How to Join or Donate to NJ ME/CFSA

Updated

The stated path to both join and give is the Membership & Charitable Contribution Form on njcfsa.org. The site also states that donations earmarked "Research" will be used only to support the organization's research effort. Before submitting anything, open the form itself to confirm current membership terms, payment method, and any amount fields, since the site's summary page does not spell these out.

What the site says about joining and giving

The homepage lists "Membership & Charitable Contribution Form" as a standing item, which indicates the organization handles membership and charitable contributions through a single form rather than separate sign-up and donation pages. The site does not publish membership tiers, dues amounts, or a list of member benefits in the material available, so treat the form as the authoritative source for those details.

For donations, the organization makes one commitment explicit: money marked for "Research" is restricted to the research effort. That statement appears in a post describing a survey project on how ME/CFS patients in New Jersey are managing, which NJ ME/CFSA says it will carry out whether or not it receives outside funding. If restricted giving matters to you, use the research designation and confirm on the form that the earmark is recorded.

Steps to join or contribute

  1. Go to njcfsa.org and open the Membership & Charitable Contribution Form entry.
  2. Read the form's fields before filling anything in — note whether it asks you to choose between membership and contribution, and whether a research earmark is a checkbox, a dropdown, or a note field.
  3. Enter your details and the amount or membership option you want.
  4. Complete payment through the form's checkout. The site's payment signals point to Stripe as the processing platform; confirm the processor named at checkout before entering card details.
  5. Keep the confirmation the form or processor returns, especially if you designated your gift for research.

Verification: after submitting, check that any confirmation email or receipt reflects the designation you chose. If the receipt does not show a research earmark, follow up with the organization using the contact route on the site.

Giving Tuesday and other occasions

The site highlights Giving Tuesday (a post dated December 1, 2025) as a giving occasion, alongside the general contribution form. Giving Tuesday is a seasonal prompt, not a separate mechanism — the same form and the same research earmark apply. If you prefer to give on a schedule, the form is available year-round according to the site structure; the Giving Tuesday post is simply a reminder.

Who this is for

Membership and donations are aimed at people who want to support ME/CFS patients in New Jersey and the organization's advocacy and research work. The site describes NJ ME/CFSA as working to improve the lives of ME/CFS patients in New Jersey and, through that, the wider community living with similar diseases. Separately, the organization runs a medical scholarship for New Jersey healthcare students and residents — that is an application process, not a membership or giving route, so do not use the contribution form for scholarship inquiries.

Common snags

  • No published dues or tiers. Because the site does not list membership costs, do not assume a figure from elsewhere; read the form.
  • Earmark wording. The research restriction is a stated commitment, not a tax or legal guarantee you can verify from the homepage. If restricted giving is essential to your decision, ask the organization directly how the earmark is tracked.
  • Payment details. The site's signals indicate Stripe, but confirm the processor and any fees at checkout rather than assuming.
  • Scholarship confusion. The $5,000 medical scholarship has its own application and flyer; it is not part of the membership form.

If your goal is simply to support ME/CFS research in New Jersey with a restricted gift, the form plus a research designation is the route the site describes. If you want membership benefits spelled out first, request those details before submitting, since the public pages do not itemize them.