Carmei Ha'ir and IsraelGrants host a foundation representative

Written by David Maeir-Epstein

Carmei Ha’ir, an Israelgrants client that provides meals for the needy in a dignified atmosphere of a resturant, recently had a very productive visit from a representative of a large foundation based out of Baltimore. In the course of her duties, Nechama Sidor, spoke to a representative of this foundation on the phone, in accord with IsraelGrants "SPIFF" technique, whereby the representative of the nonprofit begins a dialogue with the foundation before sending the proposal. Nechama managed to speak to one of the department heads of the  foundation, and discovered that he was coming to Israel. Using her persuasion skills and explaining the merits of Carmei Ha’ir’s mission, Nechama managed to convince him to visit Carmei Ha’ir on his trip.

Although Carmei Ha’ir has hosted many visits, this one was different. It was not mere show and tell but a chance to convince a major foundation that the organization had the capacity to make a significant lasting impact, and that Carmei Ha'ir had a culture of cooperative work with partners and was open to being guided by an experienced funder. I, David Maeir-Epstein, IsraelGrants CEO, served not only as a simultaneous language translator, but as a simultaneous consultant, explaining to the capable nonprofit what the highly sophisticated funder actually meant and expected. This was a great example of how the organization's staff directly opened the door and I, as the consultant, facilitated the discussion that led to an outcome that exceeded all expectations. When the Foundation representative told Carmei Hair what to ask for, how much to ask for and what to do to properly prepare the submission, including the involvement of specific potential partners, we knew that we were on the right track. This particular foundation has an arduous application process. This meeting, while promising, is by no means a guarantee and  Carmei Ha’ir still has a long journey to prove its worth to this foundation. However, we are hopeful that this will eventually lead to a six figure grant. This is a good example of a professional partnership - Nechama's initiative and Israelgrants' professional facilitation. 

Become a member of the Israel Asssociation of Professional Fundraisers

Dear Resource Development Colleagues,

Whether your work in resource development is full or part time, if you are salaried, a freelancer, a volunteer or in between jobs, we urge you to become a member of the Israel Association of Professional Fundraisers. The IAPF is important as it is the only body that represents you and your interests as a fundraising professional.

The formation of the IAPF only a few years ago, has already taken the profession of resource development forward in Israel and the first two IAPF annual conferences attracted upwards of 200 participants each. The 3rd will take place on the 10th of October 2013. The standards of professional behavior and code of ethics that this association promotes serves to enhance the field of professional fundraising throughout the third sector in Israel.  Membership demonstrates your commitment to the goals of the IAFP and to this code of ethics. A large solid membership serves as a strong base.

What will you get for joining us in realizing our vision?

• An enhanced public acceptance of our profession and its ethical standards
• 150 nis discount on registration for the IAPF 3rd Annual Conference in October 2013  which will enable you to meet and dialogue with others in our field, in Israel and from abroad, about topics that are important to you
• Group benefits (discounts on tickets purchased through Bimot, Kastel, and Meghalan, membership in SPNI and more as are being negotiated with insurance companies, suppliers of professional literature and equipment, and legal, accounting and employment services)
• Opportunities to join professional chat groups of Israelis working in the specific areas of relevance to your work
• A virtual resource center via the IAPF website
• A voice in public policy issues relevant to the advancement of nonprofits in Israel
• Seminars on subjects of professional importance not being offered by other bodies

We are also inviting you to get involved in the shaping of our organization and join one of our active committees:

• Annual conference
• Certification committee
• Training and enrichment (a certification process will be inaugurated in the fall of 2013)
• Ethics committee
• Membership – networking and recruiting
• By-Laws
• Resource Development.

Please don't just put this aside. Just take a moment to complete the attached form indicating your commitment to the code of ethics, the method of payment to the IAPF for your dues, and (hopefully) your willingness to serve on one of the subcommittees.

