It’s the fifth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving for 2019. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks, and I’ll be posting the results here. Today’s charity is The Trevor Project.
In 1994, Peggy Rajski won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short with the film, Trevor. The film was about a young teen (Trevor) who faces prejudice and turmoil when word spreads at school that he might be gay. As the film picked up support, Rajski discovered there was no real place for young people like Trevor to turn. The answer? The Trevor Project. By the time the film premiered on HBO in 1998 (with Ellen DeGeneres hosting), the Trevor Lifeline was ready. It was the first national crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. Since then, hundreds of thousands of young people in crisis have reached out to The Trevor Project: over 100,000 calls/texts/chats are answered each year.
How great a need is there for The Trevor Project? Consider these numbers: gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. But, having one supportive person in their lives reduces their risk of suicide by 30%.
The Trevor Project offers crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including Trevor Lifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat, as well as peer-to-peer social network support for LGBTQ young people, TrevorSpace.
What kind of difference are they making? You can check out the website for testimonials about the work, but consider this statement from a 13-year-old who reached out via text: When I had almost lost all hope, you listened. You helped save me.
If you are an LGBTQ young person thinking about suicide and in need of immediate support, you can call the TrevorLifeline at 1-866-488-7386 or contact TrevorChat online to connect with a counselor. You can also text START to 678678.
So how can you help? To make a one-time donation, click over to the website. Donations are used to train crisis counselors and to provide free crisis services 24/7. You can also make a monthly donation. Employer matches may be available.
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. Ideally, the organization will provide a written record with the name of the charity, date, and amount of the contribution.
The Trevor Project relies on adult volunteers (you must be at least 18) to provide assistance to teens. You can find out more here. Remember that you cannot deduct the value of your time on your federal income tax return, but you can deduct any related out-of-pocket costs.
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 Tax Exempt Organization Search (formerly Select Check) reveals that The Trevor Project is on the list.
To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter or Instagram.
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. The Trevor Project has a four-star ranking (you can also view financials on the site).
Remember: Readers nominate their favorite charities to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving, and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the organizations. So be generous but be smart: Do your homework.
For more on making charitable donations, click here.
