Because of the letter I wrote below for Giving Tuesday, I realized JCAA needed another way to generate funds for 2023. We have managed to reduce our budget but we are still looking at a deficit. For this reason, I have pledged $5,000 to JCAA for a matching fund drive. For every dollar, up to $5,000 that you donate by January 31, I will match it. If you are generous enough, JCAA will have $10,000 to fund our work for the next year. If everyone who receives this newspaper would donate $20 or more, we could make this goal. I know many of you already donate to JCAA, but I am asking you to do a bit more this year, doubling your impact. Please read the letter below to get a better idea of the work we do.
Jersey Coast Anglers Association that started in 1982 needs your support. We have been operating in the red since before the pandemic. The pandemic just exacerbated the existing problem. The Fluke Tournament, which used to fund JCAA, has barely covered its expenses in the last couple of years. Last year we gave away over $80,000 dollars in prizes. The $50,000 prize for the fluke over 12 pounds is paid for by an insurance policy which JCAA must pay for. We didn’t take in enough money from the $25 Big Fish entry fee to even cover the insurance policy.
Why support JCAA?
JCAA has always sent members to meetings, gathering firsthand information to share with our members and the public. The people covering state meetings have absorbed most of the expenses of going to state meetings in the last couple of years, but out-of-state meetings get expensive, and our current budget does not allow for all the meetings we would like to attend. Two of the meetings I attended this year cost $1,000 each and I absorbed the cost. This is not sustainable. The people who will replace me and other board members may not be able to fund their attendance. And they shouldn’t have to.
Because of the hard work of Don Marantz and Greg Kucharewski, JCAA has expanded our work with Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs, to include special days for Wounded Warriors and handicapped children. We had over 500 participants at our most recent fishing day with everyone going home with a prize and other goodies.
We need to expand our presence on social media to draw in younger members. I am seventy-five and I am still the 5th youngest board member. I was the 5th youngest board member when I joined the board in 1986. Expanding our social media will cost us time and money. Our board is not strong with social media, and we need to pay someone to do this work for us. Volunteers would be wonderful but are hard to come by.
The JCAA Office, all our events and our board members all need insurance. That’s the world we live in. The liability for the office, the board insurance all cost a lot of money. You all know how much you pay for your personal insurance.
I started the JCAA Newspaper in 1988 and was running on a shoestring out of my home. As we grew and the newspaper grew to thousands of copies each month that was not an option anymore. Our office provides storage for all our events, keeping our records, a place for us to meet and to work on the newspaper.
Without all this infrastructure, we cannot do the job we need to do for our member clubs. Just to list a few:
These are some of the battles JCAA continues to fight. We need your help to fund this important work. We understand that many of you are not available to attend meetings. We try to be your voice. Because JCAA is an association of clubs and our decisions are made to represent all our member clubs, we sometimes make difficult decisions. But every decision JCAA makes about policy, every club has a vote at the General JCAA Meeting, not a board meeting, and the board follows the lead of our member clubs.
We know there are many worthwhile organizations asking for your support and your money. Think about what you spend on a new, high-priced plug, just one, and donate that to JCAA. The cost of one plug from everyone on our email list would help us get back in the black. It would allow us to plan for the future and protect your rights as recreational anglers and the environment. One less plug will hardly be noticed but that could keep JCAA operating! It is easy just go to the JCAA webpage at jcaa.org and hit the gold button that says Donate!!