Working Effectively with Public Institutions

This session will give mental health leaders a clear, realistic understanding of how to build productive working relationships with Israel’s public institutions. Mental health organizations increasingly interface with government ministries, HMOs, municipalities, and national programs. These collaborations can open doors to scale, legitimacy, and long-term sustainability, but they often require navigating complex systems, aligning incentives, and learning how to work within public-sector constraints.

This webinar will focus on practical guidance: what typically works, what does not, and what leaders should expect as they engage with institutions across health, welfare, education, and local government.

What to Expect

• An honest look at how public systems make decisions, set priorities, and evaluate partnerships.

• Concrete examples of successful collaborations and the mechanisms that enabled them.

• Tools CEOs can use to approach, structure, and maintain effective partnerships.

• A discussion of the cultural, operational, and political realities that shape public-sector work.

• Space for questions on current challenges participants face with public partners.

  
  

Panelists

Liat Eilam, VP Partnerships & Activities, 121 Engine for Social Change

Liat brings experience working with government bodies on social-change initiatives, with a focus on aligning civil society and public-sector efforts. She will speak about building trust, structuring cross-sector partnerships, and recognizing the limits and opportunities that come with government engagement.

Michal Lokiec-Yarom, Head of the Studio for Collaborative Social Processes, Sheatufim

Michal specializes in collective impact and system-level collaboration. She will discuss frameworks for convening multiple stakeholders, creating shared agendas, and managing the complexity inherent in public-sector partnerships — especially in fields with fragmented ownership like mental health.

Jonny Cline, Social Impact Strategist, Nonprofit Executive, and Advisor Jonny brings over two decades of experience working at the intersection of civil society and public institutions in Israel, the UK and elsewhere. He has led advocacy and policy engagement with Israeli government bodies to advance a number of causes, eg. to advance the rights of children in Israel during his tenure as CEO of UNICEF Israel. He founded and leads philanthropic and social-impact organizations, including UK Toremet and Giving, and advises NGOs on management, governance, funding structures, and cross-sector collaboration. Jonny will share candid, experience-based insights on working with public bodies—what tends to work, what often doesn’t, and how NGOs can protect their mission, credibility, and sanity along the way.

The webinar will be in Hebrew