When a crisis erupts, traditional philanthropy rushes to cover the immediate basics: food, medical supplies, and temporary shelter. These short-term interventions are essential, but they often miss a deeper, quieter emergency that unfolds beneath the surface. In the wake of trauma and prolonged instability, mental health crises spike exponentially, exposing gaps that standard government pipelines can take years to address.
True crisis leadership requires something more dynamic: agile philanthropy.
Agile philanthropy is the practice of moving beyond simple emergency checks to actively co-develop, launch, and sustain specialized, long-term interventions precisely when and where they are needed most. A prime model of this approach can be found in the partnership between ELI – The Association for Israel Child Protection and The Jewish Federation of Broward County.
Years ago, Broward didn’t just offer financial aid. They helped co-develop a strategic framework to protect young Israeli women serving. These young service members face unprecedented pressure, especially during extended wartime operations.
Alarmingly, past data and Comptroller reports have shown that roughly one in three female service members experiences sexual harassment or abuse. That’s a statistic driven higher by the compound stress of the pandemic and ongoing wars and conflicts.
Because war reactivates past trauma and creates severe emotional strain, specialized intervention is critical. As the only civilian organization permitted to provide these specific services within military ranks, ELI recognized that treating individuals was only half the battle. We needed to change the organization’s internal culture.
While we are very grateful to other funders of the program, Broward’s sustained, visionary support enabled ELI to build a multi-pronged, systemic solution within the armed forces:
- Direct Therapeutic Intervention: Providing specialized trauma therapy to abused soldiers (the majority of whom are young women).
- Mental Health Officer Supervision: Equipping military mental health professionals with the specialized tools needed to handle complex sexual abuse cases.
- Targeted Officer Awareness: Teaching commanders across units to recognize red flags, support victims, and report incidents.
- Quality-of-Life Officer training: Providing intensive training to female officers responsible for soldier welfare, supported by a network of Jewish women’s foundations, and including the "Train the Trainers" program supported by Broward.
This "train the trainer" model creates a powerful force-multiplier effect. By deeply training a cohort of 20 Quality-of-Life Officers, who each train around 100 officers, we effectively extend protection and awareness to roughly 5,000 service members.
The results speak for themselves. Female soldiers who once suffered in silence are now reporting incidents with courage and guiding their peers. Crucially, the training has even empowered some Quality-of-Life Officers to recognize and heal from their own past traumas. When these young women eventually complete their military service, they carry these tools into civilian life, serving as lifelong advocates for safety and accountability across Israeli society.
Government frameworks are vital for systemic stability, but agile philanthropic partners provide the speed, flexibility, and sustained commitment required to solve complex social crises in real time.
Eran Zimrin is the CEO of ELI – Israel Association for Child Protection, founded in 1979 to prevent and treat child abuse in Israel. To learn more or support our mission, visit eli-usa.org.