Applications for the 2008 ROI Summit, taking place in Jerusalem from the 15th to the 19th of June are now open. Join 120 young innovators and leaders for 4 days of networking, skill-building and inspiration. Think you got what it takes? Apply today! Deadline for applications is Friday, March 28th. About the ROI Community: ROI is an international partnership between Taglit-Birthright Israel and the Center for Leadership Initiatives, a U.S. based foundation with funding from Lynn Schusterman. Click the logo for a video made at last year's Summit and check this really great post on Jewlicious for a first-hand view.

Being launched this evening in the U.K. is Michael Edwards pamphlet... Just Another Emperor? The Myths and Realities of Philanthrocapitalism From his preface..."A new movement is afoot that promises to save the world by revolutionizing philanthropy, making non-profit organizations operate like business, and creating new markets for goods and services that benefit society. Nick-named “philanthrocapitalism” for short, its supporters believe that business principles can be successfully combined with the search for social transformation. The stakes are very high. Fifty-five trillion dollars in philanthropic resources are expected to be created in the United States alone in the next forty years. It matters whether these vast resources are used to pursue social transformation or just to address the symptoms of global problems. And for the ...

Also speaking at yesterday's inaugural conference at The Center for the Study of Philanthropy in Israel was Professor Baruch Shimoni of Hebrew U. on his recently released paper, Business and New Philanthropy in Israel: Ethnography of Mega Donors. Dr. Shimoni's paper assumes "that philanthropy in Israel is undergoing a process of change, engineered mainly by a new generation of donors with vast experience in the business sector..." Like a number of social innovators we hear about, Dr. Shimoni continues... "It would seem that the members of this group represent a shift from spontaneous, personal, romantic philanthropy based on charity to the poor, to “rational philanthropy” which is characterized by the personal involvement of donors ...

"Ideas are scarcer than money; talent is scarcer than ideas"

With these words, Professor Leslie Lenkowsky ended his presentation earlier today at the inaugural conference hosted by The Center for the Study of Philanthropy in Israel at Hebrew University. Dr. Lenkowsky, Director of Graduate Programs at The Center on Philanthropy (Indiana University) spoke eloquently to the (mostly) academic attendees, focusing largely on who gives, why they give and how they give. And the most important reason for giving: "people are asked". Sounds simple; but we tend to forget this all to often. Dr. Lenkowsky continued, "Done properly, philanthropy creates a bond between the giver and receiver". Many were also surprised to ...

If you are a regular reader of eJewish Philanthropy, you probably know most of those involved in bringing this endeavor to fruition live in Jerusalem. And while we have a relatively narrow focus on this site, and a desire to remain out of anything even remotely political, the murder of the eight students in the heart of Jerusalem has touched us all. Hence, some blog posts last Thursday night and Friday morning. And this one. Today, the Jewish Agency for Israel announced a

Worldwide Mobilization in Memory of the Victims

In the wake of the horrific massacre of 8 innocent Israeli high school students and young adults on Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, Thursday night [6th March ...

The Pleasure of Your Company is Requested... To commemorate 13 years since the establishment of Mavoi Satum, and in honor of "Yom HaAguna," which takes place on the Fast of Esther, Mavoi Satum continues their annual tradition of co-sponsoring the "Women and Religion" film festival with the Jerusalem Cinematheque. This two-day festival will include film screenings, lectures, and discussions. The films that will be screened at the festival present different facets and aspects of the interaction between women and religion, including: women's place in the religious sphere; women's struggles with religion and the dilemmas women face in religious contexts; religion as a source of inspiration and creativity for women and more.

You are all warmly invited ...

Writing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Jeff Brooks asks us... Does your newsletter (and/or website) contain any of the following?

• News about back-office staff.
• Photo of well-heeled donor presenting a giant check to your organization.
• Photos of people standing around (possibly holding wine glasses) at your fundraising event.
• Articles whose sole purpose is to educate donors.

If you answered yes to any of these, your organization may suffer from Nonprofit Navel-Gazing Syndrome (NPNGS). This condition causes nonprofits to believe that their own understanding of the world must be shared by others—especially donors. This leads to a lack of respect for donors who “don’t get it.” This elitist attitude prevents effective fundraising. continue reading here We do not necessarily agree with Jeff and as you can ...

ShaBot 6000, the continuing cartoon saga of a pious Jew who purchases a robot to work as the Shabbos Goy for his household. The inquisitive robot, ShaBot, decides that he is Jewish, and is therefore unable to fulfill his duties as servant. ShaBot spends his days asking questions about Judaism, trying to find logic in a religion that sometimes just DOES NOT COMPUTE. ShaBot 6000 a comic strip for the 21st century. for more ShaBot 6000, check these previous posts... In the Closet, Out of Line, The Next Level Chodesh Tov.

The City is particularly quiet this morning; especially for a Friday. Despite the glorious early summer weather, the normal hustle and bustle of pre-Shabbat is missing. Almost like Jerusalem woke-up today wrapped in a cocoon. Police and the IDF are visibly in abundance; the City is devoid of horn-honking drivers. Actually, it is somewhat devoid of cars in general. Kikar Zion, the regular Friday gathering place for the thousands of 'gap year' students, is pretty empty. Cafe Neeman, at the site of the old Sabarro's, has a half-dozen fully armed soldiers watching the entrance way. Machane Yehuda resembles Sunday afternoon, not Friday noon. My florist (located deep inside the shuk) told me business was off 50% this morning. With their usual efficiency, I watched ...

(last update 8:10 am Friday, IST) Eight people were confirmed dead in a terror attack at Merkaz Harav Yeshiva, near the entrance to Jerusalem last night. According to Channel 2, the "Galilee Freedom Brigades", which claimed responsibility for the attack, is a Hizbullah-affiliated organization. Three of the wounded in the attack at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood were in serious condition, and taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Karem. The other six were lightly hurt and taken to Sha'arei Tzedek Medical Center. Jerusalem District police chief Aharon Franco said the terrorist entered the building, pulled out an automatic weapon and began firing in every direction. Witnesses said he managed to fire 500-600 bullets over ...