Mission:
Now in its second century, Yeshiva University (YU),
http://www.yu.edu/, ranks among the nation's leading academic
research institutions. It embraces the heritage of the best
of western civilization, along with the ancient traditions of
Jewish law and life. YU's undergraduate schools and
divisions include Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women,
and Sy Syms School of Business. We bring wisdom to life
by combining the finest, contemporary academic education
with the timeless teachings of Torah. Our 7,427 students
can choose from a full spectrum of undergraduate and
advanced degrees, at any of our four U.S. campuses or our
campus in Israel.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, YU has an overall
rating of four stars (four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following financial
breakdown of YU based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating Four Stars****
Organizational Efficiency:
Efficiency Rating Four Stars ****
Program Expenses: 94.5%
Administrative Expenses: 2.9%
Fundraising Expenses: 2.5%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.06
(YU spends $0.06 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity:
Capacity Rating Four Stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 5.6%
Program Expenses Growth: 9.4%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.75 years
(YU can sustain itself for 0.75 years
without generating any new revenue.)
Organizational capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit
consistent revenue and expenses growth are more
likely to sustain their programs and services over the
long haul.
Compensation for its president, Richard Joel, was
$689,124 which represents 0.11% of expenses.
Percentagewise, this is a very low figure.
As of 2006, YU had net assets of $1,902,047,022.
Of this figure, YU had investment-securities
assets of $1,511,846,995 and fixed assets of
land, buildings and equipment less accumulated
depreciation of $427,654,364.
Discussion:
YU’s working capital ratio of 0.75 years is a measure
of its reserve of liquid funds in excess of current
liabilities that is available as a margin of safety
against future financial uncertainty and such random
shocks, as the Wall Street meltdown and the Madoff
affair, to which its flow of funds is subject.
According to a letter sent to the YU community from
President Richard Joel, the damage caused by these
“random events” has caused the YU endowment to
drop; it was $1.7 billion in January and is now
$1.2 billion. Most of the loss was due to the
Wall Street meltdown, NOT from the Madoff scandal.
As YU has received four star organizational efficiency
and organizational capacity ratings, YU is well
positioned to weather this economic downturn.
Recommendations:
Due to the lack of financial transparency on Wall
Wall Street, and by Madoff, the public has become
more selective to giving to non-profits. Since
YU has received the highest ratings from Charity
Navigator, YU needs to publicize this favorable
information. YU should publicize that its president
receives compensation that is very low percentage
wise.In addition, YU should also provide
easy access to its financial statements and
tax returns. YU should provide access to this
information on the homepage of its website,
http://www.yu.edu/.
Next week’s blog: The American Jewish Congress
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America
Mission: Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA) http://www.hadassah.org/, was founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold. Since its inception, Hadassah has remained unwavering in its devotion to Judaism, Zionism, and American ideals. As the largest volunteer organization and the largest women's organization in America, Hadassah is committed to strengthening the unity of the Jewish people. In Israel, we accomplish this through progressive healthcare, education, youth institutions, volunteerism, and land reclamation. In the U.S. we reach our goals through Jewish and Zionist education programs, Zionist Youth programs, and health awareness programs, as well as by advocating for issues of importance to women and to the American Jewish community.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION: According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity evaluator, HWZOA has an overall rating of four stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following financial breakdown of HWZOA based on 990 tax returns trough 2006: Overall Rating: 4 stars **** Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars **** Program Expenses: 82.8% Administrative Expenses: 11.1% Fundraising Expenses: 6.0% Fundraising Efficiency: $0.07 (HWZOA spends $0.07 to raise $1) Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars **** Primary Revenue Growth: 6.9% Program Expenses Growth: 6.1% Working Capital Ratio (years) 4.0 (HWZOA can sustain itself for 4.0 years without generating new revenue.) Organizational capacity refers to an organization’s ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth are more like to sustain their programs and services over the long haul.
HWZOA has net assets of $674,007,498. Compensation for its Executive Director, Morlie Levin, was $275,000 which represents 0.2% of expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,000 which represent 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News: In October, HWZOA announced that Intel and Hadassah College Jerusalem are collaborating with education departments in various municipalities to create ‘The Best in Education’, an innovative program which utilizes quality resources by enabling volunteers from the private sector to contribute to science and technology education. Volunteers will offer their experience and personal leadership in an institutionalized fashion as part of an academic team at various schools. This month, twenty-seven engineers from Intel began preparations for teaching. They are currently receiving training for an ‘Instructional Support’ role in the fields of science and technology. The curriculum for the training program has been developed by Hadassah College Jerusalem, and is currently in session at the Intel campus in Petach Tikva.
Recommendation: According to Charity Navigator, HWZOA is a highly efficient non-profit with consistent revenue and expenses growth. It is likely to sustain itself over the long haul, especially in difficult economic times like now. It has a working capital ratio of four years, thus HWZOA will be able to sustain its programs even if there is large drop-off in donations.
Next week’s blog: Yeshiva University will be re-evaluated in light of the recent Madoff financial scandal
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION: According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity evaluator, HWZOA has an overall rating of four stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following financial breakdown of HWZOA based on 990 tax returns trough 2006: Overall Rating: 4 stars **** Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars **** Program Expenses: 82.8% Administrative Expenses: 11.1% Fundraising Expenses: 6.0% Fundraising Efficiency: $0.07 (HWZOA spends $0.07 to raise $1) Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars **** Primary Revenue Growth: 6.9% Program Expenses Growth: 6.1% Working Capital Ratio (years) 4.0 (HWZOA can sustain itself for 4.0 years without generating new revenue.) Organizational capacity refers to an organization’s ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth are more like to sustain their programs and services over the long haul.
HWZOA has net assets of $674,007,498. Compensation for its Executive Director, Morlie Levin, was $275,000 which represents 0.2% of expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,000 which represent 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News: In October, HWZOA announced that Intel and Hadassah College Jerusalem are collaborating with education departments in various municipalities to create ‘The Best in Education’, an innovative program which utilizes quality resources by enabling volunteers from the private sector to contribute to science and technology education. Volunteers will offer their experience and personal leadership in an institutionalized fashion as part of an academic team at various schools. This month, twenty-seven engineers from Intel began preparations for teaching. They are currently receiving training for an ‘Instructional Support’ role in the fields of science and technology. The curriculum for the training program has been developed by Hadassah College Jerusalem, and is currently in session at the Intel campus in Petach Tikva.
Recommendation: According to Charity Navigator, HWZOA is a highly efficient non-profit with consistent revenue and expenses growth. It is likely to sustain itself over the long haul, especially in difficult economic times like now. It has a working capital ratio of four years, thus HWZOA will be able to sustain its programs even if there is large drop-off in donations.
Next week’s blog: Yeshiva University will be re-evaluated in light of the recent Madoff financial scandal
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org),
rating of two stars (four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following financial
breakdown of BJE based on 990 tax returns trough 2007:
Overall Rating: 2 stars **
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars ***
Program Expenses: 81.2%
Administrative Expenses: 16.0%
Fundraising Expenses: 2.6%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.04 (BJE spends $0.04 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 1 star *
Primary Revenue Growth: -6.9%
Program Expenses Growth: -1.1%
Working Capital Ratio (years) 1.02
(BJE can sustain itself for 1.02 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more like to sustain their
programs and services over the long haul.
BJE has net assets of $8,023,940. Compensation for its
Chief Executive Officer, Martin Schloss (no relation to the
author), was $199,919 which represents 3. 36% of expenses.
For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of
the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was
$191,000 which represent 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
Based on twenty years of special education research, BJE's
Special Education Center in conjunction with BJE's
Recommendations:
In order to receive a higher overall rating from Charity Navigator, BJE needs to improve its organizational capacity. By improving its organizational capacity, BJE will look more attractive to grantmakers. BJE could also improve its efficiency rating by reducing administrative costs.
Next week’s blog: Haddash, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America
Friday, December 5, 2008
Abraham Fund Initiatives
Mission:
Founded in 1989, The Abraham Fund Initiatives (AFI),
www.abrahamfund.org works to advance coexistence,
equality and cooperation among Israel's Jewish and Arab
citizens by creating and operating large-scale initiatives,
cultivating strategic grassroots projects and conducting
public education and advocacy that promote its vision of
shared citizenship and opportunity for all of Israel's citizens.
Based in Jerusalem and New York, The Abraham Fund sees
civic equality for Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens as a moral
and pragmatic imperative, whereby individual rights and the
political, cultural and religious character of the Arab minority
must be clearly and unambiguously recognized and respected.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org),
America’s leading charity evaluator, AFI has an overall
Rating of four stars (four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following financial
breakdown of AFI based on 990 tax returns trough 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars ****
Program Expenses: 84.4%
Administrative Expenses: 7.6%
Fundraising Expenses: 7.8%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05 (AFI spends $0.05 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 22.9%
Program Expenses Growth: 21.0%
Working Capital Ratio (years) 0.46
(AFI can sustain itself for 0.46 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more like to sustain their
programs and services over the long haul.
AFI has net assets of $2,168,938. Compensation for its
President, Ami Nahshon, was $275,000 which represents
6.32% of expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation
for the President of the American Jewish World Service,
Ruth Messinger, was $191,000 which represent 0.79% of
Expenses.
Recent News:
Arab Women and the Workplace: A seminar entitled
“Challenges Facing the Arab Woman and her Integration into
the Workplace” was held last week in Shaghor and Nahef.
70 women, along with Mayor Ahmad Dabah, attended the
Shaghor seminar and 30 women attended the Nahef seminar.
The aim of the seminars is to expose women to the program
“Sharikat Hi’a” sponsored by The Abraham Fund as part of
its “Women in the Workplace “ initiative.
Recommendations:
The Abraham Fund Initiatives is a highly efficient non-profit
and is well positioned to continue supporting its programs
and services. For comparison purposes, Airline Ambassadors
International, a non-profit associated with the United Nations
that provides humanitarian aid to children and families
worldwide, has been given an overall rating of two stars by
Charity Navigator.
Next Week’s Blog: The Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York
Founded in 1989, The Abraham Fund Initiatives (AFI),
www.abrahamfund.org works to advance coexistence,
equality and cooperation among Israel's Jewish and Arab
citizens by creating and operating large-scale initiatives,
cultivating strategic grassroots projects and conducting
public education and advocacy that promote its vision of
shared citizenship and opportunity for all of Israel's citizens.
Based in Jerusalem and New York, The Abraham Fund sees
civic equality for Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens as a moral
and pragmatic imperative, whereby individual rights and the
political, cultural and religious character of the Arab minority
must be clearly and unambiguously recognized and respected.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org),
America’s leading charity evaluator, AFI has an overall
Rating of four stars (four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following financial
breakdown of AFI based on 990 tax returns trough 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars ****
Program Expenses: 84.4%
Administrative Expenses: 7.6%
Fundraising Expenses: 7.8%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05 (AFI spends $0.05 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 22.9%
Program Expenses Growth: 21.0%
Working Capital Ratio (years) 0.46
(AFI can sustain itself for 0.46 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more like to sustain their
programs and services over the long haul.
AFI has net assets of $2,168,938. Compensation for its
President, Ami Nahshon, was $275,000 which represents
6.32% of expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation
for the President of the American Jewish World Service,
Ruth Messinger, was $191,000 which represent 0.79% of
Expenses.
