Donate

"What is an offering to God? Charity to God's children."   -- Talmud 

Your contributions are an expression of support for Bet Mishpachah.  Both members and non-members are encouraged to make donations in honor or in memory of a special person or occasion.  Acknowledgment cards are sent upon request.  Please give and give generously! 

Ways to Donate:  To make a donation or to pay dues, you may use PayPal, PayPal Giving Fund, or mail a check.  When making a donation, you can specify a particular Bet Mishpachah Fund.  Scroll down for more information about the funds and all donation options.

• If you use PayPal, you can designate the purpose of the donation and Bet Mishpachah receives the money immediately.  However, Bet Mishpachah only gets about 97% of your donation due to transaction costs. 
• If you use PayPal Giving, you can't designate the purpose of the donation.  Bet Mishpachah will not receive the money immediately but Bet Mishpachah will get 100% of your donation without any transaction costs, even if you use a credit card.  If you want the designate the purpose of the donation you can email the treasurer.  We ask that you consider using PayPal Giving to maximize your donation.  Do not be concerned about the disclaimer regarding inability to fund the charity.  We are registered and will receive your donation.  

• If you want to mail a check you may certainly do so.  Our address is Bet Mishpachah, P.O. Box 1410, Washington, DC 20013.  Please be aware, however, that our box is checked only a few times a month, so there may be a delay in depositing your check.

Amazon Smile:  Created by Amazon as a way for those who shop Amazon to give to their favorite charity, every time someone enrolled in Amazon Smile shops, .5% of the purchase goes to the charity of their choice. Bet Mishpachah is enrolled in Amazon Smile, so now you can shop and have .5% of what you buy come to your favorite synagogue. To enroll, visit Amazon Smile. Enter your user name and password as you would normally do. At the next screen “Start Picking Your Charity,” enter "Bet Mishpachah," hit “select,” click “Yes, I understand that I must always start at smile.amazon.com to support Bet Mishpachah,” the START SHOPPING and support Bet Mishpachah with every purchase.

Stock Donations:  Bet Mishpachah accepts direct donations of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, as well as the transfer of funds from IRAs as as part of a required minimum distribution. This type of charitable giving often increases your tax benefit if the stock or fund has increased in value from the time of purchase, because the appreciated amount will be eligible for a tax deduction. Contact your tax professional to find out if these types of donations are right for you, and if you are interested, please contact our treasurer.

Bet Mishpachah Funds:  You can designate your contribution to the general operating fund or one of the specialty funds described below.  Donations not otherwise designated are placed in the Operating Fund.

Operating Fund

Covers day-to-day operating expenses throughout the year. Annual dues and most donations go into this fund.

Housing Fund

Established to help make our rental space more comfortable and welcoming for our members and guests and to meet any unexpected rental space needs, e.g., for special programs or holidays. 

Ritual Objects Fund

Supports the acquisition and repair of religious and ritual objects. Our Torah and the development of our Siddur and High Holy Day Machzor have been paid for by this fund.

David Green Memorial Special Projects Fund

Supports special projects not covered by our operating budget.

Richard A. Kopely Emergency Assistance Fund

Provides short-term, emergency financial assistance to people in need, through small grants or loans. The Rabbi and the President of the Congregation are responsible for deciding who will receive money from this fund.

Richard Krampf Memorial Social Action Fund

Funds are used to augment contributions of the Social Action/Social Justice Committee, which has included food drives, clothing drives, community service days, and financial support to Jewish and LGBTQ+ organizations. The fund will help Bet Mishpachah continue its support to these and many other social action activities.

Monica Lobo Filho Baruch Memorial Fund for Visiting Artists and Scholars

Dedicated to enriching the Congregation’s cultural life by providing a source of support for a visiting artists and scholars program.

Mark Leonard Goldfarb Memorial Accessibility Fund

Assists members with special needs, such as tactile interpreting or Braille books. The purposes of the fund are (1) to provide access, (2) to communicate the readiness of the congregation to provide access, and (3) as a means to start pilot programs for special needs individuals, which if successful, would be taken over by the synagogue.

Rabbi's Discretionary Fund

Funded solely through contributions and used at the rabbi's discretion for charitable donations, honoraria for guest speakers, anonymous assistance to members, and necessary synagogue expenses not covered by other funds. 

Joel & Murray Woldman Oneg Shabbat & Kiddush Fund

Established by a bequest from Joel Woldman. Its purpose is to provide for onegs and kiddush supplies, and for refreshments when other sponsors have not materialized.

Endowment Fund

Established by the Board of Directors to provide a sound financial foundation for the Congregation.