickenhaus Foundation has an August 1st deadline. They fund projects dealing with the elderly, medical research, healthcare, arts, children, community devel, crime/violence prevention, education, environment, family services, hospitals, Jewish agencies/temples, and minorities.

The Lynn and Jules Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Film has a July 27th deadline.

Meet Our Team

Shlomit Ben-Michael is a Senior Grant Writer at "David Maeir-Epstein, Resource Development Consultants for Nonprofits". She has worked for almost 20 years with dozens of non-profit organizations in a variety of capacities including program coordinator, grant writer and fundraising consultant.

Ben Waxman is a Grant Writer and Marketing Director for our firm. Ben is responsible for all matters relating to the company website, newsletter, social marketing as well as providing grant writing and consulting services for some of our clients.

Ben Goodman serves as Director of Research. Ben has also worked with numerous non-profits in Israel, helping them to both locate sources of funding and promote their programs.



David Maeir Epstein Resource Development Consultants for Non Profits
43A Emek Refaim Jerusalem, Israel
02 563 6629 www.israelgrants.com
From CEO: David Maeir Epstein:

A Win-Win Fundraising Opportunity!
I'm excited to announce that we have made an agreement with a new start up which can provide your organization with a no-cost method of generating income for your organization and strengthening your connections with your supporters and friends. Sounds far-fetched? Not at all.

"Comtribute" will help you to setup a search engine toolbar for your organization. You then encourage your supporters, friends, and employees to download the toolbar. That's it. You then receive payment anytime someone clicks on an advertisement after a search using the tool bar. As an added bonus, the tool bar enables you to send messages in real time to anyone who installed it. The toolbar includes your organization logo and website link.

Imagine that you want to tell your supporters about a new project, new grant, or new function. Using this toolbar you can do so, in real time.

This is being offered to a limited number of non-profit organizations in Israel. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, contact Shlomit Ben Michael (
shlomit@israelgrants.com) as soon as possible.

The Establishment of a New Old Profession in Israel

"You are doing something historic and very ambitious, no less than the establishment of the Profession of Resource Development in Israel." So opined Prof. Eliezer Jaffe in his moving summary of the day long discussions on the creation of the Israel Association of Professional Fundraisers.

Jaffe should know for he is one of those whose efforts beginning in the 1960's led to the establishment of the Social Work profession in Israel as we know it today.

Over the past 30 years there have been sporadic efforts to convene those involved in resource development for nonprofits in Israel, but now, for the first time, a formal organization has been registered, nearly 400 people have completed the initial survey and indicated willingness to join, and 55 traveled from all over the country to take part in the initial working session held last month at the Kibbutz Seminar Center in Tel Aviv.

As one of the founders and co-chair of the committee shaping the objectives and work plan for the IAPF, I am very optimistic. There is indeed a thirst and a need for such a development. The thirst is tangible among colleagues working in several thousand nonprofits in
Israel who feel the need for collegial support and guidance amidst the enormous pressures upon them to produce in a profession where the bottom line looms like an ever-present specter.

And there is a need for the nonprofits and the public to understand and trust that resource development is a profession, not a cold business, that must be approached with a set of principles based upon the highest ethical standards worthy of the dedicated efforts of hundreds of thousands of volunteers for the welfare, education, culture, health and human relations. We are not merely raising funds, we are building communities that strengthen
Israel's democratic and social foundations.

We face difficult issues when dealing with professional certification – What training should be minimally required for recognition? What experience should qualify in lieu of formal degrees? What ethical standards cross over all religious and ethnic traditions? What form of oversight and implementation can be instituted to ensure high professional standards?


The IAPF will play an important role in issues of employment, availability of professional resources, and identifying training needs not currently being met by the academic, nonprofit and private organizations offering continuing professional education. The Hebrew summary of the proceedings of the working session are available.

A large founding national conference is being planned for early 2011. A small group of activist colleagues have taken the imitative. It is now time for the senior members of our profession, the heads of development of our major institutions and larger consulting firms and our foundation funding colleagues to step forward and invest some of their resources and pro-bono time in helping the Israel Association of Professional Fundraisers, fulfill Prof. Jaffe's challenge and create a new profession in Israel.

I urge all resource development professionals in
Israel who have not yet done so to complete the survey and join the mailing list.



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