The Practice of Venture Philanthropy: Lessons Learned Benny Levin

1. The Practice of Venture Philanthropy: Lessons Learned Benny Levin Membership Meetings May 2006 Venture practices to better Israel

2. Bringing Venture Philanthropy to Israel • IVN’s original mandate in the field of education was to raise student achievement while advancing management capabilities within the system. • IVN also aims to create a platform for members to become actively involved in venture philanthropy in Israel.

3. IVN’s First Steps • Focus on: • the periphery • improving student achievements in core languages • direct membership involvement in the field

4. Lessons Learned from Experience in the Field • Need for increased professionalism in the existing public sector due to a lack of: • Advanced tools to measure where there are problems • Proper management of existing resources • Coordination between local and national policy-makers • Focus and prioritization based on reliable data

5. IVN’s Response • Integrative approach that focuses on empowerment of existing leadership using advanced management tools: • Focusing on the role of the integrator • Creating joint forums with existing municipal & national leaders • Management training • Establishment of Information, Measurement & Evaluation Units • Municipal mapping and data-driven decision making

6. Significant Results • Signs of change in management culture: • Municipal-wide mapping of student achievements • Requests for Measurement & Evaluation • Requests for advanced management tools • Municipal Intervention serves as an incubator for other IVN initiatives. • Potential for synergy between initiatives.

7. IVN’s strategic initiatives today

8. Areas for Improvement • Members engagement • Fundraising

9. Strategic Initiative Highlights 2005-6

10. Municipal Intervention • Growing evidence that the EI is valued by our partners. • The Information, Measurement, and Evaluation Units constitute a major tool for data-based management and achieving sustainable change. • For the first time, there have been municipal-wide mappings of student achievements in core subjects. • Significant improvement in student achievements.

11. Example of city-wide mapping

12. Example of core language results • Year-end results show both significant student achievement and reduction of gaps in mathematics between students in 3rd, 4th & 6th grades in Kiryat Shemona, who began the year in the weakest section of the class.

13. Shay Ben-Yaish, Deputy Mayor of Sderot • "It is only through education that true social change can be achieved… I had a vision for the education system in Sderot, but I did not know what to do, how to create a plan, how to define the objectives. Through the Education Initiative, IVN's representatives helped me to put a concrete work plan in place and they are our partners in facilitating its implementation."

14. Principal training • Developed, implemented and received positive feedback on a unique course that brings universal management techniques to the field of education. • Evidence of change in management culture within the schools. Jacqueline Namer, School Principal Training Course Participant

15. Active Citizenship The active citizenship program was launched during the 2004-5 school year as a pilot in the development town of Sderot and is currently being taught to @1400 students. • Positioned citizenship as a core language • Solidified the connection between civics and social action: • Campaigning for student council elections while learning about elections as an expression of democratic principles. • An elementary school initiative for renewing an animal center while learning about civic participation. • A school environment renewal project through art with the renowned Bezalel Art Academy and local artists.

16. IsraCorps Action Center • Identified the disconnect between volunteers and those they came to serve; developed a response. • Created a high-level training program to maximize volunteer time. • In 2005-6, IsraCorps trained nearly 400 volunteers in 32 municipalities throughout the country including more than 150 volunteers from the periphery.

17. SE Fellowships • Received over 259 applications for the 2005-6 fellowships, up from 65 the year before; and selected 4 new Fellows and Mentors. SE Fellow Chaim Fox-Emmett

18. StartUp Jerusalem • Recruitment of the SUJ Board and Staff • Attaining commitment of Prof. Michael E. Porter to serve as Honorary Chair • Establishment of strategic partnerships with private sector organizations • Development of strong working relationships with the national government • Preparation and Launching of Cluster Initiatives

19. Bringing business practices to better philanthropy • “The new approach to philanthropy is ‘strategic’, ‘market-conscious’, ‘knowledge-based’ and often ‘high-engagement,’ and always involves maximizing the ‘leverage’ of the donor’s money.” – The Economist

20. IVN’s Current Positioning • Empowerment of the community while building management skills • Build & support social leadership • The unique approach to IVN: • Provide tools for data-driven decision-making • Active membership base • Strategic partnerships

21. What we need to succeed • Membership involvement combined with financial commitment IVN Member Heli Ben-Nun