ERIE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ERIE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT INC

EIN 16-1337417 · International, Foreign Affairs & National Security (I83Z)

What they do

Provide Quality Free Civil Legal Services for Low-income People and Smaller Not-for-profit Groups and to Effectively Involve Volunteers In The Delivery of Those Services.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $98.20 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 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders22 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

96.68%of revenue went to mission work98.2% of expenses · Program services

$98.50spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

1.82%of revenue went to management and office costs1.8% of expenses

$0.62in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

99.4%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 $154,978 for GRETCHEN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO/DEP). 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 2025

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$7,298,928

Mission workProgram services$7,056,84496.68% of revenue98.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$132,7301.82% of revenue1.8% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$109,3541.50% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$7,189,57498.50% 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

2025CurrentExpense mix: 98.2% mission · 1.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.50% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 96.8% mission · 3.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.24% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 96.2% mission · 3.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.23% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 96.4% mission · 3.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.77% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 90.3% mission · 9.7% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.53% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 93.1% mission · 6.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.68% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 93.3% mission · 6.7% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.16% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 92.9% mission · 7.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.74% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$7,298,928

Expenses$7,189,574

Annual surplus $109,354 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)$7,056,844 · 98.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$132,730 · 1.8% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$7,298,928

Expenses$7,189,574

Assets$4,466,321

Income$7,314,894

Contributions$7,251,604

Mission work (program services)$7,056,844

Grants given$381,507

Average grant$47,688

Management and general$132,730

Executive compensation (total)$135,061

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

GRETCHEN GONZALEZEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO/DEP · 35 hrs/week $154,978

JOSEPH SIERACKICHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $138,996

NIKOLE M WYNNCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $138,054

BRENDA CISNEROS VILCHISSUPERVISING ATTORNEY · 35 hrs/week $125,238

BLANCA A OWENSUPERVISING ATTORNEY · 35 hrs/week $117,580

ANDREW ISENBERGSUPERVISING ATTORNEY · 35 hrs/week $110,170

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 (22)

GRETCHEN GONZALEZEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO/DEP

JOSEPH SIERACKICHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

NIKOLE M WYNNCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

BRENDA CISNEROS VILCHISSUPERVISING ATTORNEY

BLANCA A OWENSUPERVISING ATTORNEY

ANDREW ISENBERGSUPERVISING ATTORNEY

KATHERINE BESTINEBOARD MEMBER

SIANA MCLEANBOARD MEMBER

SEAN O BRIENBOARD MEMBER

ROBERT CONKLINBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL CIMASIBOARD MEMBER

MELINDA SARANBOARD MEMBER

LEE REDEYEBOARD MEMBER

LAUREN MENDOLERABOARD MEMBER

KEVIN HOGANPRESIDENT

KATIE IRELANDVICE PRESIDENT

AALOK KARAMBELKARBOARD MEMBER

KARA HANDZLIKTREASURER

JOSHUA FEINSTEINBOARD MEMBER

JODY BRIANDISECRETARY

ELISE CASSARBOARD MEMBER

ANAISS LLONEKBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1990
Location: 438 MAIN ST FL 7TH, BUFFALO, NY 14202-3207
County: Erie
In care of: Gretchen Gonzalez Esq
Primary officer: Gretchen Gonzalez Esq, Executive Director

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(716) 847-0662

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: ALLIED CPAS PC
NTEE classification: International, Foreign Affairs & National Security (I83Z)
IRS tax category: All Other Legal Services
Grant-giving organization: Yes