VOLUNTEER LAWYERS FOR JUSTICE IN Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

VOLUNTEER LAWYERS FOR JUSTICE IN

EIN 30-0528128 · Legal Services (I80)

What they do

Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, Inc. ("VLJ"/ The Organization), A Non-profit Organization Incorporated In The State of New Jersey, is A Comprehensive, Statewide Legal Services Program Based In Newark. VLJs Mission is to Ensure Access to Justice for People Experiencing Poverty. VLJ Fulfills Its Mission By Mobilizing Volunteers to Work Alongside Staff to Address Critical Legal Needs Across New Jersey, Advancing Racial, Social, and Economic Justice for The Most Vulnerable Members of Our Community. Created In 2001 By A Small Group of Advocates Concerned About The Scarcity of Free Legal Services for People Experiencing Poverty, VLJ Has Grown Significantly From One to Twenty-one Staff People and A Handful of Volunteers to A Volunteer Panel With More Than 1,500 Volunteers.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $75.20 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 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 leaders34 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

51.87%of revenue went to mission work75.2% of expenses · Program services

8.72%of revenue went to fundraising12.6% of expenses

$69.00spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.42%of revenue went to management and office costs12.2% of expenses

$1.43in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

67.5%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 $180,703 for CATHERINE KEENAN ESQ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 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$3,763,817

Mission workProgram services$1,952,16451.87% of revenue75.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$316,8318.42% of revenue12.2% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$328,0558.72% of revenue12.6% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$1,166,76731.00% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$2,597,05069.00% 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: 75.2% mission · 12.2% management · 12.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 69.00% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 75.4% mission · 12.1% management · 12.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.79% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 75.2% mission · 12.1% management · 12.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 87.77% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 72.6% mission · 13.4% management · 14.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 75.39% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 75.1% mission · 12.4% management · 12.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 73.01% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 67.5% mission · 19.3% management · 13.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 87.91% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 65.0% mission · 20.0% management · 15.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.52% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 65.0% mission · 20.0% management · 15.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.19% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$3,763,817

Expenses$2,597,050

Annual surplus $1,166,767 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)$1,952,164 · 75.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$316,831 · 12.2% of expenses

Fundraising$328,055 · 12.6% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$3,763,817

Expenses$2,597,050

Assets$3,706,423

Income$3,890,767

Contributions$2,540,175

Mission work (program services)$1,952,164

Fundraising$328,055

Management and general$316,831

Stocks and bonds$1,215,944

Accounting fees$8,676

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

CATHERINE KEENAN ESQEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 32 hrs/week $180,703

JESSICA KITSONDIR OF ADVOCACY · 32 hrs/week $121,893

DIANA L ONUSCHAKDIRECTOR OF ADMIN · 32 hrs/week $110,000

KAREN ROBINSONMANAGING ATTORNEY · 32 hrs/week $103,950

ALLISON R NOLANMANAGING ATTORNEY · 32 hrs/week $101,862

TRACY NELSONDIR OF FINANCE/HR · 26 hrs/week $97,880

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 (34)

CATHERINE KEENAN ESQEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JESSICA KITSONDIR OF ADVOCACY

DIANA L ONUSCHAKDIRECTOR OF ADMIN

KAREN ROBINSONMANAGING ATTORNEY

ALLISON R NOLANMANAGING ATTORNEY

TRACY NELSONDIR OF FINANCE/HR

MALA HARKER ESQTRUSTEE

WENDY FELDMAN ESQTRUSTEE

MARITZA RODRIGUEZ ESQTRUSTEE

MATTHEW CLEMENTSTREASURER

MELISSA WERNICK ESQTRUSTEE

MICHAEL GOLDEN ESQTRUSTEE

MICHAEL HYUN ESQTRUSTEE

MICHAEL R GRIFFINGER ESQTRUSTEE EMERITU

NICHOLAS M INSUA ESQTRUSTEE

SNEHA DESAI ESQVICE CHAIR

STACEY SLATER ESQTRUSTEE

TRACEY SALMON-SMITH ESQTRUSTEE

TRICIA OREILLY ESQCHAIR

KEVIN WEBER ESQTRUSTEE

KELLY LLOYD LANKFORD ESQTRUSTEE

KAITLYN S STONE ESQSECRETARY

JUDITH N MCCARTHY ESQTRUSTEE

JOSEPH R GIOVANNOLITRUSTEE

JESSICA HODKINSON ESQTRUSTEE

JENNIFER PRIOLEAU ESQSECRETARY

JEFFREY M SHAPIRO ESQTRUSTEE

HOWARD J MENAKER ESQTRUSTEE

ERIC L SCHWIMMER ESQTRUSTEE

DAVID BERSHADTRUSTEE EMERITU

DANIEL DALESSANDRO ESQTRUSTEE

CATHERINE TRINKLE ESQTRUSTEE

CATHERINE FITCH ESQTRUSTEE

AMY WOLTMAN ESQTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2009
Location: PO BOX 32040, NEWARK, NJ 07102-0440
County: Essex
In care of: % KAREN SACKS
Primary officer: CATHERINE KEENAN, Executive Dir.

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website EmailVLJ@VLJNJ.orgPrivacy Phone(973) 233-4173

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: HYDE & ASSOCIATES
NTEE classification: Legal Services (I80)
IRS tax category: Legal Services