IRS Offers Tips for Year-End Giving

IRS Offers Tips for Year-End Giving: RS Offers Tips for Year-End Giving

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IR-2012-102, Dec. 19, 2012

WASHINGTON — Individuals and businesses making contributions to charity should keep in mind some key tax provisions that have taken effect in recent years, especially those affecting donations of clothing and household items and monetary donations.

N.Y. Nonprofits Can Now E-File - TheNonProfitTimes

N.Y. Nonprofits Can Now E-File - TheNonProfitTimes: Charities registered with the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau (AGCB) may now file their reports online. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the move will allow release

Charity Is Charity, Tax-Wise

Charity Is Charity, Tax-Wise: Under current tax arrangements, donations of time and money are treated equally. The way to see this is that both types of donations reduce the income of the donor. A cash donor gets to reduce his or her income earned outside of the charity. A volunteer gets to reduce the income that can be imputed to her for the services provided to the charity.

Opinion: Pro and Con on Charitable-Deduction Limits - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Opinion: Pro and Con on Charitable-Deduction Limits - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Opinion: Pro and Con on Charitable-Deduction Limits

December 17, 2012, 10:43 am

Detailed arguments for and against abolishing or limiting tax breaks for charitable gifts are aired in dueling Wall Street Journal pieces by a senior fellow at a prominent libertarian think-tank and the head of the nonprofit umbrella group leading the lobbying effort to preserve the deduction.

The Charitable Deduction and Why It Needs to Stay - NYTimes.com

The Charitable Deduction and Why It Needs to Stay - NYTimes.com: WHATEVER else we do about the tax code, we need to save the charitable deduction, which has done so much good in our country and springs directly from some of our deepest values.

United Front? Convergent and Divergent Voices in the Charitable Deduction Debate - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

United Front? Convergent and Divergent Voices in the Charitable Deduction Debate - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: The cavalry charge to Capitol Hill by advocates and lobbyists to protect the charitable tax deduction from congressional tinkering or elimination represents a large army of institutions and people who see the deduction as the lifeblood of the nonprofit sector. The lobbyists draw on a mammoth array of institutions that are either public charities or churches and their employees, volunteers, and contributors. If these institutions and people are mobilized and if they speak with one voice, it is all but impossible to imagine the lawmaker who will stand up on the House or Senate floor and proclaim himself the champion of reducing or eliminating the charitable tax deduction. Who would possibly have the temerity to stand up against the united onslaught of charity and philanthropy defending the charitable deduction against any and all slights, especially when backed by the $623 billion in assets of nearly 100,000 foundations recognized by the IRS?

Lobby Day Held to Protect Charitable Deduction, Begin Discussion of Larger Role of Philanthropy in Society - Press - AFP

Lobby Day Held to Protect Charitable Deduction, Begin Discussion of Larger Role of Philanthropy in Society - Press - AFP: Arlington, VA - Hundreds of representatives from the philanthropic sector converged on Capitol Hill Dec. 4-5 to urge Congress to protect the charitable deduction and begin a broader discussion about the role of philanthropy and how to solve the larger, long-term problems that America faces.

The Charitable Giving Coalition, co-chaired by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), held its first “Protect Giving—DC Days” as a way to educate Congress about the importance of the charitable deduction as legislators consider tax reform and deficit reduction. Congress is looking at whether or not to retain, modify or eliminate the charitable deduction, which could result in the loss of billions of dollars of contributions that charities rely in order to provide critically needed services to millions of Americans.

In Charitable Deduction Debate, Who Speaks for Charities? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

In Charitable Deduction Debate, Who Speaks for Charities? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: The Times article leaves readers with the mistaken impression that the Alliance for Charitable Reform speaks for charities and foundations. In reality, there are voices other than the Alliance speaking for charities. The Alliance is a project of the Philanthropy Roundtable, the association of politically conservative foundations chaired by Michael Grebe, the president and CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. Consistently opposing President Obama’s charitable deduction proposals but feeling no warmth toward the Republican position of establishing a dollar cap on the total amount of deductions, the Alliance is no fan of increasing the top tax rates on the rich. As ideological conservatives, the Alliance—and the Roundtable—tend to oppose federal government initiatives (such as what they describe as the “costly” national health reform initiative) in favor of reducing federal spending, emphasizing more reliance on voluntary charitable action, albeit supported by an uncapped charitable deduction.

