User:Ovedc/Ruach Tova

Ruach Tova (Hebrew for Good Spirit) is a nonprofit organization that connects people who want to volunteer with nonprofits and organizations that need volunteers. The nonprofit operates under the umbrella of the Arison Group, owned by Shari Arison, and it holds the largest pool of volunteering opportunities in Israel.

History
Ruah Tova was founded in 1996 by Irit Atzmon and a group of partners. In 2002, Rafi Elul was appointed to serve as Chairman of the nonprofit, and in 2003 Ruach Tova received the support of The Ted Arison Family Foundation.

Since 2008, the nonprofit is part of the Arison Group.

Mode of Operation
Ruach Tova maintains an extensive volunteering database, the largest in Israel, which brings together nonprofits, organizations, and public institutions that operate in diverse fields in Israel and who update their volunteering needs at any given moment.

As of 2021, Ruach Tova offers thousands of opportunities for volunteering. The process of connecting between volunteers and organizations is carried out both on the Ruach Tova website, where volunteering opportunities can be filtered by various criteria such as location, field, and scope, and through the nonprofit's call center. Ruach Tova also operates to develop the field of corporate volunteerism, offering to put companies in touch with volunteering programs for their employees through the nonprofit's Corporate Volunteering Department.

Other Ruach Tova divisions include the Local Authorities Department, which liaisons with municipal bodies in Israel to connect volunteers with social and community initiatives within the various sectors of these local authorities.

Ruach Tova also promotes volunteering in the Arab sector through its Arab Society Department, in collaboration with municipal bodies and social organizations in the Israeli-Arab sector.

Good Deeds Day Vision Venture
Good Deeds Day is a peak event of year-round activities run by the nonprofit Ruach Tova of the Arison Group. The day originated in Israel, and its goal is to encourage people worldwide to do good deeds for the benefit of society, the community, and the environment. Good Deeds Day began in 2007, and is the initiative of businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison. The key idea behind this day, is to encourage every person to do a good deed, from smiling at someone to leading large-scale initiatives that have a positive impact on people and the environment.

As of 2022, millions of people participated in 109 countries worldwide.

Good Deeds Day has been criticized in the past for the fact that good deeds are not a matter of a single one-day activity, but more of an ongoing behavior. Since then, the venture has expanded to include year-round activities. }}

Kulanana Initiative
Kulanana is an initiative aimed at strengthening the cohesion of Israeli society, through the establishment of a community of nonprofits that promotes a more just society for all citizens of the State of Israel.

The initiative was first developed by Merhavim - the Institute for the Promotion of Shared Citizenship in Israel, and was adopted by The Ted Arison Family Foundation at the end of 2014. Since then, Kulanana has been managed by Ruach Tova in partnership with Merhavim, with the support of a growing community of foundations.

Kulanan ended its operations in 2018, and the Social Cohesion Program was initiated in its place.

The Social Cohesion Program
The Social Cohesion Program was founded in 2018 as an initiative of The Ted Arison Family Foundation, in partnership with Merhavim institute and the nonprofit Ruach Tova of the Arison Group. It aims to strengthen the cohesion of Israeli society through organizations in the public, business, and social sectors, which send representatives to be the program's participants.

The products of the program include an in-depth and accurate understanding of the concept of social cohesion (based on a model, systematic approach, and experiential workshops), and a long-term organizational action-plan tailored for each participating organization.

The program has three main components: a cycle of ten full-day encounters held every two weeks, personal support in formulating an action plan and its implementation in the organizations, and the creation of a community that participants join at the end of their program encounters.

As of 2023, the community has some 160 graduates.

Design for Change Program
Design for Change is an international educational program that aims to empower children and youth to believe in their ability to create positive change in their environment. The program is implemented in some 50 countries worldwide, and was brought to Israel in 2011. Since then, the program is run by Ruach Tova and implemented in hundreds of schools nationwide, with the recommendation of the Ministry of Education. The products of the program are social/community projects in the fields of environmental protection, violence prevention, health, welfare, nutrition, community integration, and more.

Design for Change fosters social activity, strengthens the sense of self competence, and enables students to initiate, plan, and create significant change for themselves. The results of the process are submitted to the Design Change Challenge national competition, in which a group is selected to represent Israel at an international conference.