Where Your Tzedakah to Israel Really Goes
On this episode of The Daniel Mael Show, an open-minded, in-depth conversation about how Jewish and Israel-related philanthropy actually works, Daniel Mael sits down with Arnie Draiman of Draiman Consulting. Draiman is a philanthropic consultant who, for the past 30 years, has helped donors, philanthropists, and foundations give to nonprofits, mostly in Israel, doing on-the-ground due diligence as a financial consultant in the nonprofit world. Draiman walks through a problem many donors never see on a Form 990: if an American Friends group takes 15 percent overhead and the Israeli organization takes another 15 percent, a $100 gift can be only $66 before any program work begins. He argues that about 99 percent of nonprofits do good work, but that is not enough; they also have to be run like a business. He is skeptical of GuideStar/Candid and Charity Navigator star ratings, warns that some Israeli certification schemes are paid for by the groups being rated, and says professional fundraisers are not supposed to work on commission. When a telemarketer calls, he says the first question should be whether you are speaking to a call center, because those operations can keep 50, 60, even 80 percent of the gift. He grounds that duty of care in Maimonides, who wrote that one must be more careful in giving tzedakah than in any other positive commandment. The conversation also covers galas that lose money, large cash reserves sitting beside "emergency" campaigns, oversized ceremonial boards, and what reasonable overhead really means. Before October 7, Draiman had reviewed nearly 1,000 organizations in Israel and could recommend only about 70 to 80. He closes with Bat Melech, a quiet Israeli shelter network for women, and points people to batmelech.org and draimanconsulting.com. Please LIKE and Subscribe to spread the word.