Dues are 250 nis and can be paid by making your check out to the IAPF and sending it to   IAPF 22/1 Mordechai Maklef St. Modiin – 71700 or by paying by credit card via Israel Gives

For those of you who wish to make a larger contribution and benefit from the  Israeli tax credit for charitable contributions to organizations with 46A status, note that you can make your check payable to Matan, Investing in the Community with a note designated your contribution to the IAPF and send it to IAPF 22/1 Mordechai Maklef St. Modiin – 71700

Please feel free to contact either of us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

David Maeir-Epstein            Shira Skolnik

Co-Chairs, Membership Committee  

Keren Aynor Benefit for Scholarships for Israeli Ethiopian Students

Please join me on the evening of May 9^th, 2013, in the magical Atelier Collage gallery in old Jaffa, for a benefit for the Friends of Keren Hanan Aynor to raise funds for scholarships for Ethiopian PhD, MA and BA students. The featured speakers will be Micha Feldman who played a key role in the Ethiopian Aliya new MK Shimon Solomon, a Keren Aynor scholarship alumnus, who will tell his personal story; Aviva Dese, a current scholarship recipient and contestant on The Voice will provide the musical portion of the evening. To RSVP and for more details contact nili@kerenaynor.org.il

Keren Aynor was established in 1994 in remembrance of Hanan Aynor who was dedicated to bringing the Ethiopian Jews home, to Israel. Keren Aynor honors his memory by assisting talented and highly-motivated Ethiopian Israelis to acquire higher academic education and advanced professional degrees. The recipients of the Keren Aynor scholarship have, in the past, gone on to do great things. They have become doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, and members of the Knesset. Their children will no longer need the support of Keren Aynor.

The previous recipients of the scholarship can testify to its invaluable contribution. Elias Yosef, who is a graphic designer, says Keren Aynor "….emphasizes helping students who are going into new fields, parents who want to advance their education, and students who have no one else to turn to for help.”

Dr. Hadas Matsree, who received the scholarship for her MD studies, explains Keren Aynor provides more than just financial support: “Of course, the financial assistance enabled me to work fewer hours and to focus on my studies, but ultimately it was the personal connections with people at the organization that really made the difference.”

At the benefit, guests will be able to hear the stories of the alumni of the Keren Aynor scholarship as well as arguments about the value of higher education and the importance of making sure all people have access to it. During the event, MK Shimon Solomon, an alumnus of the scholarship, will tell his personal story; a panel of Keren Aynor alumni will discuss the power of higher education; and Aviva Dese, a current scholarship recipient and contestant on The Voice will provide the musical portion of the evening.

The Atelier Collage, which is supplying the beautiful location for the benefit, is also donating a generous percentage of their art and jewelry sales from the evening to Keren Aynor. Atelier Collage was established as a non-profit organization (amuta) to benefit ethnic artisans that didn't have an outlet for their crafts. It has expanded to include Israeli artists that are willing to donate a portion of their jewelry or judaica sales to help others.  In addition we are open to help other amutot and serve as a venue that they can invite their members and friends to partake of an event.

The minimum contribution for the evening is 180 NIS. All donations are eligible for Israeli tax credit or U.S. tax deduction and will go directly to scholarships for the 2013-2014 year.  One will be able to participate in a lovely evening, buy a beautiful piece of jewelry or art, and go home in the secure knowledge that the evening was entirely to the benefit of Ethiopian Israeli students.

The Benefit for the Friends of Keren Hanan Aynor will take place between 7-10pm at the Atelier Collage 27 Netiv Hamazalot in old Jaffa. To RSVP and for more details contact nili@kerenaynor.org.il

FoundationSearch ו-IsraelGrants חוברים יחד על מנת לעזור לכם לגייס תרומות

גלו למה החברה להגנת הטבע נרשמה ל-FoundationSearch-IsraelGrants

נכתב על ידי דוני קליגמן, מנהל מחקר, IsraelGrants.com

כמנהל מחקר בIsraelGrants, תפקידי הוא לחפש ולתאם בין הלקוחות שלנו לקרנות מתאימות. תחומי העניין של הקרנות (לעניין תרומות) ושל העמותה בארץ חייבים להיות תואמים. מסיבה זו חשוב שאני, כחוקר, אשתמש בכלי הכי יעיל למציאת קרנות מתאימות. מסיבה זו אני נעזר ב-FoundationSearch.

