Thursday, May 23, 2013
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Einat Kramer      05/16/12

It Takes a Village…to Grow a Jewish Non-Profit


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Categories: Environment, Israel, Micro Grants

Einat Kramer, an ROIer based in Israel and Founder and Director Teva Ivri (Jewish Nature), recieved an ROI Micro Grant to help her propel an initiative dedicated to the interplay of Judaism and the environment.


Starting a non-profit organization is a bit like raising a child. You nurture it inside you
for a long time; birth it out into the world; and face a myriad of challenges helping it to
find its place in the scheme of things. All of these stages (especially the early years) are
eased and enhanced by the presence and help of extended community.
 
Together with a small but dedicated group of environmental activists and educators, I
founded Teva Ivri almost four years ago. From the get-go, Teva Ivri was part of several
different communities – among them the Heschel Center Fellows, the Midreshet Online
Learning Network, and, of course, ROI. I became an ROI fellow the year that Teva Ivri
achieved non-profit status. At that first summit, I had the privilege of learning, laughing,
and schmoozing with an amazing group of people whose work in the world – shaping the
future of the Jewish people – was inevitably linked to mine.
 
One outcome of that first ROI summit was Teva Ivri’s participation in the founding of
another supportive community, the international Jewcology network. Another outcome
was a new window into the world of Israeli non-profits, with other ROI members sharing
their diverse experiences and expertise. So, when Daniel Weil, a fellow ROI member,
recommended that I work with organizational coach Michal Ben Hagay, I listened. If
being coached by Michal had helped Daniel’s organization reach new levels of success,
then it could only be good for Teva Ivri.
 
At the time of my conversation with Daniel, Teva Ivri was at the stage where it could
no longer progress without stopping to reevaluate its vision, targets and organizational
structure. To this end, I applied for and received an ROI Micro-Grant in 2011, to be
used for 30 hours of professional consultation with Michal Ben Hagay. These successful
consultations culminated in a lively, productive strategic planning meeting of Teva Ivri’s
steering committee. The vision, goals, and objectives achieved in my sessions with
Michal had turned us from a semi-professional, fledgling organization to a group of
professionals with a clear five-year work plan.
 
Thanks to the ROI Micro-Grant, Teva Ivri has matured and “found itself” as one of
Israel’s most dynamic and influential non-profit organizations.