CENTER FOR ELDER LAW & JUSTICE INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

CENTER FOR ELDER LAW & JUSTICE INC

EIN 16-1118282 · International, Foreign Affairs & National Security (I80Z)

What they do

to IMPROVE THE QUALITY of LIFE for ELDERLY, DISABLED and LOW-INCOME PERSONS IN THE WESTERN NEW YORK AREA THROUGH THE PROVISION of FREE CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES. THE PRIMARY GOAL is to USE THE LEGAL SYSTEM to ASSURE THAT CLIENTS MAY LIVE INDEPENDENTLY and WITH DIGNITY. THE CENTER is CO-TRUSTEE IN THE WNY COALITION POOLED TRUST WITH APPROXIMATELY $11 MILLION IN ASSETS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $80.80 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders25 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

79.20%of revenue went to mission work80.8% of expenses · Program services

3.48%of revenue went to fundraising3.6% of expenses

$98.03spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

15.35%of revenue went to management and office costs15.7% of expenses

$0.65in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

86.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $298,599 for KAREN NICOLSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$8,570,249

Mission workProgram services$6,787,60079.20% of revenue80.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,315,49615.35% of revenue15.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$298,5263.48% of revenue3.6% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$168,6271.97% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$8,401,62298.03% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 80.8% mission · 15.7% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.03% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 80.7% mission · 15.5% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.89% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 80.7% mission · 15.6% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.88% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 87.3% mission · 11.6% management · 1.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.29% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 85.7% mission · 13.4% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.35% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 85.1% mission · 13.7% management · 1.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.99% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 89.0% mission · 9.9% management · 1.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.67% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 87.2% mission · 11.5% management · 1.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.48% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$8,570,249

Expenses$8,401,622

Annual surplus $168,627 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$6,787,600 · 80.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,315,496 · 15.7% of expenses

Fundraising$298,526 · 3.6% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$8,570,249

Expenses$8,401,622

Assets$5,497,665

Income$8,591,550

Contributions$7,418,323

Mission work (program services)$6,787,600

Fundraising$298,526

Management and general$1,315,496

Executive compensation (total)$273,021

Stocks and bonds$1,411,574

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

KAREN NICOLSONCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $298,599Base $256,993 · Other $41,606

HELEN FERRARO-ZAFFRAMMANAGING ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $155,964Base $148,481 · Other $7,483

DAVID SHAPIROSENIOR ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $150,516Base $124,570 · Other $25,946

RACHEL HASELEYCHIEF HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $150,053Base $123,933 · Other $26,120

KIRTAN PATELCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $133,647Base $120,692 · Other $12,955

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (25)

KAREN NICOLSONCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

HELEN FERRARO-ZAFFRAMMANAGING ATTORNEY

DAVID SHAPIROSENIOR ATTORNEY

RACHEL HASELEYCHIEF HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICER

KIRTAN PATELCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

JUDGE JOHN F ODONNELLMEMBER

STEVEN BENGART ESQPRESIDENT

SARAH GALVAN ESQVICE PRESIDENT

SAM ALBA ESQMEMBER

RYAN D LEDEBUR ESQVICE PRESIDENT

ROBERT WEISSFLACH ESQMEMBER

PAUL J VALLONE ESQMEMBER

OLIVER YOUNG ESQMEMBER

LESLIE FOX MBAMEMBER

JUDGE MICHAEL HUDSONMEMBER

ANN MONROEVICE PRESIDENT

JESSICA KULPIT ESQMEMBER

JAMES SCHWEGLER ESQMEMBER

HON ROSALIE BAILEYMEMBER

HOLLY P TUCKER ESQMEMBER

HOLLY HEJMOWSKI CPATREASURER

FIDELE MENAVANZAMEMBER

CHRISTOPHER M MARKS JD MBAMEMBER

BEN CRANSTON ESQMEMBER

ANNE E JOYNT ESQSECRETARY

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1981
Location: 438 MAIN ST STE 1200, BUFFALO, NY 14202-3207
County: Erie
In care of: % MICKEY JEZIOROWSKI
Primary officer: KAREN L NICOLSON, CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailhelpline@elderjusticeny.org Phone(716) 853-3087

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: EFPR GROUP CPAS PLLC
NTEE classification: International, Foreign Affairs & National Security (I80Z)
IRS tax category: All Other Legal Services