דוד אפשטיין ודני בובמן מIsraelGrants.com

אני משתמש ב-FoundationSearch על מנת למצוא קרנות שתרמו לארגונים הדומים לאלו של הלקוחות שלנו (העמותות). בעבר השתמשתי במאגר המידע ומנוע החיפוש של Foundation Center. Foundation Center הוא אחלה כלי, אם אתם מתעסקים בחיפוש מענקים בסיסי. לעומתם, FoundationSearch מציע מגוון יתרונות שבולטים בהיעדרם ב-Foundation Center. לדוגמה, FoundationSearch מאפשר למשתמש לראות פי שלושה כמות המענקים שניתנו לעמותות ישראליות. יש ל-FoundationSearch יותר מפי שניים מספר תחומי העניין לתרומות שניתן לחפש דרך מנוע החיפוש, מה שמאפשר למצוא ביתר דיוק קרנות שמתאימות לעמותה ספציפית בפחות זמן.

עם FoundationSearch ניתן לחפש יותר מ-100,000 קרנות בארה"ב, כאשר יותר מ-1000 מהם נותנים לעמותות בארץ או לארגונים "ידידים" שלהם בארה"ב וקנדה. שלא כמו Foundation Center, FoundationSearch נותן פרטי קשר ומידע על תרומות עבור קרנות בקנדה, התרומות של חברות Fortune 500 בארה"ב ובקנדה, וגישה למאגר המידע Big OnLine!. מה עוד יכול חוקר צעיר לבקש?

 בנוסף לכך ש-FoundationSearch הוא הכלי הכי יעיל לחיפוש קרנות ותרומות, ל-FoundationSearch יש גם תכונות ייחודיות משלו. אחד מאלו נקרא "My Prospect Manager" (הלקוחות/ התורמים הפוטנציאלים שלי). My Prospect Manager היא מערכת לניהול תורמים פוטנציאלים המאפשרת לי להוסיף קרנות שמצאתי במהלך השימוש ב-FoundationSearch, ולקשר אותם לפרויקטים שאני יצרתי והגדרתי. בתוך פרויקטים אלו אני יכול לעקוב בקלות אחרי קרנות שונות. המערכת מאפשרת לי להגדיר התראות בדוא"ל שיודיעו לי אם היו שינויים בקשר לתרומות אחרונות, תאריכי יעד, מידע פיננסי, חדשות על קרנות ספציפיות, ועוד.

כפי שניתן להבין, אני מאד אוהב את Foundation Search וחושב שזה הכלי הכי יעיל בשוק לחיפוש קרנות. עם זאת, ישנן סיבות מדוע לא בהכרח ישתלם לארגון שלכם לעשות מנוי ל-FoundationSearch. ייתכן שהארגון שלכם קטן, או שיש לכם תקציב מוגבל. במקרים כאלו אתם יכולים ליהנות מהיתרונות של FoundationSearch ומהניסיון והמומחיות של IsraelGrants בשימוש בו. IsraelGrants נותנת לכם את האופציה להזמין ממנו חיפוש קרנות ממוקד עבור פרויקט מסוים.

כל מנוי לFoundationSearch מגיע עם חבילת תמיכה טכנית מ-IsraelGrants במהלך שעות העבודה בארץ, וכן תמיכה טכנית אונליין ושיעורים ברשת המלמדים כיצד להשתמש בתוכנה שמציעה FoundationSearch וחברת האם שלה Metasoft בוונקובר, קנדה.

למידע אודות הרשמה ופרטים נוספים ניתן לפנות לדוני בDonny@IsraelGrants.com או 02-5636629 בימים שני-חמישי.

FoundationSearch and IsraelGrants Team Up to Reveal All You Need to Know about Foundations

Find out why SPNI has become the latest FoundationSearch-IsraelGrants Subscriber

By Donny Kligman, Director of Research, IsraelGrants.com

As Director of Research it is my job to seek out and match up the appropriate foundations with our clients. The giving interests of the foundations and the objectives of Israeli organizations must sync. Therefore it is imperative that I, the researcher, use the most powerful cutting edge technology at my disposal. This is where FoundationSearch.com thunders in.

