Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog

World Jewish Congress (American Section)

CharityWatch rating issued
August 2022

 
NOT
RATABLE
CharityWatch Rating
 

Contact Information

World Jewish Congress (American Section)
501 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

To support the aims of the World Jewish Congress, and to work for human rights, tolerance, combat racism and anti-Semitism, and advocate for Jewish community security and safety in the public square, in the public affairs arena, and in international organizations.

View similar charities
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2020

*Why Not Ratable?

CharityWatch is currently unable to rate this organization. This does not imply a negative or positive evaluation. Please see the Analysts' Notes section for a more detailed explanation.

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
World Jewish Congress (American Section)
meets governance benchmarks.
 
World Jewish Congress (American Section)
does not meet transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy Opt-Out Policy  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Randi Dubno Gardner Director of Development $252,426
2 Betty Ehrenberg Executive Director $250,590
3 Janice Wolpo Director of Campaign Relations/Communications $217,348
1
Name: Randi Dubno Gardner
Title: Director of Development
Compensation: $252,426
2
Name: Betty Ehrenberg
Title: Executive Director
Compensation: $250,590
3
Name: Janice Wolpo
Title: Director of Campaign Relations/Communications
Compensation: $217,348

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

CharityWatch is unable to provide a complete rating of World Jewish Congress (American Section) due to how the organization is structured, as described below.

According to the World Jewish Congress (American Section) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note A-1, The Organization):

"The American Section is an affiliate of the World Jewish Congress (the 'WJC'), which is a Swiss voluntary organization with representative offices and regional branches in various countries around the world. These affiliates, including the American Section and the World Jewish Congress LLC (the 'LLC'), as described below, are subject to their own independent audits and filings in their countries of registration. The criteria of control and financial dependence that are required for the consolidation of financial statements have not been met, and the American Section does not include the financial position, operations, or cash flows of any foreign or domestic affiliate in the financial statements...

"During 2012, the American Section began fund-raising in the United States for one of its programs, which is the support of the WJC; previously, such fund-raising efforts had been conducted by a now-discontinued former affiliate. The American Section currently distributes all of its grants to the WJC, which operates in the United States through the LLC, a Delaware limited liability company which has the WJC as its sole member... The LLC, in turn, distributes grants to appropriate affiliated and non-affiliated entities."


According to the World Jewish Congress (American Section) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note E, Related-Party Transactions):  "...[T]he American Section granted $17,847,000 and $21,353,505 to the [World Jewish Congress] LLC during 2020 and 2019, respectively...."


To summarize, World Jewish Congress (American Section) fundraises in the U.S. to support its Swiss affiliate organization, the World Jewish Congress, which operates in the U.S. through the World Jewish Congress LLC. In 2020, 100% of the program grants made by the American Section went to the related LLC entity, according to the American Section's 2020 IRS Form 990 tax filing. The $17.8 million granted to the LLC represented approximately 93% and 77% of the American Section's program spending (after adjusting for joint costs) and total expenses, respectively, in 2020.

CharityWatch's methodology is not designed to measure how efficiently one entity of a charity grants funds to one of its affiliate organizations. For this reason, since the vast majority of the World Jewish Congress (American Section)'s program spending consists of grants to the related LLC entity, we do not believe it is fair to publish a Program % for World Jewish Congress (American Section) alongside those of other charities that conduct their own programs and/or primarily make grants to other, independent charities.

However, given that World Jewish Congress (American Section) publishes its own, separate financial statements and functions as a fundraising arm for the affiliated WJC organization, CharityWatch is able to provide a Cost to Raise $100 ratio for World Jewish Congress (American Section):

For the year-ended 12/31/2020, World Jewish Congress (American Section) spent a reasonable $15 to raise each $100 in public support.

The $15 Cost to Raise $100 was adjusted by CharityWatch for Joint Costs. If you are a donor who considers direct mail, telemarketing, and other joint cost solicitations to be true charitable programs, the unadjusted Cost to Raise $100 for the American Section in 2020 is $7. [More information on CharityWatch's treatment of Joint Costs can be found on the Our Process page.]

According to the World Jewish Congress (American Section) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note H, Concentration of Revenues):

"During 2020 and 2019, the American Section received donations of approximately $8,336,000 and $10,592,000, respectively, from one donor, representing approximately 48% and 50%, respectively, of total revenues received during the same period. These contributions are concentrations of revenues to the American Section, and the American Section's operations may be significantly affected should this level of funding cease."

According to the World Jewish Congress (American Section) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note L, Other Uncertainty):

"The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the American Section's programming, operational and financial performance is uncertain and will depend on the continued future developments of the outbreak and external restrictions imposed. The potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to assess or predict, and may have an adverse impact on the American Section's operations."


Related Articles

No related articles found