While Israeli security forces operate on the front lines, a familiar process unfolds on the home front: nonprofits, volunteers and social organizations mobilize to provide assistance to evacuees, casualties and anyone in need of support. This is already the third crisis in five years in which Israel’s civilian infrastructure bears a heavy burden. As the home front contends with the reality of war, it is the nonprofits, volunteers and social organizations that hold people together. But they cannot continue to do so alone.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits provided food, mental health support and services for populations in need — all during a period when donations plummeted and a third of nonprofits froze their operations, according to survey data. On Oct. 7, 2023, civil society rose within hours, while state mechanisms struggled to organize. In June 2025, during the previous operation against Iran, nonprofits already seasoned after nearly two years of war were operating on the ground – but by then, deep burnout had already set in.
The numbers don’t lie. In a Knesset Finance Committee session in November 2023, just one month into the Swords of Iron war, the committee chair declared that the welfare of many Israeli citizens depends at least 50% on “the third sector,” the Israeli term for civil society. That same discussion revealed that of the roughly 100 billion shekels in total third-sector expenditure, only 4% was coming from direct government funding.
The past few years have shown that the best outcomes emerge when all sectors work together. Over two years of war, major banks established funds totalling hundreds of millions of shekels for the reconstruction of southern and northern Israel, alongside direct donations to those affected. Tech companies provided equipment and infrastructure, and international philanthropy channelled billions of shekels into Israel.
Yet ad hoc cooperation during wartime is not enough. After more than a decade of working to bridge sectors — government, business and nonprofits — what we see time and again is that when there is a permanent infrastructure for collaboration, with shared data and impact measurement, resources are used wisely and spontaneous mobilization doesn’t erode.
First, the government must recognize the social sector as national emergency infrastructure – not an appendage, but a full partner with dedicated funding and strategic planning. Nonprofits doing life-saving work cannot function without stable cash flow. During emergencies especially, when demand for services spikes, they should receive advance payments so they can act from the very first moment.
Second, dedicated emergency funds should be established that activate immediately when war breaks out. Third, nonprofits need tools that enable data-driven, outcomes-based decision-making, not intuition. Fourth, tax incentives for donors must be expanded.
And fifth, perhaps most importantly, a permanent infrastructure for cross-sector collaboration must be built: a mechanism connecting government, business and nonprofits for joint action, not only in wartime but in its aftermath as well — and above all, in the routine preparation that comes before.
I write these words as nonprofits, after two and a half years of continuous war since October 2023, are once again called upon for an extraordinary effort. Israeli citizens prove time and again that they know how to mobilize. Now the time has come for the state, the business sector and philanthropy to mobilize together, structurally and professionally, for the organizations that hold society together when it needs them most.
Yaron Neudorfer is the co-founder and CEO of SFI Group, which works to address Israel’s social challenges through cross-sector collaboration and data-driven solutions.