The Israel on Campus Coalition role in the Zionist network

The Reut institute report about the Delegitimization Network (DN) concludes that it takes a network to fight a network. Therefore, in order to answer the challenge created by the DN, a Zionist network that incorporates supporters of the Jewish people’s right for self-determination should be established. A network is the sum of its hubs and catalysts, and the tasks of the Zionist network stakeholders are to strengthen its hubs and to develop its catalysts. A hub of the Zionist network will provide its stakeholders opportunities better connect, to share information, and to promote their common goals together.

Currently, the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) provides services similar to those of its members, for example Israel advocacy training, the creation of Israel advocacy resource guides, and campus leaders missions to Israel. This overlap derails the ICC from its potential to be the main campus hub because instead of serving its members, the ICC competes with its members over financial resources. The ICC is the natural candidate to become the campus hub for the Zionist network because of its connections with other Jewish agencies, but in order to become the campus hub the ICC will have to change its organizational structure from a coalition into a hub. A hub is not committed to the politics necessary to keep a coalition, instead it is committed to promote programs that support to the Jewish people’s right for self-determination.
As the campus hub of the Zionist network, the ICC's new core functions should be the following:

• To foster innovation in the field of Israel advocacy on campus
• To provide communication among the different nods of the Zionist network
• To provide information about best practice

In order to foster innovation the ICC should become a grant giving organization, providing grants to Israel advocacy on campus. ICC should provide grants to programs that spark positive change in Zionist programming, and grants should be given to successful programs according to predetermined and transparent criteria. The grants should be classified as macro grants and micro grants. Macro grants will be given to organizations and micro grants will be given individuals that promote Israel on campus. The grants should create the financial incentive to be part of this network.

Emulating Darwin's “survival of the fittest,” the core of the new ICC tools for program evaluation should lead to an evolutionary process of Zionist programs on campus. The ICC staff will be able to recognize the active ingredients of successful programs, the ICC website will provide information about best practices, while social media tools can be used to publicize current events. The ICC reputation for fostering innovation and evaluation will allow it to become a quality standards institution for Zionist programs, attracting independent philanthropists and foundation professionals to channel grants through the organization. The successful implementation of the ICC new core functions will position the organization as a hub, connecting nodes passionate about changing the way Israel is presented on campus.