Jewish Causes of Choice, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering the next generation of Jewish giving, announced the national launch of JChoice.org as its main tool to engage and inspire Jewish adolescents to learn about, think about and practice Tzedakah, a Hebrew term rooted in “justice” and “righteousness,” which is most easily understood as “charity.” Also announced is the launch of TheBarMitzvahRegistry.org to simplify Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifting.
Their aim is to connect a growing consciousness in the Jewish community to reignite the Tzedakah element of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience with the highly successful movement of non-profit fundraising via the Internet and social networking.
In its most basic form, JChoice is a place where charities showcase themselves to young givers who use the site to expand their commitment and understanding of charitable giving. There are currently 70 prescreened non-profits that users can learn about and support. Each charity is carefully vetted before being added to the site.
A key ingredient and driver to their success is expected to be its companion website and service TheBarMitzvahRegistry.org, (and TheBatMitzvahRegistry.org) which expands involvement beyond the user and is the key tool for engaging family and friends in the Tzedakah experience as they become supporters of youth philanthropy. TheBarMitzvahRegistry.org will allow anyone to fund accounts directly online or through the purchase of gift cards. 100 percent of all donations, gift card purchases and charity account deposits are tax deductible.
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These websites are great, but they charge 10% of the money raised. It should be disclosed in the fine print so that donors who go through know that 10% of their money is not getting to the organization they are supporting. There are other social networking organizations that will help direct people to causes for free. For small not for profit organizations, 10% is a hefty price to pay.
Karen,
I appreciate your comments here, but wanted to bring the perspective of one of the non-profit organizations that receives support from JChoice. This organization is teaching and inspiring young people to learn about and give Tzedakah and also connecting them with underserved charities like ours, who need it. This is a segment of the donating population that we could never afford to go after, and if we tried, it would cost us much more than 10 percent of the donations to do so. It takes money to fundraise, from the cost of outreach to the cost of processing credit cards and thanking donors and beyond. That JChoice is able to do this for us and still pass 90 percent of each donation to support our efforts is laudable.
Some of the largest and most celebrated non-profit fundraisers in the world routinely spend up to 35 percent of inbound donations on overhead, so we see 10 percent as a serious blessing. We partnered with JChoice because we see great power and potential in the way they are using technology and social networking to teach and inspire kids to think and act philanthropically. This organization can be a game-changer for charities like ours and I hope that JChoice’s very small administrative cost does not dissuade people.
Never stop caring,
Eric Schwartz
Co-Founder, Event Coordinator
Unified Sports Program