OUR STORY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE STATEMENT 1

OUR STORY 3

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

MISSION AND STRATEGY 7

METHODOLOGY 9

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW 11

TRAININGS AND ACTIVITIES 13

FUNDRAISING & BUDGET 15

EXECUTIVE STATEMENT

Dear Friends,

Darkenu is about hope; Darkenu is about taking responsibility;

Darkenu is about changing our reality. But more than anything
else, Darkenu is about making sure that the moderates seize
back the agenda, allowing the path toward two states to

Our movement Darkenu is both new and old. It is old because it

is rooted in the organization OneVoice, which was established in
2002 in order to amplify the voice of moderates and help achieve
a two-state solution. It is new, because it reinvented itself in 2015
to become a critical actor within Israeli civil society, after running

become clear once more.

Come and join us, walk the path with us and raise your voice
through us.

the largest Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign Israel has ever seen
in the 2015 General Election.

Polly Bronstein
CEO, Darkenu

The campaign, named Victory-2015 or just V15, harnessed

international best-in-class GOTV methodologies, and in the process
created one of the largest networks of moderates in Israeli history.
V15 aimed to encourage Israelis to vote for parties that will promote
the values we believe represent the moderate camp in Israel: two
states for two peoples; Israel as a homeland of the Jewish people
and a democratic state for all of its citizens; social justice and civil
solidarity; and a principled fight against the extremism and racism
which we have all seen flourish in recent years.
The campaign didnt result in a better government, but it did
mobilize hundreds of thousands of Israelis to become active, many
of them volunteering for the first time in their lives. It inspired
people to believe that a better Israel is possible one at peace with
its neighbors and with itself but only if they work to help build it.
It is this vision that has underwritten the fusion of OneVoice Israel
and V15 to create a new entity, Darkenu, which we believe is even
greater than the sum of its parts.
Darkenumeaning both our path and through us is a
grassroots movement that represents almost 200,000 moderate
Israelis from across the country, and it is growing exponentially,
facilitating Israelis to get together, collaborate and organize: in their
living rooms, in bars, in universities, in shopping malls, where they
work, where they spend their free time. Everywhere.

OUR STORY FROM ONEVOICE & V15 TO DARKENU

After running the election campaign in 2015 as V15, OneVoice

Israel found itself in a new situation, and with an organizationally
unprecedented opportunity. It had:
Extremely motivated, skilled and

experienced staff
New and professional methodologies for

fieldwork, not seen elsewhere in Israel
A huge database of almost 200,000 people
18,000 of whom volunteered during the election
New, extremely effective digital tools to

communicate and mobilize masses
A very committed and involved board, drawn

from Israels security, commercial and civil elite
Brand recognition, far greater than at any time in

OneVoices history
The path became clear: it was our responsibility our obligation as
Zionists to deploy these resources and the incredible expertise
generated during the election campaign toward addressing the
grave underlying threats that, if left to proceed on their current
trajectory, genuinely risk destroying everything that has been
built here. This stark reality, and the historic opportunity we were
presented with, brought a broad understanding of board members,
activists, staff, supporters and partners. OneVoice Israel and V15
merged to create a movement that reflects the goals and vision of
both organizations.
Darkenu is a Zionist, patriotic movement of Israelis who
believe the only way for Israel to become the homeland that
they dreamed and prayed for, is by taking responsibility and
working to create a two-states reality. The two-states solution
is necessary to secure Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish
people and a democratic state for all of its citizens.

