OUR COMMUNITY

J

ust as drips of water
over millennia can carve
out caves and canyons,
one small mitzvah multiplied
several times over can move
mountains as well.
That’s the belief of
Dr. Jonathan Donath, a
chiropractor in White
Plains, New York, who got
an epiphany in 2018 while

dropping a dollar bill into
the tzedakah box at his shul.
“No matter how much money
I give to charity, I still get a
mitzvah every time I drop a
dollar in,” he thought. “How
can I guarantee that I do this
mitzvah every day for a buck?”
He looked for an
organization that was doing
this and couldn’t find one.
So, he and a couple of his
friends had a website built
and created a nonprofit:
dailygiving.org.

“We decided we wanted to
give to a diversified portfolio
of different organizations that
were making a meaningful
impact in people’s lives. We
would pool donations and
give as a community, making
a meaningful impact by giving
together.”
Donath was a big fan of
famed author and speaker
Rabbi Paysach Krohn and
often listened to him on
TorahAnytime.com. He
reached out to Rabbi Krohn
and asked for his help. “I
wanted to get this famous
rabbi to talk about Daily
Giving the way he spoke
about TorahAnytime. My
heart was beating so fast when

I called … He was amazing,
and he loved the idea.”
With Rabbi Krohn’s help,
Donath assembled a group of
well-respected rabbis to form
a rabbinical council to vet
and approve the charities that
would receive support from
Daily Giving.
DailyGiving.org went live
on Jan. 1, 2019. To date, more
than 9,000 people from 34
countries give a dollar a day,
and the nonprofit distributes
almost $3.5 million a year. The
organization has already given
out over $4.4 million to more
than 57 Jewish organizations
so far, such as Camp HASC
(Hebrew Academy for Special
Children) Chai Lifeline,
United Hatzalah, Kids Kicking
Cancer, Magen David Adom
and Yad Eliezer, as well as
lesser-known nonprofits such
as Yad Sarah, which enables
disabled and terminally ill
people to live at home or on
their own with dignity, to
Meir Panim, which helps to
eliminate poverty across Israel.
“Let’s face it, Jews range
from Reform to Ultra-
Orthodox and there’s not a
lot we all agree on, but what
could make God happier than
if we give charity together to
our less fortunate brothers
and sisters?” he said. “There’s
so much need in the world.
Individually, we can’t give to
everyone. But collectively, we
can have a massive impact!”
Every single penny collected
by Daily Giving goes to
charity. For any salaries paid,

DailyGiving.org multiplies $1 donations to make a
meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Even Small Mitzvahs Matter

JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

30 | MAY 12 • 2022