Recent News:
Arab Women and the Workplace: A seminar entitled
“Challenges Facing the Arab Woman and her Integration into
the Workplace” was held last week in Shaghor and Nahef.
70 women, along with Mayor Ahmad Dabah, attended the
Shaghor seminar and 30 women attended the Nahef seminar.
The aim of the seminars is to expose women to the program
“Sharikat Hi’a” sponsored by The Abraham Fund as part of
its “Women in the Workplace “ initiative.
Recommendations:
The Abraham Fund Initiatives is a highly efficient non-profit
and is well positioned to continue supporting its programs
and services. For comparison purposes, Airline Ambassadors
International, a non-profit associated with the United Nations
that provides humanitarian aid to children and families
worldwide, has been given an overall rating of two stars by
Charity Navigator.
Next Week’s Blog: The Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The American Jewish Committee
Mission: The American Jewish Committee (AJC), www.ajc.org established in 1906 by a small group of American Jews deeply concerned about pogroms aimed at Russian Jews, determined that the best way to protect Jewish populations in danger would be to work towards a world in which all peoples were accorded respect and dignity. Over 100 years later, AJC continues its efforts to promote pluralistic and democratic societies where all minorities are protected. AJC is an international think tank and advocacy organization that attempts to identify trends and problems early - and take action. AJC's approach, tackling a breadth of interests in a deliberate and diplomatic manner, contributes to a success that gains trust, earns access, and, most importantly, produces results.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation: According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars**
Program Expenses: 80.9%
Administrative Expenses: 7.6%
Fundraising Expenses: 11.3%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.09 (AJC spends $0.09 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars***
Primary Revenue Growth: 16.2%
Program Expenses Growth: 9.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 1.71
(AJC can sustain itself for 1.71 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
AJC has net assets of $109,658,730. Compensation for
its Executive Director, David Harris, was $432,988 which
represents 0.90% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses. Percentage wise, these are very low figures.
Recent News: AJC Expressed Grief and Outrage Over Mumbai Terrorist Attacks: The AJC has longstanding relationships with the government and people of India and the Indian-American community, through our office in Mumbai and our network of offices across the United States. We stand in solidarity with the government and people of
At this dark hour, we reaffirm our determination to continue our work to combat hatred and intolerance throughout the world. “This is
Recommendations: The AJC has received the highest overall rating, four stars, from Charity Navigator. It has a high working capital ratio, 1.71 years, and is well positioned to carry on its work during the present economic downturn. For comparison purposes, Amnesty International, another non-profit that works to support human rights, has received a two star overall rating from Charity Navigator.
Next Week’s Blog: The Abraham Fund Initiatives
Friday, November 21, 2008
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
evaluator, USHMM has an overall rating of 3 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of USHMM based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 2 stars**
Program Expenses: 69.3%
Administrative Expenses: 17.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 13.4%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.12 (USHMM spends $0.12 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 3 stars***
Primary Revenue Growth: 6.7%
Program Expenses Growth: 2.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 2.41
(USHMM can sustain itself for 2.41 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
USHMM has net assets of $313,350,639. Compensation for
its Director, Sara Bloomfield, was $409,543 which
represents 0.55% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
1) The USHMM recently initiated a new program called
World is Witness. World is Witness, a new “geoblog” from the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Genocide Prevention
Mapping Initiatives, in partnership with Google Earth,
documents and maps genocide and related crimes against humanity. The initial entries are from a Museum visit to
2) Over a quarter century ago, the
Recommendations:
The USHMM could earn a higher rating from Charity Navigator if it improved its efficiency rating. This could be accomplished by directing a higher percentage of it expenses to its program expenses and by reducing its administrative and fundraising expenses. For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given the American Jewish World service a four star efficiency rating because 85.0% of its expenses are used on program expenses; only 69.3% of USHMM’s expenses are used for its programs.
Next week’s blog: The American Jewish Committee
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Museum of Jewish Heritage
Opened in 1997, the Museum of Jewish Heritage (MJH),
www.mjhnyc.org, is a living memorial to the Holocaust.
It honors those who died by celebrating their lives -
cherishing the civilization that they built, their
achievements and faith, thier joys and hopes, and the
vibrant Jewish community that is their legacy today.
In the museum's core exhibition, personal objects,
photographs, and original films illustrate the story of
Jewish heritage in the twentieth century. In addition,
the collection provides source materials for permanent
and temporary exhibitions, and for traveling exhibitions.
Special exhibitions afford the museum the opportunity to
complement the themes expressed in the core
exhibition in greater detail.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
evaluator, MJH has an overall rating of 2 stars (four stars is the
highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of MJH based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 2 stars **
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 70.8%
Administrative Expenses: 17.1%
Fundraising Expenses: 11.9%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.06
(MJH spends $0.06 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 2 stars**
Primary Revenue Growth: 13.4
Program Expenses Growth: -4.6%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.68
(MJH can sustain itself for 0.68 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
MJH has net assets of $71,655,407. Compensation for
its Director, David Marwell, was $265,617 which
represents 2.07% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
1)20th annual Generation to Generation Dinner:
Director Dave Marwell wrote in his November 10 blog
on the museum’s website about last week’s dnner which
honored Rosa Stryler, who did so much to establish the
museum. Following is an excerpt from his remarks at the
dinner: “In so many ways,
story that we teach in this museum…Surely the most
profound, indeed heroic, phenomenon in the context of the
Holocaust is that those who had been confronted with
unimagined and unimaginable trauma…were able to choose
and lead lives that followed a different path than their
experience might have defined for them…That Rosa and
others found their way to distill from life an essential spirit
that looked away from dark despair and sought out the bright
light of vitality and service and the pursuit of good works
must undoubtedly be one of the most inspiring stories of the
human spirit.”
2) To discover your heritage, visit www.jewishgen.org to
learn more about your family’s ancestral heritage. JewishGen
became an affiliate of the museum in 2003 and it has brought
together thousands of individuals worldwide in a virtual
community centered on discovering their Jewish roots.
Recommendations:
In order to improve its overall rating from Charity Navigator,
MJH needs need to improve its organizational capacity rating.
It presently has a two star rating because it has experienced a
decrease in program expenses growth over the past three years.
This decrease can be reversed by spending more on its
programs. As organizational capacity is important to foundation
in awarding grants to non-profits, then improving its capacity
rating would help the museum win more foundation grants.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Jewish Community Center in Manhattan
Mission:
The mission of The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan (JCCM),
www.jccmanhattan.org is to build an inclusive Jewish community
that celebrates the strength of diversity. We are a home for
individuals and families of all backgrounds to grow and to learn,
and to care about and deepen their connections to one another.
Rooted in Jewish values, our cultural, social, educational, and
recreational programs offer multiple pathways into the richness of
community life for members of all ages. Through our partnerships
and programs, we seek to fulfill our responsibility to the people of
Israel and Jews throughout the world, and to improve the quality of
life in our neighborhoods and our city.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, JCCM has an overall rating of
3 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of JCCM based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 2 stars**
Program Expenses: 69.4%
Administrative Expenses: 27.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 3.2%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05 (JCCM spends $0.05 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars****
Primary Revenue Growth: 15.3%
Program Expenses Growth: 7.5%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.80
(JCCM can sustain itself for 0.80 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
JCCM has net assets of $47,748,138. Compensation for
its Executive Director, David Black, was $232,511 which
represents 1.06% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.
Upcoming Events:
November 10: Kristallnacht Commemoration: A story
of music & spiritual resistance during the Holocaust:
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conflagration that
engulfed Jews all over Germany and marked the beginning of
the end for European Jewry. We commemorate this event with
a remarkable story of hope sustained during those nightmarish
years. Sonia Pauline Beker, author of Symphony on Fire will
tell the story of her parents who shared their music with inmates
of the Vilna Ghetto, concentration camps, and finally, as part of
the Displaced Person’s Orchestra of the St. Ottilien DP Camp.
Beker will also screen Creating Harmony, the documentary film
based upon her family’s story.
Recommmendation:
The JCCM has a four star organizational capacity rating (the
highest rating) and is thus well situated to sustain its programs
and services during the present economic downturn. Its efficiency
rating, however, is only two stars. In order to earn a four star
rating from Charity Navigator, the JCCM would have to increase
the percentage of revenue spent on its programs from 69.4% to at
least 80%. This can be accomplished by reducing its administrative
expenses from 27.2% of expenses to approximately 15%. For
comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given the AJWS an
efficiency rating of four stars and the AJWS spends only 7.1% on
administrative expenses.
Next Week’s Blog: The Museum of Jewish Heritage
The mission of The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan (JCCM),
www.jccmanhattan.org is to build an inclusive Jewish community
that celebrates the strength of diversity. We are a home for
individuals and families of all backgrounds to grow and to learn,
and to care about and deepen their connections to one another.
Rooted in Jewish values, our cultural, social, educational, and
recreational programs offer multiple pathways into the richness of
community life for members of all ages. Through our partnerships
and programs, we seek to fulfill our responsibility to the people of
Israel and Jews throughout the world, and to improve the quality of
life in our neighborhoods and our city.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, JCCM has an overall rating of
3 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of JCCM based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 2 stars**
Program Expenses: 69.4%
Administrative Expenses: 27.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 3.2%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05 (JCCM spends $0.05 to raise $1)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars****
Primary Revenue Growth: 15.3%
Program Expenses Growth: 7.5%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.80
(JCCM can sustain itself for 0.80 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
JCCM has net assets of $47,748,138. Compensation for
its Executive Director, David Black, was $232,511 which
represents 1.06% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service (AJWS), Ruth Messinger, was $191,000
which represents 0.79% of expenses.
Upcoming Events:
November 10: Kristallnacht Commemoration: A story
of music & spiritual resistance during the Holocaust:
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the conflagration that
engulfed Jews all over Germany and marked the beginning of
the end for European Jewry. We commemorate this event with
a remarkable story of hope sustained during those nightmarish
years. Sonia Pauline Beker, author of Symphony on Fire will
tell the story of her parents who shared their music with inmates
of the Vilna Ghetto, concentration camps, and finally, as part of
the Displaced Person’s Orchestra of the St. Ottilien DP Camp.
Beker will also screen Creating Harmony, the documentary film
based upon her family’s story.
Recommmendation:
The JCCM has a four star organizational capacity rating (the
highest rating) and is thus well situated to sustain its programs
and services during the present economic downturn. Its efficiency
rating, however, is only two stars. In order to earn a four star
rating from Charity Navigator, the JCCM would have to increase
the percentage of revenue spent on its programs from 69.4% to at
least 80%. This can be accomplished by reducing its administrative
expenses from 27.2% of expenses to approximately 15%. For
comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given the AJWS an
efficiency rating of four stars and the AJWS spends only 7.1% on
administrative expenses.
Next Week’s Blog: The Museum of Jewish Heritage
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America
Mission: The Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America (BTJFA), www.boystownjerusalem.org raises funds for the development of a comprehensive education program for disadvantaged boys, mainly at the large campus in Israel Israel College of Applied Engineering
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
2 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the followingbreakdown of BTJFA based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 2 stars **
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 1 star*
Program Expenses: 69.4%
Administrative Expenses: 12.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 18.3%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.35
(BTJFA spends $0.35 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 3 stars ***
Primary Revenue Growth: -7.9%
Program Expenses Growth: 10.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 4.60
(BTJFA can sustain itself for 4.60 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
BTJFA has net assets of 34,737,996. Compensation for its
Executive Vice President, Rabbi Ronald L. Gray, was $265,000 which represents 4.15% of expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,000 which represents 0.79% of expenses.