3
1

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

For the past few months, Israel is in the midst of an ongoing

terror wave. On an almost daily basis Israeli citizens are attacked.
Sometimes with a knife, sometimes with a gun, sometimes run over
by a car. These attacks can happen whether you are in Tel Aviv, Gush
Etzion, or Jerusalem. At the same time, the people of the Western
Negev live with the daily fear of rocket attacks, and the sound of
terror tunnels being dug beneath their feet. The backdrop to this
horrific and unsustainable reality is a political leadership that has
spent almost a decade managing the conflict, rather than making
a good faith effort to resolve it. All the while, Israelis pay the price of
this strategy: the loss of life, the psychological damage to children
on the Gaza border, the financial drain, the international isolation
and the gradual erosion of hope that things can change.
We have been taught and trained for years to believe that this is
how things have to be - We live in a dangerous neighborhood; we
have no partner to make an agreement with; we must live by the
sword forever. We are here to prove these axioms wrong.
This is where Darkenus core philosophy comes in. We want
people to believe that it is in our power to make a difference,
that this very impulse is what built Israel from a dream into a
reality, and that there is nothing Am Yisrael cannot achieve if
only they set their minds to it. We dont have to wait for the
policy makers to save us, for the perfect partner, or for the
messiah to come. Together, we can begin to change Israel for
the better, design our future and build a two-state reality.

OUR MISSION AND STRATEGY

Darkenu is building a grassroots movement that is a major

force within the Israeli public sphere. It will redefine, build,
mobilize, expand and lead a moderate camp in Israel, which
promotes our core values: two states for two people, Israel as

Darkenu an Israeli movement of Israelis

Darkenu is about Israelis working together to make Israel reach
its potential and solve its greatest problems. We want Israelis
to volunteer, be active, talk to each other, lead, donate and

a homeland to the Jewish people and a democratic state for all

of its citizens, anti-extremism and civil solidarity.

take ownership.

A Broader Agenda
The ongoing conflict affects everything we care about in Israel.
The country cannot achieve its potential without it being resolved.
Darkenu sees the potential inherent in Israel, in the Israeli people,
and understands what needs to change in order for us to get there.

CREATING
THE MODERATE CAMP
A BROADER
AGENDA

BREAKING
LEFT&RIGHT
PARADIGMS

Creating the Moderate Camp

We strive to build a moderate camp that will embody a solid home
for moderates from all over the political spectrum. We want to be
the common ground that Israelis can rally around in order to achieve
a sense of control and influence over their future.
Breaking Left and Right Paradigms
We want to break the paradigms of left and right and create a new
language that will embrace diverse audiences. It's not about right
and left for us - it's about what people from the moderate right
and the moderate left have in common, and the kind of country
we want to create together.

DARKENU
AN ISRAELI MOVEMENT
OF ISRAELIS

Becoming a Major Player in Israeli Public Sphere

To become effective and to be able to make a real change in peoples
opinions, we must become a dominant player in the public sphere.
We are aiming to mobilize tens of thousands of people behind
our calls to action and have hundreds of thousands join in our
largest initiatives.

BECOMING A MAJOR
PLAYER IN ISRAELI
PUBLIC SPHERE

OUR METHODOLOGY

We target 800,000 Israelis who voted center and

center-right in recent elections
Sophisticated data analysis helps us identify the best
locations to work in, allowing us to reach our target audience
with great precision, and develop messages that will appeal

The ladder of engagement shows the path of progress for every

person recruited to the movement.

to their worldview
We measure success using two main parameters:
increasing our database by 100,000 new members from
our target audiences in 2016, and a pre and post
research of public opinions

HUNDREDS
OF ORGANIZERS

THOUSANDS
OF TRAINED VOLUNTEERS
AND ACTIVISTS

HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?

TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE ATTENDING EVENTS,
HANGING SIGNS ON THEIR
HOMES, SHARING ONLINE

Running trainings for activists all over Israel

Going door to door
Running house parties
Mass demonstrations
Phone banking
Events in bars, coffee-shops and community centers
Street stalls and stands everywhere
On-campus activity
Media interviews and coverage
Constantly demonstrating around the country

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE SIGNING
PLEDGE-CARDS, AND
JOINING THE MOVEMENT.

10

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW

FOREVER STRONG (LEOLAM HOSEN)

A year-long effort to redefine Israels security interests and
re-imagine the future of Israel.
PHASE 1 January-April 2016: capacity building towards a major
strategic campaign.

Recruit, train and mobilize new audiences, around

a series of local and national mini-campaigns under the
umbrella of forever strong.
Build capacity by enlarging our base of supporters from
amongst our target audience.
Create a large coalition of movements, organizations and
leaders from a broad spectrum of Israeli society.

PHASE 2 May-December 2016: A wide coordinated campaign

designed to create a sense of urgency on the one hand, and the
viability of a solution on the other.

