Welcome to the first installment of “Money Matters”! This will be a regular feature about donations in upcoming issues of The Jersey Sierran. I know this is not your favorite topic, and it’s probably not even in the Top 10, but it is important that we talk about it—because, y’know, money matters!
Thanks to the incredible efforts of our committed volunteers, the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club is a dynamic change agent, but we do require some funding. Here is where it comes from:
External Grants – We aggressively pursue grants from charitable foundations and environmental benefactors, and we have been quite successful in securing grant funding. It is an important component of our budget. However, it doesn’t provide 100% of our budgetary needs. That is because, generally, the grantor specifies how and where the money will be spent. Although we are comfortable with this type of funding (otherwise we wouldn’t accept the grant), we do want and need some discretionary monies.
Internal Funding From National – Like all Sierra Club state chapters, we receive some funding from our national organization. This funding is often earmarked for specific initiatives. It does not fully meet our needs for discretionary capital that we can spend wherever it is most needed in New Jersey.
That’s where you and I come in.
Member Donations – These are essential to our success. These are the funds which we are free to spend on NJ initiatives that we have defined as highest priority. We ask you for money only three times a year: in March, in summer, and at year-end. You are, of course, free to donate whenever you want. But we formally ask only three times. Be on the lookout for our upcoming March appeal. We are so grateful for your generosity!
When most people think of donating, they think of going online or writing a check. That is how we receive most of our donations. However, there are various other ways to give. These include:
• Automatic monthly contributions
• Vehicle and stock donations
• Donor advised fund (DAF)
contributions
• IRA-qualified charitable
distributions
• Legacy contributions
• Political action committee donations
I will discuss the advantages of these in future columns. For now, please refer to the “Ways to Give” page on our website.
Again, we thank you for your generosity. You make it all possible.
Resource
Ways to Give: shorturl.at/JRZ38