2) Helping Sderot Boys Celebrate Their Bar Mitzvahs:
13-year-old Sderot resident Rafael Elbaz celebrated his
Bar Mitzvah in
hosted by Boys Town Jerusalem. To aid Sderot’s embattled
population, Boys Town Jerusalem has been inviting families
from the war torn city to celebrate their Bar Mitzvah simchah
at the school’s Bayit Vegan campus.
festive meal, plus musical entertainment by the students and faculty, free of charge.
Recommendations:
1) In order to earn a higher rating from Charity Navigator,
BTJFA needs to spend more of its revenue on its program
expenses, disadvantaged boys of
administration and fundraising.
2) BTFA has a good working capital ratio (4.60 years).
Publicizing this fact may help its fundraising efforts.
Next Week’s Blog: Jewish Community Center in
Thursday, October 23, 2008
American Soceity for Yad Vashem
Mission:
The mission of the American Society for Yad Vashem (ASYV),
http://www.yadvashemusa.org/ is to support the Yad Vashem
memorial in Israel. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, is the Jewish
people's memorial to the murdered Six Million and symbolizes
the ongoing confrontation with the rupture engendered by the
Holocaust. Containing the world's largest repository of
information on the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is a leader in Shoah
education, commemoration, research and documentation.
Over the years, the American Society has worked in partnership
with Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes'
Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, aiding in education,
commemoration, research, capital improvement, and special
projects.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, ASYV has an overall rating of
1 star (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the followingbreakdown of ASYV based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 1 star *
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 1 star*
Program Expenses: 69.2%
Administrative Expenses: 6.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 24.3%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.11 (ASYV spends $0.11 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 1 star *
Primary Revenue Growth: -9.2%
Program Expenses Growth: -29.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 6.97
(ASYV can sustain itself for 6.97 years without generating
new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
ASYV has net assets of $17,048,472. The highest compensation
reported on its 990 tax return was for Director of Development,
Sharaga Mekel, was $95,254 which represents 3.89% of expenses.
For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of the
American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,00
which was 0.79% of expenses. Also, for comparison purposes,
Charity Navigator has given the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum a three star rating.
Recent News:
The ASYV web site does not discuss any recent news events.
It says that its “…achievements are recognized at its Annual
Tribute Dinner, whose guests include survivors, their families,
leading figures in government, the American Jewish community,
and members of the diplomatic corps. The Society publishes an
annual commemorative journal. We also host an annual Spring
Luncheon, to encourage present and future membership.”
The web site also says that its “…Education Department sponsors
an annual Professional Development Conference to bring educators
up-to-date with resources developed by the International School for
Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem. This Conference is co-sponsored
by the Association for Teachers of Social Studies of the United
Federation of Teachers. We also offer assistance in coordinating
commemorative programs on the Holocaust.”
Recommendations:
In order to merit a higher overall rating from Charity Navigator,
ASYV would have to direct more of its funds to the target of its
program expenses, Yad Vashem, and less to to fundraising and to
its net assets. According to its 2006 990 tax return, ASYV raised
$5,240,859 (page 1, line 1b) in “direct public support.” Its “interest
on savings and temporary cash investments” was $780,530
(page 1, line 4). Its “dividends and interest from securities”
(page 1, line 5) was $3,248. Its total revenue was $6,024637. Of
this amount, ASYV made grants to Yad Vashem totaling $1,471,448
and it spent $222,530 on creating videos and publications to inform
and educate the public concerning the holocaust. Its total program
expenses were $1,693,978. This represents 28% of the total amount
of funds raised in direct public support. In 2006 had an excess of
$3,580,116, which represents 69% of the toal amount of funds raised
in driect public support, and this amount was used by ASYV to
increase its net assets. Its 990 tax return says that at the end of
2006, ASYV has net assets totaling $17,048,472. Charity Navigator
stated that its working capital ratio in years was 6.97 years. For
comparison purposes, American Jewish World Service has a working
capital ratio of 0.57 years. Thus, if you want to donate to ASYV, it is
necessary to understand that only 28% of your funds will be directed
to Yad Vashem and 69% of the balance of your donation will be used
to increase the net assets of ASYV.
Next Week’s Blog: Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America
The mission of the American Society for Yad Vashem (ASYV),
http://www.yadvashemusa.org/ is to support the Yad Vashem
memorial in Israel. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, is the Jewish
people's memorial to the murdered Six Million and symbolizes
the ongoing confrontation with the rupture engendered by the
Holocaust. Containing the world's largest repository of
information on the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is a leader in Shoah
education, commemoration, research and documentation.
Over the years, the American Society has worked in partnership
with Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes'
Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, aiding in education,
commemoration, research, capital improvement, and special
projects.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, ASYV has an overall rating of
1 star (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the followingbreakdown of ASYV based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 1 star *
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 1 star*
Program Expenses: 69.2%
Administrative Expenses: 6.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 24.3%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.11 (ASYV spends $0.11 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 1 star *
Primary Revenue Growth: -9.2%
Program Expenses Growth: -29.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 6.97
(ASYV can sustain itself for 6.97 years without generating
new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
ASYV has net assets of $17,048,472. The highest compensation
reported on its 990 tax return was for Director of Development,
Sharaga Mekel, was $95,254 which represents 3.89% of expenses.
For comparison purposes, compensation for the President of the
American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,00
which was 0.79% of expenses. Also, for comparison purposes,
Charity Navigator has given the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum a three star rating.
Recent News:
The ASYV web site does not discuss any recent news events.
It says that its “…achievements are recognized at its Annual
Tribute Dinner, whose guests include survivors, their families,
leading figures in government, the American Jewish community,
and members of the diplomatic corps. The Society publishes an
annual commemorative journal. We also host an annual Spring
Luncheon, to encourage present and future membership.”
The web site also says that its “…Education Department sponsors
an annual Professional Development Conference to bring educators
up-to-date with resources developed by the International School for
Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem. This Conference is co-sponsored
by the Association for Teachers of Social Studies of the United
Federation of Teachers. We also offer assistance in coordinating
commemorative programs on the Holocaust.”
Recommendations:
In order to merit a higher overall rating from Charity Navigator,
ASYV would have to direct more of its funds to the target of its
program expenses, Yad Vashem, and less to to fundraising and to
its net assets. According to its 2006 990 tax return, ASYV raised
$5,240,859 (page 1, line 1b) in “direct public support.” Its “interest
on savings and temporary cash investments” was $780,530
(page 1, line 4). Its “dividends and interest from securities”
(page 1, line 5) was $3,248. Its total revenue was $6,024637. Of
this amount, ASYV made grants to Yad Vashem totaling $1,471,448
and it spent $222,530 on creating videos and publications to inform
and educate the public concerning the holocaust. Its total program
expenses were $1,693,978. This represents 28% of the total amount
of funds raised in direct public support. In 2006 had an excess of
$3,580,116, which represents 69% of the toal amount of funds raised
in driect public support, and this amount was used by ASYV to
increase its net assets. Its 990 tax return says that at the end of
2006, ASYV has net assets totaling $17,048,472. Charity Navigator
stated that its working capital ratio in years was 6.97 years. For
comparison purposes, American Jewish World Service has a working
capital ratio of 0.57 years. Thus, if you want to donate to ASYV, it is
necessary to understand that only 28% of your funds will be directed
to Yad Vashem and 69% of the balance of your donation will be used
to increase the net assets of ASYV.
Next Week’s Blog: Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America
Friday, October 17, 2008
Israel Special Kids Fund
Mission:
Israel Special Kids Fund (ISKF), http://www.israelspecialkids.com/,
is the American arm of the Israeli non-profit called Simcha
Le’Yeled. Simcha Le’Yeled (translation – “Happiness to the
Child”) is dedicated to improving the quality of life of disabled
and seriously ill children in hospitals and rehabilitation centers
in Israel. “We concentrate our efforts on children neglected by
other groups, such as those with genetic diseases, muscular
dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, kidney dialysis, diabetes and accident
and burn victims, in addition to those with cancer. Our programs
include a big brother/sister program, holiday celebrations,
birthday parties, amusement parks, water parks, trips, tours,
sleep-away camps, dreams come true, airplane rides and
swimming.”
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, ISKF has an overall rating of 4 stars (four stars is the
highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of ISKF based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars****
Program Expenses: 88.8%
Administrative Expenses: 4.6%
Fundraising Expenses: 6.4%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.06 (ISKF spends $0.06 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 8.6%
Program Expenses Growth: 33.3%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.39
(ISKF can sustain itself for 0.39 years without generating
new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul. ISKF has net
assets of $428,262. Compensation for its President, Hillel Wiener,
was $66,000 which represents 6.12% of expenses. For comparison
purposes, compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,00 which was 0.79% of
expenses. Also, for comparison purposes, Charity Navigator
has given the Whitney Museum of American Art a two star rating.
Recent News:
Hadassah is one of the largest hospital centers in Israel and it treats
hundreds of children each week. It runs a school for hospitalized
children called the Hadassah Hospital School. Last Purim, Simcha
Le’Yeled ran a Purim celebration for the Hadassah Hospital School.
“According to the principal of school, the event was extremely well
organized and all the children laughed, sang and danced during the
entire event. Even those who were very sick and are usually confined
to their rooms attended and all had a great time. The entire
Hadassah hospital staff said that this was the most successful and
enjoyable party they have ever seen. Everyone was able to see the
incredible effort your organization put into this and all the other
events you have run.”
Recommendations:
1) The Israel Special Kids Fund is a very efficient non-profit in that
88.8% of its revenue reaches its target – “Simcha Le’Yeled.” As
Simcha Le’Yeled is an Israeli non-profit, Simcha Le’Yeled is NOT
evaluated by Charity Navigator. Thus, I do not know how much
of the revenue received by Simcha Le’Yeled actually reaches the
hospitalized Israeli children.
2) The ISKF website should include an archive of recent events.
3) The ISKF should publicize its four star Charity Navigator rating.
It should also publicize the efficiency of Simcha Le’Yeled under the
assumption that Simcha Le’Yeled is also an efficient non-profit.
Next Week’s Blog: The American Society for Yad Vashem
Israel Special Kids Fund (ISKF), http://www.israelspecialkids.com/,
is the American arm of the Israeli non-profit called Simcha
Le’Yeled. Simcha Le’Yeled (translation – “Happiness to the
Child”) is dedicated to improving the quality of life of disabled
and seriously ill children in hospitals and rehabilitation centers
in Israel. “We concentrate our efforts on children neglected by
other groups, such as those with genetic diseases, muscular
dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, kidney dialysis, diabetes and accident
and burn victims, in addition to those with cancer. Our programs
include a big brother/sister program, holiday celebrations,
birthday parties, amusement parks, water parks, trips, tours,
sleep-away camps, dreams come true, airplane rides and
swimming.”