I use FoundationSearch in order to find foundations that have funded organizations similar to our clients. I used to use Foundation Center’s search engine and database. Foundation Center is OK if you want to approach grant seeking with the basics. There is however a plethora of advantages that Foundation Search offers which Foundation Center severely lacks. For example, Foundation Search gives you access to nearly three times the number of the amount of grants made to Israeli nonprofits. Foundation Search has more than twice the number of searchable giving interests allowing me to hone in on the most specific and detailed criteria with which to match up an Amuta with the appropriate foundations while saving hours of time.

With Foundation Search you can search through more than 100,000 foundations in the US, over 1000 of which give to nonprofits in Israel or to their American or Canadian “Friends” organizations. Unlike Foundation Center, Foundation Search can provide me with contact and grant information for foundations in Canada and on the charitable giving of Fortune 500 Corporations in both the U.S. and Canada with the accompanying service Big On Line! What more could a researcher ask for?

Besides Foundation Search being the most powerful foundation search tool around it also has its own unparalleled features. One of these is "My Prospect Manager." My Prospect Manager is an innovative donor prospect manager system that allows me to add prospects (foundations) I have found using Foundation Search and link them to fundraising projects that I have personally created and defined. Within these projects I am able to easily and swiftly keep track of foundations.  The system allows me to set up email alerts that will notify me of changes related to recent grants, deadlines, financial information, 990's which list all grants made during a given year, and news related to specific  foundations.

While clearly I’m sold on Foundation Search, but there are reasons why it may not be the best option for you. If you're a small organization on a limited budget then you probably don’t need a subscription yourself. That’s where I come in for you. You can benefit from all that FoundationSearch has, and IsraelGrants’ “expertise” in using it. If you’d like to order from IsraelGrants a pinpointed foundation search appropriate for a specific project or if you’d like specific information on a real time basis.

Each subscription to Foundation Search comes with a tech support package from IsraelGrants.com during Israel working hours as well as tech support and on line tutorials offered by FoundationSearch.com and Metasoft, its parent company based in Vancouver, Canada.

For subscription information and other details please contact Donny at Donny@IsraelGrants.com or 02-5636629 Monday – Thursday.

Free webinar on internet fundraising in English this Sunday February 17th at 5:15 PM

The webinar will demonstrate how many Israeli nonprofit organizations have successfully raised tens of thousands of dollars in a single campaign utilizing the Give2gether platform.

The webinar will be one hour long and will be led by Rich Levi, head of the New York office of Give2gether .

Give2gether is the leading internet fundraising network platform for non-profits.  An Israeli company that has an international clientele, Give2gether has an amazing track record in terms of income raised, increased average gift size, and new donors for its clients.

To register go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/327902203513029376

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

*If you cannot attend the webinar at this time but would like further information, there will be a Hebrew webinar on Wednesday February 20^th at 11:30 AM, or you can contact Bruria Bruria@israelgrants.com.

For general information on Give2gether check out www.give2gether.com.

See what a former intern has to say...

Studying a new career at any age can be challenging. Sitting in a structured setting, listening for hours at a time to an instructor requires a tremendous amount of concentration and commitment. Although it might not be required, reviewing the information at home after class provides a tremendous boost to retaining what was learned and brings a certain amount of clarity to the subject. I probably didn't do enough of this, but it's a good idea anyway.

Having the opportunity to do an internship in an office where the main thrust of activity is grant writing and fund raising has been an additional perk. Spending time in David's office was invaluable. It provided me with many of the basics I will need when I do find a position as a grant writer or fund raiser. The atmosphere was educational and fun. Accessing foundation lists, researching foundation information and editing one-page summaries on non-profit organizations in Israel have kept me in the swing of things and have given me some insightful background which will be useful in the future. I have also sharpened some office computer skills which are always important to have.

Thanks, David, and all the team for all your help.
- Cina Coren