Help Your Nonprofit Get Those End Of Year Donations

Most charitable donations take place that the end of the year. That means that your nonprofit needs to do its best to capture the attention of those in the giving spirit. A great way to do that is to let them know the steps they must do to get the maximum benefit from their donations to your nonprofit. If you don’t capture their attention, somebody else will. That’s why you should be the one. You don’t have to spend hard to come by money to deliver that message. Take advantage of your social media and any free radio time you can get.

What your charitable donors must know:

Your donors must itemize their deductions. If they want to capture the full benefit of their charitable donations they will need to itemize them out on the Schedule A of their tax returns. Otherwise their charitable donations to your nonprofit will not count.

Credit card donations and donations by check must be dated no later than December 31 to count for that given year. It’s okay if your donors do not get the credit card billing statement by year’s end or that the check doesn’t clear. The one thing that must be evident was that the act of donating was done prior to year end for it to be used for that tax year.

Your nonprofit is an IRS approved charity. Let them know that you have the 501(c)(3) status. If you don’t, work on getting that.

Larger donations can be rolled over for up to five years. If your charitable donor exceeds the maximum write-off they can do that year they can move it to the next year.

You have the opportunity to make a difference:
Having a basic understanding of the process for donations and how they benefit your charitable donors will lead your nonprofit to a more prosperous road. You don’t have to be an accountant and you shouldn’t give tax advice, but you can certainly let your donors know that there are great benefits to donating to your nonprofit.

Nonprofits Need To Take Call To Action Over Estate Tax Changes

In the turbulent times of tax restructuring nonprofits are the ones that could be hurt the most by some of the changes that are on the table. These new deals to extend the Bush era tax cuts or some variation of them stand the chance of having a significant financial impact on the donations that many nonprofits rely on to be able to do their good deeds.

Why does estate tax affect nonprofits?
Many nonprofits are funded through government grants and estate taxes are what contribute to those funds many times. With the proposed reductions in estate taxes to only 35% with higher exemption levels the funds, that are critical to many nonprofits success could be cut drastically. The result would be that the wealthiest of American’s would indirectly be taking away the support that is given to people of dire circumstances. A few of these groups are the unemployed, homeless, and single parents. Other groups that would find it more difficult to achieve their goal of helping others would be nonprofits that work towards new beginnings and medical advancements that will help everyone.

How does philanthropy play a role in estate taxes?
One of the first benefits to be threatened is the deductions and their benefits for philanthropists who wish to keep spreading good deeds after they have passed. Without nonprofit groups taking a stand for their passions they could risk losing the funds to continue their valuable work.

Every nonprofit who is concerned about their financial resources must take a stand. Make sure you contact your political representatives and let them know that the estate tax is a vital part of your potential and must remain at a reasonable rate. Don’t undercut your nonprofit’s potential because you didn’t fight against an unreasonably low estate tax.

Are you ready for the end of the year?

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The 2010 Nonprofit Organizations Salary and Benefits Report is the most comprehensive, data-rich and user friendly salary and benefits report for the nonprofit sector. Purchase it now and get the information that will make the IRS 990 form easier for your organization