Charitable deduction lifeblood of nonprofits | Tulsa World

Charitable deduction lifeblood of nonprofits | Tulsa World: Last Tuesday, representatives of 225 nonprofits descended on Washington, warning elected officials that tampering with the charitable tax deduction would limit or even eliminate their ability to serve those in need.


Their efforts are a little like "Whale Wars" - an earnest mobilization to save something really big that if lost cannot be replaced. Hundreds of nonprofits nationwide, like the Parent Child Center of Tulsa, have sent out urgent appeals to supporters urging them to write their congressman. If they sound panicked, they are.

State, Not Aid Group, to Run N.Y. Governor's Sandy Fund - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

State, Not Aid Group, to Run N.Y. Governor's Sandy Fund - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: State, Not Aid Group, to Run N.Y. Governor’s Sandy Fund

December 10, 2012, 8:51 am

The Empire State Relief Fund., established by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help victims of Superstorm Sandy, will be overseen by a government agency rather than a large aid charity, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Capitol Alert: Bills to target disclosure by nonprofits giving to CA campaigns

Capitol Alert: Bills to target disclosure by nonprofits giving to CA campaigns: December 3, 2012
Bills to target disclosure by nonprofits giving to CA campaigns

A pair of Democratic state senators announced today plans to introduce legislation aimed at requiring more disclosure of campaign contributions made by nonprofits.

PHILANTHROPY 2173: In re: philanthropy rules, pay attention to the states

PHILANTHROPY 2173: In re: philanthropy rules, pay attention to the states: I'm up past my eyeballs working on the Blueprint 2013. In it I write about the critical role that state governments will play next year in providing incentives to, tracking, and regulating nonprofits and foundations. The last few days have carried these stories:

1) The New York Attorney General will post data online about nonprofits' fundraising and spending in response to the October storm

Lawmaker Wants To Create “New York State Natural Disaster Relief Fund” | Albany Watch

Lawmaker Wants To Create “New York State Natural Disaster Relief Fund” | Albany Watch: Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, is proposing to create a state natural disaster relief fund to help families impacted by Superstorm Sandy and prepare for future disasters, Gannett’s Haley Viccaro reports.

Patricia McGuire: Charity Must Prevail

Patricia McGuire: Charity Must Prevail: Now comes the spectre of a more frontal assault on charity -- the potential for a reduction in the charitable gift income tax deduction as part of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. Reducing or eliminating the charitable gift deduction would devastate thousands of charities and crystallize the nation's long retreat from a clear national commitment to "habits of the heart."

Deduction cap proposal alarms charities _ especially colleges, who rely more on wealthy donors | Fox News

Deduction cap proposal alarms charities _ especially colleges, who rely more on wealthy donors | Fox News: Colgate cast a wide net. But like most big fundraising campaigns, particularly in higher education, the lion's share came from wealthy benefactors rewarded in return with a combination of altruistic satisfaction, naming rights — and a big tax deduction.

Now that tax deduction may be in jeopardy, and some in higher education are worried.

Charities Would Lose $10-Billion Under Tax Cap, White House Says - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Charities Would Lose $10-Billion Under Tax Cap, White House Says - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Charities Would Lose $10-Billion Under Tax Cap, White House Says

December 3, 2012, 9:25 am

By Doug Donovan

President Obama won’ t support an annual limit on deductions, including those for charitable giving, as the White House issued an estimate that such a break would cost charities at least $10-billion a year.

That will come as a relief to nonprofit leaders who say such limits are essentially the same as ending charitable deductions.