How it started

I founded myisrael three years after making aliyah from London.

I wanted to create a charity that would be transparent and personal and that would inspire donors in the UK to give more directly to Israel and to give with conviction and care.

I always felt that my own charitable donations were not significant enough to really make a difference. I couldn't really imagine that they would have a real impact on someone else's life and I felt that the entire process of giving was generally an impersonal one. I wanted a greater understanding of where my money was going. I wanted to know that the recipient organisation was worthy, efficient and honest...

But the truth is that I never took the time to check it out. I was always focusing on something else. I put my faith in the recipient organisation and I felt better once I had made the donation as it was then up to someone else to do the 'right thing' with it.

In fact, if I am totally honest, I would spend more time choosing the right mobile phone, washing machine or little black dress, than I would deciding where my charitable donations would go. Usually, I was thankful when someone sent a request for me to sponsor them in a fundraising event, and although I did donate through my salary at work, I never did increase the amount when my salary rose. no-one asked me to.

Coming to Israel, my approach to life changed. I had taken myself out of the commercial world in London and suddenly I was living in the Jewish homeland, a place that I had a strong emotional attachment to and that I deeply cared about. I cared about the people and the birds and the buildings. I wanted it to be clean and friendly and I didn't want to see any homeless people in the doorways. I certainly didn't want to believe that there were people in Israel without enough food to eat, women being beaten and sexually abused, immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia who were not given equal opportunities in the work place, disabled kids who did not have access to a computer, even though it could be their major life-line. The list goes on.

I slowly realised that there was a way to help people become more involved in giving charity to Israel and that by using my skills, passion and commitment I (with a lot of help from my friends) could create a simple process that would help educate the UK community about some of the social problems affecting Israeli society and offer a way for people to donate directly and with confidence.

The concept was myisrael and the process is the one you see before you.

It has taken a long time to work out the best way of evaluating projects, communicating the information effectively and getting our message across.

I am extremely fortunate to have so many people around me who believed in this project and lent their time, skills and expertise to help make it happen.

Thank you, in no particular order to: Mario Budwig - for his constant encouragement and time and for making me realise that this was possible; Joel Plasco for committing funds right at the start; Lionel Deyong for his time, patience, financial skills and for always having the right answer, Danny Siegel for believing in this from the start, Arnie Draiman for being my mentor on all things charity related and more, Tracy Blacher for trawling through pages of copy, Arlette Garcia for her organisational advice and design talent, Caryn Green for explaining things from the other side of the fence, Mandy Morris for donating her time and skills in producing our video, Simon Carmel for being the best legal advisor ever, Gabrielle Henry for spending hours visiting projects and talking through ideas; Katy Hemmings - for being my media advisor, Doreen Natoff - for her administrative skills, Charlotte Fox for her enthusiasm and constant support and to my mum and dad who have been there from the start, for their time, encouragement and straight talking.

That is the story behind myisrael. Please help us realise our goals, help those who need it and inspire others to get involved.

Danielle Franks, Founder and Chief Executive