‘Think-tank’. ‘Research Institute’. The terms usually invoke a romantic vision, perhaps of a group of old and highly intellectual professors and professionals, sitting around a long table and discussing matters of the highest importance on the world’s agenda, culminating with sure-fire reports and advice for heads of state.
However, the reality is just a little bit different – research institutes try to advance a certain agenda based on political, social and economic worldviews held by their leaders. That, coupled with the fact that behind any research, interesting or otherwise, is a lot of mundane and sometimes even boring administrative work, my experiences paints a slightly different picture from the one described earlier.
Yet just because the day-to-day goings-on of a research institute don’t necessarily agree with the romanticised version above, it does not mean that the work isn’t challenging, dynamic and interesting. That is exactly how one would characterise the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS), a research institute established in 2000 as part of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel’s first private institute for higher education.
Introducing the IPS
The IPS’ goal is to enhance Israel’s national policy and contribute to the upgrading of its strategic decision-making process. To accomplish this, the institute utilises an interdisciplinary, integrative, comprehensive and future-oriented approach towards solving national problems.
The institute’s main activity in accomplishing its mission is through the annual Herzliya Conference, the “Davos of the Middle East” as it been called, which regularly gathers the most important figures from the political, business, military, government and academic worlds. Former US President Jimmy Carter spoke at the 2006 Herzliya Conference, while former PM of Spain José María Aznar, US Under Secretary of State Ambassador Nicholas Burns, former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter MacKay, and Professor Bernard Lewis were all noted speakers, along with Israel’s political brass.
Domestically, the Herzliya Conference has become the platform of choice for Israel’s leaders to announce major policy initiatives, most notably when former PM Ariel Sharon announced the Disengagement Plan from Gaza. This yearly tradition has become an Israeli “State of the Union” address, highly anticipated and widely covered by the local and international media outlets.
A career’s first steps
I have been with the IPS since July of 2006, arriving at the tail end of my B.A. degree in Government, Diplomacy and Strategy from the aforementioned Lauder School of Government. I managed to secure a position at the IPS thanks in part to my previous acquaintance with the Institute whilst volunteering for the annual Herzliya Conference. Having volunteered for the previous 3 conferences, as a simultaneous translator of speeches, I gained an inside perspective and met key figures. In time, this position enabled me to join the IPS staff, as part of the IPS’ International Team responsible for contact with foreign dignitaries, speakers, institutions and donors.
I was initially assigned to assist the fundraising department, an extremely important piece of the research institute puzzle. In my new capacity as assistant to director of external relations, I set about “mapping” and cataloguing masses of files that contained information about active donors (whether individuals or institutes/corporate donors), potential donors and contacts who aren’t necessarily in a position to donate directly to the institute but can assist by referring to friends and associates who may be able to do so.
The ocean and the bucket
That is essentially the heart of the monumental and never-ending task of fundraising: the key is to reach and secure an audience, one way or another, with those individuals who know someone that knows someone at the institute, may empathise with the work of the institute and what it is trying to accomplish, and, finally, are in a position to make a charitable donation. Once a meeting or lunch is set, it is up to the institute’s representatives to “close the deal.”
This goal involves lots of background work, not only in actually securing a meeting (virtually all of the donors and potential donors are extremely busy executives, government officials or political leaders of the highest echelons), a lunch or even a fundraising event. It also requires lots of preliminary research about a potential figure – who the person is, their professional background, possible political leanings, who knows them (and knows the institute) and any other pieces of relevant information that may be able to spark a conversation and create empathy towards the institute to a degree that would encourage one to donate to the institute.
Not surprisingly, fundraising work is never-ending: it closely resembles attempting to empty an ocean with a bucket. There will always be new targets and up-and-comers that arrive on the scene. However, no less important than finding new sources of support is maintaining those existing donors, to become regular donors who provide a recurring amount, year in and year out.
A worthwhile step to take
All told, the fundraising world is an engaging and dynamic area from which to break into the field of policy-making, research, advocacy or politics. It is not only a constant challenge, but also gives me an insider’s perspective into the less romantic yet arguably more important work necessary behind the scenes to ensure that research ultimately gets done.
Fundraising may also provide me with a platform to reach other areas within an organisation or as a stepping-stone to bigger and better things, such as politics, diplomacy or research positions with other NGOs. Experience gained in this capacity can also be invaluable to those wishing to advance in the academic world. Working at a research institute at a leading university certainly gives me all the tools to gain such a position to advance my academic career.
While every graduate fresh off a degree in International Relations is keen to secure a position as the UN Secretary General’s top advisor, his or her country’s Foreign Minister or as the head of a top-notch research institute, other, less glamorous opportunities abound. It should be the personal challenge of each and every one of us to embrace entry-level positions, while working diligently and striving to ensure that tomorrow’s world is (slightly) better than the one we received.
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