Membership Renewal Forms
It's time once again to renew your membership to Congregation Dorshei Tzedek. Please renew your membership by registering online no later than September 1.
The online form includes the Returning Member Information & Dues Forms.
For information about our membership contributions and our dues schedule, please see below.
Membership Contributions & Dues Structure
Congregation Dorshei Tzedek raises the funds we need to support our community through dues, fees, and gifts. We are committed to doing so in a way that is consonant with our values, basing our financial structure on values and inspiration drawn from Jewish tradition. The values include fairness, dignity, inclusiveness, and generosity. Our intention is that finances never be a barrier to membership. The following outlines our dues structure, as well as fees and gifts:
The hetzi-shekel portion
($125 per adult member) represents the principle of the equality of all members. It is derived from the account in the book of Exodus of the Israelites' first contribution toward building the sanctuary. When Moses and Aaron took a census of the adult members of the community, they also collected a half-shekel from each person as a contribution for the sanctuary. The hetzi-shekel contribution we ask of each adult member symbolizes membership and commitment to the community.
Income-based dues
are set on a sliding scale, representing a goal of 1% - 1.6% of household income, embodying our community's commitment to justice and fairness. Each household is asked to self-assess and pay dues based on their household income from all sources.
Nediv Lev
The hetzi-shekel portion and income-based dues do not meet our revenue needs as a congregation. Therefore, the third component of our revenue-raising structure is nediv lev, or “giving from the heart.” This phrase is taken from the book of Exodus, chapter 35, where the Israelites fulfill their communal obligation to bring materials for the building of the sanctuary, each contributing according to his or her ability with a “willing heart.” We invite all members to consider making Nediv Lev contributions to commemorate life events or as part of our annual nediv lev campaign. These donations provide approximately 15% of our yearly revenue needs.
A word about income-based dues targets
The hetzi-shekel and income-based dues portions of our financial structure together comprise about 66% of our budget. The table on the last page of this packet shows income-based dues targets. Our dues revenue depends on members self-assessing and paying at the levels shown in the dues table. However, we recognize that life circumstances may affect some members’ ability to pay dues at the target levels , and members are welcome to self-assess at levels that reflect their ability to pay. While we ask those who can to meet the dues targets, no approval is necessary to self-assess at a level other than the suggested amounts.
Payment
Although we request that you pay the first installment of your yearly dues by September 1 and that your dues are paid in full by March 15, the dollar amount and frequency of installments is entirely up to you.
You can view your transaction history, pay dues online, schedule future credit card payments, and verify your account information at any time on the My Transactions page of our CDT website.
Our dues system affirms the value of confidentiality. Access to information provided by members on their dues forms is strictly limited to our Treasurer and administrative staff.
If you have questions, please contact Treasurer Jennifer Levine-Fried, Rabbi Toba Spitzer, or Executive Director of Operations Margaret Farmer (857.228.0228).
Thank you!
Income-Related Dues Chart
