Decline in Jewish Donations A Worry

After reading my article in Global Connections Nirit Roessler of the Pradler Program in Israel sent me a thorough report about the impact of the global financial crisis on NGOs in Israel. The Pradler Program works to help capacity build Israeli NGOs.

It is interesting that the dollar exchange problem was the first noted - particularly important for Israeli charities when they get so much money from the Diaspora Jewry. However, the report also highlights specific impacts of business and trust & foundation returns. They finish on a mixed note - the hardships will likely reduce the number of NGOs, and they will come out of this period stronger.

For non-Israeli charities the report is probably still useful.

For example, many of the Australian charities I work with receive quite a few major donations from Jewish people, and of those Jewish donors I know, many donate to charities in Israel as well as here. They are almost certainly thinking slightly differently about how much and who to give to.

The report is here and was carried out by the Center for Research on Philanthropy.