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, ISKF has an overall rating of 4 stars (four stars is the
highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of ISKF based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars****
Program Expenses: 88.8%
Administrative Expenses: 4.6%
Fundraising Expenses: 6.4%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.06 (ISKF spends $0.06 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 8.6%
Program Expenses Growth: 33.3%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.39
(ISKF can sustain itself for 0.39 years without generating
new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul. ISKF has net
assets of $428,262. Compensation for its President, Hillel Wiener,
was $66,000 which represents 6.12% of expenses. For comparison
purposes, compensation for the President of the American Jewish
World Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,00 which was 0.79% of
expenses. Also, for comparison purposes, Charity Navigator
has given the Whitney Museum of American Art a two star rating.
Recent News:
Hadassah is one of the largest hospital centers in Israel and it treats
hundreds of children each week. It runs a school for hospitalized
children called the Hadassah Hospital School. Last Purim, Simcha
Le’Yeled ran a Purim celebration for the Hadassah Hospital School.
“According to the principal of school, the event was extremely well
organized and all the children laughed, sang and danced during the
entire event. Even those who were very sick and are usually confined
to their rooms attended and all had a great time. The entire
Hadassah hospital staff said that this was the most successful and
enjoyable party they have ever seen. Everyone was able to see the
incredible effort your organization put into this and all the other
events you have run.”
Recommendations:
1) The Israel Special Kids Fund is a very efficient non-profit in that
88.8% of its revenue reaches its target – “Simcha Le’Yeled.” As
Simcha Le’Yeled is an Israeli non-profit, Simcha Le’Yeled is NOT
evaluated by Charity Navigator. Thus, I do not know how much
of the revenue received by Simcha Le’Yeled actually reaches the
hospitalized Israeli children.
2) The ISKF website should include an archive of recent events.
3) The ISKF should publicize its four star Charity Navigator rating.
It should also publicize the efficiency of Simcha Le’Yeled under the
assumption that Simcha Le’Yeled is also an efficient non-profit.
Next Week’s Blog: The American Society for Yad Vashem
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education
Mission:
The Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE),
http://www.amiie.org/, was founded in 1972 as The Alexander
Muss High School in Israel, to help teens better understand
Israel's living history through hands-on exploring. AMIIE works
to provide a superior Israel education experience to learners of
all ages in Israel and within communities in North America.
Through its work, the Institute promotes, builds and strengthens
lifelong bonds between American Jews and Israel through
education, experiences and understanding. AMIIE creates
meaningful educational opportunities, cultivates leadership skills
to support Jewish advocacy, and promotes, builds and strengthens
Jewish survival and continuity.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, AMIIE has an overall rating of 3 stars (four stars is
the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of AMIIE based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 78.2%
Administrative Expenses: 20.9%
Fundraising Expenses: 0.7%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.02
(AMIIE spends $0.02 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 21.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 20.0%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.37
(AMIIE can sustain itself for 0.37 years without generating
new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
AMIIE has net assets of $3,607,414. Compensation for its
Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Breman, was $26,250 which
represents 0.59% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish World
Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,00 which was 0.79% of
expenses. These are both very low figures in the non-profit
world.
Recent News:
Following is a typical week for students at AMIIE as presented
in the headmasters weekly update sent out by email for the
week of October 3 – 10, 2008:
On Friday October 3, 2008, the students went on a hike in the
Nahal Amud area. In the afternoon, they met with an artist in
Tzfat who infuses Kabalistic themes into his art. The students
Then settled in at the guesthouse and prepared for Shabbat. After
lighting candles, the students went to synagogues in the ancient
city and artist colony area for Kabbalat Shabbat – the girls went to
a women’s minyan and the boys to Beirav, a Carlebach minyan.
They returned to the guesthouse for dinner, singing and Oneg
Shabbat. On Shabbat morning, some of the students went to
synagogues for Shacharit and the rest chose to sleep late. In the
afternoon, the group went to the Citadel Park. It was a very special
Shabbat filled with the sprit and atmosphere of Tzfat. After
Havdalah the group returned to campus. On Sunday, the students
studied about the Jewish community in Poland that was so influenced
by the Kabbalah that was developed in Tzfat. On Monday,
the students focused on the Enlightenment and the struggle for
Jewish Emancipation. On Wednesday afternoon, the group traveled
to Jerusalem for Yom Kippur. The group stayed, together with the
students of the Barrack Hebrew Academy, in the center of Jerusalem
so that they would be able to attend services at synagogues of their
choice. After Kol Nidrei, the streets of Jerusalem filled with families
dressed in white taking a leisurely stroll. Many of the students
commented about their feelings being in Jerusalem for Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a special day all over Israel. The country comes to a
stand still – there is absolutely no traffic. This atmosphere is felt in a
more special way in Jerusalem. The entire group walked to the Kotel
for Ne’ilah. Many of the students found minyanim, which they joined
while some met to have our own Minyan and others preferred a
private moment at the Wall. At the conclusion of the Ne’ilah service
the students returned to the youth hostel for Havdalah and to break
the fast before returning to campus.
Recommendations:
AMIIE is an efficient non-profit. AMIIE should be commended
for having a low administrative executive director expense in that
its is paid less than 1% of expenses. Charity navigator has presently
given AMIIE an overall efficiency rating of three stars. It could
earn a four star rating from Charity Navigator, however, by reducing
its overall administrative expenses so that it can give more than 80%
of its revenue to its program expenses. AMIIE’s fundraising efforts
may benefit by publicizing its favorable efficiencies.
For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given an overall
rating of two stars to the The Morgan Library and Museum located
in New York City; its mission is to foster a greater knowledge,
understanding, and appreciation of Western history and culture.
Next Week’s Blog: Israel Special Kids Fund
The Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE),
http://www.amiie.org/, was founded in 1972 as The Alexander
Muss High School in Israel, to help teens better understand
Israel's living history through hands-on exploring. AMIIE works
to provide a superior Israel education experience to learners of
all ages in Israel and within communities in North America.
Through its work, the Institute promotes, builds and strengthens
lifelong bonds between American Jews and Israel through
education, experiences and understanding. AMIIE creates
meaningful educational opportunities, cultivates leadership skills
to support Jewish advocacy, and promotes, builds and strengthens
Jewish survival and continuity.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, AMIIE has an overall rating of 3 stars (four stars is
the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of AMIIE based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 3 stars ***
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 78.2%
Administrative Expenses: 20.9%
Fundraising Expenses: 0.7%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.02
(AMIIE spends $0.02 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 21.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 20.0%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.37
(AMIIE can sustain itself for 0.37 years without generating
new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
AMIIE has net assets of $3,607,414. Compensation for its
Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Breman, was $26,250 which
represents 0.59% of expenses. For comparison purposes,
compensation for the President of the American Jewish World
Service, Ruth Messinger, was $191,00 which was 0.79% of
expenses. These are both very low figures in the non-profit
world.
Recent News:
Following is a typical week for students at AMIIE as presented
in the headmasters weekly update sent out by email for the
week of October 3 – 10, 2008:
On Friday October 3, 2008, the students went on a hike in the
Nahal Amud area. In the afternoon, they met with an artist in
Tzfat who infuses Kabalistic themes into his art. The students
Then settled in at the guesthouse and prepared for Shabbat. After
lighting candles, the students went to synagogues in the ancient
city and artist colony area for Kabbalat Shabbat – the girls went to
a women’s minyan and the boys to Beirav, a Carlebach minyan.
They returned to the guesthouse for dinner, singing and Oneg
Shabbat. On Shabbat morning, some of the students went to
synagogues for Shacharit and the rest chose to sleep late. In the
afternoon, the group went to the Citadel Park. It was a very special
Shabbat filled with the sprit and atmosphere of Tzfat. After
Havdalah the group returned to campus. On Sunday, the students
studied about the Jewish community in Poland that was so influenced
by the Kabbalah that was developed in Tzfat. On Monday,
the students focused on the Enlightenment and the struggle for
Jewish Emancipation. On Wednesday afternoon, the group traveled
to Jerusalem for Yom Kippur. The group stayed, together with the
students of the Barrack Hebrew Academy, in the center of Jerusalem
so that they would be able to attend services at synagogues of their
choice. After Kol Nidrei, the streets of Jerusalem filled with families
dressed in white taking a leisurely stroll. Many of the students
commented about their feelings being in Jerusalem for Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a special day all over Israel. The country comes to a
stand still – there is absolutely no traffic. This atmosphere is felt in a
more special way in Jerusalem. The entire group walked to the Kotel
for Ne’ilah. Many of the students found minyanim, which they joined
while some met to have our own Minyan and others preferred a
private moment at the Wall. At the conclusion of the Ne’ilah service
the students returned to the youth hostel for Havdalah and to break
the fast before returning to campus.
Recommendations:
AMIIE is an efficient non-profit. AMIIE should be commended
for having a low administrative executive director expense in that
its is paid less than 1% of expenses. Charity navigator has presently
given AMIIE an overall efficiency rating of three stars. It could
earn a four star rating from Charity Navigator, however, by reducing
its overall administrative expenses so that it can give more than 80%
of its revenue to its program expenses. AMIIE’s fundraising efforts
may benefit by publicizing its favorable efficiencies.
For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given an overall
rating of two stars to the The Morgan Library and Museum located
in New York City; its mission is to foster a greater knowledge,
understanding, and appreciation of Western history and culture.
Next Week’s Blog: Israel Special Kids Fund
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Mission:
The largest Jewish campus organization in the world,
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
(http://www.hillel.org/) provides opportunities for Jewish
students at more than 500 colleges and universities to
explore and celebrate their Jewish identity through its
global network of regional centers, campus foundations
and Hillel student organizations. Hillel is working to
promote a renaissance of Jewish life. Hillel's mission is to
enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate
students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the
world. Hillel student leaders, professionals and lay leaders
are dedicated to creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive
environment for Jewish college students, where they are
encouraged to grow intellectually, spiritually and socially.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, Hillel has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of Hillel based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 76.8%
Administrative Expenses: 10.5%
Fundraising Expenses: 12.6%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.13
(Hillel spends $0.13 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 7.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 11.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.97
(Hillel can sustain itself for 0.97 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
Hillel has net assets of $31,646,752. Compensation for its President,
Wayne Firestone, was $275,000 which represents 0.98% of
expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the
President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger,
was $191,00 which was 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
1) Hillel Celebrates Its 85th Anniversary:
Leaders of B'nai Brith and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life joined together in Washington, D.C., on
September 8, 2008 to commemorate the two organizations'
historic partnership as Hillel kicks off a year-long celebration
of its 85th anniversary. The leaders unveiled a plaque honoring
B’nai B’rith’s role as Hillel’s sponsor from 1924-1994. During
70 years of B’nai B’rith sponsorship, Hillel grew from a single
group founded at theUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
in 1923 to a global campus organization. Hillel separated from
B’nai B’rith in 1994. Today Hillel is the largest Jewish campus
organization, serving over 500 campuses around the world.
2) Georgia Hillel Supports Conflict’s Refugees:
Shortly after the outbreak of fighting on the border of Russia and
the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Tbilisi Hillel Director
Moris Krikheli responded by helping relocate families that fled
their homes in Gori, a city hurt by the fighting. In the days that
followed, dozens of Hillel student activists joined his efforts to aid
in the refugee’s plight. Hillel is cooperating with the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for
Israel to address the immediate needs of refugees in Tbilisi. Hillel
activists are volunteering on rotating shifts at the Jewish House,
which is the city’s community center, to play games with the
teenagers, take them on field trips to water parks and swimming
pools, as well as to organize sporting and painting competitions.
