All donations to Congregation B’nai Tikvah Beth Israel (CBTBI) are greatly appreciated.
Donations may be made to the general fund or any of the special funds listed below. They may be made in honor of someone or in memory of a deceased. In these cases, acknowledgments will be sent to the honoree or a family member/friend of the deceased. There are also opportunities to donate by advertising in our annual community directory or by sponsoring a special program. Consider making donations for any occasion or no occasion at all.
Donate by Check
All checks should be made out to CBTBI (unless noted below) and the purpose or fund name noted in the memo section of the check or with an enclosed note. Please specify if an acknowledgment is to be sent to a person or family and include their mailing address if they are not members of CBTBI. Donations may either be mailed to CBTBI, P.O. Box 1013, Turnersville, NJ 08012, or brought to the office at 115 E. Holly Ave., Sewell NJ, unless noted below. For more information, contact Judy Finneran at info@cbtbi.org.
Donate by Venmo or Paypal
Donations and Payments may be made by Venmo or PayPal. For Venmo, there is a mandatory 3% fee that must be covered by the user, not CBTBI. The fee will not automatically show up but must be added to the total by the donor. For PayPal, the transaction fee will show when an amount is entered by the donor. This fee is mandatory, and users need to check the box before continuing. It is important that all clarifying information be provided in the Note Section such as the purpose or fund name, acknowledgment name and US postal address if an acknowledgment is to be sent, and any other pertinent information the user deems necessary. The Venmo link is @cbtbi. For PayPal use this link.
Donate or Make Payments Online by Credit Card, Debit Card or E-Check
Donations may be made online by credit card to the funds listed below except the Endowment funds. In addition, Payments may be made to the Financial Secretary or for Donation Cards. There is a 4.25% Convenience Transaction Fee for all Credit Card, Debit Card and e-check usage. We are not accepting American Express. The payment data may be optionally saved for future donations or payments by creating an account and then signing in for future transactions.
Financial Secretary Payments
These payments are for Membership Dues, Hebrew School Tuition, Hebrew School
Books, Building Fund, or Kol Nidre Pledges. The Dues, Tuition, Books and Building
Fund payments may be itemized or bundled together under Dues and the Financial Secretary will allocate them appropriately if preferred.
Various Donations
Yahrzeit, Donation Card Payments, Tuition Fund Assistance, Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, and Hebrew School Donations. Miscellaneous donations not listed below may be made under
the General Fund option. Be sure to include the purpose of the donation. Donations for Torah, Capital Campaign, and Library funds may also be included under General Fund.
Dedication Donations
Use this link when dedicating a Prayer Book, a Bible, a Tree of Life Leaf, or a
Memorial Plaque. These are wonderful ways to commemorate special occasions such as a bar or bat mitzvah or an anniversary. Dedication information will be requested as described on the downloadable form included in the descriptions below.
Donation Fund Descriptions
Yahrzeit donations: It is customary to make a donation on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. CBTBI members are sent reminders in advance providing they have provided the deceased’s information to the temple. For more information contact Art Shapiro at info@cbtbi.org.
Donation cards: Donation (tribute) cards, printed with the CBTBI logo and a hand-written personal message, may be sent for a variety of occasions including get well, anniversary, condolence, bar or bat mitzvah, birth/birthday greetings, high school/college graduation, new home, new job, thank you, etc. The minimum donation is $5.00 per card, which includes the cost of mailing. For more information contact Diane Shapiro at info@cbtbi.org.
Tuition Assistance and Kindergarten Tuition Donations: Donations to this fund help cover the cost of tuition for those students who cannot afford the full tuition. CBTBI’s current policy is to provide free tuition for kindergarten students. Donations to this fund will ensure the continuation of this policy. For more information contact Art Shapiro at info@cbtbi.org
Hebrew School Donations: Hebrew School donations help fund the cost of running our Hebrew School, including but not limited to, providing educational material, planning special programs, and supplementing tuition shortfalls. For more information contact Wendy Marder at info@cbtbi.org.
Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund is used to assist individual, educational, and communal needs, solely at the discretion of the rabbi. The fund has been used to provide support to people in need, to contribute toward social action work, and to support synagogue needs that are otherwise unmet. This fund will never be used to personally benefit a rabbi. For more information contact Steve Blocher at info@cbtbi.org.
Tree Of Life: Our Tree of Life is located on the side wall of the sanctuary to the right of the bimah. Engraved leaves cost $54.00 each and are a wonderful way to commemorate special occasions such as a bar or bat mitzvah, wedding, anniversary, confirmation, college graduation, birth of a child or grandchild or to honor a special person, such as a beloved teacher. All necessary information is on the downloadable form. For more information contact Judy Finneran at info@cbtbi.org.
Bibles/Prayer Books: Bible (Etz Hayim) and prayer book (siddur) dedications may be made in honor or memory of someone. A special book plate will be printed for the book, and a card acknowledging the donation will be sent to the person or family of the person being honored. Donations are $100.00 for bibles and $54 for prayer books. For more information contact Judy Finneran at info@cbtbi.org. Download the Dedication Form here.
Memorial plaques: Pay lasting tribute to a departed loved one who touched your life in a significant way. Honor someone with an engraved Yahrzeit plaque to be displayed on one of the boards in the rear of the sanctuary. The cost is $300.00. For more information contact Beth Nazer at info@cbtbi.org.
Torah Fund allows the synagogue to maintain our Torah scrolls and keep them “kosher” and therefore usable. For more information contact Steve Blocher at info@cbtbi.org.
Capital Campaign Fund: Benefits capital improvements to our facility and provides for the future of CBTBI. For more information contact Art Shapiro at info@cbtbi.org.
Library/Resource Center Fund: Helps to purchase materials for our lending library and special resources from our school. For more information contact Wendy Marder at info@cbtbi.org.
Endowment Funds
CBTBI has 4 endowment Funds: The Morris and Vivien Neidenberg Jewish Education Fund, The Elaine Zucker Endowment Fund, Ami Marder Memorial Fund, and The Life & Legacy Endowment Fund. These funds are invested in the market as growth funds. CBTBI can withdraw up to 7% per year to use for their intended purpose without touching the principal. All are described below.
Morris and Vivian Neidenberg Jewish Education Endowment Fund: Morris was an advocate of “No Jewish child should be denied a Hebrew School education,” and started this fund to subsidize Hebrew School tuition assistance for those who need it. For more information contact Art Shapiro at info@cbtbi.org.
Elaine Zucker Endowment Fund: The primary focus of this fund is educational in nature. It provides annual grants to our Hebrew School and its students for special events and needs. For more information contact Gail Chaskes at info@cbtbi.org.
Ami Marder Memorial Fund (AMMF): The primary focus of the fund is to create exceptional experiential programming to enhance Jewish learning for the CBTBI community and beyond. Programs will embody the unique creativity and deep meaning that Ami Marder brought to his Jewish practice. For more information contact Wendy Marder at info@cbtbi.org.
Life & Legacy Endowment Fund: The purpose of the fund is to provide annual grants to support the operating needs of the Congregation, including, but not limited to: program costs, financial assistance, supplies, staff salaries, and related activities or the use as determined by the President and Treasurer of the Congregation. Deposits to the fund come primarily from donors who have bequeathed a legacy via designating CBTBI as a beneficiary in their will, estate planning, IRA, etc. However, donors can make donations at any time.