Alyn Hospital and Zichron Menachem, two of Israel’s medical nonprofit organizations, reported significant declines in donations amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Both organizations said they could potentially see a 25% decrease in donations in 2024, linking the decline to shifting of donations to support the war effort.
Alyn Hospital, a rehabilitation center for children and adolescents, specializes in the rehabilitation and diagnosis of congenital and acquired physical disabilities. The hospital is heavily reliant on donations.
“Each year, we treat thousands of children, but the substantial investment in skilled staff and advanced equipment is not reflected in the funding we receive [from Israel’s health maintenance organizations] or in the decisions made by the Health Ministry, which regulates all prices,” said Alyn Hospital Director Dr. Maurit Beeri.
“We are currently lacking more than NIS 14 million to maintain regular hospital operations and pay annual salaries, and this does not include the need for rehabilitation equipment, advanced digital systems, and building upgrades,” said Beeri, highlighting the severity of the impact.“Public attention, understandably, was focused on supporting the war effort. We tried to convey that the children still need ongoing rehabilitation and care, even during wartime, and that the hospital remained open even under bombardments – but the only aid we received was in the form of improved fortifications. And who will cover the ongoing needs?” she asked.
Zichron Menachem has seen 11% drop in donors
Zichron Menachem, which provides support to children with cancer and their families, said that they have seen an 11% drop in donors with a 25% decline in revenue donated this year.“The war has caused most of the donations from Israel and abroad to be directed towards organizations focused on supporting the war effort – a completely legitimate trend but also problematic for us,” said Chaim Ehrenthal, founder and director of the organization.He highlighted that this has exacerbated a situation that began during the coronavirus pandemic.“Following the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to return to regular donation levels, and now the situation has only worsened. From this weakened position, we are facing another decline.”“We are seeing that most donations, both from Israel and abroad, are being channeled towards other essential organizations on the front lines of war-related efforts – such as ZAKA, Magen David Adom, associations supporting soldiers, widows, or the wounded – and all of this leads to a decline in donations to organizations not directly linked to the war,” he added.This is at a time when the organization has had to expand its work as the war has impacted families of children with cancer, meaning they need more support.“Many families where the father has been called up for reserve duty require additional assistance. We are currently running eight support groups for families, and we cannot simply stop operations due to a lack of funding because these children and families need us now more than ever.”For the first time in its history, the organization has been forced to start asking those who have previously benefited from their services for donations.