FOR ME, DARKENU IS ABOUT DOING.

FOR ME, ALL THIS IS NEW. I CAME FROM
THE WORLD OF BUSINESS AND DISCOVERED
THE WORLD OF ACTIVISM. I MET SO MANY
WONDERFUL PEOPLE, UNITED IN THEIR
PASSION TO MAKE ISRAEL A BETTER PLACE
FOR EVERYONE.

The campaign will be carried out through a wide coalition

from center-left to center-right; a broad-based group of
Israelis shouting enough!, and demanding a change.
The solution is currently being designed by ex-generals,
politicians, experts and scholars, and will have Israeli
security as its centerpiece.
The proposed solution will suggest that Israel doesnt
need to wait for a perfect partner, but rather can begin
building a two-state solution reality immediately through
bold, concrete steps.

David Feldstein,
Activist

* In parallel, a plan for an election campaign is also being prepared,

based on the principals of Forever Strong, and incorporating the
expertise garnered during V15. The plan is for Darkenu to execute
a major campaign once elections are announced, focusing on the
future and security of the Jewish state, essentially making the next
election a referendum on the two-state solution.

11

12

TRAININGS AND ACTIVITIES

THE PEACE AND SECURITY COURSE

LOCAL TRAININGS

Darkenus new Peace and Security course launched in late

2015, and is already a huge success, with almost 200 paying
participants attending the eight week course, and a long waiting

Throughout the year, several times a week, we hold training sessions

for activists in our seven headquarters nationwide, which have
quickly become local hubs for people who care deeply about this

list for the next semester. The course is led by author Shaul
Arieli, who is one of Israels leading experts on the demarcation
of the future Israeli-Palestinian border, and the huge success
of the first course in Tel-Aviv led us to open two more courses
in Haifa and Beer- Sheva. The course helps train hundreds of
activists who have now acquired in-depth training about the
conflict, and have a far broader understanding of the agenda
they are helping us promote, making them genuine leaders on
this issue within their communities.

issue. Activists who show interest in becoming leaders are provided

with tools to create their own groups, run effective fieldwork and
train more activists themselves. The trainings also open a door for
new initiatives, connections and for collaborative partnerships.

I BELIEVE THAT DARKENU IS A

BRAVE AND DETERMINED ATTEMPT AT
BUILDING A POWERFUL AND HOPEFUL
PUBLIC, THAT WILL WORK TOGETHER
FOR A BETTER FUTURE IN ISRAEL.

DARKENU YOUTH
Darkenu Youth is a group of active young people of high school
age, right before their induction to the army, who see our
movement as being their home for civil-political activity. Despite
their young age, these teens go around the country, recruiting
and talking to as many people as possible. They are committed,
enthusiastic, optimistic, and willing to work hard in order to
change Israel for the better and create a two-state reality.

Noam Melki,
Activist

DARKENU CYBER ARMY

In the past year, we founded and trained our very own
Cyber Army, a home for activists who have a limited amount
of time, or would prefer to be active from home. We train the
Cyber Army and provide them with the tools and messages
that allow them to influence the narrative in Israel using social
media and the Internet, combating the increasing extremism
that is prevalent in online forums.

1
13

14

FUNDRAISING

Darkenu's funding comes from private supporters from Israel

and abroad. All of our donors are people who care deeply about
the country, its people and its future.
Our resources come from:
Crowdfunding campaigns
Voluntary membership fees
Voluntary payment for activities and trainings
Donations from friends and supporters.

ANNUAL BUDGET

Darkenu's annual Budget 2016

Main HQ $360,239
Media & Digital $166,205
Field $456,090
print matirials $5,127
Trainings $116,136
Research $11,000
Campaigns $105,108
5% overhead $60,995
Total $1,280,899

15

16

OUR PARENTS
AND GRANDPARENTS BUILT
THIS COUNTRY FROM NOTHING.
FROM A DREAM. BUT THAT'S
THE PAST. IT'S UP TO OUR
GENERATION NOW TO ENSURE
THAT ISRAEL HAS A FUTURE.
Shiran Meir,
Activist
Darkenu Beer-Sheva