Ami Dar (Hebrew: עמי דר; born January 7, 1961[citation needed]) is the founder and executive director of Idealist.org. Idealist serves more than 120,000 organizations around the world and has more than 1.4 million visitors every month between the English site (idealist.org), and the Spanish site (idealist.org).[1]

Ami Dar
Born (1961-01-07) January 7, 1961 (age 63)
Jerusalem, Israel
Occupation(s)Executive Director, Idealist.org
Websitewww.idealist.org

Early life edit

Dar was born January 7, 1961, in Jerusalem, Israel, the eldest of three children, to a schoolteacher mother and diplomat father. He grew up in Peru and Mexico, and it was in Mexico City where he first became aware of the contrast of wealth and poverty around him, which started him on a path of dedication to social justice. [citation needed]

In 1976, Dar and his family returned to Israel and from 1979 to 1982, he completed his mandatory service as a paratrooper [citation needed].

Career edit

In 1988, Dar joined Aladdin Knowledge Systems, a software company based in Tel Aviv. From 1988 to 1992 he served as the international marketing manager. In 1992, he was named president and he relocated to New York City to establish their North American branch [citation needed].

Idealist.org edit

By 1995 he had founded an early iteration of Idealist, The Contact Center Network sponsored meeting spaces in several communities where people could connect with neighbors who might share interests and ideas for local action. In 1996 Dar began calling the online network Idealist.org [citation needed].

Idealists of the World edit

In January 2018 the Idealist team launched Idealists of the World which has over 38,000 members worldwide.[2] The Idealists of the World participate in global Idealist Days which occur when the day and the month are the same number. The first global Idealist Day occurred on March 3, 2018 (3/3) with "75 events mobilizing nearly 500 people around the world, and 3000 people in the Idealists of the World Facebook group."[3] Regarding the idea behind Idealist Day, Dar has stated:[4]

I can't help noticing that all over the world, behind every label and stereotype, there are people who share some basic values. And I can’t help thinking that if these people could somehow work together, the world would be a very different place. What are these values? Treating others the way we’d like to be treated is a good start. But we can go beyond that. For example, I believe that in every country and every culture there are many people who would agree with this sentence:

Working with others, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect, I want to help build a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Honors and awards edit

The Stern Family Fund awarded Dar a $100,000 Public Interest Pioneer grant (2000).[5]

Dar was named an Ashoka Fellow (2004).[6]

He is a board member emeritus of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), the largest community of nonprofit professionals transforming technology into social change.[7]

Dar was named Time magazine's Philanthropy Innovator (2005).[8]

He was recognized in the Nonprofit Times: Power and Influence, 50 Most Influential People in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.[5]

Dar received Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, CASE Leadership in Social Entrepreneurship Award (2006).[9]

In 2019 he was named the Nonprofit Pro, Nonprofit Professional of the Year.[10]

Publications and speeches edit

Dar wrote the foreword to Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals. Wiley.com. May 3, 2011.[11]

He gave the commencement address for City University of New York (CUNY) School of Professional Studies on June 23, 2011.

In 2012, Dar was profiled in Forbes magazine.[12]

Dar's career was profiled by Bloomberg News in 2014.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ "Idealist". Idealist. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Idealist Days". Idealist Days. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "About". Idealist Days. March 21, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Dar, Ami (January 1, 2018). "Idealists of the world, unite!". Ami Dar. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Skoll | Ami Dar". skoll.org. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Ami Dar - Ashoka - USA". ashoka.org. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  7. ^ "Board of Directors". NTEN. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  8. ^ "Time Magazine Names Idealist.org Founder a "Philanthropy Innovator"; NYC Resident Ami Dar One of Four Nonprofit Trailblazers Profiled in March 7th Issue". Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  9. ^ "CASE Social Entrepreneurship Awards - CASE". CASE. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  10. ^ "2019 Nonprofit Professional of the Year: Ami Dar".
  11. ^ Dar, Ami. "Foreword" to Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals. Wiley.com. May 3, 2011. By, Darian Rodriguez Heyman. Accessed August 5, 2018.
  12. ^ Kanani, Rahim. "Inside Look: The Story Behind Idealist.org". Forbes. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  13. ^ "Idealist.org's Ami Dar: How Did I Get Here?". Bloomberg News. August 7, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2017.