Most influential private philanthropist, corporation and NGO in Israel for 2013 announced

The purpose of the awards is to encourage social activity that is result-driven, creating a significant change in Israeli society.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
Yuval Admon, CEO of The Public Knowledge Workshop (photo credit: Courtesy)
Yuval Admon, CEO of The Public Knowledge Workshop
(photo credit: Courtesy)
A private philanthropist, corporate philanthropist and two NGOs were recognized on Thursday as the most influential philanthropists in their respective categories in Israel in 2013.
Dr. Haim Dahan, a businessman and founder of Ofanim – an organization promoting the empowerment of children from the periphery – was named the most effective Israeli philanthropist of 2013.
ERAN (Emotional First Aid by Telephone) and the Public Knowledge Workshop, a new NGO under CEO Yuval Admon aiming to ease access to public information, won in the most influential NGO category.
Microsoft’s Israel R&D Center, with offices in Herzliya and Haifa, was recognized as the most influential corporation of 2013 went to due to its extensive social investments.
The award ceremony will take place at the Givatayim Theater on May 13.
This is the third year of the Seals of Effectiveness, a joint project of nonprofit organizations Midot, which analyzes and rates nonprofits; Maala, an umbrella organization that promotes social and environmental responsibility for businesses; MATAN, which develops cross-sector partnerships to improve Israeli civil society; and Sheatufim – The Israel Center for Civil Society.
The awards are meant to encourage results-driven social activism and cause significant change in Israeli society.
A public committee headed by president emeritus of the Supreme Court Meir Shamgar chose the winners. The committee members included Judith Yovel Recanati, chairwoman of NATAL and founder of the Gandyr Foundation; Naomi Stuchiner, founder of the Issie Shapiro House; Prof.
Gabriella Shalev, Shula Moses and Avi Naor, former recipients of the Private Effective Philanthropist Seal; and Ronit Fishman, of the Fishman Group, which previously received the seal in the corporate category.
“During more than three decades, you strive to create a social change in the Israeli education – for the benefit of both children from remote communities and at-risk teenagers. We praise your personal involvement, which includes the founding of Ofanim, serving as its active chairman during all its years of activity, and now as president. Your activity is a living example for harnessing the wealthy for taking part in significant and effective social giving,” the committee said of Dahan.
The main criteria for choosing the most influential private and corporate philanthropists were the effectiveness of grants, the size of grants given relative to capital or turnover, the timespan and donation strategy and its effect on the beneficiaries.
“The public committee was deeply impressed with your social activism to strengthen the ties between the social and technological worlds, encouraging job diversity and developing able third-sector leadership.
Moreover, the committee was impressed by the company encouraging employees to give by matching their donations.
Your action sets an example for other social entrepreneurs, and it is evident that your activity involves an innovative approach for generating a social change,” the committee said of the Microsoft center.
“The public committee was very impressed by your activism in providing emotional first aid to people in need, and providing an array of preventive medical services for patients in crisis situations. The committee was particularly impressed with the amount of cases which ERAN deals with every year, more than 150,000, and from its professional and impressive volunteer community,” the committee said of ERAN.
The committee praised the work of the Public Knowledge Workshop and said it was impressed with the organization’s activities for “providing access to public knowledge to the general public, in order to encourage social activism and proactive change. The committee was also impressed with the amount of exposure the NGO received, relative to its short period of activity.”