Recommendations: Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus
Life is a very efficient Jewish non-profit in that 76.8% of its
revenue reaches its target – enriching the lives of Jewish
undergraduate and graduate college students. It has demonstrated
a high organizational capacity in that its revenue and program
expenses are both growing. It can sustain itself over time. Hillel
could earn a four start efficiency rating from Charity Navigator by
slightly reducing its administrative and fundraising expenses so
that they are each less than 10% of expenses. For purposes of
comparison, Charity Navigator has given the Whitney Museum of
American Art in New York City an overall rating of two stars.
Next Week’s Blog: Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education
The largest Jewish campus organization in the world,
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
(http://www.hillel.org/) provides opportunities for Jewish
students at more than 500 colleges and universities to
explore and celebrate their Jewish identity through its
global network of regional centers, campus foundations
and Hillel student organizations. Hillel is working to
promote a renaissance of Jewish life. Hillel's mission is to
enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate
students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the
world. Hillel student leaders, professionals and lay leaders
are dedicated to creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive
environment for Jewish college students, where they are
encouraged to grow intellectually, spiritually and socially.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, Hillel has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of Hillel based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 3 stars***
Program Expenses: 76.8%
Administrative Expenses: 10.5%
Fundraising Expenses: 12.6%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.13
(Hillel spends $0.13 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 7.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 11.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.97
(Hillel can sustain itself for 0.97 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
Hillel has net assets of $31,646,752. Compensation for its President,
Wayne Firestone, was $275,000 which represents 0.98% of
expenses. For comparison purposes, compensation for the
President of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger,
was $191,00 which was 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
1) Hillel Celebrates Its 85th Anniversary:
Leaders of B'nai Brith and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life joined together in Washington, D.C., on
September 8, 2008 to commemorate the two organizations'
historic partnership as Hillel kicks off a year-long celebration
of its 85th anniversary. The leaders unveiled a plaque honoring
B’nai B’rith’s role as Hillel’s sponsor from 1924-1994. During
70 years of B’nai B’rith sponsorship, Hillel grew from a single
group founded at theUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
in 1923 to a global campus organization. Hillel separated from
B’nai B’rith in 1994. Today Hillel is the largest Jewish campus
organization, serving over 500 campuses around the world.
2) Georgia Hillel Supports Conflict’s Refugees:
Shortly after the outbreak of fighting on the border of Russia and
the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Tbilisi Hillel Director
Moris Krikheli responded by helping relocate families that fled
their homes in Gori, a city hurt by the fighting. In the days that
followed, dozens of Hillel student activists joined his efforts to aid
in the refugee’s plight. Hillel is cooperating with the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for
Israel to address the immediate needs of refugees in Tbilisi. Hillel
activists are volunteering on rotating shifts at the Jewish House,
which is the city’s community center, to play games with the
teenagers, take them on field trips to water parks and swimming
pools, as well as to organize sporting and painting competitions.
Recommendations: Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus
Life is a very efficient Jewish non-profit in that 76.8% of its
revenue reaches its target – enriching the lives of Jewish
undergraduate and graduate college students. It has demonstrated
a high organizational capacity in that its revenue and program
expenses are both growing. It can sustain itself over time. Hillel
could earn a four start efficiency rating from Charity Navigator by
slightly reducing its administrative and fundraising expenses so
that they are each less than 10% of expenses. For purposes of
comparison, Charity Navigator has given the Whitney Museum of
American Art in New York City an overall rating of two stars.
Next Week’s Blog: Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education
Friday, September 26, 2008
American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva
Mission:
American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva (AFYBA),
www.afyba.org is the American fund raising arm of Yeshivot
Bnei Akiva (YBA) in Israel. YBA, the premier religious Zionist
educational movement in Israel, was founded in 1940 by
Rav Moshe Zvi Neriah, zt"l, when he opened Israel's first yeshiva
high school with 13 students on a hilltop in Kfar Haroeh. Today,
YBA has grown into a national movement encompassing 57
schools from the Golan to Eilat, serving more than 22,000
students of all backgrounds. This includes children from low-
income homes, new immigrants, and the learning disabled. All of
these students graduate from YBA with a profound love of Torah,
the Jewish People and the Land of Israel, which they carry with
them for the rest of their lives.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charityevaluator, AFYBA has an overall rating of
1 star (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of the AFYBA based on 990 tax returns
through 2006:
Overall Rating: 1 star *
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 1 star*
Program Expenses: 67.0%
Administrative Expenses: 15.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 17.6%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.28
(AFYBA spends $0.28 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 1 star *
Primary Revenue Growth: -10.9%
Program Expenses Growth: -16.1%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.33
(AFYBA can sustain itself for 0.33 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit
consistent revenue and expenses growth are more
likely to sustain its programs and services over the long
haul.
AFYBA has net assets of $434,825. Compensation for its
former Executive Director, Moshe Spingarn, was $125,000
which represents 9.56% of expenses. For comparison
purposes, compensation for the present President of the
American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was
$191,00 which was 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
1) The Nordlicht Family Makes History in Acco
Over the last 5,000 years, the history of the ancient port city
of Acco has been intertwined with the history of the Jewish
people. It has witnessed both high and low points. One of the
high points in its modern day history, occurred on Chol
Ha’Moed Pesach when Meir and Dahlia Nordlicht of New
Rochelle laid the cornerstone for the new campus of YBA
Yeshivat Hesder “Ruach Tzfonit” in Acco, following their
major gift which will enable the completion of the first stage
of the project.
2) Art in Kfar Saba
Last Spring, YBA Ulpana Amana in Kfar Saba opened an
outstanding Art Exhibit by the 12th grade girls who study
art as a “major”. The unique works of art are extremely
impressive visually as well as conceptually. The artists
presented the ideas behind their works, demonstrating
unusual rhetoric abilities, as well as depth of thought and
analytical powers.
Recommendation:
In order to attract foundation funding, AFYBA must
give more than 80% of its revenue to its target –providing
a Torah education to low income and learning disabled
children. According to Charity Navigator’s ratings, AFYBA
is not a financially efficient non-profit. This may explain why
its primary expenses growth and program expenses growth
have decreased since 2004. In order to become more
financially efficient and attract more foundation funding,
AFYBA must reduce its administrative and fund-raising
expenses.
Next Week’s Blog: Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Shana Tova Metucha
American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva (AFYBA),
www.afyba.org is the American fund raising arm of Yeshivot
Bnei Akiva (YBA) in Israel. YBA, the premier religious Zionist
educational movement in Israel, was founded in 1940 by
Rav Moshe Zvi Neriah, zt"l, when he opened Israel's first yeshiva
high school with 13 students on a hilltop in Kfar Haroeh. Today,
YBA has grown into a national movement encompassing 57
schools from the Golan to Eilat, serving more than 22,000
students of all backgrounds. This includes children from low-
income homes, new immigrants, and the learning disabled. All of
these students graduate from YBA with a profound love of Torah,
the Jewish People and the Land of Israel, which they carry with
them for the rest of their lives.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charityevaluator, AFYBA has an overall rating of
1 star (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of the AFYBA based on 990 tax returns
through 2006:
Overall Rating: 1 star *
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 1 star*
Program Expenses: 67.0%
Administrative Expenses: 15.2%
Fundraising Expenses: 17.6%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.28
(AFYBA spends $0.28 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 1 star *
Primary Revenue Growth: -10.9%
Program Expenses Growth: -16.1%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.33
(AFYBA can sustain itself for 0.33 years without
generating new revenue.)
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit
consistent revenue and expenses growth are more
likely to sustain its programs and services over the long
haul.
AFYBA has net assets of $434,825. Compensation for its
former Executive Director, Moshe Spingarn, was $125,000
which represents 9.56% of expenses. For comparison
purposes, compensation for the present President of the
American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, was
$191,00 which was 0.79% of expenses.
Recent News:
1) The Nordlicht Family Makes History in Acco
Over the last 5,000 years, the history of the ancient port city
of Acco has been intertwined with the history of the Jewish
people. It has witnessed both high and low points. One of the
high points in its modern day history, occurred on Chol
Ha’Moed Pesach when Meir and Dahlia Nordlicht of New
Rochelle laid the cornerstone for the new campus of YBA
Yeshivat Hesder “Ruach Tzfonit” in Acco, following their
major gift which will enable the completion of the first stage
of the project.
2) Art in Kfar Saba
Last Spring, YBA Ulpana Amana in Kfar Saba opened an
outstanding Art Exhibit by the 12th grade girls who study
art as a “major”. The unique works of art are extremely
impressive visually as well as conceptually. The artists
presented the ideas behind their works, demonstrating
unusual rhetoric abilities, as well as depth of thought and
analytical powers.
Recommendation:
In order to attract foundation funding, AFYBA must
give more than 80% of its revenue to its target –providing
a Torah education to low income and learning disabled
children. According to Charity Navigator’s ratings, AFYBA
is not a financially efficient non-profit. This may explain why
its primary expenses growth and program expenses growth
have decreased since 2004. In order to become more
financially efficient and attract more foundation funding,
AFYBA must reduce its administrative and fund-raising
expenses.
Next Week’s Blog: Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Shana Tova Metucha
Monday, September 8, 2008
Ezer Mizion
Mission:
Ezer Mizion, (http://www.ezer-mizion.org.il)/ the Israel
Health Support Organization, offers an extensive range of medical
and social support services to help Israel's sick, disabled, elderly
and underprivileged populations. Since its founding in 1979, Ezer
Mizion has grown to become one of the largest non-profit
organizations in Israel, benefiting over half a million people
every year. Ezer Mizion operates in dozens of cities throughout
Israel, with over 10,000 volunteers. Our diverse line-up of
services includes the world's largest Jewish Bone Marrow
Donor Registry and specialized programs for children with
special needs, cancer patients, the elderly, and terror victims.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, Ezer Mizion has an overall rating of 4 stars (four stars
is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of the Ezer Mizion based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars****
Program Expenses: 85.2%
Administrative Expenses: 8.9%
Fundraising Expenses: 5.8%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05
(Ezer Mizion spends $0.05 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 22.2%
Program Expenses Growth: 48.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.08 (Ezer Mzion can sustain itself
for 0.08 years without generating new revenue.)
(Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent revenue
and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its programs and
services over the long haul.)
Ezer Mizion has net assets of $226,216. Compensation for its
Executive Director, Irv Hackel, was $77,849 which represents 2.23%
of expenses.
Recent News:
1) A gala event marking "Volunteer's Day" took place last week
in the Beit Hatsulah Hall in Kiryat Gat in the presence of Mayor
Aviram Dahari and other community leaders. The event was
held to salute volunteers who are active in the area. In the
course of the event the Mayor's Shield was awarded to Ezer
Mizion's Branch in Kiryat Gat and certificates of merit were
awarded to four outstanding volunteers.
2) Ezer Mizion, in cooperation with the Israel Juvenile Diabetes
Associatioin held a retreat in August for religious girls afflicted
with juvenile diabetes. Together with their mothers, the girls met
at Oranit, Ezer Mizion's Guest Home for Cancer Patients (whose
guests were away at Ezer Mizion's summer camp for cancer
patients). Ezer Mizion's "Sweet Retreat" gave mothers a chance
to get away from the 24/7 occupation with the illness and realize
that "there is life beyond diabetes." It also enabled them to enjoy
the emotional reprieve gained from meeting other parents who
are dealing with the same challenges and sharing experiences.
