It’s the fourth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving for 2018. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks, and I’ll be posting one a day for —well, 12 days (I’m clever that way). Today’s charity is The Grey Muzzle Organization.
The Grey Muzzle Organization, sometimes just called Grey Muzzle, has as its mission to improve the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other nonprofit groups nationwide.
While puppies may get hits on Facebook, Grey Muzzle believes that old dogs contribute positively to the quality of our lives and have much to teach about patience, respect, responsibility, loyalty and unconditional love.
But, the organization reports, old dogs are left at shelters, turned loose, left behind or even abandoned at home: Old dogs who are no longer wanted may be banished to the garage or exiled to the backyard with little human companionship. And, Grey Muzzle reports, sometimes families who love their old dog are forced to give the dog up due to difficult circumstances.
Grey Muzzle helps animal welfare organizations to provide care, comfort and loving homes for old dogs. They also encourage new nonprofit organizations to care for senior dogs, such as hospices.
You can meet some of the dogs that Grey Muzzle has helped here.
So how can you help?
To make an automatic monthly donation, you can click over to the website.
You can also make a one-time donation of any amount by clicking here.
Donations may also be sent by mail. Make checks payable to The Grey Muzzle Organization and mail to 14460 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 149-269, Raleigh, NC 27614.
For federal income tax purposes, if you plan to claim a deduction for a cash contribution, you’ll want to keep a record of the donation regardless of the amount. Ideally, the organization will provide a written record with the name of the charity, date, and amount of the contribution.
You can also donate a car, truck, motorcycle or recreational vehicle. Grey Muzzle recommends that you visit Vehicles for Charity or call 1-866-628-2277 for more info. When you donate your vehicle to a qualified charitable organization, the rules are a little different from your run of the mill charitable donations so be sure to read the fine print. Generally, you are entitled to deduct the sales price of your vehicle as the value of your donation when it is sold (not when it is donated); if your vehicle sells for less than $500, you can deduct the Fair Market Value of the vehicle (up to $499); if the gross sale of the vehicle is greater than $500, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will expect you to fill out a federal form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions (downloads as a pdf). At sale, the charity will provide you with the sales receipt or federal form 1098C for your records.
Do your homework.
As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ new Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that Grey Muzzle Organization is on the list.
To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, like them on Facebook, check out their board on Pinterest or follow them on Instagram or Twitter.
I often suggest checking out third-party sites like Charity Navigator for more information about charitable organizations, including evaluations and access to tax forms and other financials. Grey Muzzle is not rated by Charity Navigator because the organization doesn’t report more than $1 million in annual revenue. For more information, check out this handy guide: Evaluating Charities Not Currently Rated by Charity Navigator.
The organization has also earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, an online service that provides information about nonprofit organizations.
Remember: Submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers, and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous, but be smart: Do your homework.
For more on making charitable donations, click here.
Looking for more inspiration? Here are the other organizations on the list this year:
