Collecting tzedaka just got easier

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

The Vaad Hatzedaka of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns has upgraded their services to a new computerized system that is intended to streamline the certification process for individuals and organizations collecting charity.

Using a system created by the Vaad Tomchei Shabbos of Lakewood, a new database has been created which contains close to 3,000 names of institutions and individuals worldwide who have been approved and issued a certificate rendering them as valid collectors of tzedaka.

“Until now, we have been interviewing collectors and verifying information manually, and every community has been doing their own checking,” said Rabbi Avrohom Liss of Lawrence, the newly appointed administrator of the Vaad Hatzedaka. “Before, there was no interaction between the communities, and there was a lot of duplication of research, work and effort. This is a wonderful idea that will streamline the entire process.”

If a collector has been to one community and has already been checked out and issued a certificate there, the Vaad of another community can find out by simply looking the person up in the database, which contains passport information, pictures and other identifying details, as well as a comments section. If it is a person's first time collecting, they will be entered into the database by the Vaad of that community after they are approved, so that their name will be in the system forever, enabling other Vaads in other communities to check their credentials when the time comes.

Rabbi Liss, who has taken over the helm of the Vaad following the 17-year tenure of Rabbi Hersch Leib Gefen, explained that access to the database is strictly controlled, and it is only open to Vaad administrators, to ensure complete confidentiality.

In keeping the with the Vaad's long-standing tradition, certificates issued to collectors will retain bright yellow appearance and will have a security holograph bearing the Vaad's logo, in addition to a color picture of the collector.