Judy Dworin, Executive and Artistic Director of Justice Dance Performance Project (JDPP), first contacted Pro Bono Partnership in 2017 for legal assistance for her Connecticut-based dance and social justice nonprofit. Since then, the Partnership has helped the organization with employment, contractual, and intellectual property matters so that the organization can provide movement-based arts programs in high-need elementary schools and correctional institutions, helping to connect incarcerated parents with their children.
From Gratitude to Action: The Power of Monthly Donations
When JDPP won a major grant to create a documentary about its work in prisons, Judy turned to the Partnership to review the nonprofit’s legal release forms to ensure that they were accurate, understandable, and inclusive of all participants.
As Judy explains, “we wanted to be sure our releases were on target so we could standardize them for the future.” As a small nonprofit, hiring a lawyer to review documents was not possible within JDPP’s budget. Judy elaborated, “For us, the Partnership was a wonderful opportunity…. Were we to go out and find a lawyer, that legal expense would have been beyond our means.” The documentary aired on CPTV and was viewed by over 20,000 people.
Judy also pointed out that JDPP has used the Partnership’s free Legal Resource Helpline for quick legal questions, for which normally, “The clock would be ticking, and the dollars would be adding up!”
In 2020, Judy took her appreciation a step further and became a monthly donor to the Partnership. “We’ve always had wonderful consultations [with the Partnership],” Judy said, and continued “I know what it would have cost us to have those services… so I wanted to give back in some small way and recognize that.”
For Judy, it comes down to the golden rule. When asked why she chose to make a monthly gift to the Partnership, Judy was frank: “I run a nonprofit and I know how much difference a monthly donation makes! I wanted to do for someone else what I would want someone to do for us.”
Pro Bono Partnership is a nonprofit itself, and relies on the generosity of its donors to continue programming. Thanks to Judy and other individual donors, the Partnership has been able to diversify its funding base. The Partnership hopes to increase individual support to provide financial stability, respond flexibly to its communities’ evolving needs, and inspire a broader base of dependable support from individuals, whether they choose to write a check or donate through a Donor Advised Fund or allocations from their Individual Retirement Account. As Judy says, “Every little bit helps.”
To join Judy in ensuring nonprofits can continue to rely on the Partnership for their legal needs, contact Heidi Siesfeld, Director of Development, at hsiesfeld@probonopartner.org or 914-328-0674 x326.