Recommendation:
Ezer Mizion is a highly efficient non-profit. 85.2% of its revenue
reaches its target – Israel's sick, disabled, elderly and underprivileged
populations. Ezer Mizion is is also poised to sustain its programs and
services over the long haul. Ezer Mizion needs to advertise its
financial efficiency and its four star efficiency rating from Charity
Navigator.
For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given
an overall rating of three stars to Easter Seals, a non-profit
that helps people with disabilities gain greater independence.
Next Week’s Blog: American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva
Ezer Mizion, (http://www.ezer-mizion.org.il)/ the Israel
Health Support Organization, offers an extensive range of medical
and social support services to help Israel's sick, disabled, elderly
and underprivileged populations. Since its founding in 1979, Ezer
Mizion has grown to become one of the largest non-profit
organizations in Israel, benefiting over half a million people
every year. Ezer Mizion operates in dozens of cities throughout
Israel, with over 10,000 volunteers. Our diverse line-up of
services includes the world's largest Jewish Bone Marrow
Donor Registry and specialized programs for children with
special needs, cancer patients, the elderly, and terror victims.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/), America’s leading charity
evaluator, Ezer Mizion has an overall rating of 4 stars (four stars
is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides the following
breakdown of the Ezer Mizion based on 990 tax returns through
2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency: Efficiency Rating 4 stars****
Program Expenses: 85.2%
Administrative Expenses: 8.9%
Fundraising Expenses: 5.8%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05
(Ezer Mizion spends $0.05 to raise $1.)
Organizational Capacity: Capacity Rating 4 stars ****
Primary Revenue Growth: 22.2%
Program Expenses Growth: 48.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.08 (Ezer Mzion can sustain itself
for 0.08 years without generating new revenue.)
(Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability to
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent revenue
and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its programs and
services over the long haul.)
Ezer Mizion has net assets of $226,216. Compensation for its
Executive Director, Irv Hackel, was $77,849 which represents 2.23%
of expenses.
Recent News:
1) A gala event marking "Volunteer's Day" took place last week
in the Beit Hatsulah Hall in Kiryat Gat in the presence of Mayor
Aviram Dahari and other community leaders. The event was
held to salute volunteers who are active in the area. In the
course of the event the Mayor's Shield was awarded to Ezer
Mizion's Branch in Kiryat Gat and certificates of merit were
awarded to four outstanding volunteers.
2) Ezer Mizion, in cooperation with the Israel Juvenile Diabetes
Associatioin held a retreat in August for religious girls afflicted
with juvenile diabetes. Together with their mothers, the girls met
at Oranit, Ezer Mizion's Guest Home for Cancer Patients (whose
guests were away at Ezer Mizion's summer camp for cancer
patients). Ezer Mizion's "Sweet Retreat" gave mothers a chance
to get away from the 24/7 occupation with the illness and realize
that "there is life beyond diabetes." It also enabled them to enjoy
the emotional reprieve gained from meeting other parents who
are dealing with the same challenges and sharing experiences.
Recommendation:
Ezer Mizion is a highly efficient non-profit. 85.2% of its revenue
reaches its target – Israel's sick, disabled, elderly and underprivileged
populations. Ezer Mizion is is also poised to sustain its programs and
services over the long haul. Ezer Mizion needs to advertise its
financial efficiency and its four star efficiency rating from Charity
Navigator.
For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given
an overall rating of three stars to Easter Seals, a non-profit
that helps people with disabilities gain greater independence.
Next Week’s Blog: American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva
Monday, August 4, 2008
The American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
Mission:
The American Society for the Protection of Nature in
Israel (ASPNI), http://www.aspni.org/, was founded in
1986 to help raise awareness and support for the work of
the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI),
Israel's oldest and largest environmental organization.
Today, SPNI leads the public and decision-makers in the
search for environmentally sustainable and economically
sound ways to promote growth while protecting Israel's
unique environmental heritage. Through education, organizing
public involvement, informing decision-makers and proposing
creative solutions to development plans, SPNI has established
an impressive list of achievements. Since 1953, SPNI has
worked to promote knowledge, love, and respect for the land
among its citizens and abroad.
Recent News:
Traffic and Air Pollution:
Air pollution is a major and increasing problem in Israel.
According to a 2004 study conducted by the (Air Pollution and
Health) European Information System, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa region
has the worst air pollution among European cities, causing over
1,500 deaths each year. Furthermore, the Israel Ministry of the
Environment claims that one child in five suffers from breathing
difficulties as a result of serious air pollution. Health care and
other costs due to premature death and illness are estimated at
over $77.4 million a year. Transportation issues are considered the
major culprit of air pollution in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa region. SPNI's
review of the city's transportation policies showed that $220 million
has been spent over the past five years on expansion and
construction of roads and highways, while public transportation
has not been improved. Plans for a light railway in the city have
barely progressed, and viable solutions for a sustainable
transportation policy in the city are scarcely visible. SPNI is
working to raise public consciousness on the need to address the
air pollution issue and educate the public about the various
controversies that are delaying action, such as a
long-standing dispute over a light rail or subway system .
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, ASPNI has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of the ASPNI based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 89.0%
Administrative Expenses: 5.8%
Fundraising Expenses: 5.1%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05
Efficiency Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: 21.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 21.3%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.02
(ASPNI can sustain itself for 0.02 years without
generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s abilityto
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
ASPNI has net assets of $36,506. Compensation for its
Executive Director, Edit Reizes, was $72,648 which represents
4.67% of its expenses.
Recommendation:
ASPNI is a highly efficient non-profit. 89% of itsrevenue reaches its
target – educating and organizing the public in creating solutions
to environmental problems related to growing Israel’s economy.
ASPNI is also poised to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given
an overall rating of two stars to the Sierra Club Foundation.
The Sierrra Club Foundation funds a range of environmental
projects which fall into the three general categories of public
education, litigation, and training aimed at creating a safe
and healthy environment.
ASPNI needs to advertise its financial efficiency and its four
star efficiency rating from Charity Navigator. It also needs to
update its website SPNI also needs to update it news section
in its website as the most recent entry refers to an article in
The Jerusalem Report March 5, 2007.
The American Society for the Protection of Nature in
Israel (ASPNI), http://www.aspni.org/, was founded in
1986 to help raise awareness and support for the work of
the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI),
Israel's oldest and largest environmental organization.
Today, SPNI leads the public and decision-makers in the
search for environmentally sustainable and economically
sound ways to promote growth while protecting Israel's
unique environmental heritage. Through education, organizing
public involvement, informing decision-makers and proposing
creative solutions to development plans, SPNI has established
an impressive list of achievements. Since 1953, SPNI has
worked to promote knowledge, love, and respect for the land
among its citizens and abroad.
Recent News:
Traffic and Air Pollution:
Air pollution is a major and increasing problem in Israel.
According to a 2004 study conducted by the (Air Pollution and
Health) European Information System, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa region
has the worst air pollution among European cities, causing over
1,500 deaths each year. Furthermore, the Israel Ministry of the
Environment claims that one child in five suffers from breathing
difficulties as a result of serious air pollution. Health care and
other costs due to premature death and illness are estimated at
over $77.4 million a year. Transportation issues are considered the
major culprit of air pollution in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa region. SPNI's
review of the city's transportation policies showed that $220 million
has been spent over the past five years on expansion and
construction of roads and highways, while public transportation
has not been improved. Plans for a light railway in the city have
barely progressed, and viable solutions for a sustainable
transportation policy in the city are scarcely visible. SPNI is
working to raise public consciousness on the need to address the
air pollution issue and educate the public about the various
controversies that are delaying action, such as a
long-standing dispute over a light rail or subway system .
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, ASPNI has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of the ASPNI based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 89.0%
Administrative Expenses: 5.8%
Fundraising Expenses: 5.1%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.05
Efficiency Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: 21.0%
Program Expenses Growth: 21.3%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.02
(ASPNI can sustain itself for 0.02 years without
generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s abilityto
sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
ASPNI has net assets of $36,506. Compensation for its
Executive Director, Edit Reizes, was $72,648 which represents
4.67% of its expenses.
Recommendation:
ASPNI is a highly efficient non-profit. 89% of itsrevenue reaches its
target – educating and organizing the public in creating solutions
to environmental problems related to growing Israel’s economy.
ASPNI is also poised to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given
an overall rating of two stars to the Sierra Club Foundation.
The Sierrra Club Foundation funds a range of environmental
projects which fall into the three general categories of public
education, litigation, and training aimed at creating a safe
and healthy environment.
ASPNI needs to advertise its financial efficiency and its four
star efficiency rating from Charity Navigator. It also needs to
update its website SPNI also needs to update it news section
in its website as the most recent entry refers to an article in
The Jerusalem Report March 5, 2007.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Aleh Foundation
Mission:
The Aleh Foundation (AF), http://www.aleh.org/ supports Aleh,
an organization that serves brain damaged children. Established
in 1982, Aleh believes that every child, regardless of the
severity of the physical or cognitive disability, has the right to
benefit from the best available care and develop to his or her
fullest potential. Aleh is Israel's largest and most advanced
network of residential facilities for children with severe disabilities.
Approximately 650 severely disabled Jewish children are
receiving top quality medical, educational and rehabilitative care
at our branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Gedera and the Negev.
Aleh cares for children with medical conditions such as Autism,
Cerebral Palsy and Down's Syndrome, as well as genetic disorders
including Tay-Sachs, Canavan disease and Rett syndrome.
Recent News:
1) Aleh Summer Camps:
The Aleh Foundation runs a summer camp program entitled
“Dreams Come True” Day Camps. It started during the first week
of July, and excitement filled the air! It is an opportunity for the
most severely disabled children in Israel to participate in activities
that include swimming, the beach, clown shows, field days and fun
fairs. Taking a wheelchair-bound severely disabled child who needs
to be fed through a “Kangaroo” feeding tube to the beach, or for a
picnic, or for a sleep-away, is no simple matter. It is, in fact, a major
logistical challenge. But at Aleh, we believe that every child deserves
the fun and excitement of being a child, especially for children whose
everyday existence is a struggle. “Seeing our children play in the
sand, splash in the waves, enjoy a barbeque and pet the farm
animals; seeing our children with smiles on their lips and laughter
in their eyes – we take pride in knowing we have succeeded in
making Dreams Come True.”
2) IAF Israeli Brigadier General Visits Aleh Negev:
Last week the commander of the Eran Hatzerim Israeli Air Force Base
in the Negev, Brigadier General Hagi Topolanski, was treated to an
in-depth, personal view of the Aleh Negev-Nahalat village from up
close. He met with Aleh Negev Chairman Major General (Res) Doron
Almog, and was visibly moved by what he termed the “bravery and
valor” of the young residents. He found that “here, disability is no
deterrent,” as he marveled at the accomplishments of the village
residents, who despite severe handicaps, overcome challenges on a
daily basis. The Brigadier General said he had learned much from the
visit. “Society tends to view things through the perspective of
economics – what each person can contribute,” said Topolansky.
