With donations surging into Israel aid, U.S. nonprofits pivot their fundraising
Organizations look to adapt end-of-year drives, highlighting how the war and rising antisemitism around the world affect their work, while not appearing ‘tone deaf’ to the profound needs in Israel
Since the Oct. 7 massacres, Jews across the Diaspora have stepped up their donations for aid to Israel. In less than a month, the Jewish Federation of North America said it alone had raised over $600 million. But even as American Jews give additional donations to Israel, the needs remain the same for Jewish communities across the United States.
“Nonprofits receive at least 40 to 50% of their revenue from fundraising during the last quarter of the year,” Reuben D. Rotman, president and CEO of the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, told eJewishPhilanthropy. “So the timing of this war is really complicated… If this trend continues into November and into December, we are very concerned with what the impact will be on local fundraising.”
At the same time, he said, “everybody is very sensitive to the need to ensure that Israel gets the support and the resources it needs, because Israel is at war right now and the priority must be to ensure safety for Israel and its citizens.”