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The Annual Appeal is Critical to the Success of NFSB – And We Need Your Help
Jim Kuchta has served on the Nutley Family Service Bureau (NFSB) Boart of Trustees for about 35 years. He is a two-time past president, current treasurer, and chair of the finance committee.
As treasurer, Jim works closely with NFSB leadership to develop and manage the budget every year. He sees the details of every expenditure in terms of amount and purpose, presents monthly financial reports to the board, and reviews NFSB’s annual audit and IRS Form 990.
Long story short, nobody is more dialed into the financial health of the organization than Jim. And he knows, as well as anyone, the importance of the end-of-year annual appeal to the present and future financial health of the NFSB.
“When you look at the services NFSB provides – mental health, case management, Food Pantry – the only one that has direct revenue associated with it is mental health counseling,” Jim said. “We receive payments from insurance companies, but those payments reflect a haircut by the insurance companies to the amount billed for the service. The fees we receive just about cover the labor cost of the counselor but not any of the other costs required to provide the service – facilities, recordkeeping, administrative functions. This is just one major example of why we rely so heavily on fundraising, especially the annual appeal.”
While food items are donated to the Food Pantry, there are costs involved to run the program, maintain the facility, and distribute food free of charge. Community outreach events and initiatives are always free to the public, but they’re not free to plan, promote, and execute.
Of course, demand for NFSB services, especially mental health counseling and the Food Pantry, have increased significantly since the pandemic. Both programs have been expanded and enhanced to meet demand. We’ve grown our mental health clinical team and staff and added medication management services, while the Food Pantry now invites clients for personalized “shopping” appointments instead of distributing pre-packed bags.
To fund these and other programs, NFSB holds several signature events, including the Garden Party, Rock Hunger, and A Night at the Races. In 2024, we introduced the first Casino Night and brought back the Harvesting Hope Gala, which was the most successful fundraiser since before the pandemic.
Despite the popularity and success of these events, the annual appeal is absolutely essential to the continued operation of NFSB.
“This year, we need to raise $65,000 to balance our budget,” Jim said. “That’s just to break even. Otherwise, we would have to reduce services that are so important to the community in order to cut costs. Ideally, the annual appeal would raise much more than that to build a surplus.”
Throughout NFSB’s 111-year history, the Nutley community has always stepped up to support our mission. From two World Wars to 9/11, from the Spanish flu to COVID-19, NFSB has been there for the community because the community has been there for us.
We’re humbly asking for your support again.
“We realize money might be tight right now, but we’re asking everyone to chip in what they can,” said Katherine Carmichael, Executive Director of NFSB. “Whether you’re an individual, business owner, or part of a giving circle, please consider donating to help us reach our goal of $65,000 to balance our budget. We’re incredibly grateful your support, and we look forward to serving the community with much-need programs in 2025.”