“But one of the great strengths inherent in Aleh Negev is its collective
conscience and the desire to provide mutual assistance – and this is a
lesson we can all incorporate in ourselves.” He also noted that the
goals and activities of the village clearly have an impact far beyond
its immediate range, with a chain of cooperation established
between staff, families, and the regional community. After completing
his visit, Topolanski pledged that the Hatzerim base and all its
personnel would harness their energies towards helping Aleh Negev
however they could, taking part in joint activities and lending their
efforts towards future endeavors.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, the AF has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of the AF based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 90.8%
Administrative Expenses: 5.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 3.7%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.03
Efficiency Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: 48.3%
Program Expenses Growth: 68.7%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.18
(AF can sustain itself for 0.18 years without
generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
Net assets for The Aleh Foundation are $873,427. Its President,
Jeffrey Tenenbaum, was not compensated. Compensation for
its Director of Communications, Steven Weiner, was $52,000;
this was 1.69% of expenses.
Recommendation:
The Aleh Foundation is a highly efficient non-profit. 90% of its
revenue reaches its target – the severely disabled children of Israel.
It is also poised to sustain its programs and services over the long
haul. For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given an
overall rating of three stars to Easter Seals; Easter Seals also helps
people with disabilities. The Aleh Foundation needs to advertise
its financial efficiency and its four star efficiency rating from
Charity Navigator.
Next Week’s Blog: The American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
The Aleh Foundation (AF), http://www.aleh.org/ supports Aleh,
an organization that serves brain damaged children. Established
in 1982, Aleh believes that every child, regardless of the
severity of the physical or cognitive disability, has the right to
benefit from the best available care and develop to his or her
fullest potential. Aleh is Israel's largest and most advanced
network of residential facilities for children with severe disabilities.
Approximately 650 severely disabled Jewish children are
receiving top quality medical, educational and rehabilitative care
at our branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Gedera and the Negev.
Aleh cares for children with medical conditions such as Autism,
Cerebral Palsy and Down's Syndrome, as well as genetic disorders
including Tay-Sachs, Canavan disease and Rett syndrome.
Recent News:
1) Aleh Summer Camps:
The Aleh Foundation runs a summer camp program entitled
“Dreams Come True” Day Camps. It started during the first week
of July, and excitement filled the air! It is an opportunity for the
most severely disabled children in Israel to participate in activities
that include swimming, the beach, clown shows, field days and fun
fairs. Taking a wheelchair-bound severely disabled child who needs
to be fed through a “Kangaroo” feeding tube to the beach, or for a
picnic, or for a sleep-away, is no simple matter. It is, in fact, a major
logistical challenge. But at Aleh, we believe that every child deserves
the fun and excitement of being a child, especially for children whose
everyday existence is a struggle. “Seeing our children play in the
sand, splash in the waves, enjoy a barbeque and pet the farm
animals; seeing our children with smiles on their lips and laughter
in their eyes – we take pride in knowing we have succeeded in
making Dreams Come True.”
2) IAF Israeli Brigadier General Visits Aleh Negev:
Last week the commander of the Eran Hatzerim Israeli Air Force Base
in the Negev, Brigadier General Hagi Topolanski, was treated to an
in-depth, personal view of the Aleh Negev-Nahalat village from up
close. He met with Aleh Negev Chairman Major General (Res) Doron
Almog, and was visibly moved by what he termed the “bravery and
valor” of the young residents. He found that “here, disability is no
deterrent,” as he marveled at the accomplishments of the village
residents, who despite severe handicaps, overcome challenges on a
daily basis. The Brigadier General said he had learned much from the
visit. “Society tends to view things through the perspective of
economics – what each person can contribute,” said Topolansky.
“But one of the great strengths inherent in Aleh Negev is its collective
conscience and the desire to provide mutual assistance – and this is a
lesson we can all incorporate in ourselves.” He also noted that the
goals and activities of the village clearly have an impact far beyond
its immediate range, with a chain of cooperation established
between staff, families, and the regional community. After completing
his visit, Topolanski pledged that the Hatzerim base and all its
personnel would harness their energies towards helping Aleh Negev
however they could, taking part in joint activities and lending their
efforts towards future endeavors.
Financial Efficiency Evaluation:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, the AF has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator provides
the following breakdown of the AF based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 90.8%
Administrative Expenses: 5.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 3.7%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.03
Efficiency Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: 48.3%
Program Expenses Growth: 68.7%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.18
(AF can sustain itself for 0.18 years without
generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s ability
to sustain itself over time. Charities that exhibit consistent
revenue and expenses growth are more likely to sustain its
programs and services over the long haul.
Net assets for The Aleh Foundation are $873,427. Its President,
Jeffrey Tenenbaum, was not compensated. Compensation for
its Director of Communications, Steven Weiner, was $52,000;
this was 1.69% of expenses.
Recommendation:
The Aleh Foundation is a highly efficient non-profit. 90% of its
revenue reaches its target – the severely disabled children of Israel.
It is also poised to sustain its programs and services over the long
haul. For comparison purposes, Charity Navigator has given an
overall rating of three stars to Easter Seals; Easter Seals also helps
people with disabilities. The Aleh Foundation needs to advertise
its financial efficiency and its four star efficiency rating from
Charity Navigator.
Next Week’s Blog: The American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
Friday, July 18, 2008
American Friends of Nishmat
MISSION:
American Friends of Nishmat (AFN) http://www.nishmat.net/
supports Nishmat, the Jerusalem Center for advanced Jewish
study for women. Nishmat students are serious about their
Judaism. They expect to delve deeply into Torah learning.
They aim to grow intellectually and spiritually. Nishmat
unites native Israelis and Americans, Ethiopians and
Europeans in a cohesive learning community. We seek to
develop leaders to contribute to Jewish life. Nishmat offers
intensive programs of text-based Torah study for beginners
o advanced scholars. Programs include the Alisa Flatow
Overseas Students Program, Shana Ba'Aretz pre-college year
in Israel, summer study programs, the Nishmat Ethiopian
Women program, and Keren Ariel Yoatzot Halacha, a leading
halachic studies program.
RECENT NEWS:
In the fall of 2007, Nishmat dedicated a new campus in Jerusalem.
During chol hamoed Sukkot, nearly 300 of Nishmat’s supporters,
students, alumnae, and faculty gathered under s’chach and starry
skies for a festive celebration of Nishmat’s new campus.
Hadassah Lieberman, a public policy expert and wife of
Senator Joseph Lieberman was the keynote speaker.
Mrs. Lieberman, has seen Nishmat’s impact first-hand as her
daughter Hani Lieberman, 19, is a graduate of Nishmat’s Shana
Ba’Aretz program. In the keynote address, Lieberman said,
“Jewish women have always been central to their communities
and families…We are important, and we must teach our children,
our communities, to learn.” Rabbanit Henkin called Lieberman’s
participation “a tremendous kiddush Hashem,” explaining that
the media attention she drew helped broadcast in several countries
that “there is a place where women study Torah at the highest
level, with love for mitzvot and sensitivity to their neighbors.”
AFN sponsors Torah colloquiums around the country.
On July 28, 2008, AFN is sponsoring the
Fifth Annual Hamptons Torah Colloquium for Women and Men
featuring Rabbanit Chana Henkin on Monday and Tuesday,
July 28-29.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, the AFN has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator
provides the following breakdown of the AFN based on 990 tax
returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 92.7%
Administrative Expenses: 5.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 1.9%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.01
Efficiency Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: 59.3%
Primary Expenses Growth: 79.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.48
(AFN can sustain itself for 0.48 years
without generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
AFN has net assets of $1,765,879. Compensation for its
Executive Director, Sondra Fisch, was $86,000 which was
2.37% of expenses.
RECOMMENDATION:
American Friends of Nishmat is a highly efficient non-profit
organization and has demonstrated an ability to sustain itself
over time. For purposes of comparison, Charity Navigator has
given The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation,
located in North Hollywood, California, an overall rating of one
star. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
sponsors educational and archival programs about the evolution
of television and digital media
American Friends of Nishmat (AFN) http://www.nishmat.net/
supports Nishmat, the Jerusalem Center for advanced Jewish
study for women. Nishmat students are serious about their
Judaism. They expect to delve deeply into Torah learning.
They aim to grow intellectually and spiritually. Nishmat
unites native Israelis and Americans, Ethiopians and
Europeans in a cohesive learning community. We seek to
develop leaders to contribute to Jewish life. Nishmat offers
intensive programs of text-based Torah study for beginners
o advanced scholars. Programs include the Alisa Flatow
Overseas Students Program, Shana Ba'Aretz pre-college year
in Israel, summer study programs, the Nishmat Ethiopian
Women program, and Keren Ariel Yoatzot Halacha, a leading
halachic studies program.
RECENT NEWS:
In the fall of 2007, Nishmat dedicated a new campus in Jerusalem.
During chol hamoed Sukkot, nearly 300 of Nishmat’s supporters,
students, alumnae, and faculty gathered under s’chach and starry
skies for a festive celebration of Nishmat’s new campus.
Hadassah Lieberman, a public policy expert and wife of
Senator Joseph Lieberman was the keynote speaker.
Mrs. Lieberman, has seen Nishmat’s impact first-hand as her
daughter Hani Lieberman, 19, is a graduate of Nishmat’s Shana
Ba’Aretz program. In the keynote address, Lieberman said,
“Jewish women have always been central to their communities
and families…We are important, and we must teach our children,
our communities, to learn.” Rabbanit Henkin called Lieberman’s
participation “a tremendous kiddush Hashem,” explaining that
the media attention she drew helped broadcast in several countries
that “there is a place where women study Torah at the highest
level, with love for mitzvot and sensitivity to their neighbors.”
AFN sponsors Torah colloquiums around the country.
On July 28, 2008, AFN is sponsoring the
Fifth Annual Hamptons Torah Colloquium for Women and Men
featuring Rabbanit Chana Henkin on Monday and Tuesday,
July 28-29.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/),
America’s leading charity evaluator, the AFN has an overall rating of
4 stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity Navigator
provides the following breakdown of the AFN based on 990 tax
returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 92.7%
Administrative Expenses: 5.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 1.9%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.01
Efficiency Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: 59.3%
Primary Expenses Growth: 79.9%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 0.48
(AFN can sustain itself for 0.48 years
without generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating: 4 stars ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
AFN has net assets of $1,765,879. Compensation for its
Executive Director, Sondra Fisch, was $86,000 which was
2.37% of expenses.
RECOMMENDATION:
American Friends of Nishmat is a highly efficient non-profit
organization and has demonstrated an ability to sustain itself
over time. For purposes of comparison, Charity Navigator has
given The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation,
located in North Hollywood, California, an overall rating of one
star. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
sponsors educational and archival programs about the evolution
of television and digital media
Monday, July 14, 2008
Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans
MISSION:
Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans (FIDV), http://www.fidv.org/,
raises funds for the Beit Halochem Centers in Israel. "The
Beit Halochem Centers are committed to caring for Israeli
servicemen and women disabled in the line of duty, as well
as caring for those whose lives are shattered by terror. The
centers provide therapeutic and recreational facilities to help
them resume lives of purpose and dignity. At the three
rehabilitation and convalescent centers in Israel, our heroes
receive the special kind of emotional and physical rehabilitation
they need, in an environment of love, encouragement, and with
appreciation for their tremendous sacrifice. Today, FIDV raises
funds to assist the more than 50,000 disabled veterans and
victims of terror."
