Launched in March 2012 at the Jewish Funders Network conference in Tel Aviv, Committed to Give aims to significantly increase the level of private philanthropy in Israel, and to improve philanthropy’s effectiveness.

Committed to Give – The Initiative for Promoting Philanthropy in Israel was established in late 2010. Concerned by the relatively low level of private donations in Israel in comparison to other countries, 20 Israeli philanthropists came together with the goal of changing the culture of giving among Israeli individuals who have the resources to donate, so that civil society will be strengthened and society’s gaps narrowed. The group aims to create a critical mass of donors and donations by tripling the number of individual donors over the next three years, and to create partnerships between philanthropists. The objective is for philanthropy to strengthen and complement what government does, not to replace government responsibilities.

To date the group has dedicated its time and energy to studying philanthropy in Israel and abroad, looking at various initiatives and models across the globe with a view to articulating a long-term process to change the culture of giving among the country’s affluent. All 20 members of the group are active strategic philanthropists whose giving ranges from a minimum of 100,000NIS (approx $25,000) annually to several million NIS. They are also actively involved in the causes and organizations they support, embodying their pledge of ‘committed to give’.

The group is currently starting to implement its three-year plan, which includes active participation in events, media exposure, and recruiting and cultivating new Israeli philanthropists who share the belief that the affluent have a shared responsibility to invest their money, experience and connections to change society for the better.

The initiative is a collaboration between Sheatufim (the Israel Center for Civil Society) and the Jewish Funders Network.

For more information
Contact Liat Gilead Toledano at liat@cangive.org.il