Opportunities For Giving

Your contribution goes directly to support congregation and leadership development, our growing youth movement and the Jewish values of pluralism, equality and social justice.

Click here for more information on cash gifts, stock gifts, planned gifts or our statement of financial policies.

CONNECTIONS 2009 Contributions

If you are making a contribution to sponsor a delegate to CONNECTIONS 2009,
please write "connections 2009 sponsorship" in the purpose line when making your contribution.

CASH GIFTS

The easiest way to contribute to the World Union for Progressive Judaism is by making a general, undesignated donation by check. Gifts that are undesignated enable the World Union to respond to the most critical needs of our Progressive communities as they arise. If you prefer, you may designate your gift for a specific community, congregation or program. Gifts of cash are deductible for federal income tax purposes in the United States to the full extent of the law.

To contribute by mail or fax, using a check or credit, click here to download our donation form.

You may also make a secure contribution online using your credit card. Click here:

STOCK GIFTS

The World Union uses CIBC Oppenheimer as its brokerage firm for all stock gifts. Our contacts at CIBC Oppenheimer are Al Corwin and Marge Conte.
Tel: 212-716-8216 or 8217
Fax: 212-716-8007

To transfer stock via DTC wire, please give your broker the following information:
Account Name: World Reform Appeal
Account Number: G151708299
DTC Number: 0571

It is very important that your broker references YOUR NAME as the donor and that you inform us in advance of your stock gift. Please contact us about the stock you intend to transfer at (212) 452-6530 or wupj@urj.org.

PLANNED GIFTS

Planned gifts, which include bequests, trusts, gifts of life insurance and annuities, may carry many tax advantages.

The easiest planned gift is a simple bequest or living trust. Each helps to ensure that, in years to come, the World Union for Progressive Judaism will be able to continue its vital mission of supporting modern, pluralistic congregations and institutions, developing Jewish communal and youth leadership and advancing social justice.

Other options include making a specific bequest to the World Union of cash, securities or other property; bequeathing the World Union all or a portion of your residuary estate or making the World Union a contingent beneficiary or a remainder beneficiary. We encourage you to speak with your family and financial advisor about your plans.

The following is sample bequest language that you may wish to use:

A general bequest:

"I give (________ dollars), (a specific asset) or (______ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) for its general purposes."

A bequest for a designated purpose:

"I give (_______ dollars) (a specific asset) or (_____ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) to be used for the following purpose: (for example: International Reform youth activities, Progressive Judaism in Israel or the former Soviet Union, leadership development)."

As with most organizations, the World Union’s activities may change over the years, and we must be able to respond to the emerging needs of our Progressive movement communities and congregations. To ensure that your bequest may be used most effectively, we encourage you to include the following language in your will:

"If at any time in the judgment of the World Union for Progressive Judaism it is impossible or impractical to carry out exactly the designated purpose, the World Union shall determine an alternative purpose as near as possible to the designated purpose."

For further information about ways of contributing to the World Union for Progressive Judaism, contact our development office in New York at 212-452-6530 or e-mail us at wupj@urj.org

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POLICIES

This policy statement is intended to set forth the principles applied by the World Union in utilizing funds received from donors.

  1. Contributions made to the World Union which do not specify a particular program or purpose (e.g., a contribution made generally to the World Union) may be used by the World Union for any purpose consistent with its mission.

  2. Subject to paragraph 5 below, contributions earmarked by a donor for a specific program of the World Union may only be used for that program and for no other purpose.

  3. Subject to paragraph 5 below, contributions earmarked by a donor for a specific purpose of the World Union (e.g., for the former Soviet Union, for Israel) but which do not designate a specific program may be used by the World Union only for the specific purpose identified by the donor (e.g., a donation designated for use in the former Soviet Union may be used only to support the programs of the World Union in the former Soviet Union), although the World Union may apply its own judgment in determining how the funds should be expended.

  4. The World Union prepares and the Executive Committee approves an annual budget of anticipated revenues and expenses; however the flow of actual cash receipts are uneven and based on donor considerations or the occurrence of specific fund raising events. As a result, the World Union operates at a cash deficit for certain months of the year but on a cash flow positive basis for other months. In order to better manage its cash flows, the World Union applies the following policies:

    a. The Management Committee monitors monthly the cash receipts against the anticipated revenue for the month and the year to date period. If revenues are below budgeted amounts, the committee undertakes a review of all expenses which require cash to determine which expenses that can be reduced or eliminated in order to reduce the projected cash flow deficit

    b. The World Union may engage in short term borrowing designed to provide cash to cover short-term cash short falls as contained in cash flow projections approved by the Management Committee. Any such borrowing shall be subject to the following guidelines:

    (i) On a fiscal year basis, such borrowing shall be permitted for budgeted monthly cash short falls in order to meet prospective obligations.

    (ii) Any such borrowing shall be accompanied by a plan for the prompt repayment of the obligation within that fiscal year. It is intended that the World Union apply all designated funds towards their designation within the fiscal year that they were intended for, and not maintain outstanding debt balance arising from borrowings permitted by subparagraph (i).

    (iii) During the period that any such borrowing obligation is outstanding, the World Union shall not undertake new programs from undesignated funds or hire additional staff without due consideration being given to the repayment of such borrowing obligation.

    (iv) Borrowings permitted by subparagraph (i) may need to be collateralized by assets of the World Union if commercial in nature.. Any such agreement shall provide for the prompt release of such collateral by the lender upon repayment of the obligation.

  5. If approved in advance by the Management Committee, the World Union may use any cash on hand to pay pending bills where such payment is required to fund existing commitments of the World Union and if such payment is necessary to avoid serious adverse consequences to programs. Any approval of the foregoing use of such cash by the Management Committee shall include a plan for the replenishment or repayment of such cash.

  6. The foregoing financial policies of the World Union shall be disclosed to donors and prospective donors in appropriate publications of the World Union.