RECENT NEWS:
The FIDV website contains articles about the work done by the
Beit Halohem Centers in Israel. The menu of the FIDV website
homepage has a section entitled “In the Press.” The most recent
article is not recent, it is dated February 2, 2006 and it is not an
FIDV article, but rather, it is an article produced by the Beit Halohem
Centers. This article says the folloiwng: "Founded in 1949, the
IDF Disabled Veterans Association provides soldiers with the tools
they need to put their lives back together. Today, the group runs
three Beit Halohem rehabilitation centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa and
Jerusalem and is currently building a new one in Beersheba. As one
would expect, the Beit Halohem center at 49 Rehov Shmuel Barcay
in Tel Aviv has all the requisite physical therapy units, but there are
no morose, elderly patients in gowns being led around by nurses.
Rather, the rehab center seems more like an upscale social club than
anything else: Wheelchair-bound veterans twirl with lithe dance
instructors in the auditorium while the more athletically inclined
sweat it out on the basketball court."
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org)/
America’s leading charity evaluator, theFIDV has an overall rating
of 0 stars (the lowest rating - four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following breakdown of the FIDV
based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 0 stars
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 0.1%
Administrative Expenses: 57.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 42.5%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.29
Efficiency Rating: 0 stars
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: -16.0%
Primary Expenses Growth: -91.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 3.00
Capacity Rating: *
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
The Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans has net assets
of $4,073,388. Compensation for its Executive Director,
Linda Frankel, was $130,000 which was 9.91% of
expenses. Percentage wise, this is a very high figure.
For purposes of comparison, the Friends of Israel Defense
Forces (http://www.fidf.org/) has net assets of $43,332,745.
Compensation for its National Director, Yehiel Gozal,
was $243,200 which was only 0.71% of expenses.
(For a review of the FIDF, see my blog of May 9, 2008.)
The FIDV spent only $1,800 (0.1% of expenses) on program
expenses – the disabled veterans. Thus its Executive
Director received more than 70% more money than the
disabled veterans! The FIDF spent $27,778,278 (81.7% of
expenses) on program expenses – the same disabled veterans.
RECOMMENDATION:
Charity Navigator has given the Friends of Israel Disabled
Veterans an overall rating of 0 stars because it is a very
inefficient non-profit organization. Friends of Israel Defense
Forces raises funds for the same disabled Israeli veterans.
Charity Navigator has given this organization an overall rating
of 4 stars. A donor seeking to help disabled Israeli veterans
should give their donation to the Friends of the Israel Defense
Forces.
Next Week’s Blog: American Friends of Nishmat
Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans (FIDV), http://www.fidv.org/,
raises funds for the Beit Halochem Centers in Israel. "The
Beit Halochem Centers are committed to caring for Israeli
servicemen and women disabled in the line of duty, as well
as caring for those whose lives are shattered by terror. The
centers provide therapeutic and recreational facilities to help
them resume lives of purpose and dignity. At the three
rehabilitation and convalescent centers in Israel, our heroes
receive the special kind of emotional and physical rehabilitation
they need, in an environment of love, encouragement, and with
appreciation for their tremendous sacrifice. Today, FIDV raises
funds to assist the more than 50,000 disabled veterans and
victims of terror."
RECENT NEWS:
The FIDV website contains articles about the work done by the
Beit Halohem Centers in Israel. The menu of the FIDV website
homepage has a section entitled “In the Press.” The most recent
article is not recent, it is dated February 2, 2006 and it is not an
FIDV article, but rather, it is an article produced by the Beit Halohem
Centers. This article says the folloiwng: "Founded in 1949, the
IDF Disabled Veterans Association provides soldiers with the tools
they need to put their lives back together. Today, the group runs
three Beit Halohem rehabilitation centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa and
Jerusalem and is currently building a new one in Beersheba. As one
would expect, the Beit Halohem center at 49 Rehov Shmuel Barcay
in Tel Aviv has all the requisite physical therapy units, but there are
no morose, elderly patients in gowns being led around by nurses.
Rather, the rehab center seems more like an upscale social club than
anything else: Wheelchair-bound veterans twirl with lithe dance
instructors in the auditorium while the more athletically inclined
sweat it out on the basketball court."
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org)/
America’s leading charity evaluator, theFIDV has an overall rating
of 0 stars (the lowest rating - four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following breakdown of the FIDV
based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating: 0 stars
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 0.1%
Administrative Expenses: 57.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 42.5%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.29
Efficiency Rating: 0 stars
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: -16.0%
Primary Expenses Growth: -91.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 3.00
Capacity Rating: *
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
The Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans has net assets
of $4,073,388. Compensation for its Executive Director,
Linda Frankel, was $130,000 which was 9.91% of
expenses. Percentage wise, this is a very high figure.
For purposes of comparison, the Friends of Israel Defense
Forces (http://www.fidf.org/) has net assets of $43,332,745.
Compensation for its National Director, Yehiel Gozal,
was $243,200 which was only 0.71% of expenses.
(For a review of the FIDF, see my blog of May 9, 2008.)
The FIDV spent only $1,800 (0.1% of expenses) on program
expenses – the disabled veterans. Thus its Executive
Director received more than 70% more money than the
disabled veterans! The FIDF spent $27,778,278 (81.7% of
expenses) on program expenses – the same disabled veterans.
RECOMMENDATION:
Charity Navigator has given the Friends of Israel Disabled
Veterans an overall rating of 0 stars because it is a very
inefficient non-profit organization. Friends of Israel Defense
Forces raises funds for the same disabled Israeli veterans.
Charity Navigator has given this organization an overall rating
of 4 stars. A donor seeking to help disabled Israeli veterans
should give their donation to the Friends of the Israel Defense
Forces.
Next Week’s Blog: American Friends of Nishmat
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Anti-Defamation League
MISSION:
The Anti-Defamation League ("ADL"), http://www.adl.org/,
was founded in 1913 to combat the anti-Semitism and
discrimination against Jews that was prevalent at the
time. Fairly soon after its establishment, ADL's
mission expanded to include the eradication of bias
and discrimination against people of all races and
religions. Amicus curiae, literally "friend of the court,"
briefs have proven to be one of the most effective means
of achieving this goal. Such briefs are filed by groups
which are not parties to a particular dispute but
nevertheless have a stake in its outcome. As a civil rights
organization with a stake in many different types of civil
rights litigation, ADL has filed amicus briefs in cases
involving issues that range from the separation of church
and state to racial discrimination to censorship. Now the
nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency, the
ADL defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights
for all. The ADL serves as a resource for government,
media, law enforcement, educators and the public.
RECENT NEWS:
Following are two projects in which the ADL is fighting
anti-semitism and anti-Israel bias:
1)The ADL is asking visitors to its website to sign a pledge
to support its fight against anti-semitism and anti-Israel
websites and chat groups called "Anti-semitism 2.0."
2)It is asking supporters to sign a letter addressed to Arab
ambassadors to protest anti-semitic cartoons published by
the Arab media; one such cartoon is a picture of Israeli
soldiers imitating the famous Iwo Jima picture, but hoisting
a Nazi flag instead of the American flag. support for a letter
of solidarity to be sent to victims of the Hamas rockets
launched from Gaza.
The ADL had also filed an amicus brief in the recent Supreme
Court decision on the Second Amendment. The brief argued
that the Second Amendment should not be interpreted as
limiting a state’s authority to regulate firearms when it seeks
to protect the life, liberty and property of its citizens. Rather,
the brief argued, the language of the Amendment can only be
reasonably read to prohibit the federal government from
interfering with such state regulation.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org)/ America’s
leading charity evaluator, the ADL has an overall rating
of three stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity
Navigator provides the following breakdown of the
ADL based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating ***
Organizational Efficiency:
Program Expenses 78.0%
Administrative Expenses 9.0%
Fundraising Expenses 12.8%
Fundraising Efficiency $0.12
(ADL spends $0.12 to raise $1.)
Efficiency Rating ***
Organizational Capacity:
Program Revenue Growth 5.9%
Program Expenses Growth 6.3%
Working Capital Ratio (years) .72
(ADL can sustain itself for 0.72 years
without generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
The ADL has net assets of $178,645,573. Compensation
for its National Director, Abraham Foxman, was $529,442
which is 0.69% of expenses. Percentage wise, this is a low
figure compared to other non-profits.
RECOMMENDATION:
The ADL can improve its overall rating and its efficiency rating
from Charity Navigator by increasing the percentage of
expenses spent on its programs and by concomitantly lowering
the percentage of expenses spent on fundraising and
administrative costs.
Next Week’s Blog: Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans
The Anti-Defamation League ("ADL"), http://www.adl.org/,
was founded in 1913 to combat the anti-Semitism and
discrimination against Jews that was prevalent at the
time. Fairly soon after its establishment, ADL's
mission expanded to include the eradication of bias
and discrimination against people of all races and
religions. Amicus curiae, literally "friend of the court,"
briefs have proven to be one of the most effective means
of achieving this goal. Such briefs are filed by groups
which are not parties to a particular dispute but
nevertheless have a stake in its outcome. As a civil rights
organization with a stake in many different types of civil
rights litigation, ADL has filed amicus briefs in cases
involving issues that range from the separation of church
and state to racial discrimination to censorship. Now the
nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency, the
ADL defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights
for all. The ADL serves as a resource for government,
media, law enforcement, educators and the public.
RECENT NEWS:
Following are two projects in which the ADL is fighting
anti-semitism and anti-Israel bias:
1)The ADL is asking visitors to its website to sign a pledge
to support its fight against anti-semitism and anti-Israel
websites and chat groups called "Anti-semitism 2.0."
2)It is asking supporters to sign a letter addressed to Arab
ambassadors to protest anti-semitic cartoons published by
the Arab media; one such cartoon is a picture of Israeli
soldiers imitating the famous Iwo Jima picture, but hoisting
a Nazi flag instead of the American flag. support for a letter
of solidarity to be sent to victims of the Hamas rockets
launched from Gaza.
The ADL had also filed an amicus brief in the recent Supreme
Court decision on the Second Amendment. The brief argued
that the Second Amendment should not be interpreted as
limiting a state’s authority to regulate firearms when it seeks
to protect the life, liberty and property of its citizens. Rather,
the brief argued, the language of the Amendment can only be
reasonably read to prohibit the federal government from
interfering with such state regulation.
FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:
According to Charity Navigator
(http://www.charitynavigator.org)/ America’s
leading charity evaluator, the ADL has an overall rating
of three stars (four stars is the highest rating.) Charity
Navigator provides the following breakdown of the
ADL based on 990 tax returns through 2006:
Overall Rating ***
Organizational Efficiency:
Program Expenses 78.0%
Administrative Expenses 9.0%
Fundraising Expenses 12.8%
Fundraising Efficiency $0.12
(ADL spends $0.12 to raise $1.)
Efficiency Rating ***
Organizational Capacity:
Program Revenue Growth 5.9%
Program Expenses Growth 6.3%
Working Capital Ratio (years) .72
(ADL can sustain itself for 0.72 years
without generating new revenue.)
Capacity Rating ****
Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.
The ADL has net assets of $178,645,573. Compensation
for its National Director, Abraham Foxman, was $529,442
which is 0.69% of expenses. Percentage wise, this is a low
figure compared to other non-profits.
RECOMMENDATION:
The ADL can improve its overall rating and its efficiency rating
from Charity Navigator by increasing the percentage of
expenses spent on its programs and by concomitantly lowering
the percentage of expenses spent on fundraising and
administrative costs.
Next Week’s Blog: Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans
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