New Israel Fund wants to avoid redundancies but not spend too much in UK that 'we cannot meet our commitments to fund projects in Israel'
April 13, 2020 10:59
ByAdam Ognall, Adam Ognall
The Haggadah asks us to let no one be forgotten. For the New Israel Fund this is a timely reminder for our work here and in Israel.
Like all charities, we have spent the past few weeks responding to the pandemic. Our Israeli colleagues have adapted swiftly, helping to meet the needs of the most marginalised people in Israeli society.
But in addition to supporting NIF’s response in Israel, we are also thinking about our own responsibilities here in the UK — to our staff; to those who take part in our programmes and support our work; to the wider community; and of course, to the NIF’s mission.
As an organisation that has achieved much growth in recent years, more than doubling our size, we are relatively well-positioned to ride the crisis.
But like other charities, we have had to postpone and cancel key activities — in our case, our largest ever supporter trip to Israel and our educational events.
We are also considering how we “batten down the hatches” as we anticipate a reduction in income, adapt to home working, consider government support such as the furlough scheme — and, crucially, how we switch from events and face-to-face meetings to the digital realm.
We are listening to our supporters to understand their needs. Many people’s economic situations are worsening.
Our initial concern was that in this reality, our supporters would have limited appetite to engage with our work, located as it is in Israel and often dealing with longer-term issues such as Jewish-Arab partnership, equality and democracy.
However, this concern seems to have been misplaced, given the high levels of participation in our initial digital events and the response to our communications.
That being said, we are remaining cautious and regularly reviewing our operations and cash-flow. My trustees are keen to avoid job losses while, at the same time, not spending too much in the UK that we cannot meet our commitments to fund projects in Israel, or eat too far into our financial reserves.
As a result, we are implementing a series of short-term savings measures. These include not replacing staff who left earlier this year, asking staff members to reduce their hours and pay cuts for our leadership.
Looking forward, we need to plan in a period of uncertainty. For instance, our flagship event, our Human Rights Awards Dinner, is in the diary for November.
This is crucial for our fundraising year and for our community-building work (we hold a series of events around the dinner; for example, in shuls and for younger audiences).
We are considering how we may need to adapt if restrictions are in place, or simply because sentiment has shifted.
Do we plan for a scaled-back event? Think of creative digital alternatives? Or simply postpone into the New Year? We are acutely aware that we should not make this decision in a vacuum. We feel for other charities which have had to cancel their annual fundraisers. How do we proceed with a sense of fairness to these organisations?
For community members, how do we make sure they are not inundated with invites and requests? And for our beneficiaries in Israel, how do we ensure their needs are met?
As we work through this challenging time, I have been inspired by the sense of solidarity within the New Israel Fund family, among our funders and supporters, and across the Jewish community.
On a personal note, my feeling at being part of a group of charity leaders who are finding ways to share and collaborate at this point of crisis is profound. I am also encouraged by the scores of supporters who have been picking up the phone to see how we are doing, both as NIF and as individuals.
Adam Ognall is chief executive of the New Israel Fund UK
