Weinberger Law Group Sponsors Give the Gift Project for Eva's Village in New Jersey
Weinberger Law Group built this as a way to support the local community at Eva’s Village year round, during the holidays and beyond, with the ability to easily change to different donated gifts as the seasons or needs of Eva's Village change.
Paterson, New Jersey (PRWEB) December 30, 2013
At Eva's Village, a comprehensive anti-poverty organization in Paterson, New Jersey, holiday appeals (Thanksgiving and Christmas) account for more than 40% of their yearly donations from such appeals throughout the year. This year their appeal donations are already down by 15% from last year, so it is important that the end of year giving appeals don’t continue with this same trend.
During the holiday season and toward the end of the calendar year, donations to a charitable organization increase dramatically compared to the rest of the year. Many people want to show appreciation during the holiday season and as the year comes to a close, and research has shown that as much as 50 percent of charitable donations are made between Thanksgiving and Christmas. "It is a time of year when people feel particularly generous and caring and making charitable donations is ever-present in many people’s minds; the holidays simply bring out the best in us," says Ms. Fico, director of marketing & education at Eva’s Village.
Eva’s Village, like many nonprofit organizations, counts on the holiday season to boost their donations and help them meet their fundraising goals. They also count on end of year donations to boost their holiday season fundraising. Ms. Fico relates that while donors are generous throughout the year, many wait until the end of the year to make their donations. “This year we are not seeing as many end of year donations especially donations made through our website,” she noted. To help us boost our end of year donations the Weinberger Law Group developed an innovative new way to give to Eva's Village this holiday season. The program is called "Give the Gift," and is an online giving program featuring a special webpage where donors can browse and purchase an array of specific goods and services that go directly towards helping individuals and families receiving assistance from Eva's Village.”
Donors looking for holiday and end of year charitable giving opportunities should do their research to make sure the charity is both reputable and qualified. To make sure your charitable dollars will be used as you expect, do some research. Make sure at least 75% of your donation is used directly for services. All charities have fund raising and administrative expenses, but ideally no more than 25% of donations should be supporting those aspects of the charity. For example, only about 13.5% of all donations at Eva's village go towards administrative & fundraising expenses. Eva’s Village holds a seventh consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/). Ken Berger, President & Chief Executive Officer, Charity Navigator says, “This “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Eva’s Village from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”
Originally a New Jersey soup kitchen, Eva’s Village was founded in 1982 by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in response to the increasing incidence of homelessness in Paterson, NJ. But Msgr. Puma soon realized that another New Jersey soup kitchen was not enough. With the generous support of thousands of donors and private and government grants, Eva’s Village has grown into the most comprehensive anti-poverty program in New Jersey, providing food, shelter, recovery programs, free medical and dental care and transitional and affordable housing, plus opportunities for education, job counseling and more.
To donate to this NJ Charity, or for more information about Eva’s Village, call (973)-523-6220, go to http://www.evasvillage.org or write to: Donna Fico, Director of Marketing & Education, Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ, 07501.
The Weinberger Law Group is one of New Jersey's largest divorce and family law firms, with locations currently in Parsippany and Freehold, and expanding soon to Hackensack and Basking Ridge. Bari Weinberger, founder and managing partner of Weinberger Law Group, noted that the idea to create an online charity gift program was devised by her law firm as a way to increase the impact of its annual holiday tradition of local charitable giving.
With assistance from the technology team that keeps the Weinberger Law Group website up and running, the law firm created a gift giving page for Eva's Village that enables donors to click and buy one or more goods and services that directly benefit those served by the charity. Weinberger Law Group has also placed the gift giving page on its website and has made the iFrames code available (see the bottom of the donations page at: http://www.weinbergerlawgroup.com/evasvillage.aspx) for anyone who wishes to embed the gift giving webpage items on their own site.